Does a name affect a person's life?

Many parents ask themselves this question when naming their baby. If you give the name of a martyr, he will be tormented all his life, you will name him with the name of a reverend (monk) - God forbid, he will become a monk. Maybe give the name of the king, commander, thinker?

And every time the priests patiently explain: the name given to the child does not affect a person's life in any way. And many common names - it is easy to verify this by opening the calendar - were worn simultaneously by kings, and monks, and martyrs.

Here is an example: John.

The name is Hebrew, which in translation means - the Grace of God.

There are 188 people in the modern church calendar of St. John.

Here is the Apostle of Christ John the Theologian, and the poet-songwriter and theologian John of Damascus.

And one of the founding fathers of the severe monastic feat, John of the Ladder, hegumen of the monastery on Mount Sinai.

John Vlasatiy - for the sake of Christ, the fool, who labored in Rostov.

John of Damascus is a hermit who left the city and shut himself in a cave.

John of Kronstadt is a great Russian pastor and public figure.

John of Palestine is an outstanding fast.

John of Constantinople is a patriarch and an outstanding personality of his time.

John the Baptist, the first of the martyrs, and after him many more martyrs John, who suffered both in ancient times and in modern Soviet times.

We observe the same about other well-known names.

The conclusion is obvious: the name of the saint in no way affects the fate of the child.

And now let's say a few words about the history of naming.

How was the name given to the child in pre-Christian times?

In the Bible, the name was not at all some random convention; name - determined the place that its carrier should occupy in the world. God completes creation by naming its elements: day, night, sky, earth, sea (), naming each luminary of it name(), and this determines the location in the universe of these elements of the universe. Or, God provides Adam with a name names all animals () and thereby determine their place and role in the world of Adam.

It is the same with a person: initially, the name given to a child at birth denoted his fate or future occupation. This is easy to see, remembering the names of the ancient Old Testament heroes: Jacob means taking the place of another(); Bulk - madman() and so on. Sometimes the name indicated the peculiarity of the birth: Moses - out of the water, sometimes - on the destiny of man: Isaiah - God save. The name was considered as an imprint of a person's personality!

In ancient Rus', the child was given a folk name. The Russians were not as inventive as the Greeks or Romans. Often the baby was given a name derived from the number of children in the family - Perva, First, Pervak, Vtorak, Chetvertunya; from the color of his hair and skin - Chernysh, Chernyay, Belyay, Belukha. Names were also invented according to other external signs - height, body features - Dry, Tolstoy, Long, Mal, Kid, Malaya, Malyuta, Hare, Bespaloy, Golovach and so on.

Often a child was named depending on some noticeable feature of his character (Fun, Cry, Istoma, Molchan, Neulyba, Smeyan, Nesmeyana) or the relationship to him in the family (Golub, Lyubim, Nezhdan, Chayan, Milava, Pospel, Khoten, etc. .).

Names sanctified

With the emergence of Christianity, the situation began to change, but not immediately. Until about the 3rd century, all those who received baptism left the names that their pagan parents called them. Many names, even such as Faith, Hope, Love ... are pagan names: Roman, Greek or Jewish.

Names could indicate virtues, some kind of occupation, character traits, and much, much more. For example, name Novel- derived from the name of the city of Rome; Name Victor(in Latin, winner) to the virtue of valor, etc. Parents wanted their child to resemble the ancient heroes, gods, they wanted to attract the blessing of unknown higher powers through the name.

However, with the spread of Christianity, other principles of naming are born. Already in the III century, it becomes customary to give the child the name of an ascetic of the Christian faith. This saint, Christians thought, would become a friend to our son or daughter, would pray for him in heaven, before the throne of the Heavenly Father.

Get his name, and name consecrated, which the ascetic of the Church wore before you, means to enter into a mysterious connection with Christ - the Absolute Personality, and with the personality of the former ascetic of the Christian faith.

The modern theologian Father Alexander Schmemann writes: “Human nature does not exist outside of personalities, each of which is truly the only and completely personal type of embodiment and realization of this nature. Therefore, the rite of naming is the recognition by the Church of the uniqueness of this particular child, the presence of the divine gift of “personality” in him ... The name of a person, distinguishing him from all other people, identifies his personality and affirms his uniqueness. The incarnated Son of God has a human name, because He is a perfect personality, and not a man in general, an abstract and impersonal bearer of an abstract human nature.

People who lead an authentic Christian life often say that they feel a connection with the person whose name they bear, with their patron saint in heaven.

The day on which the memory of our saint is celebrated in the church is called name day.

St. John Chrysostom persistently taught the parishioners:
“Christians should try in every possible way to give children such names that would not only arouse those who receive these names to virtue, but also serve as an instruction in all wisdom for all others and for subsequent generations.”

Most often, Christians called their children the names of the Apostles of Christ, so that in the 5th century, as today, there were most of all Johns, Peters, Pauls ...

