Teresa, Joan, Monica, Clare…if you’re thinking about female saint names, these are probably some of the first names that come to mind.
But what if you’re looking for a name that’s a little less ordinary?
Well, things get tricky. Many other female saint names range from simply unstylish (e.g. Agnes, Gertrude) to basically unusable (e.g. Eustochium, Sexburga).
But some lady saints do have cool, unusual names. To prove it, I’ve gone through the entire Roman Martyrology (and a few other sources) and collected sixty names that I think might appeal to modern parents. I’ll post a dozen a day, starting right now…
- St. Geneviève, Frankish, 6th century. Feast day: January 3.
- St. Talida, Egyptian, 4th century. Feast day: January 5.
- St. Genoveva Torres Morales, Spanish, 1870-1956. Her name is the Spanish form of Geneviève. Feast day: January 5.
- St. Marciana, Roman, 4th century. Feast day: January 9.
- St. Savina, Roman, 4th century. Feast day: January 30.
- St. Marcella, Roman, 5th century. Feast day: January 31.
- St. Viridiana, Italian, 13th century. Feast day: February 1.
- St. Cinnia, Irish, 5th century. In Irish, the letter C is always hard (i.e. pronounced like a K). Feast day: February 1.
- Sts. Maura, various places and centuries. Feast days include February 13, May 3, and November 30.
- St. Belina, French, 12th century. Feast day: February 19.
- St. Romana, Roman, 4th century. She may be merely legendary. Feast day: February 23.
- Bl. Villana de’Botti, Italian, 1332-1361. Feast day: February 28.
Stay tuned for the next four installments!
2 Comments
Genevieve and Maura are familiar and lovely. Of the ones I’ve never heard before, Savina is the most appealing.
Omg, so I’m choosing my Confirmation name and I told my parents I wasn’t going to choose a common one. When people are sitting in the Church it’s the same names over and over and I figured I’d make it a bit more interesting. So far I’m going with Savina, and this totally helped me.
Thanks