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Baby names

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evangelical Christian names?

43 replies

TemporaryUsernameJustForThis · 31/08/2010 14:51

This is a sequel to my thread in which I asked about the etiquette of giving a Jewish name to a child with a non-Jewish mother. We'll go for it.

My next question is, can we think on any typically evangelical Christian names to use as a middle name? What's popular right now?

For boys, Luke and Jonathon and Nathaniel seem perennial favourites.

For girls, I can only really think of Grace, but that's popular anyway.

Anyone?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 09:43

Smithagain, it's not so much about not being mixed up with "the other lot". It's about avoiding distress for your child because of the reactions and actions of other people. I live in a place where sectarianism is rife and Roman Catholics get a really hard time. In fact it is a great art of catholicism here not to let people know.

The trouble comes not from Christian people of any type but from other people, one's who have probably never had any contact with Christianity except in school but have a deep seated dislike of all things RC. It's a bit hard to explain to someone from the outside, really.

stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 09:37

Where I live, which I don't think is that far from you, Weegie, there are names that ask for trouble, if you see what I mean, and are best avoided for the child's sake.

I'm not an evengelical, just a run of the mill CoS, but a lot of the more evangelical/Pentecostal Christians that I know give their children very biblical names while trying to avoid (like most of the rest of us around here) names that could in any way be linked to Catholicism. So Gospel names, missionary type names, OT names, but not really saints names (except the apostles.) Evangelical Christianity is quite new in our area and is gathering in a LOT of young people who are having babies and giving them obviously Christian names. Again, a reason to avoid a name would be negative associations, so JEzebel or Salome wouldn't be that great, really. ALthough I know couple who called their daughter Rahab, which was greeted with dismay until people realised that she was actually an ancestor of Jesus.

I think that the OP wants an overtly Christian name because of their particular circumstances, Jewish father, Christian mother. They want to make the baby's heritage obvious because of the reaction that their marriage has received from both their communities.

Obviously, you should name your child anything that you like, without restriction, children rarely follow the paths their parents expect. None of my kids have biblical names at all, they all have instantly recognisable Scottish/Irish names.

I don't think that evangelicals are very scary, by the way, just a bit misunderstood.

Smithagain · 01/09/2010 09:22

Agree with weegiemum that it is sad that people feel they have to avoid certain names so as not to be mixed up with the "other lot". Nothing wrong with choosing names that have some meaning for you, though. We went for a mixture of family names, Biblical names and ones that we just liked. But they do all have some significance to us as a family.

weegiemum · 01/09/2010 09:09

Add message | Report | Contact poster stressedHEmum Wed 01-Sep-10 08:56:54

Oh, yes, there are definitely names that Evangelical protestants would want to avoid, there are a lot of Christian names that need to be avoided in the area where I live because the might be associated with RC, as well.

Why?? Really, why? Why would evangelical CHristians want to avoid certain names?? I am one (well, sort of, getting a bit dissillusioned sith it all to be honest!), and I just don't get this. We didn't name our children according to our religious beleif, why would we? We have a girl with a biblical name, but chosen as it was her Great-grandma's name. We have another girl with a greek name not related to biblicla CHristianity at all. Our ds has an Irish saint's name (therefore regarded as RC by his northern irish protestant family). Because we liked it!!

Why would we want to avoig a name just bcause we are evangelical protestants? Sorry, this sounds like a load of rubbish to me and one of those things that the scarey evangelicals do: "well I named my son Jesus so we could spread the Word" sort of thing. Ewww. Name your child what you like, don't restrict them to biblical names cos that's what you think - they might grow up to be something very different indeed!

stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 09:09

MA, I think it would be a name that is implicitly Christian in origin but not associated too closely with Saints/Judaism, perhaps a sort of name from the Reformation or a Gospel name. Just a name that will make the baby's heritage obvious.

There's also:
Philo
LAzarus (perhaps not)
Luc or Lux
Panis
Pax

Smithagain · 01/09/2010 09:00

Anything that features in the Bible, I would have thought. And preferably someone that presents a good role model (i.e. not Jezebel Grin).

stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 08:56

Oh, yes, there are definitely names that Evangelical protestants would want to avoid, there are a lot of Christian names that need to be avoided in the area where I live because the might be associated with RC, as well.

I had a think about this and thought of some more.

Martin
Luther
Calvin
Silas
Knox
(You can tell my background quite easily, can't you!)

Temperance
Honor
Eirene
Anastasia (means ressurection in Greek)
Beth (too OT?)
Lucia or some variant of Lux
Christiana
Eunice
Anna
Agape

nooka · 01/09/2010 02:13

MY BIL and sister are evangelical Christians and their sons have New Testament names, so I think more of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and then Peter, Thomas, Andrew, James or Philip. Less so Thaddeus or Bartholomew perhaps.

Girls would be a little more difficult, as there are so few in the New Testament, and obvious one (Mary is I think very associated with Catholicism, which might not be what you are interested in). I think you'd have to go for early saints, but again they might be more associated with Catholicism. Perhaps Helena, Priscilla or Catherine? Women associated with early protestantism include Sojourner Truth, Frances Willard or another Catherine, Catharine Beecher.

franklampoon · 01/09/2010 00:02

Billy. Graham.

mathanxiety · 31/08/2010 23:50

What makes a name 'evangelical Christian'?

TemporaryUsernameJustForThis · 31/08/2010 21:32

Some great ideas on here. Shortlist now about 15 boys names and 20 girls Grin

OP posts:
stressedHEmum · 31/08/2010 17:02

Paul
Jude
James
Simon
Peter
Columba
Timothy
Christian Grin
Andrew
Adonijah (perhaps to OT)
COrnelius
Emmanuel
Gabriel
Michael
Baruch
Jairus
Luke
Lucas
Patrick
David
Mark
Matthew
John
Peter
Phillip
Stephen
Kingdom

Loads of other ones like Caleb, Samuel, Isaac, Jeremiah, Josiah, Uriah, Zephaniah are all very Old Testament but full of Evangelical resonance. Not what you want though.

TAbitha
Talitha
Dorcas
Lydia
Mary
Elizabeth
Faith
Hope
Charity
Bernice
Candace
Martha
Eden
Joy
Mercy
Angel
Evangeline
Serena/Serenity
Prisca
Thea/Dorothea
Eleutheria
Truth/Verity/Aletheia

Same again, some popular ones like Rachael, Rebecca, Hannah, NAomi, Sara, Deborah, Abigail, Miriam, Jael etc. are very OT and with a JEwish first name might not show the Christian side of the family.

DandyDan · 31/08/2010 16:34

Jude
Nathaniel
Jonathan

Martha
Hannah
Rebekah
Lydia
Abigail

Lancelottie · 31/08/2010 15:59

Umm, Angela? Evangeline? Christine/a?

brockleybelle · 31/08/2010 15:55

Jemima
Esther
sarah
naomi
ruth
leah
elisabeth
hannah

brockleybelle · 31/08/2010 15:52

salome
tabitha
dorcas
lydia
lois
priscilla
anna
eunice
julia
candace
mary
susannah

lulabellamozerella · 31/08/2010 15:49

Boys:
Jacob
Ethan
Michael
Alexander
Joshua
Daniel
Noah
Isaac
Evan
Caleb
Zachariah

Girls:
Ava
Abigail
Hannah
Leah
Madeline
Faith
Hope
Charity
Rebecca

KnitterNotTwitter · 31/08/2010 15:49

Prudence
Faith
Hope
Charity
Constance

Mary
Ruth
Naiomi