How to give a name to a child

Now it is customary to give the child the name of a glorified saint, and a saint of the Orthodox Church. However, if parents persistently want to name the baby some extravagant or non-Orthodox name, this is possible. In this case, according to the passport, the person will have the name Olesya, Alena, Ruslan, Sanchez, etc., but at Baptism he will be given the name of a saint.

Some saints have two names - the name they had before Baptism, and the Christian name. Kyiv prince Vladimir in baptism received the name Vasily, Olga - Elena etc. In honor of these saints, either of their two names can be given.

Today, children are called by the name of their beloved grandmother or grandfather, by the name of a book hero, or simply by a sonorous and beautiful name they like. There is nothing wrong with this, but we can also recall another, ancient tradition: the baby was given the name of the saint whose memory fell on the day the name was given (the 8th day after birth).

I will repeat once again what some priests sometimes do not know: if we want to name a child according to the church, or, as they say, according to calendar, then it will be the name of a saint whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of a child.

You can give a name (as is common today) in honor of the saint on whose memory day the baby was born. They say: “My girl was born on the day of St. Xenia of Petersburg. How can I call it otherwise?..” There is some logic in these words, but this is a modern practice, and not a church tradition.

Since ancient times, it has been established that those who are baptized cannot take the Names of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother - Mary. (You can take the name Jesus in honor of the Old Testament saint Joshua, and the name Maria - in honor of Saint Mary, of which there are many.)

When choosing a name for your child, you should remember that this name is for life, so you should not try to stand out by naming the baby. Names such as Aristocles or Anempodist are certainly beautiful and original, but aren’t they obliging too much? , a real example, when parents who bore the surname "Durakovy" gave their daughter a name ... Idea).

At the same time, we note that in recent decades, the choice of a name for children has been limited to a dozen or two names. Among them - necessarily: Natalia, Tatyana, Maria, Ekaterina, Elena and so on. (You can even identify a certain fashion for names).

Parents forget that there are a lot of interesting and wonderful names that are almost never used today. And these names are no less harmonious or interesting than those popular today, and their bearers-saints in their Christian feat are not at all less famous than those whose names are well known.

To show how, unfortunately, we know little about our names, we will give examples of male and female names that are rarely or not encountered at all in practice. From an extensive list, I chose only a small part of the euphonious and ancient names and indicated that this name means in the language of the people in whose midst it appeared.

Men's names

Habakkuk love of God heb.); the name, unfortunately, discredited by the leader of the Old Believer schism, Archpriest Avvakum, but, nevertheless, ancient and expressive; comes from the biblical prophet.

Augustine from the city of Augusta lat.)

Averky retaining, removing lat.)

Agapius Love ( Greek)

Agafangel good news ( Greek)

Agathon Kind ( Greek)

Adrian from Adria (small Italian town) ( lat.)

Adam Human ( euro); etymologically, the name is derived from "adama" - "red earth".

Alipiy carefree ( lat.)

Alpheus turn ( heb.)

Ambrose immortal, divine lat.)

Anastasy resurrection, resurrected Greek)

Andronicus husbands winner ( Greek)

Aristarch best boss, great Greek)

Arseniy courageous, man Greek)

Valerian from the city of Valeria ( lat.)

Varlaam God's Son ( hald.)

Bartholomew son of Folomey (Tolomey) ( heb.)

Vissarion forest ( Greek)

Boniface benefactor ( lat.)

Gabriel fortress of God heb.)

Galaction dairy ( Greek)

Hermann warrior ( ancient upper.)

Gregory awake ( Greek)

Gury lion cub ( heb.)

David beloved ( heb.)

Damian conqueror, tamer Greek)

Daniel God is my judge heb.)

Didim twin ( Greek)

Diodor God's gift ( Greek)

Dionysius divine from Nisa ( Greek.)

Eulogy blessing ( Greek)

Eusebius pious ( Greek)

Aedesius joy ( Syrian)

Elisha his salvation is God heb.)

Erast loving ( Greek)

Ephraim prolific ( heb.)

Zosima vital ( Greek)

Jacob caster ( heb.)

Januarius gatekeeper ( lat.)

Ignatius fiery, red-hot lat.)

Jerome sacred ( Greek)

Hilarion quiet, happy Greek)

Or me fortress of the Lord heb.)

Irenaeus peaceful ( Greek)

justin son of Justus lat.)

Cassian empty, empty lat.)

Cyprian from the island of Cyprus Greek)

Kirill Sun ( Persian.)

Clement gracious ( lat.)

Cornelius strong ( lat.)

Lawrence bay ( lat.)

Lazarus God helper heb.)

a lion a lion ( Greek)

Livery free ( lat.)

Longinus long ( lat.)

Luke originally from Lucania ( Greek.)

Macarius blessed ( Greek)

Manuel definition of God heb.)

Mark dry, withering lat.)

Mercury merchant ( lat.)

Methodius ordered ( Greek)

Nazarius dedicated to God heb.)

