Valentine and Valentina: Meaning and History

Thanks to St. Valentine’s Day, the names Valentine and Valentina are almost synonymous with sweethearts and heart-shaped chocolates. But what is the history behind these names and what did they mean before all the hype surrounding this comparatively new holiday?

Now irreversibly linked to love and romance, the name actually means “strong” and was likely bestowed on sickly children in the hope that it would bring them better health.

 

Origin and Meaning of the Name

The name Valentine derives from Latin valens, which means “strong, healthy, vigorous” in Latin. The same word meant “influential” in Latin.

History

While not entirely uncommon in pre-Christian Rome, the name became popular after Saint Valentine. He was a 3rd-century martyr, whose feast day coincided with the Roman fertility festival – Lupercalia. This is often considered the reason for an early association between St. Valentine's Day and love. Lupercalia was a pagan fertility festival marking the first stirrings of spring. According to legend, St Valentine conducted marriage ceremonies between Christians at a time when Christian weddings were illegal under Roman law. Gradually, St. Valentine became known as the patron saint of lovers, possibly under the influence of writers like Chaucer.

Valentinian (or Latin Valentinianus) was a Roman cognomen (personal nickname or clan name) which was derived from Valentinus. Three Roman emperors were known by this cognomen, all of them ruling after the decline of the Roman Empire after Constantine the Great.

In the English-speaking world, Valentine hasn’t been used much in the Middle Ages, but as the name of a Catholic saint, the name was familiar and occasionally found from the 12th century. The name has never enjoyed great popularity, but was in quiet use since the 16^th century and all the way into Victorian times.

The name was also adopted as a feminine name during the 17^th century. St. Valentine’s Day was by then being celebrated commonly as a day for lovers, while the term valentine referring to a sweetheart has been in use since the 15^th century[1]. 

Since the 1950s, the male name Valentine hasn’t featured in the Top 1,000 Names List for the United States. Valentina, on the other hand, was the 56th most popular female name in the US in 2022.

Trivia

• Valentine was often seen as derived from the word “valiant” in the Middle Ages, as stated in "The Golden Legend" by Jacobus de Voragine.
• Shakespeare has a character named Valentine in two of his plays – “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” (1598) and “Twelfth Night” (1602).
• The name is used in its various forms in Bulgaria, Russia, and Germany as Valentin, the Czech Republic as Valentýn, Hungary as Bálint, the Netherlands as Valentijn, Italy as Valentino, and Poland as Walenty. 
• A book[2] from the 1900s describes the character of the name Valentine as: “Versatile, healthy, and vivacious. Full of original, ideas. Always busy and has little time for pleasure. Warm-hearted, humane and witty”.

• Valentina Tereshkova (1937- ) was a famous bearer of the feminine form of the name; she was a Soviet cosmonaut, who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
• Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina (1989- ) is a Russian chess grandmaster and two-time World Blitz Chess Champion (in 2012 and 2023).
• In literature, Valentine de Villefort is the name of a female character in Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo”, the innocent daughter of one of Monte Cristo’s enemies whom he uses and simultaneously protects in one of his schemes for revenge. 
• Valentine is the name of the main female role, the soprano, in the opera “Les Huguenots” by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
• Valentine (Val) Xavier is the name of the main (male) character in Tennessee William’s play “Orpheus Descending” (1957). 

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[1] Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/valentine

[2] The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

 

Sources:

Behind the Name

The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names. Iseabail Macleod & Terry Freedman. Wordsworth, 1995. ISBN 1-85326-366-4

Henry Ansgar Kelly, "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", 1986, (Leiden: Brill), pp. 58-63

The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

 

Sebastian: What Does the Name Mean?

Some names are familiar, but no famous people with this name come to mind off-hand. The name Sebastian has been around for centuries, but unlike many other saints’ names, it hasn’t got an equally popular female equivalent (Sebastiana isn’t often met). So what’s the name’s history and why hasn’t it become so very popular in the English-speaking world?

Origin and Meaning of the Name

Sebastian comes from the ancient Roman name Sebastianus which meant "from Sebaste" in Latin. Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, Lesser Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey). The town was named for Emperor Augustus, from Greek σεβαστος (sebastos) "venerable", which is a Greek translation of Latin Augustus. Augustus was the title of the Roman emperors that meant “venerable, honored, respected” in Latin.

The Road near ancient Sebaste, Anatolia

History and Popularity

Sebastian first appears as the name of a well-known 3rd-century Roman martyr saint. The legend goes that he was a soldier in the Praetorian Guard of the Roman emperor himself. He assisted other Christians on numerous occasions and when his faith was found out, the emperor ordered him tied to a shooting target and pierced by arrows. Severely wounded, he was nursed back to health by St. Irene, but returned to the palace to admonish the emperor for his cruelty towards the early Christians. He was then put to death by the emperor. St Sebastian was very popular during the Middle Ages, becoming the patron saint of soldiers, plague victims, and ironically archers. Traditionally, he was portrayed in paintings as a handsome youth tied to a tree and pierced by arrows. The plague was often visualized in medieval manuscripts as caused by black arrows piercing its victims, which is probably how the saint got associated with the disease.

St. Sebastian, 1503 by Raphael

The name remained popular in Spain, France, and Germany late into the Renaissance (often as Bastian or Bastien), but it wasn’t common in England; the only exception is Cornwall, where it seems to have been borrowed from France. It seems that, like other names with strong Catholic ties, the name fell gradually out of use when England became officially Anglican in the 16^th century.

In the United States, the name has had a recent surge of popularity; it wasn’t in the 50 most popular names for boys born in 2008, but soared up to the 18^th place in 2022. It’s also very popular in Norway and Denmark, being the 13th most popular name for boys born in Norway in 2007. Always familiar in South America with its strong Catholic background, it rose to be the fifth most popular name for boys born in Chile in 2006.

Trivia

• King Sebastian of Portugal (1554 – 1578) was a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against the Moors of Morocco. He became a legendary figure in Portuguese lore, with claims that he hasn’t truly died and will return to rescue Portugal in its time of need.  
• Sebastiano del Piombo (1485 –1547) was a famous Italian High Renaissance painter.

“Polyphemus” by Sebastiano del Piombo; Johann Sebastian Bach by Johann Emanuel Göbel; Oscar Wilde, photo by Elliott & Fry

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer of the late Baroque; his most famous works include the Brandenburg Concertos and The St Matthew Passion.
• Sebastian Bach (real name Sebastian Philip Bierk, b. 1968) is the name of a former member of the Canadian heavy metal band Skid Row.
• Sebastian Melmoth was Oscar Wilde's pseudonym during his exile in France; he possibly derived it from St. Sebastian.

Trader Faulkner as Sebastian with Vivien Leigh as Viola in “Twelfth Night” (1955); Colonel Moran, illustration by Sidney Paget; Anthony Andrews as Sebastian Flyte in the 1981 British TV series “Brideshead Revisited”

• This is the name of Viola’s brother in Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” (1601-02); Shakespeare used the name again in “The Tempest” (1610-11) for a cowardly villain.
• Colonel Sebastian Moran is a character in the Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Empty House” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
• Lord Sebastian Flyte is one of the main characters in Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited”.
• Sebastian Valmont is the name of one of the villains in “The Dangerous Liaisons” (1782) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
• Sebastian is the name of the red Jamaican crab and Ariel’s friend in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”.

Sebastian and Ariel

• A name book from the 1900s describes the character of the name Sebastian as: “Serious, conventional, and conscientious. Suited for married life. If a bachelor is inclined to become self-centred and irritable^[1].”

The name in literature

 

What People Think of the Name Sebastian from BehindtheName website

St. Oswald's boys were not called Ben. St Oswald's boys were called Leon, or Jasper, or Rufus or Sebastian. A St Oswald's boy can pass off a name like Orlando, can make it sound like peppermint. Even Rupert sounds somehow cool when attached to a navy-blue St Oswald's blazer.

~ From Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris, 2010

 

Sources:

https://www.behindthename.com/name/sebastian

The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names. Iseabail Macleod & Terry Freedman. Wordsworth, 1995. ISBN 1-85326-366-4

The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

"My name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say".

"The Lord of the Rings", by J.R.R. Tolkien

  Barbol the Ent, illustration for The Lord of the Rings. Alan Lee

John: The Ultimate Evergreen Name

One of the most popular boys’ names in the English-speaking world overall, the name John has been in use for centuries. Its classic simplicity still appeals to parents in the US, the UK, and Australia. It’s also used in other countries where it’s been introduced via the English language only recently – for example, in France and Brazil.

So, what does this popular name mean and what is the history behind it? 

Origin and Meaning of the Name

John means “God’s grace” in Hebrew. It is a contracted form of the Hebrew name Yochanan “God is gracious” from the Hebrew yo “Jehovah (the Hebrew name for God)” and chanan “grace, graciousness”. In the Bible, there are several characters who are called John. One of the first mentioned is Jehohanan, one of King David's warriors. John is the spelling normally used in the New Testament. The name was very important in early Christianity: it was borne by John the Baptist and by the author of the fourth gospel (John the Evangelist).

The Appearance of Christ to the People. Aleksandr Andreevich Ivanov

History and Popularity

The name John became known in Europe through Christianity. Its various European forms were usually derived from the Greek form Ioannes (Ἰωάννης), because most of the letters and accounts that form the New Testament were written in Greek. Johannes, along with its forms Johan and Johann, is still the standard form of John in Germanic countries like Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Johannes could still be found in the United States among German immigrants until WWI when German names rapidly went out of favor.

 John IV Laskaris and Pope John XXII, 1316

John was also a royal name, borne by Byzantine emperors, popes, and by kings of Hungary, Poland, Portugal, France, etc. In its various forms in different languages, it has been the most perennially popular of all Christian names. 

St. John the Evangelist’s symbol, the Eagle, in the Book of Dimma, late 8th century, Irish

During the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, John was a rare, religious name. It was mostly used in the territories presided over by the Eastern Orthodox Church. After the First Crusade, the name gradually gained popularity in Western Europe. In England it became extremely popular in the later Middle Ages. It is estimated that John and William took turns being the number one name in England and English-speaking North America from around 1550 until the middle of the twentieth century.

John was the most popular name given to boys in the United States until 1924, gradually dropping to its current place as the 26^th most common boys’ name. Variations of the name John, such as Ian and Jon (which is often seen as a form of John, although it started as a short form of Jonathan), have gained in popularity.

Trivia

• There were 21 legitimate popes named John, 8 Byzantine emperors, 4 American Presidents, and numerous monarchs of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Russia.

• In the UK, the name John has never been a popular royal name. King John (1166-1216) signed the Magna Carta in 1215, which limited the king’s powers; Prince Alexander John, the youngest son of King Edward VII, died shortly after birth, and Prince John, the youngest son of King George V, suffered from epilepsy. These are some of the reasons why the name John has been considered unlucky by the British royal family. It was reported that Diana, Princess of Wales wished to name her elder son "John", after her own father, but was prevented from doing so by royal tradition.

• The traditional symbol of John the Evangelist is an eagle.

 

• Dr. John H. Watson is the name of Sherlock Holmes’ friend and biographer in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. Long John Silver is the main antagonist in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”.

• John Doe or John Smith is a placeholder name for when a person’s name is unknown or intentionally left unrevealed. The similar term John Q. Public means "average American citizen," in use since at least 1934. 

• A Dear John letter is the term for a letter written by a woman to her boyfriend or husband to tell him that their relationship is over (and typically also that she’s found someone else). 
  

• Famous people named John include John Lennon (1940-1980), English rock musician, songwriter, and member of The Beatles, John Legend (1978-), American singer-songwriter, John Steinbeck (1902-1968), American novelist, and John Travolta (1954-), American actor.

• Famous bearers of the name Johannes include Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), and the composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

• Johannes (or joe) is also the name of an 18^th century Portuguese gold coin, called so because it featured the portrait of John V of Portugal[1].

• A name book from the 1900s describes the character of the name John as: “Ingenuous, trusting, and honest. Prefers sport to work.[2].”

• Overall, John seems to enjoy an excellent reputation in most books exploring possible connections between names and character. “The name John represents wonderful characteristics once he matures, for he is independent, responsible, a good worker, and knows how to nurture others. John is self-directed, fair, and has a sense of humour;” “The name John also carries the ability to hold grudges and to be overly concerned with details[3].”

 

Sources:

Behind the Name, https://www.behindthename.com/name/john

Know the Name; Know the Person. 2012 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Sharon Lynn Wyeth, ISBN 978-1-47518-1845

The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names. Iseabail Macleod & Terry Freedman. Wordsworth, 1995. ISBN 1-85326-366-4

The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

What is a “Dear John”? Revealing the untold story of wartime breakup letters. Susan L. Carruthers. https://www.cambridgeblog.org/2022/01/what-is-a-dear-john/

 

 

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[1] http://www.brianrxm.com/comdir/cnspirate_portugal.htm

[2] The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

[3] Know the Name; Know the Person. Sharon Lynn Wyeth

Justin: What Does the Name Mean?

There are some names whose meanings aren’t that difficult to figure out – Daisy means “daisy”, for example, and Justin means “just”. Maybe this is part of these names’ appeal. They’re straightforward names, and you don’t need to understand Ancient Greek to know what they mean.

Origin and Meaning of the Name

The name Justin derives from the Roman family name Justus, which meant "just, fair, honorable" in Latin. Justus and Justinian, a variant of the name, were fairly popular name choices in the late Roman and early Byzantine Empires. The name was made famous by several early saints and rulers. 

Unknown Roman statue; Lady Justice statue, Old Bailey, London

History and Popularity

Today, this given name is used in several countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the original form of Justus, the name was a fairly popular Dutch name (often as Joost) during the Middle Ages. Justin has been popular in the English-speaking world at least since the 1970s, reaching the height of its popularity in 1988, when it was the 8^th most popular name for boys in the US. Its popularity has since declined, but it still remains among the 200 most popular names.

Line chart showing popularity for the name Justin - from Behind the Name website

Trivia

• Justus of Eleutheropolis or Joseph Barsabbas is a man mentioned in the New Testament; he didn’t get chosen when the Apostles were choosing who was to take Judas Iscariot's place, but he later became the Bishop of Eleutheropolis. 
  

Justinian mosaic, St. Vitale, Ravenna

• Justinian (a Byzantine form of Justus) was the name of two Byzantine emperors. Justinian the Great was a VI century Byzantine emperor famous for re-conquering parts of the Byzantine Empire’s Italian territories. His rule saw the construction of numerous churches, one of the most famous of which is St Vitale in Ravenna, known for its amazing mosaics. The Justinian Code, named after Justinian the Great, was the name of the influential Byzantine legal code.

Allegory of Rhetoric. c.1480 - Justus van Gent, National Gallery, London; 

Vittoria della Rovere (1622-1694), wife of Ferdinand II de' Medici as the goddess Flora. ca. 1640. Justus Sustermans, RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History

• Several famous painters of the Northern Renaissance were called Justus. Justus van Gent (c. 1410–c. 1480) was a 15th-century painter from Ghent, and Justus Sustermans (1597–1681) was a Flemish portrait painter.

• In literature, famous Justins include Justin Finch-Fletchley from the Harry Potter books, and Justin (Tiberius Lucius Justinianus), a shy young army surgeon and one of the main characters in Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel The Silver Branch.

• Real-life Justins include Justin Trudeau (1971-), the current Prime Minister of Canada, and Justin Bieber (1994-), a Canadian singer and teen idol.

• Various local forms of the name also mean “just” in their relevant languages, Just, the Catalan form of Justus means "just, fair" in Catalan, and Juste, a French variant, means “fair, just” in French.

• A name book from the 1900s describes the character of the name Justin as: “Unemotional, truthful, and energetic. Usually excels in all forms of sport. Not intellectual, but intelligent and sympathetic nature[1].”

 

Sources:

https://www.behindthename.com/name/justin/top/united-states

The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names. Iseabail Macleod & Terry Freedman. Wordsworth, 1995. ISBN 1-85326-366-4

The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445

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[1] The Meanings of Christian Names. Anonymous. Duff Press, 2011. ISBN 1446536440, 9781446536445