A theophoric name (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or God's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relation to that deity. For example, names embedding

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, such as ''Apollonios'' or ''Apollodorus'', existed in Greek antiquity. Theophoric personal names, containing the name of a god in whose care the individual is entrusted (or a generic word for ''god''), were also exceedingly common in the

ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran (Ela ...

and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

. Some names of theophoric origin remain common today, such as Theodore (''theo-'', "god"; ''-dore'', origin of word compound in Greek: ''doron'', "gift"; hence "God's gift"; in Greek: ''Theodoros'') or less recognisably as

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

(from

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

''Yonatan/Yehonatan'', meaning "Yahweh has given").

Classical Greek and Roman theophoric names

* Demetrius and its derivatives mean "follower of Demeter." * Dennis, in Latin ''Dionysius'', and its relatives mean "of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

." Compounds such as Dionysodorus/Dionysodora ("gift of Dionysos"), Dionysodotus/Dionysodota ("given by Dionysos"), and Dionysikles ("glory of Dionysos") also exist. *

Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...

, Martin and relatives mean "of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmos ...

." * Zeno and Diodoros or Diodorus from

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

(genitive of Zeus is 'dios') *Poseidonios, Poseidippos, and Poseidorus from

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

*Athenodoros/Athenodora from

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

*Minervina from

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the R ...

*Apollodoros/Apollodora and Apollonios from

*Artemisia and Artemidoros/Artemidora from

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. ...

*Aphrodesia from

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

; Hephaistion from Hephaistos *Aria from Ares *Hermione and Hermippos from

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

*Herodotus/Herodota and Herakles from

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

*Heliodoros/a from

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

*Fortunatus from Fortuna *Serapion from Serapis *Isidoros or Isidora from

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic language, Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughou ...

. *Certain names of classical gods are sometimes given as personal names. The most common is

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

and its variants, such as Diane; others include

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

, or Juno. The first

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

to take a

regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...

, Pope John II, had the given name Mercurius and changed his name as he considered it inappropriate for the Pope to have the name of a pagan deity.

Christian theophoric names

* Amadeus: (Latin) "lover of God" * Bogdan: (Slavic) "God given" * Bogomil: (Slavic) "dear to God" *

Bozhidar Bogdan Petrovich Gordeev ( rus, Богда́н Петро́вич Горде́ев, p=bɐˈɡdan pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ɡɐrˈdʲeɪf, a=Bogdan Pyetrovich Gordyeyev.ru.vorb.oga; 21 June 1894– 7 September 1914), also known as Bozhidar ( rus, Бож ...

: (Slavic) "gift of God" *

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

: (Greek) "believer in Christ" * Christopher: (Greek) "Christ-bearer". *

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

: (Hebrew) "God is my Judge" * Deodatus/Deusdedit: (Latin) "God-given" * Dorotheus/ Dorothea: (Greek) "gift to God" * Fürchtgott: (Germanic) "God-fearing" * Geoffrey/ Gottfried: (Germanic) "God's peace" * Gottlieb: (Germanic) "God's love" * Michael: (Hebrew) "who is like God" * Philothea/

Philothei Saint Philothei of Athens, (also known as Philotheia or Philothea) ( el, Άγια Φιλοθέη η Αθηναία) (November 21, 1522 - February 19, 1589), née Revoula Benizelos (Ρεβούλα Μπενιζέλου), was a Greek Orthodox religio ...

/ Philotheos: (Greek) "lover of God" * Shenouda: (Coptic) "son of God" *

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

: (Hebrew) "He has healed" * Theodore/ Theodora: (Greek) "gift of God" *

Theodosius Theodosius ( Latinized from the Greek "Θεοδόσιος", Theodosios, "given by god") is a given name. It may take the form Teodósio, Teodosie, Teodosije etc. Theodosia is a feminine version of the name. Emperors of ancient Rome and Byzantium ...

/ Theodosia, Theodotos/Theodotē and Dositheus/Dosithea: (Greek) "God-given" * Theodotus: (Greek): "given by God" * Theophilus: (Greek) "one who loves God" *

Theognis Theognis of Megara ( grc-gre, Θέογνις ὁ Μεγαρεύς, ''Théognis ho Megareús'') was a Greek lyric poet active in approximately the sixth century BC. The work attributed to him consists of gnomic poetry quite typical of the time, f ...

