How to choose an Orthodox name for a girl

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Orthodox name for a girl is the name given to her and fixed at the time of baptism in the church. All of them are registered in the Orthodox calendar, almost every day a saint died. An infant named after this saint falls under his patronage. True, the Orthodox calendar offers much more male names, the list of Orthodox names for girls is small, so often the boy's name turns into Alexander, Vasilina (Vasilisa), Victoria, Eugenia, Jeanne (from John). It is believed that the church name should be different from the worldly one and even kept secret, it is mentioned in prayers for a person throughout life, they also bury him when he leaves this world.

Choosing an Orthodox name for a girl

In ancient times, the name of the child was chosen by the parents, but during the period of the Synod, this right was transferred to the priest. Now the newly-born parents of the baby turned to him with a question, and he, in turn, read the list according to the holy calendar and named the girls and boys. How did the names get into the calendar, how are they distributed by date?

The point is thateach day corresponds to the name of the saint who died on that day, that is, left the worldly and passed into eternal life. On the same date there is a certain church holiday. On the one hand, it is easier to choose an Orthodox name for a girl according to the calendar: I opened it and read what it says on this day or one or two days later. But on the other hand, these names may not seem quite harmonious to modern parents, few people want to call a girl Glykeria or Thekla, and they will worry about a child who will have to be called that way all his life and introduce himself in society.

Looking for a name on the calendar

The calendar contains all the Orthodox names of girls. By months and dates you can find what you need. There are a sufficient number of sources that give a transcript or even a brief history of the saint's life. There are also collections of the most common names. Here are the most popular women who are listed in the calendar: Anna (meets 30 times), Maria (29), Matrona (12), Anastasia and Elizabeth (11 each), Alexandra (10). The most numerous month in names is November (271 names), and the least saints are mentioned in June (187 names).

Name for a girl in worldly life

Often a baby is baptized in a church already when he is given a name that is registered in the registry office. Then the clergyman can offer to name the child not by the date of birth or baptism, but by a name close to his own. So, for example, Alena and Alina, according to their passport, receive church Elena or Olga,Xenia and Oksana are named Aksinya, Elizabeths are called Elizabeths, Irina - Arins, Veronica - Verami and so on. This is done to make it easier for loved ones to remember the name of the child to mention him in their prayers. It is curious that in old Russia it was not the birthday of a person that was celebrated, but the day of the Angel, or name day - the day that was listed according to the calendar. After all, the saint is the guardian angel of each of us, which is why the Orthodox name is chosen for the girl (as well as for the boy, however, too).