Discover Your First Name!
Today, there are more first names than at any other time in history. Traditional European and American names come from three main sources. There are the Hebrew names from the Bible, particularly from the Old Testament. Latin and Greek names are from classical mythology, history and also often from the Bible, this time from the New Testament. The third group is that of the old Germanic names taken over much of western Europe by the great waves of Anglo-Saxon and Norman invaders.
There is a smaller group of names which go back to pre-Roman times – those from Celtic and Gaelic languages. Another smaller group includes unusual names of various origins including the names of gem stones, days of the week or months or even geographical names.
NAMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT
Adam – Адам
From the Hebrew, meaning ‘red’, possibly referring either to skin colour or to the clay from which God formed the first man.
Anne – Анна
From the Hebrew ‘Hannah’, meaning ‘God has favoured me’. The French form, Anne or Ann, traditionally the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary, was introduced into Britain in the 13th century and the name has enjoyed great popularity ever since.
Daniel – Данила (Дэниел)
Meaning ‘God has judged’, it is the Hebrew name of an Old Testament prophet.
Dinah – Дина
From the Hebrew, meaning ‘lawsuit’ or ‘judged’. It was the name of one of Jacob’s daughters in the Old Testament.
Eve – Ева (“Mother of all Living”)
This comes from the Hebrew for ‘life’, and in the Old Testament this is the name of the first woman. ‘Eva’ is the Latin form.
Jacob, James – Яков (Джеймс)
 Virgin Mary |
The meaning of this Hebrew name is uncertain. In the Old Testament, it was the name of Isaac’s younger son. There were two forms of this name in the Latin translation of the Bible – ‘Jacobus’ and ‘Jacomus’. ‘Jacob’ came from the former and ‘James’ from the latter.
John – Иван (Джон)
From the Hebrew, meaning ‘the Lord is gracious’. Its earliest form in Europe was the Latin ‘Johannes’, which was shortened to ‘Jon’ before becoming ‘John’.
Joseph – Иосиф (Джозеф)
Saint Matthew, |
From the Hebrew, meaning ‘the Lord added’ (to the family). In the Old Testament it was the name of Jacob and Rachel’s elder son who was sold into slavery in Egypt.
Mary – Мария (Мэри)
A biblical name, traditionally meaning ‘dew of the sea’. The earliest form of the name was ‘Miriam’, which later translations of the Bible changed to ‘Maria’.
Matthew – Матвей (Мэтью)
From the Hebrew, meaning ‘gift of God’, and the name of one of the Evangelists.NAMES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT, GREEK AND LATIN NAMES
Alexander – Александр
This comes from the Greek meaning ‘defender of men’. It was made famous in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great.
Alexis – Алексей
From the Greek word meaning ‘helper’ or ‘defender’, Alexis is the name of one of the great saints of the Orthodox church.
Anastasia – Анастасия
From Greek, meaning ‘resurrection’. The name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It has always been very popular in Russia. Anastasia was a daughter of the last tsar of Russia.
Andrew – Андрей (Эндрю)
From the Greek for ‘manly’, Andrew is the name of the apostle who is patron saint of Scotland, Russia and Greece.
Christopher – Кристофер
From the Greek, meaning ‘bearing Christ’. As a first name it is used in honour of the saint who was believed to have carried the infant Christ to safety across a river. Thus St. Christopher became the patron saint of travelers.
Constantine – Константин
Comes from the Latin for ‘firm, constant’.
Cyrill – Кирилл
From the Greek ‘kyrios’, meaning ‘lord’. There were two saints of this name in the 4th and 5th centuries, and it was a 9th-century Saint Cyril who took Christianity to the Slavs and devised the Russian Cyrillic alphabet.
Demetrius – Дмитрий
Demetrius is an ancient Greek name that means ‘follower, devotee of Demeter’, the Greek pagan goddess of corn and agriculture whose name in turn means ‘earth mother’.
Denis – Денис
A development of the name of ‘Dionysos’, the Greek god of wine and revelry.
Emily – Эмилия
From the Latin ‘Aemilius’, the name of a Roman family. Boccaccio, the 14th-century Italian writer, used ‘Emilia’, popularizing this form in the Middle Ages.
Eugene – Евгений (Юджин), Eugenie – Евгения
From the Greek meaning ‘well-born’.
 Saint George |
George – Георгий (Джордж)
From the Greek for ‘farmer’. The famous St. George is said to have been a Roman soldier who was martyred in Palestine in 303 AD. In early Christian art many saints were represented as trampling on dragons as a symbol of good conquering evil. This may be an explanation of how the legend of St. George and the dragon originated. In the Middle Ages, St. George was closely associated with knighthood and, after 1349, when Edward III of England founded the Order of the Garter and put it under St. George’s protection, he became the patron saint of England. St. George is also on the coat of arms of Russia and its capital city, Moscow.
