You Can’t Call It “It”!

This week’s– ahem, two months worth of saints’ names provides a lot of inspiration, at least for me.   Many of these ancient relics sound shockingly modern.  Some, like Linus and Phoebe, are already being revived overseas.  Several may not have the most pleasing meanings:  ”Sturdy shoe” and “empty and vain” are not exactly what I’d like to call my son on a daily basis, but still, I think little Brogan or Cassius would weather that just fine, and sound pretty cool doing it to boot.  We are reminded that Damian and Dionysius were indeed saints and good guys, and that Monica has a pure pedigree.  

Parents and new baby namers, I urge you to take these and other venerable old names into consideration for your son or daughter.  They’re bound to be the wave of the future, and will mark your child as the individual he or she is.  I mean come on.  Can a little Flora or Bruno be anything but ahead of the pack?   

AUGUST 25

Louis- From the Germanic, Hludwig, “famous warrior.” Thirteenth century king of France, the ninth Louis, and a leader of the crusades. Whether LOO-iss or LOO-ee, this poised for revival in my book.

Yrieix- Founder of a monastery in Limousin, France, and bearer of a fabulously bizarre name.

AUGUST 26

Elias- Greek, from the Hebrew Eliahu, “my god is Y_hweh.” Seventh century Benedictine Bishop of Syracusa. This is handsome choice is favored among Latinos and has all the makings for widespread use.

Zephyrinus- Greek, “the west wind.” Pope from 199-217, his cult was suppressed in 1969. A name that has popped up on my radar with relative frequency throughout the summer, in the forms of the masculine Zephyr and feminine Zephyrine.

AUGUST 27

Monica- Greek, “one” or “alone.” Patron Saint of wives and abuse victims, she married a much older man without her consent, and bore three children: Augustine, who was baptized by Saint Ambrose and became a saint himself, Navigus, and Perpetua. This ancient traditional name will surely shed the image of Miss Lewinsky sooner or later, won’t it?

AUGUST 28

Edmund- Old English, “rich, blessed protector.” Baptized Brian, this English saint preferred his confirmation name of Edmund. Evidently he was a bit of an aficionado himself! He was convicted of preaching Catholicism in Protestant England, and in the 1970s canonized as one of the forty martyrs of England.

AUGUST 29

Sabina- Latin family name. Rome’s Aventine basilica is named for this mysterious saint, about whom little is confirmed.

AUGUST 30

Felix- Latin, “happy.” Forth century priest and Roman martyr. This jubilant moniker is on the hit parade in Europe, and is beginning to get some attention from fashion-forward parents on these shores.

AUGUST 31

Aidan- From Old Irish, Aodhan, “fiery.” Lest we forget, Aidan is an venerable Irish saint, and a legendary scholar. He founded a monastery in Lindisfarne which became a center of learning.  Admittedly suffering from uber popularity, yet let this serve as a gentle reminder of who the original was– and how to spell it.  

SEPTEMBER 1

Giles- Greek, “young goat.” Patron saint of the physically disabled. The story goes that St. Giles’ piety was so notorious in his own country of Greece, that he longed for anonymity, which was to be found in France for only a short time before the people caught wind of his miracles. He became a Benedictine and died in or around 724. A particularly modern sound that could wear well on an athlete, an executive or a doctor.

Verena- Latin, “truth.” An Egyptian hermitess cum Swiss hermitess. A personal favorite from the land of obscure saints’ names, for its lilting quality and tempting initial V.

SEPTEMBER 2

Brocard- Germanic, “brave protector.” Instrumental in establishing the Carmelite Order, Brocard had ruled for 35 years as prior in Mount Carmel, and garnered respect from Christians and Muslims alike.

Ingrid- Old Norse, “Ing is beautiful”. Ing is a Norse god of fertility. Sweden’s first Dominican nun and founder of the first Dominican cloisters there. A popular saint for hundreds of years, her cult was halted during the Reformation, all her relics destroyed.

SEPTEMBER 3

Phoebe- Greek, “bright, pure.” First century deacon in Corinth, and good friend to Saint Paul.

SEPTEMBER 4

Hermione- Greek, “messenger.” Prophetess in the Acts of the Apostles. I am a champion of the movement to reclaim this name from Harry Potter, back to Shakespeare, back to Greece, and on to your little girl.

Rosalia- Latin, derived from Rose. Patron saint of Palermo in Sicily, who as a young girl secluded herself in a cave to show her devotion.  Equally beautiful and worthy of consideration, and hot in Quebec, is Rosalie.

