This year our children have decided to dress up as Royal Saints for our annual Saint's Day celebration. So I thought this would be a good time to look through the lists of all Royals to see which names, or variations thereof, might be good inspiration for those parents who might be looking for something classic and traditional or fresh and contemporary.
The Church is filled of monarchs who exhibited great virtue, generosity, and piousness. The list of the men and women who have used their power and wealth to glorify God and extend his Kingdom on earth would be quite a long one indeed. As such, I have only listed the names that, I think, translate to American sensibilities.
Elizabeth: There have been at least two royal Elizabeths who the Church calls saints and one was named for the other. Princess Elizabeth of Hungary was born to King Andrew in 1207. She was totally devoted to using her wealth to tend to the sick and feed the poor. She built a hospital at the foot of her castle where she cared for the sick herself. She was also known to have fed 900 hungry people every day. Her niece, St. Elizabeth of Portugal took her duties as wife and queen very seriously. Her constant prayers and sacrifices helped convert her pagan husband. She dedicated her life to mending the royal family rivalries and potentially dangerous squabbles. As such, she is know in the Church as Peacemaker. Isabel is the usual form in Spain and Portugal.
Find Elizabeth and Isabel too popular? Then try some of her variations; there are plenty. There's the sleek and beautiful Eliza and the Scottish charm of Elsbeth. The Italian Elisabetta is soft yet glamorous. Betty might be too retro for modern parents, but Bess might just appealing with her one-syllable simplicity and vintage flair. The options really are endless.
Margaret: St. Margaret of Scotland was known for her piety and charity. She was mother to 3 Kings of Scotland. She founded several churches and was known to have many religious treasures, especially a relic of the True Cross. She was revered in Scotland for over 1000 years, making her name one of the most popular names given to Scottish and Irish young girls alike.
The Irish nickname Megan continues to be one of the most popular girl's names in the U.S. But there are plenty other Margaret variations and diminutives that any Catholic parent could be happy with. If Megan isn't Irish enough for you, try Mairead or Marged. Greta and Rita bring to mind the heyday of Hollywood glamour. For the French lover, there's Marguerite and Margot. For those parents that are looking for something spunky and fresh, there's Pearl and Daisy, since Margaret means "pearl" and Marguerite is a variety of lovely a daisy.
Adelaide: St. Adelaide was princess of the King of Burgundy. She was full of life, beautiful, determined, and resourceful. At a young age, she married the King of Italy and became Queen. Her husband was poisoned by a political rival, making her a widow. When she refused to marry the son of her husband's murdered, she was imprisoned. She escaped. She sought aid by arranging a very good marriage for herself to Otto the King of Germany, heir to the Holy Roman Empire. She was a model of piety and fortitude, always acknowledging the magnificent graces she received from God.
Adelaide is fantastically lovely. For the parents who want to honor St. Adelaide but aren't sure how the name translates, there's always Ada, Adele, Adella, and Adelia. There's also the spunky Della or the classic Alice.
Henry: St. Henry II was often called the "Good King Henry." He was a German King and Holy Roman Emperor about 1020. He was incredibly pious and God gifted him with remarkable good sense. He strengthened the Church in Germany with great love and zeal. His military prowess and fortitude helped him to defeat the barbarian troops that waited to destroy the Empire and Christianity. He was both a great emperor and a great saint.
Henry has remained one of the most popular names in the U.S. for a long time. It reeks of royalty thanks to the long list of British royals, both good and bad. But if Henry is not your style, there are other variations that might you consider. Enrico and Arrigo or Harry and Hank. Another variation worth considering is Emmerich, which could also be used to honor Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
The female versions of Henrietta and Harriet are long overdue for a comeback in the U.S and come with the adorable nickname, Hattie.
Edmund: St. Edmund was King of East Anglia (England) in the year 869. He was crowned on Christmas Day at the age of 14. He was known to be a model ruler with incredible piety and faith. Even though he was young, he was always aware of the dangers the pagan Scandanavians posed to his country. He fought ardently to keep them at bay but was eventually captured and the country ransacked. When he was brought before the Danish chief with offers of peace, St. Edmund refused to give his subjects over to pagan influences. He was subsequently tortured and murdered.