Helen – Елена (Елен)
From the Greek, meaning ‘the bright one’. The popularity of this name was because of the 4th century St. Helena. She was the mother of Constantine the Great. When she was 80, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where she was believed to have found the true cross of Christ.
Irene – Ирина
The name of the goddess of peace and also of one of the seasons in ancient Greece.
Margaret – Маргарита
From the Latin ‘margarita’, derived from the Greek word meaning ‘pearl’. The ultimate origin, however, is said to be Persian for ‘child of light’. The ancients believed that pearls were formed when oysters rose from their beds at night to look at the moon, and trapped a drop of dew in their shells that was then transformed into a pearl.
Marina – Марина
From the Latin ‘marinus’, meaning ‘of the sea’. The name has been used at least from the 14th century, probably on account of St. Marina of Alexandria, a martyr of the Greek church.
Maxime – Максим
‘Maximus’ in Latin means ‘greatest’. ‘Maxime’ is used in France for both sexes. ‘Maxim’ is a Russian form for boys.
Natalie – Наталья
Comes from the Latin ‘natale domini’, meaning ‘the birthday of the Lord’, and was originally restricted to children born around Christmas.
Nicholas – Николай (Николас)
From the Greek, meaning ‘victory of the people’. In Latin, the name is ‘Nicholaus’, and the use of ‘Claus’ in ‘Santa Claus’ is taken from ‘Klaus’, the modern German development of the Latin.
Paul – Павел (Поль)
From the Latin ‘paulus’, meaning ‘small’.
 Saint Peter |
Peter – Пётр (Питер)
From the Greek ‘petras’, meaning ‘rock’. ‘Cephas’ is the Aramaic equivalent, which Jesus gave as a nickname to Simon, better known as Peter, to symbolize steadfastness in faith. Peter was chief of the Apostles and became the first bishop of Rome. His name is very popular throughout Christendom.
Philip – Филипп
From the Greek, meaning ‘lover of horses’. It was common in the Middle Ages on account of Philip the Apostle.
Serge – Сергей (Серж)
‘Sergius’ was a Roman family name. It became used by Christians in honour of Saint Sergius, a 4th-century Roman officer martyred in Syria. In Russia St. Sergius of Radonezh became one of the country’s most famous saints, which led to widespread use of the name ‘Sergei’.
Sophia – Софья
From the Greek, meaning ‘wisdom’. ‘Hagia Sophia’ (‘Holy Wisdom’) is a common dedication for Orthodox churches, as in the case of the great cathedral at Constantinople. This led to Sophia’s use as a name in Greece. The name spread through Hungary to Germany and then to England when George I became king. Both his mother and his wife had the name.
Timothy – Тимофей
‘Timotheos’ is an Old Greek name meaning ‘honouring God’.
Thomas – Фома (Томас)
From the Aramaic nickname meaning ‘twin’. It was first given by Jesus to an Apostle named Judas to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. The abbreviation ‘Tom” appears in the Middle Ages.
OLD GERMANIC NAMES
Albert – Альберт
An Old German name meaning ‘noble and bright’. The Old English form was ‘Ethelbert’, the name of the Kentish king who welcomed Augustine to Canterbury when he came to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. This was replaced after the Norman Conquest by the French form, ‘Aubert’.
Charles – Карл (Чарльз)
Originally from an Old German word ‘carl’, meaning ‘man’, that was latinised as ‘Carolus’ and then changed by the French to ‘Charles’.
Herman – Герман
A Germanic name meaning ‘soldier’.
Olga – Ольга
From the Norse word ‘helga’, meaning ‘holy’. St. Olga was the wife of the Duke of Kiev in the 10th century, and she helped spread Christianity in Russia.
Richard – Ричард
This name first appears in Anglo-Saxon as Ricehard, meaning ‘strong ruler’. It was the Normans who spread the present form. The short form is ‘Dick’.
Robert – Роберт
This name is derived from the Old German, meaning ‘famous and bright’.
William – Вильгельм (Вильям)
From the Old German, meaning ‘desiring protection’. ‘William’ was always a popular name with the Normans, who brought it to England.
SOME NAMES OF DIFFERENT SOURCES
 King Arthur |
Arthur – Артур
The origin of this name is disputed. Possible sources are the Celtic word for ‘bear’ and the Roman name ‘Artorius’. Whatever its source, its use comes entirely from the fame of its first known bearer, King Arthur.
Boris – Борис
From the Russian word for ‘fight’.