Nestor returning home ( Greek)

Nikandr husband of victory Greek)

Nikita winner ( Greek)

Nikon winning ( Greek)

Nifont sober ( Greek)

Paisios children's ( Greek)

Palladium from Pallas ( Greek)

Pankraty all-powerful, all-powerful Greek)

Panteleimon merciful ( Greek)

Parthenius virgin ( Greek)

Pimen shepherd ( Greek)

Plato wide ( Greek)

Polycarp multiple ( Greek)

Porfiry crimson ( Greek)

Proclus distant ( lat.)

Rodion heroic, pink ( Greek)

rustic rustic ( lat.)

Savvaty saturday ( heb.)

Sebastian venerable ( Greek)

Seraphim fiery ( heb.)

Force silence, peace heb., lat.)

Silwan forest ( lat.)

Sylvester forest ( lat.)

Simeon hearing ( heb.)

Simon hearing ( heb.)

Sophronius sane ( Greek)

Stephen crown ( Greek)

Terenty polishing, rubbing Greek)

Timothy worshiping God Greek)

Tikhon happiness ( Greek)

Trofim pet ( Greek)

Thaddeus praise ( heb.)

Theodore God's gift ( Greek)

Theodosius God-given ( Greek)

Feoktist created by God Greek)

Feofan Epiphany ( Greek)

Theophilus friend of God Greek)

Theophylact God-protected ( Greek)

Ferapont servant ( Greek)

Philadelphus brotherly ( Greek)

Filaret lover of virtue Greek)

Philip loving horses Greek)

Florence blooming ( lat.)

Thomas twin ( heb.)

Khariton blessed ( Greek)

Christopher Christ bearer ( Greek)

Women's names

Agapia good ( Greek)

Agnes Agnia immaculate ( Greek)

Ada noble ( Old Upper.)

Akilina eagle ( Greek); in the common people, this harmonious name was turned into Akulina. You can offer parents to demand from acquaintances and relatives exactly this, Greek, and not the common Russian (Akulin) version of pronouncing the name

Alevtina strong ( lat.)

Angelina messenger ( Greek)

Apollinaria Apollonova ( Greek)

Ariadne strict marital fidelity Greek)

Athanasius immortal ( Greek)

barbarian foreigner ( Greek)

Vasilisa regal ( Greek)

Veronica image of fidelity Greek, Latin)

Glyceria sweet ( Greek)

Diodora God's gift ( Greek)

Eve life ( heb.)

Evdokia favor ( Greek)

Eusebia pious ( Greek)

Euphrosyne joy ( Greek)

genevieve(in Church Slavonic – Genovef)

Zinaida divine ( Greek)

Ilaria quiet, joyful, clear

John the grace of God heb.); usually this name is transmitted in the Western manner: Zhanna or Yana;

Isidore gift of Isis (Egyptian goddess) ( Greek)

Juliana, Juliana, Julitta and others. daughter of Juliev, or Juliev ( lat.). This is the name of an ancient Roman family. One of the representatives of this genus is Gaius Julius Caesar.

justina daughter of Justus.

Casinia maid ( lat.)

Kyria Lord's ( Greek)

Cleopatra glorious father ( Greek)

Constance constant ( Greek)

Leah tired ( heb.)

Lukiya light ( lat.)

Mariam their rise, the star of the sea heb.)

Melania black ( Greek)

Paul small ( lat.)

Peacock, Paulina belonging to Paul lat.)

Paraskeva Friday, cooking Greek)

Pelagia maritime ( Greek)

Rufina reddish ( Greek)

Sofia wisdom ( Greek)

Susanna White Lily ( heb.)

Theodora God's gift ( Greek)

Feodosia given by God ( Greek)

Theophania Epiphany ( Greek)

Charita kind ( Greek)

Kharitina fertile ( Greek)

christina Christ's ( Greek)

Junia young (young) lat.)

The priest may advise, when choosing a name, to follow modern reference publications, especially church calendars, since secular publications often give Soviet or distorted Western names and there is no mention of such saints.

Let us recall that the Church Calendar of the Moscow Patriarchate is published annually, which lists the most famous saints; it is sold in church shops and stores.

Remember: the name given to the child will be carried by him until his death and can serve as a pretext for ridicule and bullying from peers in childhood and adolescence. Many of the ancient names worn by the ascetics of piety are hardly appropriate today. Among such names we mention: Algabdil, Amavs, Aod, Arab, Atom, Eupl, Euprob, Square, Mudiy.

Female: Aksuya, Golindukha, Dragon, Kazdoya and so on.

And more recently…

A few decades ago, newborns were given "new" names, generated by the ideas of socialism, industrialization, and so on.

Boys often received the name Kommunar, and girls Kommunar. October names appeared ( husband.) – Oktyabrina ( female); May ( husband.) – Maya ( female) and so on. In one family, the son was named Revo, daughter of Lucius, which together meant "Revolution".

In the calendars of the Soviet era, you can also find quite extravagant ones: Dazdrasperma (stands for “Long live the First of May”), Vladlen (stands for “Vladimir Lenin”), Volya, Interna, Iskra, Idea, Perkosrak (the first space rocket).

In the 60s and 70s, interest in new "original" names faded. If children and name in a new way, then these are no longer "communist" names, but "industrial", "cosmic".

So, relatively popular are: Ion, Apollo, Venus, Mercury, Phoebus, Helium. You can also meet Icarus, Odysseus, Titan, Selena. In the early 70s, the Leningrad Palace of the solemn registration of births "Baby" two girls were given the names Spring and Taina.

Starting from the 70s, interest in old Russian names has awakened (especially for girls). By the 90s, Ksenia, Barbara, Juliana, Elizabeth, Evdokia and so on became especially popular among them.

In the 90s, especially popular among them are: Xenia, Barbara, Juliana, Elizabeth, Evdokia ...

What to do if the Christian name is forgotten?

Often people come to the temple who have a non-Orthodox name, but once, in childhood, were baptized. They do not remember their Christian name, and the parents who baptized them have died. What to do? So to come to the temple with the name of Lenian, Marksin, Oktyabrin? .. There is nothing wrong in this situation. You just need to come to the priest and tell about it. The priest will read a special prayer For naming and give you a new name for an Orthodox saint.

How and who should give a name to a child? There is no unanimity on this issue. Let's talk about the Orthodox tradition of naming.

For a believer, the question of a name has always been of great importance. It was believed that not only the qualities of character, but also fate are transmitted through the name to a person. The names of such heroes of faith as Isaac, Jacob and Abraham were very common in early Christianity. By giving the baby such a name, the parents wanted to make him share in the holiness and glory that his original owner had.

In Rus', along with the adoption of Orthodoxy, a tradition arose to give a name in honor of the saints. What is the meaning of tradition? From the point of view of Christianity, a person who bears the name of a saint has a close relationship with him. The saint, who proved his faith and devotion to God with his whole life or martyrdom, now from heaven helps a person on his difficult life path, drives away demons, in general, patronizes him.

With the name of the saint, a part of holiness and power seemed to be transferred to the baby. The name of the saint (church name) for the child was chosen by the parents from the saints and was given by the clergyman at baptism.

Saints (or church calendar) is a list of saints, distributed by month and date (see below). Each date in such a calendar is a church holiday - the day of memory of the corresponding saint (which falls mainly on the day of the death of the saint). During the centuries-old history of its existence, the saints were constantly replenished with new names. Now the Church celebrates the day of memory of some saint almost every day.

Today, as before, children in Christian families are not called by random names - the name of the child is given mainly in honor of canonized saints. Usually the name is chosen according to the holy calendar or in honor of a particular saint revered in a given family, emphasizing one's special attitude towards him. On the day of the memory of his saint, a person celebrates a name day (See. name day calendar).

The modern church calendar contains more than 1100 completely different names. A significant part of the names in the calendar are of Slavic, Greek and Hebrew origin, there are names that arose due to the Latin language group. Among them there are many that not only have not lost their vitality, but are becoming more and more popular. It is safe to say that the church calendar is an inexhaustible source of names with great inner energy.

Church calendar (saints) by months

January

Learn about the meaning and characteristics of names

Women's names Most parents, when choosing a name for their daughter, are guided, among other reasons, by its meaning. Consider the origin and meaning of today's popular female names.

. Name and career Along with the character, the name also determines the profession - in which field a person can most successfully build his career. The name can help or hinder the achievement of goals.

Our ancestors did not have such a problem as choosing a name for a newborn. Today, in some families, this comes to a scandal, since dad wants to name his son Jordan, mom - Apollo, and grandparents dream of Vanechka. But in the old days, everything was decided by the church Orthodox book, which was called "Saints". Parents came to church, and the priest offered a choice of several names of Christian saints, whose memory was honored on the baby’s birthday. And if now parents want to make a choice in this way - how to choose a name for a child according to the holy calendar?

How to choose the right name according to the holy calendar?

Birthday, Angel's Day, name day ... Many people confuse these concepts and congratulate them on their birthday on their name day. In fact, a birthday is the day on which a person was born, and name days are the day of memory of the saint in whose honor he was named. The second name of the name day is the day of the Angel or the day of the namesake. Previously, these days almost coincided for everyone, but now - almost none. Despite this, some people began to celebrate the day of the Angel on a par with the birthday.

The Saints contain about 1700 different names. Most of them are for men, moreover, they are mostly out of use. This is not surprising, because many names for modern people seem ridiculous, for example, Popius, Mnasen, Kurduva or Yazdundokta.

If you decide to name the newborn according to the calendar, remember the following:

1. It is best to choose a name for the baby of the saint who is honored on his birthday. For example, your child was born on February 1st. You are truly lucky, because according to the calendar, the newborn can be called by the following names: Arseny, Gregory, Heinrich, Louise, Euphrasia, Mark, Makar, Meletius, Savva, Theodosia, Fedor or Januarius.
2. If you have a boy, and on this day there are no names for a male representative, then the modern church usually advises looking a few days ahead. You can do the same if you didn’t like the proposed name (or names) at all.
3. The name at baptism is given once in a lifetime and does not change anymore (an exception is the name changes when tonsured to monasticism and when changing faith).
4. Recently, some parents give their children double names: one is secular, and the second is church. Someone does this on purpose, and someone accidentally - it’s just that at birth the baby is given a non-Orthodox name, and in the church the parents learn that under the name, for example, Stella or Camilla, the child cannot be baptized. In this case, the priest invites parents to choose an Orthodox name for the baby - close or consonant with the "passport".
5. If the saint, in whose honor you named the baby, is revered several times a year, then the day of the Angel is the next name day after the day birth.

