Orthodox names alphabetically. How to choose the best among rare and beautiful Orthodox names for girls

Most parents try to choose names according to the Saints for girls and boys. Few remember that the name of the newborn is given on the eighth day from birth, so it was accepted among Orthodox Christians.

During the sacrament of baptism, the child is given a completely different name than in the world, thereby protecting from dark forces that can fill the soul. This name is given to the godparents.

The naming should be taken very seriously, because a guardian angel is chosen to protect a person throughout his life. The saint, from the moment the child is baptized, performs the function of a patron and can make requests to the Almighty.

It has long been customary for a newborn to choose a name for parents along with a priest according to the Saints- a list of canonized saints, with the dates of their memory. Monthly calendar (church calendar) was compiled according to Orthodox canons.

The child's birthday has great importance, because at that moment the Almighty, endowing him with certain qualities, sent him to earth. Now the child has a patron saint, who protects during his life from sinful deeds, helping in all life situations. All these actions will take place through the name received at baptism. secular names are of no importance to the church.

The main points to choose from are:

• Names according to the Saints for girls and boys are chosen by parents on the 8th day from birth;
• You can pick up a name from the Monthly Book, which falls on the 40th day of the child's appearance. The Church allows this, because before the sacrament of baptism was performed precisely on the fortieth day after birth.

It is impossible to call the name of the Saint if the date of his memory falls on the period before the day the child was born.

• Orthodox canons allow you to give a name to a child in honor of a Saint, especially revered in the family;
• When choosing a name for a girl, you can use the female version male name;
• The name at birth is given for life (it can change when taking tonsure as a monk or when changing faith);
• Many are given two names: one secular, the other ecclesiastical. Sometimes this happens unplanned if such a worldly name was not found in the Saints.

What are Saints

The list of the names of the Saints with the dates of their memory is called the Monthly Book or the Saints.

Giving a name to a born child, according to this church book, has been accepted since ancient times.

At the same time, it was believed that naming a great martyr means dooming a person to difficulties and suffering.

If there are several saints on the date of birth, then choose the name of the one you like best.

The choice of a name according to the Saints existed until 1917. Gradually this ritual was forgotten.

But in last years more and more often they try to name newborns, adhering to the Monthly Word. Every day, at the liturgy, the priest announces the names of the saints whose memory is celebrated.

Name day and angel day

An unbaptized person does not have a guardian angel and a patron saint. According to church canons, it is believed that Christians should celebrate not bodily birth, but spiritual, i.e. name day or angel's day.

Name day is the day of memory of the Saint, whose name was given at baptism. It is called the Day of the Angel because, ascending to heaven, the Saint lives like an angel. On this day, you need to order a prayer service to your patron.

The rank of naming

When choosing names according to the Saints for girls and boys, parents should immediately take care of the rank.

In order for those present to understand all the actions and words of the priest during the baptismal procedure, it is necessary to get acquainted with special literature.

The Trebnik (a book containing the sacred rites of the Orthodox Church, performed on special occasions. They are not included in the daily, weekly or annual service) records the rite of naming.

All actions and words pronounced at baptism are described in the church book.

At the end, the priest says a dismissal (the final prayer for the exit of their church), which mentions the name of the saint who is called the baby.

Patronymic and its meaning

Within the territory of former USSR It was customary to call a person by his first name and patronymic. Having delved a little into history, we learn that initially in the 18th century, legislation introduced a restriction on the use of patronymics for the lower classes.

Later, in the peasant environment and among the servants, the patronymic carried the function of age, when they were called only by the patronymic (Mitrofanovna, Stepanovna, etc.). Only in the 19th century, the main function was assigned to the patronymic - the personification of a person.

As a result of research, scientists have found that the middle name carries the gene code through the generations and influences the personality. Studies have shown that patronymics with more rigid articulation face more difficulties in their lives than their namesakes with softer patronymics.

List of Orthodox names for girls according to the calendar (meaning, origin)

January

This month is the coldest winter. Born in January are characterized by patience and endurance.

January girls have a solid "male" character, sometimes this becomes an obstacle in their personal lives. These are leaders by nature, distinguished by secrecy. Girls born in January are good cooks and needlewomen, but they do not like to do cleaning.

When choosing a girl's name according to the Saints, it is better to stop at a softer one, neutralizing the hardness of character.

In January a large number of female names according to the Monthly Book, behind each of them is the fate of the Saint. When choosing a name, you must try to find out about the life and affairs of the one who will be the patroness of the child all his life.

Some days there are several names, for example: January 8: Anfisa, Augusta, Maria, Agrippina. There are days in which there is only one name: January 14 - Emilia, 25 - Tatyana. Parents choose the one they like best.

February

Every day the Orthodox Church remembers a Saint. The saints contain names mainly Greek, there are also Latin, Russian and Hebrew. All of them have strong energy behind them.

When choosing a name, you need to find out the life history of the saint, the deeds for which he became famous.

Some female names are derived from men's, this also leaves its mark on the character. For example, February 1 - Feodosia - is a derivative of the male name Theodosius, which means " given by god". A girl with that name is wise, principled, reasonable. The external impression is "not of this world."

The most popular name for February is Anna. In February, it occurs 5 times.

March

Children born in early spring are vulnerable, impressionable, tender and indecisive. They are easily offended and this resentment remains in the heart of the child for a long time. At the same time, these are talented, endearing people, most often through art.

The choice of a name for a girl according to the Saints, born in March, must be approached very carefully. It is recommended to choose a bright, strong name that will give confidence, reveal the dignity of the child.

Turn to the Saints and you will see that in March there are a lot of beautiful female names. For example, on March 8, the name Fairy is recommended, on March 17 - Ulyana, Juliana, on March 26 - Christina. On March 20, you can choose from 9 names.

April

Every parent wants to choose something extraordinary for their child, beautiful name. It is recommended to choose a name for the child according to the Saints of the church where the sacrament of baptism will be performed.

You should ask what the name means. For example, Evdokia, rare in our time, means “Good fame”, “Goodwill”. The Holy Princess of Moscow, after being baptized, dedicated herself to God, receiving in the future the gift of miracles.

Evdokia is kind, sympathetic, soft and not conflict. Born in the spring, she is friendly and has many friends. Evdokia is a girl born on April 20.

May

Choosing a name for a girl in May, we turn to the Saints. Most of the names are Hebrew and Greek, many are associated with the day of remembrance of the Saints. Among the popular female names: Tamara, Alexandra, Julia. There are also such rare ones as Glafira, Matrona.

In recent years, children are increasingly called by old names, among them there are many beautiful unusual names. For example, Tamar (May 1) comes from the Hebrew word "tamar", which means date palm. A girl with that name likes to draw attention to herself, a born artist, she has a lot of interests.

June

It is believed that June girls have a frivolous character. They can simultaneously do several things, switch from one to another. At the same time, these are creative natures, needlewomen.

Choosing a name do not pay attention to too soft names so as not to emphasize the frivolity of character once again. Pay attention to the meaning of the name. For example, on the 20th, the choice is represented by six names.

The name Mary has several meanings, in Hebrew it is a miserable, desirable, mistress.

July

Girls born in the middle of summer are modest and shy. They are often haunted by childhood fears, they are shy. Therefore, the choice according to the Saints of the name for July girl should take this into account.

It is desirable that the name be "harder", - this will brighten up the natural indecision. For example, Inna (July 3) means "turbulent stream".

August

Girls born this month are bright, strong personalities. They have many fans since childhood, they are very demanding of themselves.

It is advisable to choose a name that cannot be turned into a nickname or which may be a derived teasing nickname. After all, this can hurt their pride, which is unacceptable and can be the cause of various complexes. For example, Ulyana (August 30) means "belonging to the Yuliev family."

September

In the first month of autumn, girls are born who love order, accuracy and cleanliness in everything. They try to avoid any conflicts. Sometimes pedantry turns into tediousness.

Based on these qualities, you need to choose a name so that it is in harmony with the patronymic. If the patronymic is long, then the given name should be short.

