Sunday Sermonette: Onomastics

No, it doesn ' t mean what you probably think it means, whatever that may be. It ' s the study of proper names.  The Tanakh/Old Testament is the source of most of the popular names for Christian as well as Jewish children. I haven ' t done any sort of a study, my observations are purely impressionistic, but it ' s interesting to think about which names are popular and which are not. Of course fashions change and it depends on time, place and culture. The supply of boy ' s names is much larger, since most of the stories focus on male exploits and many women are never named at all -- just So-And-So ' s wife or concubine. So most girl ' s names get used, from Eve to Sarah to Rachel and Leah, Miriam, Deborah, Naomi, Ruth . ..  Hagar is unheard of, I suppose because of her lowly status as a concubine, although God shows favor on her. A commenter has informed us that Zipporah is common in Israel, although it ' s pretty much unheard of in the English speaking world. Maybe because the nickname would have to be Zippy? That doesn ' t seem so bad, actually. Although Rahab is a heroine, it ' s easy to see that her profession is disqualifying. However, Delilah is not uncommon, although she is a pardigm of evil -- a manipulative seductress and betrayer. I think for the most part parents just like the sound of a name, without thinking about or even knowing the story behind it. As for boy ' s names, there is a good deal more that could be said, and maybe I ' ll get to som...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs