I wouldn’t use an overt biblical name and my OH ruled out names like [name_u]Noah[/name_u] as he felt they were too connected with religion but my son has the middle name [name_u]Michael[/name_u]. I felt it has become so watered down by popularity now that we don’t consider it a religious name.
Well, you don’t need to worry about [name_m]Thorin[/name_m] anyway. It has nothing to do with [name_m]Thor[/name_m]/Þórr. It is from the verb að þora, meaning to dare, to be brave enough to. So Þorinn just means ‘brave, daring’.
I just realised (I mean I knew, but this thread reminded to me to think about it) that some of my very favourite names start with Ing, which is the name of a Germanic god. I won’t strike off the Ing- names, I just love them too much. Ingimar is my top choice for a boy…
This is a great topic. I was raised Catholic, and am now spiritual but non-religious/agnostic/monotheistic-ish/it’s complicated (but actually pretty simple), haha. I consider myself to be culturally Catholic though, meaning that although I do not subscribe to the notion of a divine savior [name_m]Jesus[/name_m] [name_m]Christ[/name_m], I grew up with the mythology, ritual, educational system, and moral framework of Catholicism. So I feel comfortable claiming certain cultural aspects, like names. It would actually feel far less authentic or appropriate for me to choose names from cultures I have no ties to. For example, I think [name_f]Lakshmi[/name_f] is a beautiful name, but feel it would be an act of appropriation to use it. It would be a different matter if my child’s father were Hindu, or if I converted to Hinduism, or even if I planned to raise my child in [name_f]India[/name_f]. By that same token, it makes sense for me to use [name_m]Christian[/name_m] names simply as someone living in a country with widespread [name_m]Christian[/name_m] culture. It seems that a lot of names invoke some religion, and I don’t practice any religion. But I’m also not a tradesman or able to trace my family back to a particular region, so should I avoid [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] or [name_m]Lachlan[/name_m]? I wouldn’t want to use a name that is profoundly spiritual to a group that I do not belong to, but I’m a sort of (dis)honorary member of Christianity, plus we live in a time when many names (and more generally, customs) with [name_m]Christian[/name_m] roots remain religious to some yet have secular currency to many more. That was more than $0.02 and it was all over the place…
Name meanings dont really affect our choices. I actually gave my kids word names so I didnt have to worry about meanings. I do love some religious names ([name_u]Noah[/name_u]!) and we named our dog [name_f]Eve[/name_f] (she is just a dog so it wasnt a big deal). I would never never never use [name_m]Christian[/name_m], anything with [name_m]Christ[/name_m], grace/hope/faith, or anything too biblical. That being said I really want to use [name_m]Casper[/name_m]. I had no idea it was a name from the bible. Might still use it as I dont think it screams “religious!”.
I’m a voice from the other side, so I hope you don’t mind. I was raised [name_m]Christian[/name_m], and I am a practising [name_m]Christian[/name_m] too. I love names that have a Biblical meaning, or are Biblical names, but they aren’t a must. But on the other hand, I would never use a name that is from Greek Mythology or something like that, or a name that has a meaning that suggests another religion other than my own.
For example, I love the name [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], and I know the sweetest little boy named [name_m]Griffin[/name_m], but I would feel uncomfortable naming my own child that. Personal preferences I guess, but I find it so interesting to read all your thoughts and points of view! 
I am not religious - I wouldn’t give myself any sort of title like atheist or w/e, but if there was a name I like and I found out the meaning had something to do with God it wouldn’t stop me from using the name. I wouldn’t be choosing that name because of it’s meaning.