And don't forget the meaning of the name. For example, on September 30, you can choose from three purely Russian names at once: Vera, Hope, Love. The meaning of these names needs no explanation.

October

Choosing names according to the Saints for a girl born in October should be based on the main character traits inherent in this month. They are tactful, attentive, freely behave in any company. At the same time, rudeness can be answered in kind.

The best option would be to choose a strong name. Raisa (October 6) means "hero's daughter", "leader". Sophia (October 1) - wise, smart. Big choice names falls on 1 and 21 October.

November

Severe November leaves an imprint on the character of children born this month. They can be selfish, selfish. November girls are difficult to deceive, as they immediately feel false. Due to innate suspicion, such girls find it difficult to converge with people.

The choice of name should be made with these qualities in mind. It is better to choose a gentle, soft name. On November 4, according to the Saints, the name Anfisa falls out, translated from Greek means "flower". 13 - Angela, which means "angel."

December

The last month of the year, girls born during this period have a quick temper, but they quickly move away. They do not know how to take revenge or hide anger at the offender. Girls are straightforward and honest, which sometimes harms relationships with other people. These kids can't lie.

In December, it is advisable for girls to choose names such that as little as possible from them would be derivatives of diminutives. In Christmas time on December 24 there is a very beautiful and rare name Stephanie, translated from Greek, is “crown, wreath, diadem”.

Names according to the Saints for girls should be chosen based, among other things, on the preferences of the parents. The determining factor is the date of birth and the day of memory of the Saint, which is after the birth of the child.

The choice of a name should be approached very seriously, because this Saint will be the patron and protector of the child throughout his life. You should read about the deeds and life of the chosen Saint.

It is undesirable to choose the name of the Holy Great Martyr, whose life was associated with hardships and difficulties. Do not forget to celebrate not only the birthday, but also the day of the Angel.

How to choose the right names for the holy calendar for girls:

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At the birth of a baby, each parent wants to give him a name that will not only suit him, but also bring good luck and happiness.

And the happy parents of girls want the name to favorably influence life, be rare, significant, fit the girl and emphasize her individuality. But the choice of a name is accompanied by reflections and disputes. Sometimes it is difficult to choose what to name a child, because the abundance of names is amazing, and parents cannot unambiguously decide.

Therefore, many newborns are called the name of the Holy Day on which the child was born. In the people it is called the day of the Angel. According to legend, at the birth of a baby, God gives him a guardian angel, whose calling is to protect the baby from troubles and misfortunes.

Note! The name plays an important role in a person's life. It can change fate. Therefore, the choice of name must be justified. It is better to name girls in honor of Saints according to the Orthodox calendar.

Advantages of this choice:

• The celebration of the day of the Angel and the birthday takes place on the same day.
• A guardian angel with a similar dialect as that of a girl will protect the fate of the child, will not let her take the wrong path and will guide her at the right time in time.

Many do not believe in these beliefs. But the parents who did just that note that the baby, who bears the name of the Monthly Word, grows happier and more cheerful.

In the Orthodox calendar, the name day of the Saints is celebrated every day. To understand how to name a girl at birth, you should look at the church calendar. Russians Orthodox calendars contain all the dates and dialects of the Saints. Based on the date of birth of the crumbs, a name is selected similar to the date on the calendar.

Table: names for Saints for girls by month in 2017.

How to choose the right name for the baby?

Previously, the name in Russia was called "adverb". Since ancient times, this concept has served as a talisman for the baby. At that time, many people firmly believed that if you call the baby the adverb of the Month, then the baby will be happy all his life.

Therefore, the name was chosen from the church calendar based on the date the baby was born.

Today, parents name their children at will. But there are those who want to follow the tradition and name the baby according to the Saints.

But in the church calendar there are days when the name day of only male Saints is celebrated. In such a situation, parents can choose a name not only based on the date of birth of the crumbs. In Russia, a child was named on the eighth or fortieth day after his birth.