From antiquity to our times

The Orthodox book "Saints" is nothing more than a complete list of all the names of the saints who are honored by the Orthodox Church. The second name of this book is “The Book of Months”, since the whole year is painted in it, day by day, by month.

Giving a name to a child according to the holy calendar is an ancient tradition of many peoples. The Slavs were no exception in this. People believed that when a baby receives the name of a saint who is revered on the day of his birth or baptism, he will have a happy and long life. At the same time, it was not advisable to call the child the name of the great martyr - then he was destined for a hard life, full of hardships and suffering.

If several saints were commemorated on the child's birthday, then the parents could choose a name from several proposed by the priest. If the name was one, then the parents, alas, had no choice. People did not dare to argue with the church. Later, if no saint was commemorated on the birthday of the new little man, or the name really didn’t like it, then the parents began to “increase” the list of names: it was possible to consider the names of saints whose memory is celebrated on the eighth or fortieth day after the birth of the child. The fact is that our ancestors believed that the name of the newborn should be given no earlier than the eighth day, and the sacrament of Baptism had to be performed on the fortieth day.

"Monthly" was used until the revolution of 1917. With the advent of Soviet power, when churches began to be massively exterminated, and religion was prohibited, the tradition of naming children according to the holy calendar was abandoned. At present, parents have begun to turn to the Orthodox calendar much more often in order to choose a name for the child. Many believe that it will make the baby happy, and the saint, after whom he was named, will become an intercessor and guardian angel for the child. And some parents simply follow modern fashion, because today an old or unusual name is the “last peep”. So there are children in kindergartens and schools with the names Luka and Akulina, Spiridon and Evdokia, Illarion and Pelagia.

Calendar of names according to the holy calendar for each month

Name day in January

Names in February

Names in March

Names in April

Names in May

Names in June

To date, more and more parents have begun to turn to the Orthodox calendar to choose a name for their baby. People believe that the saint, after whom the child is named, will become a guardian angel, and will protect him throughout his life.

It is believed that each name carries a certain energy, and it is also able to leave an imprint on the emerging personality. Sometimes a name is seen as a sign that contains some kind of power, energy and mystery.

So, Orthodox Svyatki still remain an inexhaustible source of inspiration when choosing a beautiful name for a child. After all, it is quite simple to choose a name according to the holy calendar, you need to choose from a variety of options the name that corresponds to the date of birth of the child.

The Orthodox book "Saints" is a complete list of the names of saints revered by the Orthodox Church. Months is the second title of this book. People from ancient times believed that if their child receives the name of a saint revered on the day of his birth or baptism, then he will have a long and happy life. Contains over 1500 different names. As a rule, most of them are male names.

How to choose a name according to the calendar

If the parents decide to name the newborn according to the church calendar, then you need to know the following:

• it is more correct to choose the name of the child of that saint honored on his birthday. If a boy or a girl was born on this day, and there are no names of the corresponding gender for him in the calendar, then the modern church allows you to look a few days ahead;
• at baptism, the name is given once in a lifetime, and it can no longer be changed. The exception is the change of faith and monasticism;
• parents give the child a double name: one is church, and the other is secular. In this case, at baptism, the priest suggests choosing an Orthodox name for the parents;
• the saint, in whose honor the child is named, is revered several times a year, then the Angel’s day will be the closest name day after his birthday.

Who are the holy martyrs

Usually, a saint is understood as a person, especially revered in various religions for mediation between God and people, steadfast confession of faith, piety, righteousness, piety. And the concept of "martyr" is primarily associated with the persecution of Christians, which systematically took place from the time of the reign of Emperor Nero until the beginning of the 4th century. Persecution and harassment of Christians, which took place constantly, not only did not stop them, but also gave them confidence in the correctness of their path to the Truth. But, however, many, unable to endure cruel torture and humiliation, returned to paganism and renounced God. And those Christians who did not renounce Christ were later canonized by the church.

Examples of holy great martyrs

So, for example, Tatyana is a holy martyr who gave birth in Rome in the family of a famous dignitary who secretly professed the Christian faith. She refused to sacrifice to a pagan idol, in connection with which she was subjected to the most severe torture and torment. However, the torments to which the holy martyr was subjected did not harm her, or the traces disappeared overnight without a trace. The torturers themselves suffered from blows delivered by an invisible hand. Then the tormentors got scared and ordered Tatyana to be executed on January 25.

Tatyana is also considered to be the patroness of students. On January 25, 1755, Empress Elizabeth signed a decree on the opening of Moscow University. Since that time, Tatiana's Day has become a holiday for all students.