: (Greek) "God-knowing" * Theophanes/Theophania,

Tiffany Tiffany may refer to: People * Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name * Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname Known mononymously as "Tiffany": * Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kn ...

: (Greek) "manifestation of God" *

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routle ...

: (Greek) "godly speech" *

Theaetetus Theaetetus (Θεαίτητος) is a Greek name which could refer to: * Theaetetus (mathematician) (c. 417 BC – 369 BC), Greek geometer * ''Theaetetus'' (dialogue), a dialogue by Plato, named after the geometer * Theaetetus (crater), a lunar imp ...

: (Greek) "one who pleads to God" * Timothy/ Timotheus: (Greek) "one who honors God" Some Christian saints have polytheistic theophoric names (such as Saint Dionysius, Saint Mercurius, Saint Saturninus,

Saint Hermes Saint Hermes, born in Greece, died in Rome as a martyr in 120, is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. His name appears in the ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' as well as entries in the ''Depositio Mar ...

, Saint

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as th ...

, Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki,).

Germanic theophoric names

* Os, meaning "god" **

Oslac Óslác is a theophoric Anglo-Saxon given name, cognate to Old Norse ''Ásleikr''/''Áslákr'' (Latinised ''Ansleicus'', modern Scandinavian ''Aslak'') and to Old High German ''Ansleh'' (''Anslech'', ''Ansleccus''). It is composed of '' ós'' "god ...

** Oswald ** Oswin *

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...

, the god of thunder **

Thorstein Thorsten (Thorstein, Torstein, Torsten) is a Scandinavian given name. The Old Norse name was ''Þórsteinn''. It is a compound of the theonym ''Þór'' (''Thor'') and ''steinn'' "stone", which became ''Thor'' and ''sten'' in Old Danish and Old Swed ...

means "Thor's stone" ** Thorkel means "Thor's craft" **

Thorulf Thorulf or Torulf (fl. mid-11th century) was medieval prelate, a Bishop of Orkney. Although probably a native Scandinavian, he is known only from the account of the German writer Adam of Bremen. Adam reported that he was appointed bishop by Ad ...

means "Thor's wolf" ** Thordis ** Thora * Ing, an old name for Freyr (an epithet meaning "lord") ** Ingrid ** Ingeborg ** Inger **

Ingunn Ingunn is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Ingunn Arnórsdóttir (12th century), Icelandic scholar * Ingunn Bollerud (born 1972), Norwegian cyclist * Ingunn Thomassen Berg, Norwegian handball player *Ingunn Foss (born 1960 ...

Rarely, Germanic names contain the element '' Wod'' (such as ''Woðu-riðe''), potentially pointing to an association with the god Odin. In connection, numerous names containing ''wulf'' "wolf" have been taken as totemistic, expressing association with Odin in the earliest period, although ''-ulf'' degenerated into a mere suffix from an early time (Förstemann 1856).

Hinduism

The personal names of almost all gods and goddesses of various deities from the polytheistic Hindu pantheon are considered common and traditional names for people from region. Many traditional Hindu names are in fact from various names or epithets of Hindu gods or goddesses. This is in addition to compound theophoric names using the name of a deity in addition to possessive qualifiers. * Names of gods which are also used as personal names, include **

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

** Lakshmi ** Parvati ** Indra * Personal names using a deity's name as the base ** Vaishnavi, meaning "a worshipper of Vishnu" ** Shivansh, meaning "a part of Shiva"

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

, the Hindu creator god, is one of the only deities of the pantheon whose name is rarely if ever used as a personal name or as a base for theophoric personal names. Some seemingly theophoric names, may in fact be more related to the original etymology of the deity's name itself. For example, both Lakshmi and Lakshman are names of a deity and an avatar respectively, which are both derived from the etymological root Laksh meaning goal or aim, which in itself is also a valid personal name.

Islam

* Abdullah: "servant of God"

Judaism and biblical

Much

theophory occurs in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...