Therefore, if you do not like the names of the Angels on the days when the baby was born, or they are completely absent, you can choose adverbs based on other dates:

• According to ancient tradition, it was on the eighth day of the birth of a baby that a celebration was held, where the parents named their heir with a name for life. This tradition appeared during the life of Jesus Christ. According to legend, Jesus Christ was named precisely on the eighth day after his birth.
• You can name the baby on the day of baptism on the fortieth day after his birth. The rite of baptism is an ancient Orthodox tradition. During the sacrament, the crumbs are assigned church name which he will wear in heaven.

Important! But the church says that it is worth naming a baby before the sacrament of baptism.

Whether to follow this rule is an individual choice of the parents themselves. At baptism, the baby is given a different name if none of the church ones is pleasant.

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Most often, the day of memory of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. the transition to eternity, meeting with God, to commune with Whom the ascetic aspired.

How to determine the name day

In the church calendar, there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of memory of the saint named with you, the closest after the day of your birth. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.

If we want to name the child strictly according to church tradition, then this will be the name of a saint whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of the child. Cm.

When determining the name day, the date of the canonization of the saint does not matter, because it only fixes a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it takes place dozens of years after the transition of the saint to heavenly abodes.

The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of becoming a monk), but is also preserved after death, passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the dead, he also remembers their names given in baptism.

Name day and Angel Day

Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name name recalls that in the old days, heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; it is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint whose name the person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.

Honoring and emulating one's patron saint

About the prayerful help of the saints, the monk wrote: “Saints, in the Holy Spirit they see our life and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our ardent prayers... The Saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how we are exhausted from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.

The veneration of the saint consists not only in praying to him, but also in imitation of his feat, his faith. “Let your life be by your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.

But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? For this you need:

• First, to know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot sincerely love our saint.
• Secondly, you need to turn to them with prayer more often, know the troparion to him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
• Thirdly, of course, we should always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in this or that case.

By the nature of Christian exploits, saints are traditionally divided into faces (ranks): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, reverend, righteous, holy fools, faithful, etc. (see).
The person who bears the name confessor or martyr, it is quite possible to fearlessly confess their faith, to act like a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything to please, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those who are named after saints may try to imitate them, denouncing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the way to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, keeping the purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, to cultivate selflessness in yourself, not to be carried away by the acquisition of earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the struggle with pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.

Names after angels

Also, a person can be named after (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). People named after the archangels celebrate their name day on November 21 (November 8 according to the old style), on the day of the Celebration of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of God and others Heavenly Forces incorporeal.

If the name is not in the calendar

If the name that you were called is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Jeanne - John, Milan - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. Passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nika, both names in Latin and Greek mean "victory".
Only the names given in baptism are written in.

How to celebrate name day

Orthodox Christians visit the temple on their name days and, having prepared in advance, the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of "small name days" are not so solemn for the birthday man, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss, so as not to lose the festive joy. In the evening, you can invite loved ones to a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the festive treat should be fast. AT great post name days that occur on a weekday are transferred to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina

What to give for a birthday

In celebration of the memory of the patron saint the best gift there will be something that contributes to his spiritual growth: an icon, a vessel for, beautiful candles for prayer, books, audio and video discs of spiritual content.

Prayer to your saint

About the saint, in whose honor we receive a name, we must remember not only on the name day. In the daily morning and evening there is a prayer to the saint, we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
You also need to know your saint.

In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Virgin, it is desirable to have your own saint. It may happen that you bear some rare name, and the icon of your heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
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Patristic sayings about birthdays

“We began to choose names not according to God. By God, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the holy calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on which it is baptized, or in the interval and three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
saint

The history and symbolism of the celebration of name days

Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days in Soviet time was in oblivion, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subjected to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday man on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “as on ... name day we baked a loaf”. Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday that could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons of the same name bear.

The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Russia since the 17th century. Usually, on the eve of the holiday, the family of the birthday boy brewed beer, baked birthday cakes, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday man with his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, put candles and kissed the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. In the afternoon, birthday cakes were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the cake had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday man and his relatives. In the evening there was a festive dinner.

The tsar's name-days (Tezoname Day), which were considered a public holiday, were celebrated especially splendidly. On this day, the boyars and courtiers came to the royal court in order to bring gifts and take part in a festive feast, at which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king personally handed out pies. Huge birthday cakes were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.

After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabrins” and “Stars”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by the Octobrist, the pioneer, the Komsomol member, the communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in the trade union, and so on. The fight against "survivals" reached ridiculous extremes: for example, in the 1920s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky's "Fly-Tsokotukha" for "propaganda of name days."

Traditionally, name days are attributed to that day of memory of the named (named) saint, which follows immediately after the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous saint of the same name, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. e. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “corporal” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, because traditionally the child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol Heavenly Kingdom, to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they abandoned this strict custom and began to choose names, guided by personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our incarnations - to a personal name.

Perhaps to the ancient motto "Know thyself" one should add: "Know thy name." Of course, the name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian nomenclature. But there is also a mystical meaning of the name, almost forgotten now.
In ancient times, people attached much more importance to the name than now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name correlated with the inner meaning of the person, it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (“a good name is good sign"). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing the human essence, invoking grace.
In primitive society, the name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undoubted, moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there are so many souls, therefore, in some tribes, before to kill the enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use it in his native tribe. Often the names were hidden in order not to give weapons to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from bad treatment with a name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboos) the name of the leader. In others, it was customary to assign new names to the elders, giving them new strength. It was believed that the sick child was given strength by the name of the father, who was shouted into the ear or even called him by the name of the father (mother), believing that part vital energy parents will help to overcome the disease. If the child cried especially much, then the name was chosen incorrectly. For a long time, the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names was preserved among different nationalities: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits maybe they won't find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.

AT Ancient Egypt personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a "small" name, known to all, and a "big" one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and was pronounced only during important ceremonies. The names of the pharaohs enjoyed special reverence - in the texts they were distinguished by a special cartouche. With great respect, the Egyptians treated the names of the dead - improper handling of them caused irreparable harm to otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: the Egyptian myth is characteristic, according to which the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find out by opening his chest - the name literally turned out to be inside the body!

From time immemorial, the change of the name corresponded to the change of the human essence. New names were given to teenagers at initiation, i.e., upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly minted priests, renouncing old names, carved them on metal plates and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of naming monastic names, when a person who has taken tonsure leaves the world and his worldly name.

Many nations tabooed the names of pagan gods and spirits. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way it was possible to call out “evil force”. The ancient Jews did not dare to call the Name of God: Yahweh (in Old Testament is the "unspeakable Name", the sacred tetragram, which can be translated as "I am who I am." According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God's work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob to Israel. The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a multitude of names that are called theophoric - they contain God's "indescribable Name": in this way, through his personal name, a person contacted God.

Christianity as the highest religious experience humanity, takes personal names seriously. The name of a person reflects the sacrament of a unique, precious personality, it implies personal communication with God. At the sacrament of Baptism Christian church taking into your bosom new soul, connects it through a personal name with the name of God. As he wrote about Sergei Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of the divine incarnation and naming… every person is an incarnate word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”

The purpose of Christians is holiness. Naming the baby with the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to direct him on the true path: after all, this name has already “realized” in life as a saint. wearer holy name always keeps in himself the uplifting image of his heavenly patron, “helper”, “prayer book”. On the other hand, the community of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one "chosen people."

Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Virgin and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was distinguished even by a different accent - Mary, while other holy women had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.

The Russian Christian name book has evolved over the centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Russia, these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a “nickname” name and two baptismal names (one is explicit, the other is hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely supplanted the pre-Christian "nickname" names, they did not leave us for good, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (eg Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Russia was enriched with the names of all human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes under Christian name images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: "There are no Jewish, Greek, Latin, or Russian names - there are only universal names, the common property of mankind."

The post-revolutionary history of Russian names evolved dramatically: a mass campaign of "de-Christianization" of the name-word was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with a tough state policy, was aimed at reorganizing, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound just like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-creation, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was also known in France in late XVIII century, both in Republican Spain and in the countries of the former "socialist camp") did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s). Soon these names became the property of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names”, in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations”.

The change in the Russian personal name also followed the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Zhanna) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar names, but "de-Christianization" and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern name-book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (it also played its role common property"mass culture" - the desire for averaging, standardization).

Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
From ancient times it has been customary to give a newly received member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who worthily passed his life path whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with her conciliar mind. Therefore, every Orthodox must keep in mind the saint after whom he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially from the common ones (Peter, Nikolai, Maria, Elena), was worn by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which particular saint who wore given name, the baby will be named. This can be done using the detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of the celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the life of the feat of the saints, family traditions, your personal likes.
In addition, many well-known saints have several days of remembrance during the year: it can be the day of death, the day of finding or transferring relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become a holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often referred to as Angel Day. Indeed, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must by no means be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes when giving a name there are some difficulties. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are saints Western Europe who lived and glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054 the Roman Church was not torn off from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names have gained popularity with us in recent decades (Victoria, Eduard and others), but are sometimes listed as "non-Orthodox". There are also reverse situations when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are frequent formal misunderstandings associated with the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound on different languages(in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chris).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name that is different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, by consonance (Stanislav - Stakhiy, Karolina - Kaleria, Elina - Elena). There is nothing flawed in this: among the Serbs, for example, almost everyone has one name in everyday life and another in baptism. Note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, everyone's favorite name Maria is never given in honor of Holy Mother of God, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has been counting as saints many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - the new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century - and calls on believers to name their children in their honor and memory.

Instruction

The easiest way is not to invent anything additional at all, but to write down the child at the time of baptism with the name that you gave him at birth. If you chose the usual worldly name for your baby with love, you like how it sounds, and seems suitable for the personality and character of the child, then such a name is quite suitable for baptism. This is the most common option, it helps to avoid many problems and inconsistencies in the future.

However, if you give your child a name that is not in Orthodox saints, or believe that through the name of your baby they can, choose another name by which they will know him in. In this situation, there is nothing to worry about, some even believe that a secret name serves as a talisman for a person, but in the future you will have to take into account that during communion you need to be called as you called it, and not as written in the passport. A misunderstanding can also arise during the wedding if the future spouse and guests are not privy to such a name difference.

As for the baptismal name itself, you can simply choose an option that is consonant with the name in the passport. For example, Diana in the world may well become Daria at baptism. There is also an ancient tradition to name a child in honor of one of the saints. This is very good tradition, she provides the baby with the patronage of the saint whose name he was named. It is also recommended to look at the calendar of church names and stop at one of those that fall on a birthday or baptism.

In any case, try to proceed not only from whether you like a particular name or not, but find out what it means, how it affects fate and. Remember that, unlike a worldly name, the name chosen for baptism cannot be changed later, it will remain with your child until the end of life, so it is so important not to make a mistake in choosing from the very beginning.

The sacrament of baptism is a rite in which a person seems to be born again into a new spiritual life and with a new Orthodox name. This name is given to him to the glory of one of the saints, it is contained in the Saints and "written in heaven." The saint, whose name a person will be called, will protect him, being for him a heavenly patron. People who are not fully versed in religious matters may wonder what name to choose when baptizing their child and themselves.

You will need

• Saints.

Instruction

Moreover, it used to be customary at birth to name a child with the name of the saint on whose memory day he was born. For a small "shift" in the choice of name was allowed. This was done because the days of remembrance of holy women are somewhat rarer than those of holy men. But at baptism, a person received a different name.

Some names, for example, Georgian or Serbian saints, are not in our Saints. Despite this, their names can be given at baptism, because they are variants of the names available in the Saints adapted to another language. If your name or your child's name is one, take it at baptism.

In addition to the presence of the name in the Saints, the day of memory of the saint who bore it should be celebrated in the interval from the birth of the child to the eighth day of his life. Today, the “7-day rule” is no longer mandatory when choosing Orthodox name, so follow it only if you wish.

A person receives a new name by going through the rite of baptism, during which the priest reads a prayer three times, invokes the Holy Spirit three times, blesses the water and dips the baby into it. Adults are simply sprayed holy water. The priest puts a drop of myrrh oil on the forehead of the receiving person. It is when immersed in water that a person, as it were,