Is it okay to use names that are in the Bible if you’re not [name_m]Christian[/name_m]? Why or why not?
It’s a topic for my blog, so if you want to have your opinion on this subject on my blog, just tell me.
The Bible and Judeo-Christianity are central to Western culture, so yes. Biblical names belong to all of us. Some are more often used in the Jewish or evangelical fundamentalist traditions, but none are off limits to anyone.
I think it’s perfectly fine, yet I’m agnostic. A christian might be more offended, but I’ve never ran into any that seemed to be? I mean, names like [name_u]Michael[/name_u], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], [name_m]Adam[/name_m], and [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] are pretty common and not often connected to the Bible at first thought so I don’t know why any of those would be a big deal.
And as for names like [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], [name_m]Abel[/name_m], and [name_m]Cain[/name_m]- those are a bit more biblical sounding and heard straight from the bible, yet I still don’t think there should be a problem with it. A name is a name, and we take names from Egyptian and Greek myth/religion all the time. If we were to only let Christians (whose children might not even choose Christianity) use christian names, then half the Greek/roman names we love should also be looked at as also unusable unless you still believe in the Greek/roman gods and goddesses. Same with Jewish people with Hebrew names or what not. It’s not a big deal to me, I don’t see Christianity as superior to any other basis for names.
I don’t even think it matters if you’re of an opposite faith, if you like the name go with it, understand that the name was first brought forth in meaning to Christianity, but you don’t have to pick a name for the meaning at all.
I agree with this completely.
I agree with the PPs so far. I’m a [name_m]Christian[/name_m], and I wouldn’t care less if someone named their child [name_m]David[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], or [name_f]Mary[/name_f]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], Joash, [name_m]Josiah[/name_m], or [name_m]Dathan[/name_m]. I mean, they’re just names. For me, they have added significance that to an atheist or agnostic (or even someone of a different faith, like Buddhism or Confucianism or whatever), because they’re almost like heroes, or great-aunts and uncles from a family I’ve been adopted into. They mean something to me, because they’re from something that means a lot to me. But I wouldn’t make any assumptions about someone from another faith who used them.
However, I do take issue to names being used that have a level of holiness or sanctity to me–[name_f]Trinity[/name_f] and [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], for example, I find almost egregiously offensive, and I would find it hard to not show how upset I would be if I met a child with one of those names. I try not to let it color my opinion of anyone, but to me, God is holy, and deserves respect. He is holy. It just seems very sacrilegious to me to give your child a name of God, when, no matter how great your kid will be, he or she will never measure up to God. Especially when it comes to religion, which is such a personal issue, I think it’s wise–and kind!–to just not go there with names whole religious groups find offensive (like with the Jews and [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]), but I realize I can’t dictate a whole set of rules when it comes to naming, so I try to be understanding. Sure, use [name_m]Christian[/name_m], if you want. Or [name_u]Seth[/name_u], or [name_u]Azariah[/name_u], or [name_m]Demetrius[/name_m], or [name_m]Gaius[/name_m], or [name_m]Paul[/name_m], or [name_m]Bartholomew[/name_m], or any other name in the Bible. [name_m]Just[/name_m] please, please, please don’t take God’s name lightly. I respect your choice to believe what you want to believe (although, I know, a lot of Christians don’t); please respect the holiness and sanctity due God’s name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you don’t believe in Him. It matters to me, and I’m sure there are a lot of other Christians it matters to, as well.
I agree with the above posters for the most part. I’m agnostic but spent more than ten years at a Catholic school, and it wouldn’t bother me at all. The name [name_f]Trinity[/name_f] doesn’t offend me, but [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], [name_m]Jesus[/name_m] (for an English-speaking family, not a Latino one) would surprise me mostly because I know they might offend other people.
But using names like [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], [name_m]Abel[/name_m], or [name_m]Levi[/name_m]? I love the sound of simple biblical boy’s names, and would absolutely use them, religion (or lack thereof) aside.
I don’t see a problem with it, not even with [name_u]Messiah[/name_u] or [name_f]Trinity[/name_f], and I am a [name_m]Christian[/name_m], raised in a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] family (mind you, I am not overly religious). [name_f]My[/name_f] community revolves around the 3 churches in our little village - and the minister of the one church actually has a son named [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], and a daughter named [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] (‘she who is like god’). No one in the community has taken offence to his children’s names - nor have they taken offence to my sister [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f]'s name.
I do find it a little odd when someone takes great offence to [name_f]Trinity[/name_f], [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], etc, but not [name_u]Michael[/name_u] or [name_f]Michaela[/name_f], which also compare the child to God. There’s nothing wrong with it, it just baffles me. It’s always possible that people are not religious and do not realise the connections with [name_f]Trinity[/name_f] or [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], and, with [name_m]Cohen[/name_m], I know that, until I joined Nameberry, I didn’t know of it’s connection.
I’m a pragmatist so to me the question is it okay is a moot point. People who are [name_f]Non[/name_f]-[name_m]Christian[/name_m], non-Jewish immigrants have been using names from the Bible for centuries. Lots of immigrant parents have picked out biblical name for their kids even though they are not [name_m]Christian[/name_m]. Lots of my students are [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] when they talk to an English speaker and Hsui [name_f]Mei[/name_f] or Bunroeun when they are with their families. It’s already happening, has been for centuries, isn’t going to stop, cannot be legislated/regulated/punished, and nothing bad ever happens because of it. To me that makes it a non-issue.
