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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:
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stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 11:55

I live in the New Town just down the coast from you and there are virtually no ethnic minorities here, except for the people who own restaurants or corner shops and they still get referred to in very derogatory terms as well. TBH, there are many more Mormons here than Muslims and I don't think that my kids went to school with a single Mohammed, A couple of Pardeeps, a Navid, a PArvinder (I think), but not much else, and that was really only a secondary school. I can't remember anyone at primary at all that wasn't what you might call WASP.

Sadly, I think this town is trapped in the dark ages. And I know what you mean about Jesus followers, some of them are a bit hmmmm. I was recently told that God had started the war in Afghanistan as part of the advance of Christianity. ALso that God was clearly on our side in WW2 and that God made people suffer so that that suffering could help/teach others. And all of that is within the CoS. Sometimes it would make you despair.

TemporaryUsernameJustForThis · 01/09/2010 13:23

In Northumberland, Aidan is a classic Protestant name, along with Cuthbert. It was the Irish Celts from Lindisfarne what kept the local church un-Catholic for a few centuries.

Mad, innit [hmmm]

OP posts:
glastocat · 01/09/2010 13:31

Well I'm from rural NI, so I kind of know where you're coming from. That's why I moved away. Grin

I see my son's name listed above, I am an atheist so its hardly an evangelical christian name!

And I can't believe your FIL forbade you a name! My background is Ulster Prod, so when I married a guy callled Sean it raised a few eyebrows, but you know what? Its none of their business!

WillowFae · 01/09/2010 14:02

I always felt left out because I was the only one of my siblings without a Biblical name :(

Anyway, back to the question - I have evangelical Christian friends with a Faith and Hope, and another one with a Grace.

daisystone · 01/09/2010 14:03

Hannah is actually Jewish as well.

horatia · 01/09/2010 14:24

I don't think evangelical Christians (or anyone else) should have a monopoly on Biblical names.

If everyone else keeps avoiding those names then they will end up as "names only for evangelical Christians" even if they weren't before.

mathanxiety · 01/09/2010 16:13

I really admire the chutzpah of all you MNers living in such horribly hostile environments.

I would actually associate the names of the Duggar family with Evangelical Christianity:
Joshua
Jana
John-David
Jill, Jessa
Jinger
Joseph
Josiah
Joy-Anna
Jedidiah
Jeremiah
Jason
James
Justin
Jackson
Johannah
Jennifer
Jordyn-Grace
Josie
Maybe not so much for the names themselves, although there are some that would say 'evangelical Christian' to me, but also because of the J theme which identifies them as members of a tribe/family.

And also the Palins:
Bristol
Willow
Piper
Track
Trig
even though they have nothing whatsoever to do with any religion unless you count running. I think it's the short, sharp names for the boys, that seem to stereotype them as macho sorts that make me associate them with Evangelicalism. Evangelicalism seems to me to encourage a demarcation between boys and girls, between the roles of women and men, hence I would see names like Chase, Chad, Chance, Tad, Stone, Storm, Flint as names that might appeal for boys, whereas girls tend to have 'pretty' names.

This is from www.babynamewizard.com

'For the past two decades, a core set of "cultural conservative" opinions has served as a theoretical dividing line between "red" (Republican/conservative) and "blue" (Democratic/liberal) America. These include attitudes toward sex roles, the centrality of Christianity in culture, and a social traditionalism focused on patriotism and the family. If you were to translate that divide into baby names it might place a name like Peter?classic, Christian, masculine?on one side, staring down an androgynous pagan newcomer like Dakota on the other. In fact, that does describe the political baby name divide quite accurately. But it describes it backwards.

Characteristic blue state names: Angela, Catherine, Henry, Margaret, Mark, Patrick, Peter and Sophie. Characteristic red state names: Addison, Ashlyn, Dakota, Gage, Peyton, Reagan, Rylee and Tanner.

Even when biblical names are trendy in conservative, Christian-focused communities, they're typically not the classic names of Christian tradition. They're Old Testament names that summon up a pioneer style with an exotic flair, often with a modern spelling twist. Names like Malachi, Levi and Kaleb are hot in Alaska, while names like John and Elizabeth rule in liberal Washington D.C.

Why is it the blue parents who name with red values? Because in baby naming as in so many parts of life, style, not values, is the guiding light. The most liberal and conservative parts of the country differ on key style-shaping variables, like income, education level, and the age when women marry and have children. A community where the typical first-time mother is a 22-year-old high-school grad is going to have a very different style climate from the community where the typical new mom is a 28-year-old with a college degree. When you factor in the creative-naming effect that comes with remote and idiosyncratic regions, you get a neo-naming explosion.'

mathanxiety · 01/09/2010 16:14

oooohh, very long, sorry

seaturtle · 01/09/2010 16:26

Weegiemum - did you go to my previous church! Have since left and gone to an another evangelical church that isn't so cultish!

So, I hang around other evangelical Christians. Not all of them go with "Bible names" but we have...

Boaz
Jotham
Joshua
Hannah
Jeremiah
Shulamite

(there are more unusual ones but going to stop before anyone identifies me in RL)

A few of my African friends give their children descriptive names like

Treasure
Favour
Praise
Blessing

horatia · 01/09/2010 16:27

What about names for non-evangelical Christians?

mathanxiety · 01/09/2010 16:44

Cherith (Ian Paisley's DD)
Bethany (DD of a family I know)
Mary-Faust (DD of a family I know)
Grace (although this is fairly universal)

And of course, Nevaeh.

Avoid Dimnah -- it means dunghill.

TemporaryUsernameJustForThis · 01/09/2010 19:26

Ooooh I love the Duggars (though am praying God closes JMichelle's womb long enough for her to properly look after Josie). I think Joy-Anna is a fab name, especially!

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BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte · 01/09/2010 19:46

Amongst non-evangelical Christians, probably anything goes... though with the exception of names clearly from other faiths (eg Krishna, Thor, Mohammed etc). I think evangelical may just place an emphasis more on virtues, Greek and Hebrew names and the more obscure Biblical characters.

stressedHEmum · 01/09/2010 20:05

Glasto, ex FIL was very rural NI proddy and very, very traditional, to the point that MIL wasn't allowed any money of her own and was expected to stay home with the kids while he more or less did what he liked. She was a model submissive Christian wife, even out the milk in his cornflakes and the salt on his potatoes.

Bear in mind that my DS1 is 20 now. they were different days and my then H wouldn't rebel against his upbringing.

xstitch · 01/09/2010 23:14

I completely get where HRmum is coming from. I grew up in a similar area. I was told by xFIL : "You can't call her that its a bly name". Mind you I am stubborn and did call dd that. Used the to try and avoid offending anyone.

zozzle · 02/09/2010 12:02

Martha
Mary
Zoe (although not a biblical character was used in the original Greek to refer to eternal life in the New Testament - means "life" - an ancient saints name too)
Suzanna{h)
Deborah
Lydia

mathanxiety · 02/09/2010 15:30

(HEmum, it's amazing the two sides managed to find something to fight over for all those hundreds of years, as the old die-hards of each camp seem to have so much in common with each other.

Although maybe if they had been kept busier doing all those little things for themselves that they got the women to do for them they would have had less time to be at each others' throats.)

onimolap · 02/09/2010 15:46

My favourite Biblical name is Zillah; the Godzilla/bridezilla connotations were too much for us, but might it work in a different community?

Alethea (Greek for "truth") is a lovely, underused virtue name.

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