I love the name [name_m]Abel[/name_m], it is a Biblical name but obviously that has nothing to do with why I love it & I would still use it. People that are in my circle of friends and family wouldn’t even say, “Oh you named your son [name_m]Abel[/name_m] after [name_m]Adam[/name_m] & [name_f]Eve[/name_f]'s son.” First because they know that’s not why I would choose that name & also because they probably wouldn’t even make the connections. This could be different depending on where you live or who you are surrounded by though.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name ([name_f]Gabriela[/name_f]) is biblical and has a meaning of “God is my strength” I wouldn’t consider a biblical name for any child, even if I was religious, since I have always strongly disliked my name, not only because it was extremely common and I met a lot of other girls with the same name as me or the name [name_f]Gabriella[/name_f] (a little more common than mine, but that won’t last forever) and boys named ‘[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]’ but also because it really just doesn’t fit me at all. (I dislike the sound of the nickname [name_u]Gabby[/name_u]/[name_u]Gabi[/name_u], especially since I am very quiet around other people, but everyone calls me it anyway.) A lot of the less common biblical names are also starting (or will eventually) to come back these days as well, so I just wouldn’t want my child to go through the same thing. I also get very annoyed when parents name their children biblical names, but use a completely wrong spelling to be more unique. Like Serruh or Rebbecka. ([name_f]Sarah[/name_f]/[name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]) I’m fine with the names changing/adding or taking some letters, like [name_f]Sara[/name_f] or [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] though.
I never really liked the meaning of my name either “God is my strength” . . . . [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get me wrong, I have nothing against God whether he exists or not, but I always wished I could have maybe a more unique/odd name meaning. Here are some non-biblical names that I’ve always liked the sound of:
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]/[name_f]Annah[/name_f] (For people who like [name_f]Hannah[/name_f])
[name_f]Bebe[/name_f] (More of a cutesy pet name, but I love it)
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]/[name_f]Carolyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Dalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Erin[/name_f]
[name_f]Felicia[/name_f]
[name_f]Genna[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kamilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Monica[/name_f]
[name_f]Nancy[/name_f]
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_f]Pamela[/name_f]
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u]
[name_f]Rachel[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Talla[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Wanda[/name_f]
[name_f]Zadie[/name_f]
Just wanted to say: I myself have never personally liked any Biblical names much, mainly because of how common they are, but like whitefeather01 said, if you Really like a name than you should use it. If anyone assumes that you’re religious because of a name than they obviously haven’t met a lot of people with biblical names in their lives.
If I like a name, I like it; it doesn’t matter to me if it’s biblical.
Yes. Names are part of our cultural heritage; in a Western context, that includes names from Greek-[name_m]Roman[/name_m] Mythology and Christianity. To me, even names like [name_m]Christian[/name_m], [name_m]Amadeus[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] are comfortably secular because they have been used for hundreds of years — lots of atheists might have ancestors with those names, they might like a particular namesake or book character or just enjoy the sonority of the name. It’s no different from a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] naming their child [name_f]Diana[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], or [name_f]Iris[/name_f].
It’s something I consider, but I don’t eliminate a name from my list for that reason alone. Like others said, all religions are mythology to me, so [name_f]Thora[/name_f] (feminine form of a Norse god) doesn’t feel any different than Ithuriel (the name of a Judeo-[name_m]Christian[/name_m] angel). The meaning of the name is considered, but the most important thing is what the name means to me personally.
The only name I ever loved and discarded (for religious reasons) was [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], and it annoys me that I did that. While to me, [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] is a literary name ([name_m]Henry[/name_m] Wadsworth [name_m]Longfellow[/name_m]'s “[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]”), the general public seems to only think evangelist or evangelism, and feedback on the name led me to believe people would assume we’d named a daughter [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] because we were bible thumpers.
Interesting topic.
[name_f]Rachel[/name_f] is a biblical name (since you said you made a list of names that aren’t).
Oh. . . . That makes sense now. Had a girl in my class once going to a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] school (even though I’m not really religious) named [name_f]Rachel[/name_f]. I’ve always liked that name, though. Now it makes sense why it’s pretty common though. Thanks for telling me.
Oh. . . . That makes sense now. Had a girl in my class once going to a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] school (even though I’m not really religious) named [name_f]Rachel[/name_f]. I’ve always liked that name, though. Now I know why it’s so common though. Thanks for telling me.
