Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Spanish Versions - Biblical Girls' Names

Now it's time for the girls' list of Biblical names and their translations! I tried to list only the names of Bible characters, avoiding word names like Faith and Hope. While these are lovely choices, I believe that they deserve their own list in a future post. There are many women in the Bible, and Wikepedia gives a long list with explanations for each name at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_women_in_the_Bible. As with the boys' list, I chose the best-known names and my favorites, adding variations, if known. I also placed asterisks by the names of people I have met. Feel free to comment with any names I missed!

Eve - Eva
Sarai - Saraí*, var. Zaira* and Zahira*
Sarah - Sara, Zara
Hagar - Hagar
Rebecca - Rebeca*
Rachel - Raquel*
Abigail - Abigail*
Anna - Ana*
Asenath - Asenat
Bilhah - Bilha
Leah - Lea
Deborah - Débora*
Dinah - Dina
Tabitha - Tabita
Elisabeth/Elizabeth - Elisabet, var. Isabel, Isabela*
Esther - Ester
Eunice - Eunice
Hannah - Ana*
Jemima - Jemima
Joanna - Joana*
Jochebed - Jocabed
Judith - Judit, var. Judith*
Lois - Loida
Lydia - Lud
Martha - Marta
Mary - María,* var. Marisol,* Marisela,* Marbella,* Marlene* and many others.
Miriam - Miriam*
Naomi - Noemí,* var. Naomi*
Orpah - Orpa
Ruth - Rut,* var. Ruth*
Phebe/Pheobe - Febe
Priscilla - Priscila
Zilpah - Zilpa
Zipporah - Séfora

This list was a bit more tedious to put together, but it was definitely worth the effort. Many of these women are so inspiring, and I hope that this list has inspired you as well. There are so many great options in both languages! For example, I prefer María over Mary and Séfora over Zipporah, but I prefer Sarah over its many Spanish variations and Lydia over Lud. Which version of your favorite name would you choose, the Spanish or the English version?

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