So DH and I are loving this as a mn possibility. Doing some research on the Biblical origins of the name, I came across some interesting revelations.
My questions is, WITHOUT RESEARCHING IT - what are your impressions of [name]Magdalene[/name]? Strong associations with [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]? And if so, what associations do you have of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]?
Please do not research this name before giving your answer, (mostly interested in the [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] references.) I’m very interested in getting people’s candid opinions/associations of this name. I will be happy to chime in later and give you our take!
PS - Currently, the name we’re considering is [name]Iris[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]. We are loving it!
First- I love [name]Iris[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]. So pretty!
As for my impressions of [name]Magdalene[/name], I don’t see a real probelm with it. Though raised Catholic, I never learned much about her. Though she had her troubles, she turned herself around. I think. I don’t have an issue with it, especially since it would be in the middle spot, and since names like [name]Jemima[/name] and [name]Delilah[/name] are popular now a days.
[name]Hope[/name] that helps!
Not a [name]Christian[/name], not raised [name]Christian[/name] (Jewish) so grain of salt/ignorant person, whatever:
Associate strongly with [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name], or Catholic people. Have known some, they were all European or Latina. (And some were Magdalenas) Pretty name. I think of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] as a woman (and not [name]Mary[/name], [name]Jesus[/name]'s mother?) involved with the early church, a good guy as it were, and either called a whore and it was a lie or was a whore and was still good, perhaps the original one with a heart of gold? I don’t really know which. I’ve heard the Da [name]Vinci[/name] code thing that she was maybe married to [name]Jesus[/name] but I don’t think Christians generally really believe that.
If any of that offends, I’m sorry.
I wouldn’t personally feel right using it but I wouldn’t think it weird on somebody else’s child. I like and would consider [name]Iris[/name].
I love the name [name]Magdalene[/name]. It was on my list for girls, but for some reason I threw it out.
I don’t have any negative associations with the name. I was raised christian, and never knew a lot about [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]. I know there is a lot of information that people have claimed is true about her, but I don’t know if any of it is true. She was a follower of [name]Christ[/name] and had a lot of faith. I know this without researching, just through my study as I have grown up. I think it is a strong name, and really cute. It is unique, but people will recognize it.
I agree, [name]Iris[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] is gorgeous!
I’m quite religious and so I am very familiar with the story of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]… [name]Jesus[/name] cast a demon out of her seven times, and she was considered an outcast for her acts as a prostitute. Once the religious leaders of the day threw her at [name]Jesus[/name]’ feet, wanting to know whether or not she should be stoned for her deeds, and [name]Jesus[/name] rescued her. It’s really a redemptive story, imo, so I love [name]Magdalene[/name]'s forms. For some reason, [name]Magda[/name] and [name]Magdalena[/name] (not to mention [name]Magdalen[/name]) seem to symbolize the redemption and hope she faced thanks to [name]Jesus[/name], but [name]Magdalene[/name] seems to embody more of the sin before the redemption? I don’t know if that makes any sense, but that’s how I’ve always felt about it.
I don’t know how other Christians would feel about it… I do know [name]Magdalene[/name] names come with some stigma because she’s rather looked at as a Biblical bad girl, but I’ve always seen her story with so much hope and redemption (especially since she was redeemed 7 times–in the Bible, the number 7 symbolizes perfection, so to me, it sort of says she was redeemed perfectly). It’s a big yes for me, but I’m curious to see others’ reactions.
Also, objectively, [name]Magdalene[/name] was just used to describe which [name]Mary[/name]. I read a statistic somewhere that approximately 28% of girls around [name]Jesus[/name]’ time were given the name [name]Mary[/name] (talk about a popular name! [name]Isabella[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name] have nothing on that! lol), and there were several other [name]Marys[/name] referenced in the Gospels, besides [name]Mary[/name] the mother of [name]Jesus[/name] and [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]. I’m guessing the title was just given to distinguish her from other [name]Marys[/name]. All [name]Magdalene[/name] means is “person from [name]Magdala[/name]”. And [name]Magdala[/name] means “strong tower”, so I think it’s a great meaning even if you’re not looking for religious connotations.
I love [name]Magdalene[/name]!!! As a Catholic I see it as a very Catholic name. I do think of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] but I see her as a person that got over her past and dedicated her life to God, not as a prostitute. Others may get the negative image but I certainly do not. [name]Hope[/name] that helps
I think [name]Magdalene[/name] is elegant and pretty. [name]Iris[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] is stunning!