Edmund is much more accessible than the related name Edwin. There is also the fresh choice of the Irish Eamonn. (pronounced Ay-mon.) For those parents looking for an attractive one-syllable name, there is the nickname Ned which could stand on its own.
David: The most notable St. David is, of course, the King David of the Bible, King of Israel, great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth, slayer of Goliath, ancestor of Our Lord. King David was both a horrible sinner and a repentant man. He was filled with piety, justice, generosity, and faith. The Scripture is filled with stories of his life from birth to death. He was a great ruler, a prophet, a poet, and a musician. While King David has his roots in Jewish culture, David has been the name of several saints in the Catholic Church, including the Patron of Wales.
There doesn't seem to be any other way to say David other than the traditional. The surname Davis, though, might make and interesting choice for modern Catholics who were looking to be somewhat contemporary and stylish.
Throughout human history, the Kings and Queens have ruled the world, changed the world, and conquered the world. The Bible is filled with stories of good rulers and bad rulers. Our history books have stories of Kings and Queens who accomplished many things and brought nations together. Our Catholic faith, in many ways, is founded on the zeal and faith of the leaders who have led us, died for us, and saved us from paganism and barbarism. It seems fitting, then, that our own children bear the names of these Royal Saints that were infused with graces from God to lead us.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Brrr! Cool Saint's Names for Cool Weather
In October, the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to fall. This month also has Feast Days for a saint or two beginning with Br. In fact, there are many saint's names with the friendly, familiar Br. Some are old favorites, brought to popularity in the 60s and 70s, but many are exciting and could make fresh new choices for contemporary parents looking for a combination of familiar and cool.
Bruno: St. Bruno was a quiet and eloquent preacher, philosopher and teacher during the 11th Century. His Feast Day is October 6. Bruno sounds strong, masculine, yet modern and hip. It also has that cool "o" at the end. Unfortunately for the girls, I don't think any of the feminine versions of the name translate very well.
Bridget: St. Bridget of Sweden was a descendant of the royal family in the 14th Century. She was kind, generous, and pious and her marriage to her husband produced 8 children, at least one of whom was also a saint. Over the centuries she became one of the most celebrated saints in that part of the world. Her Feast Day is October 8. Bridget is also the English version of the beloved St. Brigid of Ireland. This name is so popular across the globe that there any number of spellings and variations. This name is simply, yet spunky, and not overly used. The French Brigitte and the German Brigitta are both lovely. There's also the unisex Britt, for those parents who are so inclined. There is also the related name Bedelia, as long as it's not preceded by Amelia.
Brendan: St. Brendan the Navigator became renowned in Irish history for his voyages across the sea. St. Brendan was born in the 6th century, when the Catholics in Ireland were sending missionaries across Europe. Most American parents are probably more familiar with the 90s favorite, Brandon. Brennan is another variation of the name that flows off the tongue. The female version, Brenda, is a bit outdated, but Brenna is modern, fun, and still feminine. It's also the name of one of our daughters.
Breccan, Brannock, Brice, and Brogan: The names of these Celtic Saints would make interesting replacements for the over-popular and unsaintly crop of Celtic-sounding names like Braxton, Braydon, and Logan that modern parents are attracted to.
Bruno: St. Bruno was a quiet and eloquent preacher, philosopher and teacher during the 11th Century. His Feast Day is October 6. Bruno sounds strong, masculine, yet modern and hip. It also has that cool "o" at the end. Unfortunately for the girls, I don't think any of the feminine versions of the name translate very well.
Bridget: St. Bridget of Sweden was a descendant of the royal family in the 14th Century. She was kind, generous, and pious and her marriage to her husband produced 8 children, at least one of whom was also a saint. Over the centuries she became one of the most celebrated saints in that part of the world. Her Feast Day is October 8. Bridget is also the English version of the beloved St. Brigid of Ireland. This name is so popular across the globe that there any number of spellings and variations. This name is simply, yet spunky, and not overly used. The French Brigitte and the German Brigitta are both lovely. There's also the unisex Britt, for those parents who are so inclined. There is also the related name Bedelia, as long as it's not preceded by Amelia.
Brendan: St. Brendan the Navigator became renowned in Irish history for his voyages across the sea. St. Brendan was born in the 6th century, when the Catholics in Ireland were sending missionaries across Europe. Most American parents are probably more familiar with the 90s favorite, Brandon. Brennan is another variation of the name that flows off the tongue. The female version, Brenda, is a bit outdated, but Brenna is modern, fun, and still feminine. It's also the name of one of our daughters.