Here is another date, December 19 - the day of the death of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the patron saint of sailors, to whom sailors usually turn when they are threatened with a shipwreck or sinking. Sometimes saints' days of celebration may not coincide with their date of death.

September 12 is the day of the celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky, this is the day of the transfer of his relics to St. Petersburg. So another date for the celebration of the day of St. Alexander is December 6 (this is the day of his burial in the city of Vladimir). Also, not a single day is celebrated and the memory of St. Sergius: July 18 - the day of finding the relics; October 8 is the day of his death.

Orthodox calendar of names (for example, 5 months):

January:

Aglaya, Timofey, Grigory, Ilya, Ignat, Ivan, Daniel, Ulyana, Anastasia, Gennady, Nifont, Nikolai, Eugene, Claudia, Konstantin, Fedor, Efim, Stefan, Agafya, Ignat, Mark, Makar, Anisya, Vasily, Melania, Emilia, Seraphim, Gordey, Artem, Athanasius, Appolinaria, Emelian, Vasilisa, Julian, Peter, Philip, Pavel, Mikhail, Evpraksia, Savva, Tatiana, Jacob, Elizar, Joseph, Adam, Benjamin, Nina, Gabriel, Prokhor, Maxim, Kirill, Anton, Athanasius.

February:

Fedor, Makar, Savva, Arseny, Efim, Rimma, Inna, Lawrence, Eugene, Agnia, Maxim, Valerian, Timofey, Makar, Peter, Gabriel, George, Ivan, Gennady, Clement, Xenia, Timofey, Gerasim, Alexander, Phillippe, Vitaly, Felix, Moses, Roman, Ephraim, Yakov, Ignat, Gerasim, Victor, Nikita, Peter, Hippolyte, Maxim, Maria, Martha, David, Euphrosyne, Luke, Anna, Yuri, Dorothea, Zakhar, Valentina, Svetlana, Semyon, Alexey, Anton, Zoya.

March:

Pavel, Cyril, Trofim, Euphrosyne, Makar, Terenty, Julian, George, Leonid, Nika, Anastasia, Mark, Fedor, Konstantin, Kira, Margarita, Marina, Alexander, Vasily, Taras, Philip, Regina, Leo, Fedor, Daniel, Ilya, Marianna, Nifont, Gennady, Eugene, Ephraim, Christina, Rostislav.

April:

Daria, Sergey, Alexandra, Vasily, Gabriel, Yakov, Nikita, Irina, Fedosya, Agafya, Akulina, George, Daniel, Rodion, Alexander, Maxim, Terenty, Fedor, Victor, Nikita, Lydia, Claudia, Svetlana, Fedosya, Innokenty, Cyril, Ivan, Mark, Eve, Benjamin, Innokenty, Maria, Cyril, Fedor, Yakov, Konstantin, Vadim, Andrey, Aristarkh, Vasilisa, Victor, Leonid, Galina, Irina, Trofim.

Taisiya, Glafira, Semyon, Maxim, Muse, Dmitry, Leonty, Fedor, German, Denis, Makar, Faina, Claudia, Bogdan, Andrey, Denis, Julia, Pimen, Irina, Valentin, Elizabeth, Glafira, Mark, Savva, Alexey, Artem, Alexander, Kiment, Anatoly, Georgy, Taisiya, Yakov, Vitaly, Semyon, Gleb, Zoya, Roman, Vsevolod.

Modern parents are increasingly approaching the choice of a name for a child responsibly. The question of how to choose the most successful name for a child occupies the minds of young mothers and fathers. After all, the name is our most important companion on the path of life. It is no longer a secret to anyone that it affects the formation of personality and the choice of life purpose.

Choose a name - choose a destiny

Choosing the right name for a baby is not an easy process. By choosing a strange or dissonant name, parents doom their daughter or son to the ridicule of their peers. The semantic meaning of the future name is also important, which always has a special energy, thereby purposefully influencing the formation of character.

It is believed that, having given the parents of a child on a certain day, the Lord already says what to name it. The name is the main and very first property of a person, his spiritual component.

How to name a child? Names range from the common to the most unusual. It is argued that the more unique the name, the more chances for its owner to stand out from the crowd. Such people often break stereotypes accepted in society, become leaders, lead a team.

Nowadays, mothers and fathers often name a child by the names of the parents, name a son or daughter after a relative, close friend or deceased loved one. But before you do so, think about it. The child will grow up and learn that he was named after his father's childhood friend. The kid may think that his own personality is not so important. In addition, there is a belief that in this way it is possible to transfer the karma of the deceased to the child.

Why not take a look at the saints?

Among the many choices, an old tradition adopted in Rus' is becoming increasingly popular - to choose a name according to the church calendar. It is generally accepted that along with the name, the newborn acquires his own guardian angel, who will take care and protect the ward throughout his life.

Supporters of choosing a name according to the calendar are usually believers. They believe that the saint, whose name is given to the baby, becomes his personal protector in heaven. That is why the custom adopted in antiquity to choose the name of the child according to the church calendar, where each day has its own patron saint, has a deep meaning.

