While some parents try to choose unusual, original and often foreign names for their children, others, on the contrary, turn to the Saints and choose a name for their child in accordance with Orthodox traditions.
Behind each such name is an incredible energy, because people have been using them for thousands of years. All traditional names carry a deep meaning, they are a guarantee that a person’s faith in the Lord and in his own strength will be strong, and he will show steadfastness in the face of life's difficulties.
There are not so few Orthodox names, but among them there are five names that are most popular both today and in the distant past.
Sergei
This name is incredibly ancient. It is generally accepted to consider it Roman, inherited by the Latins "inherited" from the Etruscans. However, this theory has opponents who point out that the name is mentioned in the Aeneid, and therefore it is of Greek, not Etruscan origin.
As for the meaning of the name, most experts believe that it is expressed by the word "noble". Indeed, people named this way are always respected by others, achieve significant heights in professional and social activities, and are an example for others.
Of course, if we remember the Russian saints who bore this name, then the first thing to mention is Sergius of Radonezh. But not only this holy elder is revered in Orthodoxy.
In the middle of the last century Father Sergiy Mechev was martyred for the faith. This man was the son of a priest, and he himself did not think about the spiritual path - he was a doctor. However, in 1919 Sergius became a clergyman. He could not see how the spiritual foundations of the country were being destroyed, how immorality was reigning, how churches were being plundered, “beheaded.”
Sergiy Mechev made a difficult decision and became a "spiritual beacon" for many people who are confused and do not really understand what is happening around them. The activities of the priest did not go unnoticed by the authorities. He was arrested three times and eventually shot. It happened before the bright holiday of Christmas, in 1942.
Father Sergius is canonized, he is revered as a great martyr.
Alexander
This is an ancient Greek name that many associate with the military, the army. Indeed, many great commanders were named that way. But the meaning of this name is “protector”, that is, there is no aggression in the energy of the name.
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There are quite a lot of Orthodox saints who bore this name. One of the last canonized people so named is Alexander Khotovitsky. The church honors this man as a great martyr.
In 1918, when unthinkable atrocities were happening in the country, Alexander Khotovitsky organized a spiritual community at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. He was not afraid not only to preach to its members, but also to carry the word of Christ to the world, to people who have gone astray, mired in sin, who have lost faith in the Lord.
This man was shot on August 19, 1937, on the bright feast of the Transfiguration.
Tikhon
This name sounds very soft, affectionate. But this is very deceptive, Tikhons have an unbending will, inner strength and incredible insight, intuition. The name is Greek, and its meaning is conveyed by the word "fate".
In a difficult time for Russia, in 1917-1918, a new patriarch was elected at the Great Council. They became Tikhon Bellavin, who remained in the memory of the people as a Saint.
The patriarch never flirted with the new government, but did not provoke the communists to a confrontation. His spiritual feat was that he did not completely eradicate Orthodoxy, destroy or close absolutely all churches.
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Maria
Not every family has a boy, and those whom fate has blessed with a girl often do not think about the name at all, naming the newborn Mary.
This name is incredibly ancient, it is mentioned in the Old Testament and, perhaps, it is difficult to find another female name with such powerful energy. After all, Mary was the name of the mother of Jesus himself.
Of course, there are incredibly many saints, canonized at different times, women bearing this name. One of them is the Reverend Martyr Maria Skobtsova, a woman of difficult fate, who left her mark not only in church, but also in secular history.
In her youth, Maria was a publicist and poetess. She corresponded with Alexander Blok, who highly appreciated her literary talent and poetic gift. But Maria could not engage in literature, seeing what was happening around. She decided to fight and "leaned into politics." At the age of 26, the girl took the post of "mayor" of Anapa, that is, she began to fulfill the duties of the mayor. But Skobtsova quickly realized that she was unable to protect people from the Bolshevik terror. In desperation from the realization of her own helplessness and worthlessness, she began to look for answers to her questions in religion.
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Under the pressure of circumstances, Maria left the Soviet Union for France, where she took the tonsure. In 1935, Mother Maria created the public organization "Orthodox Cause". Many clerics, philosophers and theologians of the Russian emigration became its members.
This woman died in a gas chamber, in one of the Nazi concentration camps.
Catherine
This name is often associated with authority. However, its significance has nothing to do with high status or professional success.
The name comes from the Greek name Ekaterini, which means “pure”, “immaculate”.
Among the Orthodox saints who bear this name, Catherine of Arskaya stands apart. This woman was an activist of the Alexander Nevsky Brotherhood. She was arrested in February 1932, accused of counter-revolutionary activities. Ekaterina showed incredible fortitude for a woman, during interrogations she did not name a single name.
Ekaterina spent three years in Soviet camps. After her release, she was forbidden to live in Moscow or return home to Leningrad. She settled in Novgorod. In 1937, the authorities "changed their mind" and returned for a woman who "got off too easy." She was arrested again and, presumably, shot in the same 1937. The burial place of Catherine of Arskaya is unknown.