Saturday, May 26, 2007

Saint Names For Babies

Parents choose saint names for their babies. It is believe that the saint names control the destiny of the baby such as meaningful life, career, and relationships. By faith, the saint acts as a patron or guide throughout life of an individual.

The saint names are given to babies in baptism on Catholic Church. The baptism which is a religious ceremony purifies the babies and signifies Christian membership. Using the holy water, the religious minister purifies the baby.

In many countries, they celebrate the saint day as the birthday of the baby. Sometimes, the parents choose name the baby with the saint on the actual birthday. And, the family celebrates the saint day and birthday at the same time.

The act of using saint names started on earliest Christianity. The Canon Law in 855 states to stay away from names that is outside the scope of Christianity. The Canon Law is a legal system of the Roman Catholic Church which includes courts, judges, and lawyers.

The Christian baby name began in the pagan days of the Europe. The Pagans converted into Christianity thru baptism. Thereby, the Pagans drop the Pagan names for biblical baby names.

In 325 AD, the Roman Catholic Church prohibits the pagan names like Marcus and Diana. Marcus is a Spanish baby name which means warlike. On the other hand, Diana is a French baby name which means Greek Goddess of the moon.

In 1545 AD, the Roman Catholic Church ordered the use of saint names mandatory in Roman Catholic baptism.

In 1600 AD, the Protestants reject the Catholic saint names. The Protestants are another sect of Christianity with different beliefs from the Roman Catholic. Needing a baby name on Christian baptism, the Protestants use the names from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible such as Elijah and Joshua. Elijah and Joshua are baby names meaning Jehovah is God and God is salvation respectively.

To be saint is a tough act to follow. First, the candidate must perform at least two miracles. Second, the candidate must have good personality. Third, the candidate must have supernatural influence. However, the act of martyr also leads to sainthood.


About the author

Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of unique baby names, origin of baby names, and female baby names website.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Baby Names From Great Women Rulers Part II

The great women rulers have ruled ancient and modern civilizations for centuries. Rulers are pre-dominant men. When women rule a kingdom or civilization, the women serve as an inspiration to many. Therefore, the names of the women ruler become the favorite baby names on their time.

Mary

Her reign spans between 1542 and 1587. At the age of six days old, she became of the Queen of Scotland. She married King Francis II who past away the next year. So, she went back to Scotland. In Scotland, she faced several scandals and controversy which lead to revolts. The revolts forced her to flee to England. However, Queen Elizabeth saw her as a threat to her throne. After Queen Mary was implicated to another series of scandals, she was executed.

Mary is a baby name which comes from Hebrew. It is a baby name which means bitter. As the Christianity spreads in Scotland, Mary rises in popularity as Scottish baby name.

Elizabeth I

Her reign spans between 1533 and 1603. Beating the odds, she managed to become a Queen of England. She was responsible to strengthening of the currency, promoting the capitalism, turning the court into learning center, and defeating the Spanish invaders on 1588. Eventually, she turned England as a powerful force in Europe of commercial and intellect.

Elizabeth is a Hebrew baby name which means may God is bountiful. In the holy bible, Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptists. And, Elizabeth is one of the most frequently used English baby names.

Amina

As the Queen of Nigeria, she ruled from 1560 to 1610. Her greatest achievements are building of defensive mud walls, opening of trade routes to the south, and enriching Nigeria with gold and cola nuts.

Amina is an Arabic baby name which means trustworthy. In African-American, Amina means ready to battle. Jessamina and Jamina are a French and African-American baby names variation of Amina.

Mbande Nzinga

As the Queen of Angola, she ruled from 1582 to 1663. She ruled a guerilla army to resist the Portuguese and conquer the Kingdom of Matamba. With the Dutch alliance, she prevented the Portuguese advancement. Although she accepted a peace treaty with the Portuguese, she continued to reject the Portuguese advancement.

Catherine the Great

Originally, Catherine came from Germany to Russia. In 1729, she married the Duke Peter. The unpopularity of Duke Peter leads to his demise. With help of his unpopularity, she had overthrown him. Suppressing the Polish with her autocratic rules, the Polish with Crimea and parts of black sea separates from Russia.

About the author

Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of unique baby names, baby names meaning, and ruler baby names website.

Baby Names From Great Women Rulers Part I

The great women rulers are often admired for their wits, courage, kindness, and influence. As a result, the parents often use their names as baby names. Here is a list of great women rulers.

Hatsheput

She ruled as Queen of Egypt on 15th century BC (before Christ). And, she was one of the earliest ruler baby names. Her legacy was remembered to promote the trade and arts, and build the Dei El-Basri Temple.

Neferriti

She was the beautiful Queen of Egypt on 14th century BC. In fact, her sculpture shows the lasting beautiful. At first, she worshipped and honored Aten religion. Later, she changed her religion to Amon who is God of the sun.

Sammuramat

She ruled as Queen of Assyrians on 9th century BC. She battled for control of Babylonia which expanded control to surrounding lands. Using the Euphrates River, she irrigated the Tigris. During her reign, she also restored the vibrant Babylon which is capital of Babylonia.