In the current 2014 year, according to the horoscope, there is a high probability of the birth of a large number of creative extraordinary people. Let's turn to the saints. At first glance, most of the options offered by the church calendar are not very suitable for modern children. Names such as Emelyan, Savva, Prokhor, Gerasim are unlikely to arouse the enthusiasm of parents.

But if you carefully look around and remember all the friends who have had children in recent years, you will be surprised how often babies have been called Russian names. This is truly the fashion of the XXI century.

It is often not clear what motivates parents more - a return to Orthodox roots or an attempt to be original and stand out from the background of peers. Sometimes parents compromise, because elderly relatives often insist on choosing a name according to the church calendar.

How did our ancestors

The tradition of choosing a name according to the holy calendar originated many centuries ago. In those days, parents did not have the right to name the child on their own. The church calendar regulated what name a baby born on a certain day can be called. Moreover, the name was chosen only after birth. The parents of the newborn did not think about how to name the child - according to the church calendar or otherwise. They came to church, and the priest offered to choose one of the names of Christian saints.

In the old days, people did not dare to go against the church. If it turned out that only one saint was venerated on the day the child was born, the parents had no choice. Later, these restrictions were no longer so strict. If there was no saint on the specified day, or the names were not at all liked, it began to be allowed to take the name of the saint, "falling" on the coming days.

If, according to the parents, there was nothing suitable on the calendar these days, it was possible to choose a name in the next 8-40 days. Thus, the list of acceptable names expanded significantly, and there was no problem how to choose a name for the child.

In the old days, all parents wanted their children to receive the protection of the saints. Everyone wanted to give their son or daughter a heavenly patron who would guide him throughout his life, protect him from evil spirits and help him in everything.

Even under Soviet rule, children managed to be baptized and given church names. Often the sacrament of baptism was performed far from home, for example, in a village with relatives.

What are saints

Saints is a list of names of saints revered in the Orthodox world. As a rule, several female and male names were attached to each day of the church calendar. Parents could choose from them they liked.

The Orthodox calendar contains names of Slavic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew origin. Truly church names were previously given only at baptism, over time they acquired a sound more convenient for the Russian ear. Many of them have an Old Slavonic pronunciation (for example, Yuri is the "secular" version of the name George).

According to the dictionary of V. I. Dahl, the calendar is a calendar that indicates the church, as well as the civil meaning of each month and day throughout the year.

Monthly calendar was officially used until the revolution of 1917. Under Soviet rule, with the beginning of the persecution of the church, this tradition was abandoned. New names for children appeared, often formed from several words - modern concepts. Many of them were artificial and difficult to pronounce, such as Dazdrasen (or Hail November 7th).

But in recent years, parents are increasingly turning to the Orthodox calendar, although for many of them this is just a tribute to modern fashion, according to which the old name is the last peep. Therefore, among modern babies you can often find Lavra, Barbara, Pelageya, Yefim, etc.

Most of the names contained in the calendar are male. That is, the names of boys according to the church calendar are much easier to choose than the names of girls. And there are about 1700 of them in total. Many names have already gone out of use and seem to modern people funny and dissonant.

Saints - who are they?

Who are these saints, whose names are forever included in the Orthodox calendar?

According to legend, they were especially revered by various religions for piety, righteousness and wisdom. The phrase "holy martyrs" tells us that the saints were subjected to endless persecution, persecution and torment. It was by steadfastness, unshakable faith, and the ability to endure any trial that these people earned the eternal glory of holy martyrs and were canonized.

So, one of the most revered saints is Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of sailors. The day of his death - December 19 - became the day of St. Nicholas. The tradition of celebrating a saint's day on the day of his death is widespread in Christianity, although there are exceptions.

Naming children according to the holy calendar is a tradition not only of Orthodox Christians, but also of other peoples, and the Slavs are no exception here. People have always believed that, having received the name of a saint, the baby will live a long happy life. At the same time, they tried not to name children by the names of the great martyrs, so as not to doom them to a similar fate.

According to other traditions, the child could be called the name of the saint who was especially revered in the family, or the name of a particularly revered relative. Most often, the names of saints were proposed, taken from the next three days from the birth of the baby, according to the testament of Theophan the Recluse, who proclaimed the possibility of naming the child by the name of the saint who was revered in the interval between the bodily birth of the baby and his baptism.

There are certain rules according to which you should choose a name according to the calendar. It would be more correct to consider not the day the baby was born, but the eighth day after birth. Previously, in Orthodox Rus', it was on this day that a child was baptized, naming a certain saint.

If none of these days had a suitable name, do not try to strictly follow the formalities. It happens that parents with all their hearts are drawn to a certain name. It happens that the name comes to the mother in a dream. Orthodoxy does not at all reject this method of choice, so you may well listen to yourself and your own feelings.

If you still can’t decide, find a special book - the calendar, where all Orthodox names are listed by day and month.

How to name a child according to the church calendar or according to the calendar correctly? You need to purchase a church calendar in advance, where the names of all the saints are listed in order. Such a calendar has more than 1100 names, that is, there are several different names for each day, which simplifies the task for parents.