Breccan, Brannock, Brice, and Brogan: The names of these Celtic Saints would make interesting replacements for the over-popular and unsaintly crop of Celtic-sounding names like Braxton, Braydon, and Logan that modern parents are attracted to.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Positively Angelic
October is one of the most beautiful months in the Church's Liturgical Calendar. There are some really amazing and interesting feast days. The month is also dedicated to the Rosary. This seems like a perfect time to begin this blog of baby names for Catholics.
October 2 is the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. This is an important feast day because it reminds us how much Our Lord loves us. He loves us so much that He has assigned each of us an angel all of our own. And while we don't know the names of all the angels, we do know some. They are traditionally male names, but there are also feminine variations.
While some of these are quite popular, they are still worth considering. There are also a host of nick-names to go along with them.
Michael: St. Michael the Archangel is the highest of all the angels. God has given him many responsibilities and my children love him best of all the angels. He is our celestial protector, fighting the devils at every turn. The name, itself, means "Who is like God?"
If Michael is too popular for you, try the Finnish form Mikko. It's cool, modern, and has that really fun "o" at the end.
Feminine forms: Michelle and Michaela
Gabriel: St. Gabriel the Archangel is considered the highest of God's messengers. It was he who appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary announcing she was to be the Mother of Our Lord.
The feminine forms, Gabrielle and Gabriella, are quite popular, and there are a whole host of nick-names to choose from.
Raphael: St. Raphael the Archangel is the patron saint of lovers and happy meetings. He is a central figure in the Book of Tobias where he heals Tobias' blindness and rescues Tobias' daughter-in-law from the Devil. Rafe is a cute nick-name, too.
The feminine form Raphaela would make a nice addition to the popular -ella names, too.
Angel: This name doesn't need any explanation. It's both celestial and strong. Perhaps that's why the Spanish speaking world has been using it for awhile. In the U.S., it's mostly used for girls. The Italian, Angelo, would make a cool, masculine choice, and has that lovely "o".
The feminine variations of this name make a huge list, with some much more modern than old-fashioned. Angela was a favorite in the 60s, but the literary Angelica and the lovely Angelina would make beautiful, contemporary choices. Angelica also brings to mind the beloved Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN.
All of these celestial names are quite suitable for Catholic children and, in fact, would be constant reminders of the invisible world and the glory of Heaven.
October 2 is the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. This is an important feast day because it reminds us how much Our Lord loves us. He loves us so much that He has assigned each of us an angel all of our own. And while we don't know the names of all the angels, we do know some. They are traditionally male names, but there are also feminine variations.
While some of these are quite popular, they are still worth considering. There are also a host of nick-names to go along with them.
Michael: St. Michael the Archangel is the highest of all the angels. God has given him many responsibilities and my children love him best of all the angels. He is our celestial protector, fighting the devils at every turn. The name, itself, means "Who is like God?"
If Michael is too popular for you, try the Finnish form Mikko. It's cool, modern, and has that really fun "o" at the end.
Feminine forms: Michelle and Michaela
Gabriel: St. Gabriel the Archangel is considered the highest of God's messengers. It was he who appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary announcing she was to be the Mother of Our Lord.
The feminine forms, Gabrielle and Gabriella, are quite popular, and there are a whole host of nick-names to choose from.
Raphael: St. Raphael the Archangel is the patron saint of lovers and happy meetings. He is a central figure in the Book of Tobias where he heals Tobias' blindness and rescues Tobias' daughter-in-law from the Devil. Rafe is a cute nick-name, too.
The feminine form Raphaela would make a nice addition to the popular -ella names, too.
Angel: This name doesn't need any explanation. It's both celestial and strong. Perhaps that's why the Spanish speaking world has been using it for awhile. In the U.S., it's mostly used for girls. The Italian, Angelo, would make a cool, masculine choice, and has that lovely "o".
The feminine variations of this name make a huge list, with some much more modern than old-fashioned. Angela was a favorite in the 60s, but the literary Angelica and the lovely Angelina would make beautiful, contemporary choices. Angelica also brings to mind the beloved Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN.
