Christian and Biblical Names

Saints are men and women who are saints with a capital ‘S’ because they were so extraordinarily holy here on earth that the church has officially recognized them as being in heaven. The long process by which it becomes a capital ‘S’ is called canonization. If a person has shown a great holiness in life, he or she may initially be called ‘venerable’ after death. After intensive investigation of the person’s life in general, and after one miracle attributed to him has been verified, he may be beatified and officially called ‘Blessed’. After documentation of a second miracle performed by direct intercession of the blessed person, he may be officially declared a ‘Saint’ and given a feast day. Usually, the day of his or her death is designated as the feast day. The only exception to this long process is the martyr, who does not require a documented miracle to be canonized. The first formal canonization was made in 993 AD when Pope John XV declared Bishop Ulric of Augsburg to be a saint.

Naming children after saints has a long and honorable history because saints have “Run the race, Fought the fight, Kept the faith” as St. Paul wrote on his letter to Timothy. The church has long encouraged parents to name their child after a saint. In Canon 885 AD, the parents, godparents, and parish priests must take care that the baptismal name is not ‘foreign to Christian sentiment’ like Judas, Hitler, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Goliath. Using a saint’s name is also important because in the sacrament of confirmation the baptized is given a chance to re-establish his link with the saint’s name. Another way to choose a saint’s name is to consider a patron saint.

It is also nice to choose biblical names. While these holy people were never formally declared saints they are very good choices. Just as each child as a miracle from the hands of God, so to them is one name that seem to fit each person perfectly. Aaron (Exodus 4:14), in Hebrew means light or mountain, is the biblical name of the brother of Moses. Abel (Genesis 4:2), in Hebrew means breath (life), is the second son of Adam and Eve. Abraham (Gen 17:5) in Hebrew means father of nations, is the first Hebrew patriarch. Absalom (2 Samuel 14:25), in Hebrew means my father is peace, is King David’s son. Abigail (1 Sam 25:3), in Hebrew means father’s joy, is King David’s wife. Ada (Gen 36:2), in Hebrew means ornament, is the wife of Esau. Hannah (1 Sam 1:11) means the mother of Samuel. Marian (Exodus 15:20) is Hebrew for sorrow, the sister of Moses.

The names of some saints are based on the customs and traditions of their countries. Adela is old German for nobility and Adelina is its Latin form. Agatha is Greek for good. Agape is Greek for Love. Agnes is Greek for pure. Albina is Latin for white. Agrippina is Latin for pain of childbirth. Charles is old English for ‘man’ like St. Charles Borromeo. Christopher is Greek for ‘who carries Christ’, like St. Christopher, the Patron of Travelers, and variations like, Christobal, Kristofer, Chris, Krys, Christian, Krister, Kristjan, Christos. Crispin Latin for curly haired, Cyprian Latin for ‘man from Cyprus, Helen is Greek for ‘the bright one’, like St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine and discoverer of the true cross.