Choose either the eighth or fortieth day from the date of birth of the child (since baptism in Rus' was also allowed on the fortieth day). From the proposed list, it makes sense to choose the names that are most consonant with the patronymic and surname of the baby.

What to consider when choosing a name

Before naming a child according to the church calendar, think carefully. When choosing a name, remember that it will leave a huge mark on his fate and character. Before finally deciding on the choice of a name, study its meaning in all available dictionaries, select the appropriate name for the child by date of birth. Also, do not forget to check it for compatibility with the last name and patronymic, religion and other important circumstances.

Choosing the names of girls according to the church calendar, you should discard the male options. Since ancient times, such a choice has been considered unsuccessful, allegedly imposing a male imprint on the character and fate of the newborn. It is customary to believe that "male" names for a female child (Victoria, Alexandra, Evgenia, Valeria) bring its owner a difficult fate, many difficulties and obstacles. It is also not recommended to choose a name from previous days.

The approval of relatives is important in this matter, so you should consult with them in advance. Of course, it is impossible to please everyone, but it is better if the names for the children chosen by the parents are approved by the majority of the relatives. This will have a beneficial effect on their attitude towards babies in general.

If parents are not particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of naming a child with an old and not always convenient name, but want to make concessions to the older generation, they can choose a name for their son or daughter of their own free will, but during christening choose another, according to the calendar.

name day

In the future, the calendar day on which the choice of the name of the newborn fell is considered the day of his angel or the day of the name day. On this day, it is customary to visit the temple and pray for the health of the chosen saint. Many people confuse concepts such as angel day, birthday and name day. Often on a birthday, congratulations on name days and vice versa. In fact, name days mean the day of remembrance of the saint, whose name the baby bears. Their other name is the day of the angel (or the day of the namesake). Previously, these days most often coincided, now this is rare, however, many celebrate the day of the angel along with the usual birthday.

Name days in ancient times were celebrated by the whole world, but the actual birthday of the child was not given much importance. Thus, the baptism of a child was considered a more important holiday. The names assigned at baptism do not change throughout life, except in cases of tonsure into monasticism or a change of religion.

The saint becomes the heavenly patron of the baby after the rite of baptism. It is believed that the guardian angel prays to God for his ward and protects from troubles. His prayers are more pleasing to God than the prayers of us sinners.

The name given at baptism accompanies a person throughout life and even after death. This name is used to commemorate the deceased in prayers for the repose of the soul.

Other days of the memory of the saint are called small name days. If a child is called a non-Orthodox name, during the rite of baptism, a consonant Orthodox version is most often chosen.

Name and zodiac sign

Whether you choose the name of the child by date of birth or not, it is worth checking it for compatibility with the sign of the Zodiac, and even better - so that it slightly corrects the effect of this sign. For example, for a boy born under the sign of fire (Aries, Sagittarius, Leo), it is better to choose a name with a predominance of vowels that soften the hard character (for example, Ilya or Pavel).

Representatives of the water elements (Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer) need a name that encourages decisive action, since these children are often inert and slow.

Earth signs (Capricorn, Virgo, Taurus) sometimes lack creativity. In this case, it is better to choose a name that stimulates creativity.

Air signs (Libra, Aquarius, Gemini) are shown names that carry determination and a firm position in life.

Do not choose either too rare or too popular name options. The best choice is a moderately common name. If you need to make adjustments to the character of the child already in the process of life and upbringing, you can use an abbreviated version of the name, which has a harder or, conversely, softened sound (for example, Dmitry - Mitya).

Mistakes of modern parents

Since there are many saints with the same names in the Orthodox calendar, some parents mistakenly celebrate the baby's name day several times a year. Actually this is wrong. Each person has one name day, like a birthday, and they celebrate them only on the day of "their" saint.

In addition, many confuse the concept of a guardian angel and a saint, whose name the child is baptized. According to church canons, a guardian angel is given by God to a newborn on the day of baptism.

Church calendar and modernity

Saints continue to grow to this day. At first glance, the choice of names from the calendar is very monotonous, but this is not so. Although many of the names have an outdated form and are not suitable for modern life, parents sometimes call the baby the most strange and dissonant names in order to stand out from the crowd. Thus, they go against the traditions of their ancestors, who tried to avoid strange and unclaimed names.

And the names of girls according to the church calendar, and the names of boys are quite diverse and there is always the opportunity to choose a classic beautiful and harmonious name.

Nowadays, modern parents often give their children a double name - both secular and church. Sometimes they do it on purpose, sometimes it happens by accident. If at birth the baby was given a name that is not Orthodox, parents who came to baptize the child in the church usually find out that the name given to the baby is consonant with the passport Orthodox version.

It is believed that an Orthodox Christian must have two names - secular and ecclesiastical.

In any case, the choice of a name for a newborn is a purely personal matter of the parents. The main thing in this business is love for the baby and concern for his future. We are only trying to explain how personal preferences can be combined with deeply meaningful true Orthodox values. Good luck to you, dear parents, happiness and health to your baby!