All of these celestial names are quite suitable for Catholic children and, in fact, would be constant reminders of the invisible world and the glory of Heaven.
Why I Started This Blog.
In 1992, we had our first child. Throughout that pregnancy, my husband and I went back and forth on baby names. Since we were not Christian, we were not overly concerned with identifying our son, or any other future children, with a religious name. We were not opposed to that either, and I am fairly certain, if our first-born had been a daughter, she would have been called Hannah.
But as our lives changed and we continued to grow spiritually, so did our naming style. By the time we had given birth to our 4th child, we were decidedly Catholic. We talked, then, a lot about giving our 1st daughter a lovely saint's name to reflect our love for our faith, but we never found one we liked. We also were not really encouraged to choose a saint's name either. We did not receive instruction on the issue and we came to the conclusion, after reading the Catechism, that as long as the name wasn't outright opposed to Christian sensibilities, we could select whatever name we wanted. We did just that and added a lovely saint's name in the middle.
As I was approaching the delivery of our 6th child, our spiritual lives had yet again grown to new levels. We had come to love our Catholic lives in unimaginable ways. We had spent time praying more and reading more about the Church and the saints. As we read about their lives, we began to understand why our Catholic ancestors left the legacy of generations of Francis', Stephens, Marys, Marthas, and Johns. These saints had amazing faith and incredible virtue. Catholic parents of those days wanted their children to have someone with strong character upon whom to model their lives. They wanted their children to always have their eyes and minds on Heaven and the saints who live there. Not only did the parents want this, but the Church required it as well.
When we became Traditional Catholics, we came in with all the trappings of Modern Catholicism, including the "Saints-name-in-the-middle" philosophy of baby naming. But something nagged within us when we were expecting our 7th child. Eventually, we were able to find a saint's name we liked, although obscure. It is so obscure that I am not convinced our priest even recognizes it! But our beautiful daughter has a patron, nonetheless.
In light of our difficulty, I wanted to have a blog that could be useful for today's Catholic parents who are confused and misinformed about baby naming. I personally believe more Catholic parents would choose the names of saints and martyrs if they knew it was required of them AND if they could find names that were modern and hip. That is what I hope to do with this blog.
There are a whole host of saint's names out there, some popular and others obscure. But they are out there just waiting for Catholic parents to re-claim their religious identities. So be bold, parents! Don't be afraid to let the world know that you are Catholic!
But as our lives changed and we continued to grow spiritually, so did our naming style. By the time we had given birth to our 4th child, we were decidedly Catholic. We talked, then, a lot about giving our 1st daughter a lovely saint's name to reflect our love for our faith, but we never found one we liked. We also were not really encouraged to choose a saint's name either. We did not receive instruction on the issue and we came to the conclusion, after reading the Catechism, that as long as the name wasn't outright opposed to Christian sensibilities, we could select whatever name we wanted. We did just that and added a lovely saint's name in the middle.
As I was approaching the delivery of our 6th child, our spiritual lives had yet again grown to new levels. We had come to love our Catholic lives in unimaginable ways. We had spent time praying more and reading more about the Church and the saints. As we read about their lives, we began to understand why our Catholic ancestors left the legacy of generations of Francis', Stephens, Marys, Marthas, and Johns. These saints had amazing faith and incredible virtue. Catholic parents of those days wanted their children to have someone with strong character upon whom to model their lives. They wanted their children to always have their eyes and minds on Heaven and the saints who live there. Not only did the parents want this, but the Church required it as well.
When we became Traditional Catholics, we came in with all the trappings of Modern Catholicism, including the "Saints-name-in-the-middle" philosophy of baby naming. But something nagged within us when we were expecting our 7th child. Eventually, we were able to find a saint's name we liked, although obscure. It is so obscure that I am not convinced our priest even recognizes it! But our beautiful daughter has a patron, nonetheless.
In light of our difficulty, I wanted to have a blog that could be useful for today's Catholic parents who are confused and misinformed about baby naming. I personally believe more Catholic parents would choose the names of saints and martyrs if they knew it was required of them AND if they could find names that were modern and hip. That is what I hope to do with this blog.
There are a whole host of saint's names out there, some popular and others obscure. But they are out there just waiting for Catholic parents to re-claim their religious identities. So be bold, parents! Don't be afraid to let the world know that you are Catholic!
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