History of Christian names

by Charlotte M. Yonge

Grace is the Hebrew Hannah or Anna, and the charis in Greek compounds. Eucharis would not answer amiss to the Adelheid, or noble cheer, of Teuton damsels. Abigail, or father’s joy, Zenobia, father’s ornament, are in the same spirit.

Eu, meaning both happy and rich, wealthy in its best sense, is exactly followed by the Northern ad and Anglo-Saxon ead. Eulalia and Eulogios are the same as Edred, Euphrasia would answer to Odny, Eucharis and Aine likewise have the same sense of gladness. Eugenois is, perhaps, rather in the sense of Olaf, or of the host of Adels and Ethels. Patrocles and Cleopatra, both meaning the father’s fame, have nothing exactly analogous to them in the Teuton and Keltic world.

Royalty is found in the Syriac Malchus, the Persian Kshahtra, or Xerxes, the Malek of the Arab, the early Archos, Basileus, and Tyrannos of the late Greek; even the Roman Regulus, with Tigearnach among the Kelts, and Rik in its compounds in the Teutonic world. The loftiness and strength of the royal power is expressed in the Persian prefix arta, first cousin to our Keltic Art and Arthur, akin to the root that forms Ares, Arius, Arteinus, and many more familiar names from the superlative Aristos. It is the idea of strength and manhood, perhaps akin to the Latin vir and Keltic fear. Boleslav is the Wendic name, filling up the cycle of strength and manly virtue.

Majesty and greatness are commemorated by closely resembling words—the Persian Mathista or Masistes, Megas and Megalos in their Greek compounds, Latin Magnus and Maximus, Keltic Mor, Teutonic Mer; it is only the Velika of the Slav that does not follow the same root. The crown names Stephanas and Venceslas, or crown glory.

Justice and judgment are the prevalent ideas in the Hebrew Dan and Shaphat, Greek Archos, Dike, and Krite, Latin Justinus, Northern Ragn; perhaps, too, in the Irish Phelim and Slavonic Upravda. Damo, to tame, is in many Greek names; and ward, or protection, answers to the Latin Titus.

Venerable is the Persian Arsaces, with Augustus and Sebastian. Power figures in Vladimir and Waldemar, and the many forms of wald; and, on the other hand, the people assert themselves in the Laos and Demos of Greece, the leutfolk and theod of the Teuton, and even the ljud of the Slave. The lover of his people may be found under the various titles of Demophilos, Publicola, Theodwine, and the Slavonic feminine Ludmila; their ruler, as Democritus, or Archilaus, or Theodoric; their tamer, as Laodamos; their justice, as Laodike.

Boulos, council, finds a parallel in the Teuton raad; but Sophia, wisdom, is far too cultivated for an analogy among the name-makers of the rude North.

But fame and glory were more popular than wisdom and justice. Slava rings through the names of the Wends, and klas through the Greeks; while hluod and hruod form half the leading names of Germanized Europe.

Clara is the late Latin name best implying fame, but answering best to Bertha, bright, like the Phlegon of Greece, and Barsines of Persia, which are all from one root. Lucius, light, translates some of these.

Conquest, that most desired of events to a warlike nation, is the Nike of the Greeks. Nikias, Victor, Sige, Cobhflaith, are all identical in meaning; and the Greek and Teuton have again and again curiously similar compounds. Nicephorous and Sigebot, Nikoboulous and Sigfred, Stratonice would perhaps be paralleled by Sighilda. Nicolas has not an exact likeness, because the Teutons never place either sige or theod at the end of a word.