, particularly in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. The most prominent theophory involves * names referring to El, a word meaning ''might'', ''power'' and (a) ''god'' in general, and hence in Judaism, ''God'' and among the Canaanites the name of the god who was the father of Baal. * names referring to

Yah Yah may refer to: * Jah, shortened form of Yahweh, the Hebrew name for God * YAH, The IATA code for La Grande-4 Airport in northern Quebec, Canada * Yazgulyam language, by ISO 639 code * Yah (song), "Yah" (song), by Kendrick Lamar from his album '' ...

, a shortened form of

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately fr ...

. * names referring to Levantine deities (especially the storm god, Hadad) by the

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", " lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied ...

'', meaning ''lord''. In later times, as the conflict between

Yahwism Yahwism is the name given by modern scholars to the religion of ancient Israel. Yahwism was essentially polytheistic, with a plethora of gods and goddesses. Heading the pantheon was Yahweh, the national god of the Israelites, Israelite kin ...

and the more popular pagan practices became increasingly intense, these names were censored and ''Baal'' was replaced with ''Bosheth'', meaning ''shameful one''. However the name Yahweh does not appear in theophoric names until the time of Joshua, and for the most part is very rare until the time of King Saul, when it began to be very popular.

El

* Ariel: "lion of God" *

: "God is my judge" or "justice from God" * Elijah: "my God is YHWH" * Elihu: "He is my God" * Elisha: "my God is salvation" * Elisheba ( Elizabeth): "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance"'' * Immanuel: "God is with us" *

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is ackn ...

: "God will strengthen" *

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ� ...

: "God is my strength" * Ishmael: "God listens" *

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

: "who struggles with God" * Joel: "YHWH is God" * Lemuel: "Dedicated/Devoted to God" * Michael: "Who is like God" * Nathaniel: "God-given" or "gift of God" *

: "God heals/God is great" * Samuel: "God heard" * Uriel: "God is my light" * Uzziel: "God is my strength"

Yahweh

The name of the Israelite deity YHWH (usually shortened to Yah or Yahu, and Yeho or Yo) appears as a prefix or suffix in many theophoric names of the First Temple Period. For example, ''Yirme-yahu'' ( Jeremiah), ''Yesha-yahu'' (

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "th ...

), ''Netan-yah'', ''Yedid-yah'', ''Adoni-yah'', ''Nekhem-yah'', ''Yeho-natan'' (

), ''Yeho-chanan'' ( John), ''Yeho-shua'' (

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. ' Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

), ''Yeho-tzedek'', ''Zekharya'' (

Zechariah Zechariah most often refers to: * Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah * Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to: People *Zechariah ...

). "Yahū" or "Yah" is the abbreviation of YHWH when used as a suffix in Hebrew names; as a prefix it appears as "Y^ehō-", or "Yo". It was formerly thought to be abbreviated from the Masoretic pronunciation " Yehovah". There is an opinion that, as Yahweh is likely an imperfective verb form, "Yahu" is its corresponding

preterite The preterite or preterit (; list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense or verb form serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past; in some languages, such as Spanish, French, and English, it ...

jussive The jussive (abbreviated ) is a grammatical mood of verbs for issuing orders, commanding, or exhorting (within a subjunctive framework). English verbs are not marked for this mood. The mood is similar to the ''cohortative'' mood, which typically ap ...

short form: compare ''yiŝt^ahawe^h'' (imperfective), ''yiŝtáhû'' (preterit or jussive short form) = "do obeisance". * Abijah: "my father is YHWH" *

Hezekiah Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning "Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah according to th ...

: "YHWH strengthens" *

: "YHWH is salvation" * Jedediah: "friend of YHWH" * Jeremiah (

Jeremy Jeremy may refer to: * Jeremy (given name), a given name * Jérémy, a French given name * ''Jeremy'' (film), a 1973 film * "Jeremy" (song), a song by Pearl Jam * Jeremy (snail), a left-coiled garden snail that died in 2017 * ''Jeremy'', a 19 ...

): "YHWH will raise" *

: "YHWH has given" *

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

: "YHWH shall increase" *

Josiah Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical ...