Another [name_m]Christian[/name_m] here.
I don’t take offense to [name_f]Trinity[/name_f] (it’s not a name of God, but a characteristic), but I do take offense to [name_u]Messiah[/name_u] (but I don’t make assumptions that it is deliberate, I know there are some people who don’t know). I do not take offense to any other bible name, not [name_u]Michael[/name_u] or any other, but the names of God (they are holy). And [name_u]Michael/name_u means “who is like God?” Question mark vital here- it’s saying no one is like God.
I have seen it with and without the question mark in various sources, so I didn’t realise.
As a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] with an understanding of Biblical construction and translation I would say definitly ok for anyone to use any names from the Bible that they like. Some Biblical names Are so wide spread and used over time that no matter who you the names could be used in your culture or even found on your family tree. There are names who’s meanings are directly connected to God, I would think a non believer would likely not choose those names based on not agreeing with the meanings but there are also A LOT of names that simply have meanings like any other. A lot of the new testiment names in our current translation are actually Greek or Latin names. If you can View the Bible as a historical text then you can determine for yourself what you’d be comfortable using and see that the names were widespread before Christianity. Names like [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] that means twin or [name_m]Luke[/name_m] that means light. There are a lot of non Christians with those names, a name like [name_m]Josiah[/name_m] is very tied to God and I would be suprised to see it on a non [name_m]Christian[/name_m] child who wasn’t a namesake. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] that helps.
As for the discussion of names like trinity, [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], [name_m]Jesus[/name_m]… 1. [name_f]Trinity[/name_f] means tri-unity. If the parent is religious and wanting to honor God with that in a way that’s fine, but intrinsically it isn’t a religious name. [name_m]Jesus[/name_m] is the name of God’s son, so that’s a tough one… Consider the name itself. His actual name while on earth was not spoken as this angelicized version, the name [name_m]Joshua[/name_m] we use today all over the place is the modern version of what his name would have been thousands of years ago roughly… Considering they wouldn’t have said these names with J but with Y… [name_u]Messiah[/name_u] - savior… Its a word, a very important one yes but I don’t think that anyone who names their child this is trying to say their child is the [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], more that they are either not religious and want to be daring or are attempting to honor The [name_u]Messiah[/name_u]. So I wouldn’t use them but to each his own. And yes [name_u]Michael[/name_u] and its variants - have the meaning ’ who is like God?’ A question saying that no one is like him. That’s is a nice way to honor God and common practice amongst Christians. All in all its up to the parent. If they aren’t a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] or other group believing in God- calling their child a name that signifies the Holiness of God is a bit odd.
It doesn’t bother me one bit, however I will actively avoid biblical names that are not family names. I grew up Catholic and do not identify with any particular religion. However, my husband has relatives that are in a fundamentalist church and they use Old Testament names to identify their children as such. Examples include [name_m]Obadiah[/name_m], [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m], [name_f]Hephzibah[/name_f], etc. (They are particularly hostile to other religions and non-believers, so I’d like to keep my distance from this branch of the family in naming my own children.)
I think using Biblical names names is nice and is a nice tribute to the Bible! I was christened myself but I was not confirmed (I’m not really sure what that means though) anyway I have a few Biblical names I like:
Boys:
[name_m]Elijah[/name_m]
[name_m]Mark[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u]
[name_m]Matthew[/name_m]
[name_m]Luke[/name_m]
Girls:
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f]
I think honouring the Bible is a lovely thing to do mainly if your a [name_m]Christian[/name_m]!
I also like the name [name_m]Christian[/name_m] too.
I figured so. A good amount of sources don’t put the question mark, and it changes the meaning. Very misleading!
^^This 
[my views spoken more clearly than I would be able to express them myself]
rkrd nailed it.
Absolutely. I am a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] and I would not find it offensive or even puzzling if a non-[name_m]Christian[/name_m] person used a Biblical name. As a previous poster said, the Bible is central to Western civilization. I saw a study once about how people with Biblical names were given higher grades on identical papers than people with non-Biblical names, so hey, go for it.
I’m a [name_m]Christian[/name_m], and I wouldn’t take offense to, say, [name_m]Levi[/name_m], [name_m]Caine[/name_m], [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], or even [name_m]Zedekiah[/name_m] (although it would be kind of odd if the name was overtly Biblical). I don’t see what’s wrong with [name_f]Trinity[/name_f], either, but [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], [name_m]Jesus[/name_m], and [name_m]Lord[/name_m]? Those are offensive.
Yes, of course it’s okay. It would be nearly impossible not to have some connection. Personally, as a non religious person, I prefer not to have anything too overtly linked, but I love [name_m]Levi[/name_m] and [name_u]Seth[/name_u] for example. And while they were characters in the bible, there is more then one association in the modern world (as with most names nowadays), not just religious ones. [name_u]Messiah[/name_u] and [name_f]Trinity[/name_f] I don’t exactly mind, but they are very in-your-face religious names.