Читать книгу Christian Christian Names: Baby Names inspired by the Bible and the Saints - Martin Manser - Страница 6

Introduction

Christian Christian names are back in fashion. In 2008, over half the top 100 most popular boys’ and girls’ names in the UK had a religious background. Names like Noah, Isaac and Jacob have been steadily returning to popularity over a number of years.

Religious names also stand the test of time. Research compiled for this book shows that in the last 100 years, in both the UK and the US, names with a religious background were 50 per cent more likely than other names to have remained in the top 100 charts.

Even in an increasingly secular culture, the popularity of religious names isn’t surprising. Parents of all beliefs are looking for names with a genuine meaning and story behind them, and they are finding that names with a Christian background fit the bill perfectly.

Christian christian names come from two main sources: the Bible and the saints through church history. This compilation gives the background to these names. It lists some well-known names from the Bible: David, Noah, Ruth and Sarah alongside the less familiar Chloe and Susannah. The names of saints such as Anthony, Bernadette, George and Martin and many others are also included, as are Christian virtues such as Joy and Faith.

Names appear in alphabetical order under their most common spelling, with their gender (m or f) in brackets. The following line explains the typical pronunciation (for a guide see page) and the derivation of the name (if known). The main body of the text details the stories of the most famous person or people to have borne that name, and is followed by any common variants or opposite gender form of the name.

This book contains over 2,000 names with a Christian background, but we hope it isn’t just used as a reference – but rather as a source of ideas and inspiration. For some parents, choosing baby names can be remarkably easy; for others (especially teachers, for whom every name is a reminder of a wayward child) it can be a huge challenge. Whatever your situation, we hope that Christian Christian Names will help you on your way.