I have been thinking about this topic a lot because my husband and I are considering [name_f]Mary[/name_f] for a daughter. I think I’m OK with it because I really love the name. The funny thing is I’m agnostic-ish and questioning using a [name_m]Christian[/name_m] name, while my husband is not just a regular athiest, but has a strong dislike of religion (i.e. thinks it has brought all evil to the world, doesn’t trust religious people, etc.) and sees no problem or reason to question using [name_f]Mary[/name_f].
I don’t take it into much consideration at all. SO many names have a biblical root or meaning, and to be honest- Lots of religions have some pretty Awesome Name [name_m]Banks[/name_m] to look into. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider what some other more religious people might think if I chose a name of a famous figure who wasn’t so good or doesn’t have that sweet of a story to pull “meaning” from, but I don’t think that would be enough to stop me if I really liked the sound of the name.
I think the meaning of a name is equally as important as it’s visual appeal and sound. I enjoy names from many regions of the world including the names of gods etc. I’ve considered many of these and don’t see why considering a name with the word “god” in it’s meaning makes any difference.
I think if it bothers you then I would avoid it. If it doesn’t bother you then why bother? I guess it depend on where you stand on the potential existence of a god - regardless of what he or she might be - or if the whole idea of a higher being is a non-starter for you.
Something like [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] “gift of god” doesn’t strike me as a name that would be eliminated by us as being too religious. However, [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] meaning “lion of God” would be too much for me. One implies the belief that a higher being might exist and that he/she could do great things for us, the other implies a dedication of a child to a god. I don’t know if that distinction makes sense, but I think that’s how I would draw a line.
I really love the name [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], but it has the meaning pledged to God, which I do worry about. While it may put me off these names, I don’t think it’s weird at all UNLESS the name is obviously religious/biblical like [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] or [name_m]Moses[/name_m].
[name_u]Ever[/name_u] heard of the man who named his daughter E and his son [name_f]Yo[/name_f]? Totally disregarding religious or societal standards, this article/podcast explores much more, which I believe will intrigue you and give you gads of info that you most certainly wouldn’t have known otherwise:
It’s interesting to note statistics that say liberals lean towards more conservative, Biblical names and conservatives lean towards more uncommon names…
[name_m]How[/name_m] did you conclude that?
Eric Oliver found that more educated mothers generally choose more common names, but that ideology makes a difference: high-education liberal mothers tend to choose uncommon names.
OLIVER: Well this is where ideology starts to have an effect. Amongst educated white mothers, mothers with some college education or a college degree, by and large they tend to favor more common or popular names for their children than less educated white mothers — except when you start talking about their ideology. Suddenly you get a big difference here. And what you find is that conservative mothers are much more likely to stay with and choose popular or common names, but liberal mothers are now starting to choose more uncommon names. A liberal mother is about 50 percent more likely to give her girl an uncommon or unique name than a conservative mother. And she’s about 40 percent more likely to give her boy an uncommon or unique name compared to a conservative mother. Now, there’s a big difference between the uncommon names that an educated liberal mother is giving her child versus an uneducated non-ideological mother. Our less educated mothers, when they’re giving unique or uncommon names, they’re often times taking a normal name and giving it a very weird spelling like Madysyn with two Y’s. Or they’re just making a name up that’s never existed before like Daringa.
OLIVER: Whereas our educated liberal mothers tend to be choosing names that are obscure cultural references. And so these are the Esmés and the Unas and the Archimedes and the Emersons. And we think this is a way that liberals sort of signal their cultural, for lack of a better word, their sense of cultural superiority. It’s a way of signaling great cultural capital.
I’m an atheist, and after reading this thread I think I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t hugely factor in for me because God (or any gods) don’t really factor in for me. I like names based on their sound and their meaning, so I’m naturally attracted to names which have positive associations for me, and this usually means I like biblical names less than nature names because I’m not religious. A religious meaning wouldn’t sway me from a name I love though (e.g. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u]) because, as was mentioned earlier in the thread, the mythology and history behind religions is super interesting and some stories make a great namesake.