SEPTEMBER 5

Quintius- Related to the Ancient Roman Quintus ”five”, traditionally bestowed on the fifth child.   Italian martyr. An increasing interest in Ancient Roman appellations might make this one usable, for some.  Quentin is another more modern option. 

SEPTEMBER 6

Faustus- Latin- “auspicious.”   Belonging to two saints this day. One, an abbot in Syracusa, Italy; the second, an Egyptian martyr who suffered beheading.  Faust or Fausto make intriguing options as well, but pick up a copy of Goethe’s Faust before you take the plunge (or at least the Cliff’s Notes.)

SEPTEMBER 7

Cloud- We’ve all heard of St. Cloud, Minnesota, but how many of you actually registered that this was a saint’s name? I didn’t. Originally born Clodoald, his uncle plotted against him and his brothers so that he could inherit their land. St. Cloud’s brothers fled and were apprehended and killed, but Cloud himself never went to claim his fortune. Instead, he became a teacher.  Might make a nifty nature name or surprising middle.

SEPTEMBER 8

Adela- Means literally, “noble.”  Noblewoman who became a Benedictine monk when her husband, Count Baldwin IV of Flanders, died.  Adela and Adele are shockingly underused, as of now. 

SEPTEMBER 9

Isaac- Hebrew, “he laughs.”  Isaac the Great founded the Armenian Church, helped support the creation of an Armenian alphabet, and brought translations of the Bible and Greek and Syrian medical texts to his country.  

SEPTEMBER 10

Finian- Old Irish, “white.”  Known for his miracles, St. Finian was born into the Irish royal family in the sixth century. He was ordained monk in Rome and returned to his home country to build monasteries. Another option for Finn fans.

SEPTEMBER 11

Theodora- “God’s gift.”  An Egyptian who repented for her sins and became a hermit, thereby disguising her gender until her death.  Theodore may be garnering a wee bit more attention on the boys’ team.

SEPTEMBER 12

Guy- Possibly related to “guide” or to “wood.”  Born in Brussels, St. Guy of Anderlecht lived in poverty and traversed a seven year pilgrimmage on foot to Jerusalem and Rome.

SEPTEMBER 13

Amatus- “Love of God”, “beloved.”  Benedictine abbot mentored by St. Eustace and mentor himself to a nobleman named Romaric.

SEPTEMBER 14

Cormac- “Impure son.”  Irish abbot and friend of (the male) St. Columba. Author Cormac McCarthy is a distinguished modern bearer, and Mac could not be a more fun call name.

SEPTEMBER 15

Nicomedes- “Victory of the people.”  Roman priest who was beaten for his refusal to pray to multiple gods. An unexpected way to get to Nico.

SEPTEMBER 16

Eugenia- “Well born.”  Suceeded her aunt Ottilia as abbess of a French Benedictine monastery. Despite not being conventionally pretty, this ancient noble name has panache that demands respect.

SEPTEMBER 17

Ariadne- “Most holy.” Phrygian slave who refused to participate in pagan rites honoring the prince. She is said to have entered a chasm in a ridge which opened for her and closed behind her, thereby providing a safe haven from authorities.  She’s truly lovely, isn’t she?

Brogan- “Sturdy shoe”, and related etymologically to the Irish brogue, or accent.  Irish abbot who may have authored the Hymn to St. Brigid. Hard to hear in your head without the pronunciation of an Irish brogue.  He’s two syllable, he’s Irish, and he’s rare. 

SEPTEMBER 18

Eumenes- “Good strength.” Cretian “Wonder Worker”, known for performing miracles.

SEPTEMBER 19

Peleus- Burned alive in Egypt along with two other priests for saying mass.

SEPTEMBER 20

Dionysius- “Of Zeus.”  Martyr from Phrygia, included because it is also the Greek God of wine and merriment.  Child of the sixties Denise derives from this.

SEPTEMBER 21

Matthew- “Gift of Y_hweh.” One of the twelve apostles and author of the first Gospel, which he wrote in his native Aramaic for the people of Palestine.  Matteo, Matthias, and Matthieu are appealling cognates.  

SEPTEMBER 22

Jonas- “Dove.”  Martyred in Paris, and a friend of St. Denis.