Cleopatra

She was highly educated in Philosophy and international relations. And, she ruled as Queen of Egypt on 69 to 30 BC. Losing slowly the grip of her crown and country, she teamed up with Julius Caesar. Finally, Mark Anthony of Rome financed the battle of Octavian for her. In spite of all the finance and protection, she still lost the battle. Even though she was unsuccessful as a Queen, Cleopatra remains one of the most popular ruler baby names.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

She was the Queen of France and England on 1122-1202. When she married King Louis VII of France, she became the Queen of France. Her marriage falls apart. Then, she married Henry II who became the King of England. She worked hard to maintain control of Southern France, and manage her children and grand children on her entire life.

Joan of Arc

In spite of being born by peasant family, she leads the French army over the English, and takes control of New Orleans. The Burgundians captured Joan in which England paid for her release. Later, she was tried for counts of fraud and witchcraft. However, Joan can only be guilty of wearing of male clothes which is a crime in the old days.

Isabella I of Castille

By the way, Isabella is a Spanish baby name which means God of plenty. After she married Ferdinand of Aragon on 1469, she ruled the whole Spain with her husband. She implemented the policy to deter the rebels against her, reduced the bureaucracy of the government, and promoted the scholarship program. Gained control of Andalusia, she expelled the 170,000 Jews in the area. And, the Granada which was the last remaining territory of the Moors was conquered together with Ferdinand. Unfortunately, Isabella and Ferdinand were expelled from Spain on the end.

Catherine De Medici

Catherine is an Anglo-Saxon baby name which means innocent. Catherine was originally from Florence, Italy and Medici family. She ruled as Queen of France after she married Henri Duke of Orleans. Then, Henri Duke became the King of France. She was instrumental to bring the Italian culture to France, and reconcile the Christians and Protestants. The peace between Christians and Protestants shattered after the massacre of 1,570 Protestants. The general public was outraged. At the same time, the general public blamed her.

About the author

Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of unique baby names, brave baby names, and baby names meaning.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

How to name your baby girl according to the bible

Choosing the right baby name for your new born baby girl is no easy task. Many prefer baby names rooted deep in history and culture, which bares a significant meaning and heritage. Some of the most traditional and common names are taken from the main historical characters in the Bible. This phenomenon is not only amongst religious people, but can be found world wide, in different cultures and all layers of society. Some of the reasons for choosing a Biblical name:

· Religious families, or families with a religious background will certainly prefer a name associated with their tradition. · Many believe the chosen name will reflect upon their child's life and character, hence might choose a name associated with great virtues such as the beautiful Rachel, generous Rebacca queen Athtalia, or Sara - the first mother of Israel. · Biblical names usually have a well known and international meaning, although they might be found in different variations. · Biblical names are common and popular, therefore they are easily written, and pronounced.

Here you will find the meanings of some of the most common names given after dominant women in the Bible.

Rachel - One of the four mothers of Israel. Her story appears in the book of Bereshit (Genesis). She is the daughter of Lavan, Leah's younger sister, wife of Jacob, and mother of Josef and Benjamin. Rachel is considered mother of sons, the mother of the Israeli tribes. In the book of Genesis Rachel is the preferred sister in the eyes of Jacob, and he works for 14 years for her father to gain the right to marry her.

Rebecca - Known in Hebrew as Rivka, Rebecca is the second of the four mothers of Israel. Wife of Yitzhak, daughter of Betuel, and sister of Lavan. Her story appears in the book of Bereshit (Genesis). In his older years, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Yitzhak. The name of the servant is not mentioned but is said to be Eliezer. When Rivka shows generosity towards the servant, she is chosen by him to come back and marry Yitzhak.

Leah - One of the four mothers. Her story also appears in the book of Bereshit. The meaning of the name Leah is not entirely understood, but some claim it is from an ancients language, and meaning "cow" (similar to the name Rachel which comes from a word meaning "sheep"). Leah is the mother of six out of the twelve sons of Jacob: Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Isaschar and Zvulun, and also of Jacob's daughter Dina. These are the names of most of the Israeli tribes, and certainly the most important amongst them. Leah is the first woman in the bible to choose her children's names herself. Jacob, her husband, loved Rachel, her sister, more than her.

Zilpa - Zilpa was the servant of Leah and Jacob's fourth wife. When Jacob married Leah, Lavan (Leah's father) gave Zilpa to Leah as a servant. When Leah could not bare children temporarily, she gave Zilpa to Jacob as a wife, and Zilpa gave birth to Gad and Asher (two of the Israeli tribes). These sons are considered sons of Leah, as was the custom in biblical times.

Athalia - Queen of Yehuda in years 842 until 836 B.C.

Na'ama - Daughter of Lemech, mentioned in the book of Bereshit (Genesis). According to some she was the wife of Noah, builder of the arc. The literal meaning of here name is - pleasant one.

Abigail (Avigail) - Wife of king David. A woman of beauty and intelligence. one of the four most beautiful women in the world (according to the Gmara). The literal meaning of her name is - My father is joy.


About the author

Tali Saar is a contributing writer for Baby names meanings