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HelpDo your religious beliefs influence your name choice?
In my case: Personally, the origin and meaning of names tend not to affect my name taste significantly. So there are some bible names in my PNL (And I'm atheist).
This message was edited yesterday, 12:29 AM
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I identify as Catholic, but as I am secular, it doesn't affect me that much. I'd still give my child at least one biblical name, a typically Catholic name (like Xavier), or maybe even the name of a more obscure saint.
I'm orthodox jewish. as an Israeli, I would only pick names in Hebrew, Aramaic, Ladino or Yiddish and specifically more traditional jewish names (nor necessarily biblical). If I was a diaspora jew, I would give my kids two sets of names, one jewish and one in the local language, as is custom in many jewish communities since the middle ages.
and still, I wouldn't use names that distinctively belong to other religions (Ahmad, Christopher, Chandra), because they don't represent what I stand for or what I'd want my kids to stand for.
and still, I wouldn't use names that distinctively belong to other religions (Ahmad, Christopher, Chandra), because they don't represent what I stand for or what I'd want my kids to stand for.
I’m never having kids, but in another universe, it would affect it for me. I’m Jewish, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable using names that feel more biblical Christian to me.
Thank you.
To some extent, but not too. much. If a name has a terrible religious connotation, I would not use it.
I like Evangeline, but not because I'm christian. I just think it's pretty.
I like Evangeline, but not because I'm christian. I just think it's pretty.
Thank you.
Atheist and I don't care. If I like a name, I like a name, I don't think of the religious implications at all. If I were naming a human being then I'd definitely consider it but it wouldn't be a big deal, but just in general? No.
Thank you.
Yes.
Thank you.
Not really. As a Christian I do like many Biblical names but my religious beliefs do not greatly influence my choice of names. My PNL consists of names from many different cultures.
Thank you.
I'm a deeply religious person, specifically Christian, so I do think that tends to make me more interested in Biblical names. In fact, I stumbled onto Behind the Name in December 2004 specifically seeking out a list of Biblical names.
Biblical names encompass everything from uber-popular names like Elizabeth or Elijah or Abigail or John, to the more obscure ones that I'd never actually use (or want to see used, for that matter) - Keren-Happuch or Melchizedek or Habakkuk. I'm fascinated by the latter, but when it comes to names of actual usability, I definitely lean toward the former - though perhaps I do have a higher tolerance for names that are a bit less commonplace. (I really love the name Matthias, for example.)
Because of my religious and ethnic backgrounds (white American Christian cisgender man of European descent), I do think that there are names that I would avoid from other religious/cultural backgrounds. For example, I think names like Chava or Khadija are interesting and/or lovely, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable using them.
Biblical names encompass everything from uber-popular names like Elizabeth or Elijah or Abigail or John, to the more obscure ones that I'd never actually use (or want to see used, for that matter) - Keren-Happuch or Melchizedek or Habakkuk. I'm fascinated by the latter, but when it comes to names of actual usability, I definitely lean toward the former - though perhaps I do have a higher tolerance for names that are a bit less commonplace. (I really love the name Matthias, for example.)
Because of my religious and ethnic backgrounds (white American Christian cisgender man of European descent), I do think that there are names that I would avoid from other religious/cultural backgrounds. For example, I think names like Chava or Khadija are interesting and/or lovely, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable using them.
Thank you.
No
I am also atheist and I like religious names, but I do not like many puritan names because they are too much
Meaning sometimes affects if I like name. I think sound of Aruzhan is okay but I like meaning so I like name.
I am also atheist and I like religious names, but I do not like many puritan names because they are too much
Meaning sometimes affects if I like name. I think sound of Aruzhan is okay but I like meaning so I like name.
Thank you.
I don't practice a religion.
The influence on me is like: If I feel like a name seems associated with religion, then also I feel I need to have at least a little understanding of what it means in that religion, before I would use it. Similar to how I feel about names from other cultures - I need to know that it isn't terribly freighted for people who recognize it as "their own" ethnically, before I use it. Like, if I liked the name Jeremy, I'd want to at least go and read about Jeremiah of the Bible, and take that into account before deciding whether to use Jeremy.
Tons of Bible names seem just normative and not religious. Like Sarah, or John - I'd use them.
Mary seems religious-ish despite being very normative - more religious seeming than say, Eve or Ruth does. But I like the religious meaning of Mary well enough to use even Maria.
I think I'd use, say, Matthew if I liked it - but I would want to at least have in mind a Bible verse I liked. Because Matthew just seems so recognizably New Testamenty to me. I like having some array of small meaningful connections to offer the child when he asks about his name, not just "I liked how it sounded." I don't think I need to be a religious person, to respect a bit of the Bible that can have a universal meaning.
The vast majority of my name list is names that are not of Hebrew origin, so, not too many names I consider religious or Biblical.
I'm not sure why, mostly I think names of other origins just hit my comfort zone or taste better.
Almost my entire family (whose lifetimes have overlapped mine) have non-Hebrew-origin names.
The influence on me is like: If I feel like a name seems associated with religion, then also I feel I need to have at least a little understanding of what it means in that religion, before I would use it. Similar to how I feel about names from other cultures - I need to know that it isn't terribly freighted for people who recognize it as "their own" ethnically, before I use it. Like, if I liked the name Jeremy, I'd want to at least go and read about Jeremiah of the Bible, and take that into account before deciding whether to use Jeremy.
Tons of Bible names seem just normative and not religious. Like Sarah, or John - I'd use them.
Mary seems religious-ish despite being very normative - more religious seeming than say, Eve or Ruth does. But I like the religious meaning of Mary well enough to use even Maria.
I think I'd use, say, Matthew if I liked it - but I would want to at least have in mind a Bible verse I liked. Because Matthew just seems so recognizably New Testamenty to me. I like having some array of small meaningful connections to offer the child when he asks about his name, not just "I liked how it sounded." I don't think I need to be a religious person, to respect a bit of the Bible that can have a universal meaning.
The vast majority of my name list is names that are not of Hebrew origin, so, not too many names I consider religious or Biblical.
I'm not sure why, mostly I think names of other origins just hit my comfort zone or taste better.
Almost my entire family (whose lifetimes have overlapped mine) have non-Hebrew-origin names.
Thank you.
My total lack of religious beliefs does affect my naming: I have two great-grandmothers with the same name. Worth honouring, don't you think? Well, so would I, except their name is Christiana. And rather than submit my (equally atheist, as it happens) daughter to a lifetime of explanations and misunderstandings, I didn't consider it for one moment. Biblical names are differentL some are very obvious, others have become naturalised. My son Peter's mn is David, both honouring but neither biblical. And the girls got, inter alia, Mary, Elizabeth and Anne as mns, all of which were honouring real, live relatives.
Thank you.