SEPTEMBER 23

Linus- “Flax.”  Consecrated Bishop by St. Paul, and successor to St. Peter as Pope in the year 67.  The famous Peanuts character may have made this name unusable for some, but it is enjoying widespread popularity in many European countries.  

SEPTEMBER 24

Rusticus- “Rural, rustic.”  Roman Gaul and fifth century bishop.  Urban’s twin brother and alter ego?  

SEPTEMBER 25

Finbar- Originally baptized Lochan, he was renamed Fionnbharr “white head”, because of his light hair. Founded a monastery in Cork, Ireland. Does it suit your little toehead?

SEPTEMBER 26

Cosmos & Damian- “Order” and “to tame”, respectively.  Patron saints of pharmacists. Arabian brothers who were both doctors, and garnered respect from their community as they provided services for free.

SEPTEMBER 27

Vincent- “To conquer.”  St. Vincent de Paul- Patron saint of charitable societies. Captured by African pirates in the 1600s, he escaped after two years in captivity and returned to do missionary work in his native France.  Generations of Vinnys have kept this alive in the Italian-American community.

SEPTEMBER 28

Lorenzo- Latin, “laurel.”  The first Filippino saint, martyred with fifteen others in Japan when he was persecuted and tortured and refused to renounce his faith.  An educated man and professional calligrapher.  Pope John Paul II canonized this group of saints as recently as 1987.  Italians go-to name for boys.  

SEPTEMBER 29

Raphael- Hebrew, “healer.”  Patron saint of the blind, of physicians, and of travelers.  One of seven archangels, three of whom, himself, Gabriel, and Michael, are mentioned by name in the Bible.  Hot in France.  

SEPTEMBER 30

Jerome- Stems from the Greek Hieronymos, literally translated “sacred name.”  Always pictured with a book in his hand, St. Jerome spoke many languages and translated the Bible into Latin.  This name needs a serious image makeover, but I think it’s within the realm of possibility.

OCTOBER 1

Therese- May be related to summer or harvest.  Known as the “Little Flower”, St. Therese of Lisieux was made a saint because of her notoriety, rather than any single great act.  She died in the convent at age 24.  

OCTOBER 2

Theophilus- Greek, “loves God.”  An opponent of iconoclasm in what is now Turkey.  Theophile good be another option if you’ve got to have a Theo.  

OCTOBER 3

Cyprian- Latin, “from Cyprus.”  Bishop of Toulon, France in the sixth century.  Why aren’t people naming their sons Cyprian?  Doesn’t he have it all for the modern parent? 

OCTOBER 4

Francis- “Frenchman”, or “free.”  St. Francis of Assisi was a famous lover of animals who gave all his worldly possessions to the poor. Founded the Franciscan order of monks in 1181.  

OCTOBER 5

Flora- Latin, “flower.”  Patron saint of the abandoned and victims of betrayal.  Many mystical things happened to her, and she remained humble throughout all.  A little girl will like that her name means “flower.”

OCTOBER 6

Bruno- Germanic, “brown.”  Chancellor of the famous Rheims cathedral.  Due to upheaval within the church, he left Rheims and became a hermit.  He and several others founded the Carthusian Order at La Grande Chartreuse, where they make the drink of the same name.  The former bartender in me will tell you this:  It is the only liqueur to have a color named after it, and has over 100 different herbs in it.  Three monks each know one third of the recipe, and no one man knows it all.   On the right person, Bruno is very hip in my book.  

OCTOBER 7

Augustus- Latin, “venerable.” Discovered the remains of St. Ursinus.  We’ll get to him later.  Yields the user friendly nickname Gus or the still more daring Auggie.

OCTOBER 8

Nestor- Greek, “homecoming.” Executed under Diocletian’s reign.  This name merits revival.  

Thaïs- Greek, “the bond.”  Wealthy Egyptian woman who gave up everything and repented for her sins of greed.  St. Anthony helped to free her from her own demons.  Two syllables, please:  ”Tha-EESE.”

OCTOBER 9

Goswin- “Friend of God” or “good friend.”  Benedictine abbot, with a winning name.  

OCTOBER 10

Cassius- Latin, “empty, vain.”  Martyred with his companion Florentius in Germany under Emporer Maximian.  Cassius Clay remains the most reknowned modern bearer, AKA Muhammed Ali.  Balthazar Getty also has one.  

OCTOBER 11

Juliana- Greek, “downy-bearded.”  A servant and yet another Benedictine for today’s list.  With so many Olivias and Julias, I’m shocked I don’t hear this more out and about.