Christine – Кристина
The commonest of the many girls’ names meaning ‘a Christian’.
Crystal – Кристель
This is one of many jewel names introduced during the 19th century. Other precious substances used as first names include ‘Amber’, ‘Jade’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Pearl’, ‘Beryl’, ‘Sapphire’, and ‘Diamond’.
Eric – Эрик
This name comes from Scandinavia; the second syllable means ‘ruler’, the first may mean ‘ever’.
Katherine – Екатерина
A name of unknown meaning but from an early date associated with the Greek ‘katharos’, meaning ‘pure’. St. Katherine of Alexandria was an Egyptian princess who was tortured and put to death in the 4th century for her defense of Christianity.
Leila – Лейла
A Persian name meaning ‘night’, probably indicating ‘dark-haired’.
Rose – Роза
This flower, the symbol of the Virgin Mary, has been the most popular of all the flower names that are used as personal names.
Sabrina – Сабрина
This is a very ancient name, used for the River Severn before the Romans came. It is probably the name of the goddess of the river.
TOPIC VOCABULARY
The Hebrew Древнееврейский язык
The Old Testament Ветхий Завет
The New Testament Новый Завет
Prophet Пророк
Lawsuit Судебный процесс
Evangelist Евангелист (греч. – возвещающий хорошую весть), евангелисты – авторы четырех Евангелий – Матфей, Марк, Лука и Иоанн
The Gospel Евангелие
Resurrection Воскресение (из мертвых)
Patron saint Святой покровитель
Martyr Мученик
Apostle Апостол (ученик Христа)
 Saint Christopher |
The infant Christ Младенец Христос
Follower Последователь
Devotee Преданный человек
Pagan goddess Языческая богиня
Revelry Шумное веселие
Trample on the dragon Попирать дракона
Conquer Завоевывать
The Norman Conquest Завоевание Англии норманнами (1066)
Knighthood Рыцарство
The Order of the Garter Орден Подвязки
Coat of arms Герб
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Паломничество в Святую Землю
Aramaic Арамейский язык
Steadfastness in faith Непоколебимость в вере
Bishop Епископ
Christendom Христианский мир
Dedication Посвящение
To convert to Christianity Обращать в христианство
Norse Древнескандинавский язык
To torture Пытать, мучить
EXERCISES
Заполните пропуски, преобразуя выделенные слова так, чтобы они грамматически и лексически соответствовали содержанию текста.
1. ‘Demetrius’ means ‘__________ of Demeter’, the Greek pagan __________ of agriculture. FOLLOW, GOD
2. After the Norman __________, the Old English name ‘Ethelbert’ was replaced by the French form ‘Aubert’. CONQUER
3. In the Middle Ages, St. George was closely associated with ____________. KNIGHT
4. St. Helena made a _________ to the Holy Land. PILGRIM
5. ‘Peter’ is a very popular name throughout __________. CHRIST
6. St. Katherine of Alexandria was _________ and put to death. TORTURE
Keys: 1. follower, goddess; 2. Conquest; 3. knighthood; 4. pilgrimage; 5. Christendom; 6. tortured
Найдите соответствия.
| Full name | Short form |
| Alexander | Matt |
| Anastasia | Lena |
| Andrew | Meg, Marge |
| Arthur | Johnny |
| Charles | Harry |
| Christopher | Nick |
| Emily | Bobby |
| Eugene | Tom |
| George | Mike |
| Helen | Bill |
| Henry | Charlie |
| John | Phil |
| Joseph | Art |
| Katherine | Dick |
| Margaret | Andy |
| Matthew | Tim |
| Maxime | Al |
| Michael | Sophie |
| Nicholas | Stacy |
| Philip | Georgie |
| Richard | Joe |
| Robert | Gene |
| Rose | Rosie |
| Sophia | Milly |
| Thomas | Cathy, Kathy, Kitty |
| Timothy | Max |
| William | Chris |
Keys: Alexander – Al (Alex, Alec); Anastasia – Stacy; Andrew – Andy; Arthur – Art (Arty); Charles – Charlie; Christopher – Chris; Emily – Milly; Eugene – Gene; George – Georgie; Helen – Lena (Nell); Henry – Harry; John – Johnny; Joseph – Joe; Katherine – Cathy (Kate, Katie); Margaret – Meg (Maggie); Matthew – Matt; Maxime – Max; Michael – Mike (Mick); Nicholas – Nick (Colin); Philip – Phil; Richard – Dick; Robert – Bobby (Bert); Rose – Rosie (Rosy); Sophia – Sophie; Thomas – Tom (Tommy); Timothy – Tim; William – Bill (Will).