: "YHWH saves" * Matityahu ( Matthew): "gift of YHWH" * Micah/ Micaiah: "who is like YHWH?" *

Nehemiah Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. He was governor of Persian Judea under Artaxerxes I of Persia (465–424 BC). The name is pronounced ...

: "YHWH comforts" * Obadiah: "servant of YHWH" * Toviyahu ( Tobias): "the goodness of YHWH" * Uriah: "YHWH is my light" * Uzziah: "YHWH is my strength" * Yehoshua (

)/ Yeshua (

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

): "YHWH will save" *

Yohanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning "YHWH is gracious". The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of the Sec ...

( John): "graced by YHWH" *

( Zachary): "YHWH has remembered" * Zephaniah: "hidden by YHWH" In the table below, 13 theophoric names with "Yeho" have corresponding forms where the letters ''eh'' have been omitted. There is a theory by Christian Ginsburg that this is due to Hebrew scribes omitting the "h", changing Jeho () into Jo (), to make the start of "Y^eho-" names not sound like an attempt to pronounce the Divine Name.Scott Jones
Jehovah

Referring to other gods

* Jerubbaal, the alternate name of Gideon, variously translated as "

will contend" *

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

: "glory to Baal" * Ishbaal: "man of Baal" * Balthazar and Belshazzar (

Babylonian Babylonian may refer to: * Babylon, a Semitic Akkadian city/state of ancient Mesopotamia founded in 1894 BC * Babylonia, an ancient Akkadian-speaking Semitic nation-state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) ...

): "Baal, protect the king" * Abijam: "my father is

Yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

" *

Shalmaneser Shalmaneser (''Salmānu-ašarēd'') was the name of five kings of Assyria: * Shalmaneser I ( 1274–1245 BC) * Shalmaneser II (1030–1019 BC) * Shalmaneser III (859–824 BC) * Shalmaneser IV (783–773 BC) * Shalmaneser V (727–722 BC), who ...

( Assyrian): "

Shulmanu Shulmanu or Shulman ( Assyrian Akkadian: ''Salmānu'', Babylonian Akkadian: ''Šulmānu'') was an ancient Mesopotamian deity. The deity is only ever recorded as having been worshipped by the ancient Assyrians, in contrast to many other deities o ...

is foremost" *

Sennacherib Sennacherib (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: or , meaning "Sin (mythology), Sîn has replaced the brothers") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father Sargon II in 705BC to his own death in 681BC. The second king of the ...

(Assyrian): "

Sîn Nanna, Sīn or Suen ( akk, ), and in Aramaic ''syn'', ''syn’'', or even ''shr'' 'moon', or Nannar ( sux, ) was the god of the moon in the Mesopotamian religions of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, Babylonia and Aram. He was also associated with ...

has replaced the brothers" * Pygmalion (Phoenician via Greek): " Pummay has given" * Nebuchadnezzar (in Babylonian: '' Nabu-kudurri-usur''): "Nabu, watch over my heir" * Mordecai: "from

Marduk Marduk (Cuneiform: dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ''amar utu.k'' "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) was a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time o ...

" * Ben-Hadad: in Hebrew means "son of Hadad", but his original

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...

name is

Hadadezer Hadadezer (; " he god Hadad is help"); also known as Adad-Idri ( akk, 𒀭𒅎𒀉𒊑, dIM-id-ri), and possibly the same as Bar-Hadad II ( Aram.) or Ben-Hadad II ( Heb.), was the king of Aram Damascus between 865 and 842 BC. The Hebrew Bible ...

: "Hadad is help" * Mark: "dedicated to

" Theophoric names containing "

" were sometimes "censored" as ''-bosheth'' = "shameful one", whence Ishbosheth etc.

References

External links

* Gonzalo Rubio
''Gods and Scholars: Mapping the Pantheon in Early Mesopotamia''
in Beate Pongratz-Leisten (ed.), ''Reconsidering the Concept of Revolutionary Monotheism'', Eisenbrauns 2011

When Can Muslims Use the Name Mohammed?: Plus, why don't English speakers name their children Jesus?
by Michelle Tsai {{DEFAULTSORT:Theophoric Name Given name types Greek words and phrases Names Onomastics Religious practices