I don’t know much at all about [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]. I’ve only just started to study the New Testament so I’m not sure of the differences between all of the [name]Marys[/name] yet.
Personally, I love [name]Magdalene[/name]. [name]One[/name] of my favorite biblical names and people from the Bible, probably because [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] is one of the few biblical females who I feel is worth naming your child after.
As for what I know about [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name], I’ll start with she was a follower of [name]Jesus[/name], most likely present at the crucifixion and the first person that [name]Jesus[/name] appeared to after the resurrection. While not a lot is known about her life, there are current theories that she was an apostle and actually wrote her own book for the Bible but due to gender conflicts within the church (ie, power struggles) [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]'s writings were discarded and her role as an apostle was edited out. For several years, it was taught that before following [name]Jesus[/name], [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] was a prostitute but that claim has pretty much been dropped as (I believe), it never states in the Bible that she was a prostitute, just that she suffered from demons before [name]Jesus[/name] cured her. She’s most recently appeared in pop culture in The DaVinci Code where the big twist was that she and [name]Jesus[/name] had an intimate relationship which resulted in children (I think, I never actually read the book or saw the movie), but I don’t think that any actual biblical or academic scholars put any stock in that theory, it was more just a shock ending to a best selling novel (which was probably influenced by the film, The Last Temptation of [name]Christ[/name], where [name]Jesus[/name] is seen contemplating living out a normal life with [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] instead of letting himself be crucified).
So yeah, that’s all I know about [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] off the top of my head. Oh, also that she’s usually depicted with red hair in most paintings or other works of art.
Without looking at any of the replies. A [name]Magdalene[/name] is a repentant sinner. [name]Jesus[/name] cast 7 devils out of [name]Mary[/name] from [name]Magdalene[/name]. She was one of several women who supported [name]Jesus[/name] and the disciples financially. I think most Biblical scholars now think [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] was not the prostitute that washed the feet of [name]Jesus[/name], but historically (in the [name]West[/name]) she has been confused with this “fallen” woman. The new thinking is that a former prostitute would not have the financial resources to support [name]Jesus[/name] and his apostles. Of course [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name]'s biggest honor was that [name]Jesus[/name] appeared to her first and told her to tell his apostles that he had risen. She was also one of the women at the cross with Jesus’s mother and the apostle John.
I think [name]Magdalene[/name] is a great choice for a first or middle name. Unfortunately because of the “fallen woman” image and the fun Hollywood likes to have from time to time imaging a conjugal relationship between her and [name]Jesus[/name] I would shy away from going gang busters and using both names - [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name].
DH and I were married at St. Mary Magdalen so I’ve considered using Magdalen from time to time but have found it a bit to clunky for us. Iris Magdalen is a lovely choice.
I have a [name]Christian[/name] background, and my association of [name]Magdalene[/name] with [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] is a good one. She was humble and forgiven by [name]Jesus[/name], and that’s pretty much all I think of. I love [name]Magdalena[/name] too. Our DDs name is [name]Madeline[/name], so I obviously like the meaning and association. iris [name]Magdalene[/name] is very pretty!
Thanks lo, this is pretty much what I came across in my research of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalene[/name] as well. I grew up in the church, but actually knew very little about her besides she was a friend of [name]Jesus[/name]. I had heard the pop-culture/Da [name]Vinci[/name] code theories, and also the insinuations that MM was a prostitute. What I learned is that the Bible never actually says that MM was a prostitute, just that she was a sinner from which [name]Jesus[/name] cast out seven demons. She was not the one who washed [name]Jesus[/name]’ hair with her feet, (or at least the Bible does not make that direct correlation.)
I found it interesting that she has such a “bad rap” as a prostitute, when it never actually says she was one! I did see somewhere that women from [name]Magdala[/name] were known as prostitutes, so that is where some of the speculation may have came from.
Anyway, thanks all for your comments! I was interested to see if others had the same prostitute association I initially had when I considered the name. After doing research, I feel it’s a great name. [name]Even[/name] if MM WAS a prostitute, she was forgiven by [name]Jesus[/name]’ love - which is still a great story!
I do think of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Magdalen[/name] when I see [name]Magdalen[/name], but I don’t think that’s the first thing that would jump to my mind if I saw [name]Magdalen[/name] alone or as a middle name. I was raised [name]Christian[/name] and think of [name]Mary[/name] as a follower of [name]Jesus[/name] [name]Christ[/name]. If I remember right, she was one of the first women to see him after he was rose from the dead and he charged her with the important task of going and telling his disciples and others that he had risen.
