Topic: Saint names

[Russell]

Is their an easy search tool for the names of Orhtodox Saints?

[Quinault]

Do you want to learn about a saint by a particular name or are you trying to choose a patron saint based upon a name?

Like are you looking for Saint Anna or are you looking for a saint named Anna. There is often overlap on a few saint names, so it is helpful to know what angle you are searching from.

[Quinault]

If you want to just learn about some of the saints for each day, you can look at the Prolog of the Ohrid.

http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/prolog.htm

[Russell]

I want to search based on name for a patron saint.


Time is short as I just realised that when I go on my trip to Russia to get married to my Orthodox wife the russian priest might insist on a new name for me.

[Quinault]

I would look and see if your name is already a saint name. You would be surprised with how many names that seem like non-saint names are actually already saint names. Between first/middle and even last names you can often find a saint name.

If Russell is your name, you could choose Apostle Rufus.
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostle_Rufus
The name Russell is a derivitive of the name Rufus, Russell is just the French variation.

[Quinault]

What you can do is search the origin of your first/middle and sometimes even last name and look up the variants and then search for a saint based upon that.

For example if your last name is "Wilson" you can choose "William" since Wilson literally means son of William.
http://orthodoxwiki.org/William_of_Gellone

Or the name "Jack" is actually a variation of "John" or Jacob" so if your last name is "Jackson" you can choose either John or Jacob.

The etymology of names is fascinating to me. But then, I have an ancestor whose name was "Mary Five Crows" and another ancestor whose name literally means "little frog."

[Russell]

Very helpful.

Is their a good website to find derivitives of names? 

My protestant step-mother will probably ask me how I know that Rufus is a derivitive of Russell.  It would be nice to be able to direct her to a website or book.

[Quinault]

http://www.babyhold.com/list/American_Baby_Names/Russell/details/

This would be the most simplistic link to use to describe the connection.

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

I can tell you from experience, you can't pick a saint by his/her name!  it's NOT merely about the name, it's about the saint.  as a wise nun told me, your saint chooses you. 

I thought I'd go with Alexander, after St. Alexander Nevsky, but mostly because hey, "Alexander" is a cool name.  I finally chose (or was chosen by    ) St. Tikhon of Moscow.  I didn't like the name Tikhon at first, but after studying his life, he's definatly someone I want to immitate, and who I'd be honored if he'd pray for me, and look in on me once in a while!

picking a saint's name can be fun, but you'll regret it if you pick him/her just for their name.

[Quinault]

It is preferable to have your patron saint/namesday be around your birthday and as close to your name as possible in many jurisdictions.

For example; My son's godfather chose the patron saint Symeon the New Theologian upon conversion, his birth name was Jeremy. When he was tonsured a reader he was tonsured Jeremiah because the bishop didn't approve of creating a "new" name upon baptism. The Bishop didn't give him a choice. To make the transition easier we call him Jeremiah Symeon, but I believe the bishop prefers that he just go by Jeremiah. From his perspective you were named what you are for a reason, there is no need to have a new saint name if you have one already. In fact, sometimes you won't be allowed to change your name at all in some diocese.

[Alpo]

I can tell you from experience, you can't pick a saint by his/her name!  it's NOT merely about the name, it's about the saint.  as a wise nun told me, your saint chooses you.  

I thought I'd go with Alexander, after St. Alexander Nevsky, but mostly because hey, "Alexander" is a cool name.  I finally chose (or was chosen by    ) St. Tikhon of Moscow.  I didn't like the name Tikhon at first, but after studying his life, he's definatly someone I want to immitate, and who I'd be honored if he'd pray for me, and look in on me once in a while!

picking a saint's name can be fun, but you'll regret it if you pick him/her just for their name.

This kind of choice must be an American phenomenon. When I was chrismated I wasn't asked who I would like to have as my patron saint but it was just given to based on my name. I don't know if I could have chosen another one if I had asked but apparently the priest who chrismated me didn't even think another option.

And it's not that bad actually. I'm perfectly content with St. Januarius even though there isn't much that is known about his life and I won't propably end up as an Italian bishop and martyr like him.

[Russell]

Thank you all for your wonderful insights. 

If I am asked to choose a name, I think I will choose the name that I believe my birth name was derived from.   I have always liked both

[katherineofdixie]

My priest chose my saint name for me, but it was actually perfect -St. Katherine, as you may have guessed. My husband chose St. Kevin, an Irish saint, as that was his middle name, but a GOA bishop overruled him and now his patron saint is St. Dionysios of Zakythos. I have heard stories of babies being baptized by elderly Bishops who gave the child an entirely different name.

[Russell]

We went back to my wife's home country (Ukraine) for our Church wedding and the priest decided to baptise me before the wedding this weekend.


When the Priest asked for a Saint name, my wife tried to name me Vitally, but I knew enough russian to disagree with my wife.
After working through the language barriers and looking at the calendar we all agreed on Rufus or at least the Russian version of Rufus.  Руф

The wedding will be Sunday after a one hour break from the liturgy.

[Quinault]

Wonderful! Congratulations and Many years!

[mike]

Many years!

I have heard stories of babies being baptized by elderly Bishops who gave the child an entirely different name.

There was an affair in Poland when parents wanted their son to be baptised 'David' and a (RC) Priest baptised him 'Peter' because, as he said, he doesn't like Jews.

[synLeszka]

Many years!

I have heard stories of babies being baptized by elderly Bishops who gave the child an entirely different name.

There was an affair in Poland when parents wanted their son to be baptised 'David' and a (RC) Priest baptised him 'Peter' because, as he said, he doesn't like Jews.

The fact is that it is a tradition that Roman Catholic Poles do not take on Old Testament names. Even the majority of Jews today in Poland do not keep their Jewish names like Adam Michnik. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Michnik

[ialmisry]

Many years!

I have heard stories of babies being baptized by elderly Bishops who gave the child an entirely different name.

There was an affair in Poland when parents wanted their son to be baptised 'David' and a (RC) Priest baptised him 'Peter' because, as he said, he doesn't like Jews.

The fact is that it is a tradition that Roman Catholic Poles do not take on Old Testament names. Even the majority of Jews today in Poland do not keep their Jewish names like Adam Michnik. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Michnik

What do they do with Maria and Józef?

[mike]

The fact is that it is a tradition that Roman Catholic Poles do not take on Old Testament names. Even the majority of Jews today in Poland do not keep their Jewish names like Adam Michnik. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Michnik

First heard of it. Dawid, Adam, Ewa, Daniel, Sara are quite popular.

What Helena Michnik has in common with that discussion? Helena is not a Jewish name, Adam is.

edit:

Can't we discuss these things without mentioning Michnik, Gazeta Wyborcza, Okrągły Stół, Magdalenka? Really.

[mike]

Commentaries about Polish political situation moved here.