I have been considering adding this name to my list recently. I like the spiritual significance it has, and I like the possibility of the nicknames “[name]Ana[/name]” and “[name]Mary[/name]”. Can anyone else think of other good nn or tell me why they do or do not like this name?
In my area there are quite a few Maranatha churches so I think of it as a place and not a person’s name. It’s also the name of a religious school if I recall correctly and brings to mind very evangelical devout people, which is not a bad thing but I cant see someone using this unless they did so because of the religious ties.
Bottom line, because its so religious and I dont know enough about the people or denomination that uses it as a name I would avoid it.
I’ve actually never heard of this name before and immediately thought it was made up. (Sorry). [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Ana[/name] would be fine nicknames.
I think Maranatha is an interesting choice. To me, it has too strong religious connotations, and there are very few names that I feel that way for. There’s a missionary company in my denomination called Maranatha Missions, I think–they build churches all over the world, sometimes even erecting a church in a day. They do great work, but I think it’d be weird to share a name with them. That, and it is the name of many churches, etc. [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Ana[/name] are cute nns, though. I think even [name]Maren[/name]/Maran could be a sweet nn for it…
Maranatha is okay and has nice enough nicknames. The only part that tripped me up a little bit was the ending -ranatha. I’m just used to saying rantha.
A similar name is [name]Amarantha[/name] (with variations: Amaranthe, [name]Amaranta[/name], Amaranth). Before clicking, I thought Maranatha might be a variant with which I wasn’t aware. I think that [name]Mary[/name], [name]Ana[/name], [name]Mara[/name], [name]Maren[/name]/Maran are all still useable nicknames with any of these choices.
The amaranth flower symbolized immortality in ancient Greece, and means “unfading”. But, if you like Maranatha for its religious connections, these names might not quite do the trick.
Maranatha is okay and has nice enough nicknames. The only part that tripped me up a little bit was the ending -ranatha. I’m just used to saying rantha.
A similar name is [name]Amarantha[/name] (with variations: Amaranthe, [name]Amaranta[/name], Amaranth). Before clicking, I thought Maranatha might be a variant with which I wasn’t aware. I think that [name]Mary[/name], [name]Ana[/name], [name]Mara[/name], [name]Maren[/name]/Maran are all still useable nicknames with any of these choices.
The amaranth flower symbolized immortality in ancient Greece, and means “unfading”. But, if you like Maranatha for its religious connections, these names might not quite do the trick.
when I first read Amaranth I thought it was just ok, but the meaning “unfading” makes it so beautiful to me!
Is Maranatha supposed to be a combo of MaryandMartha??
Maranatha is a wonderful New Testament phrase. I would use it for that reason, if you are willing to explain its meaning and context – even to other [name]Christian[/name] and Catholic people, because Maranatha is surprisingly obscure even among this crowd. It is true that there are several organizations, churches, even a music publisher which go by the name Maranatha so you may get that association with the name. If you love the sound of it and the meaning, and are okay with explaining the source/inspiration, I say go for it; there are also many nickname variations.
I was looking for a name that I could use the nn [name]Mary[/name] or [name]Ana[/name], and this is definately one. I also love a double first name, so I could pair [name]Mary[/name] with a mn and call her that. I was thinking I really like Maranatha [name]Justice[/name], and she could be called [name]Mary[/name] [name]Justice[/name], or even simply [name]Mary[/name] Jus. Or, since Maranatha is such an unusual name, I could give her a simpler mn.
Why not just Maran? (our [name_m]Lord[/name_m] cometh or will come)
What if the child chooses not to be religious or evangelical? It seems a bit heavy-handed to impose such a name on a child.
Honestly, it just remind me of marathon. I think another poster’s suggestion of [name_f]Marin[/name_f] would be much nicer (and easier to pronounce).
I’m not a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] so before reading the replies I thought the “spiritual significance” you mentioned was probably buddhist or hindu. It sounds and looks somewhat like an [name_f]Indian[/name_f] name to me. That’s not a bad thing, just something to consider.
I find it a bit too clunky for a name. Also I agree with rkrd, I think it’s too much to impose on a child and I would dislike it if my mother had given me a very religiously charged name, since I was brought up UCC but eventually chose not to continue with the church, it wasn’t for me. My ex-bf was atheist and he resented/thought it was weird that his name literally meant “[name_m]Christ[/name_m] bearer”. [name_m]Just[/name_m] one example but I feel it would be good to tone it down a little.
I like the suggestions of Maran/[name_f]Maren[/name_f] and Amaranth/[name_f]Amarantha[/name_f] for you. I also wanted to throw in [name_u]Marian[/name_u], since you wanted [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_f]Ana[/name_f] as nicknames.
It sounds made up to me and that’s one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to names. What’s wrong with [name_f]Samantha[/name_f] or any of the [name_f]Mary[/name_f]- names?
It sounds like a spider to me, sorry.
Much prefer just [name_f]Mary[/name_f].