Comments on: Baby Names of the Early Christians

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:58:52 +0000

The Latin names Proiectus, Proiecticus, Stercorius and Stercorinus must have died out without any English derivatives!

By: Pauli

Pauli — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 20:03:12 +0000

That’s beautiful. Thanks, Mike.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:59:25 +0000

It kinda makes sense — “birth” circumstances, like Tertius and Septimus. But only a Christian family would find those circumstances worthy of praise and proof of destiny.

I suppose this sort of thing is why Christians preserved novels like Apollonius of Tyre, and translated them into many of the medieval vernaculars (including Old English). Lost exposed heirs and people kidnapped into slavery were part of the Christian demographic! :)

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:11:35 +0000

And we’re NOT staying near the dung heap!

By: anna catherine

anna catherine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:32:07 +0000

After confirming my “Convent reservations” anyone going on The St Paul tour is getting a REAL bargain!!!Anna

By: Neil Street

Neil Street — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:52:35 +0000

Fascinating post. I run a baby names website (http://www.babynamesgarden.com) and I had not previously heard of this Roman custom of bestowing shameful names. I’ll have to think about a way to write this up for my blog!

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:05:40 +0000

Ha! Dust to dust — and worse!

By: Rich Leonardi

Rich Leonardi — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:28:58 +0000

Mike,

Please do continue to post about this book.

The Stercorinus bit is funny. My paternal grandmother’s maiden name was “Almerto.” You don’t have to be a scholar of the Italian language to appreciate how that can be translated.

And the Leonardi clan would love to join you in Rome this May. That there are seven of us tips the scale toward staying in Cincinnati. *Sigh*