kerala christian names, their origin and english equivalents
It has been several years since we have been working on our genealogy database / family tree. Working on it is reveling, and revealing as you end up learning a lot about ones own ancestry and the stories surrounding it. One of the factors which grab attention while updating the database are the names. On the upper steps of the ladder, the names are mostly repetitive. These are the traditional kerala christian names, which have been handed over through generations, and have been used extensively until 1950s/independence (eg: Kunnappallil descendancy chart through the generations).
Naming convention
The repetitive nature is mostly due to the naming convention followed: The eldest son/daughter carrys the name of the paternal grand father/mother. The second son/daughter carrys the name of the maternal grand father/mother. If you summarise these names, you can see that all those widely used kerala christian names count upto just a few, like ~25 for males and ~10 for females. A compilation of these names, with their origin, have been given in tabular form below.
Names, Origin and their Malayalam variants
| English | Origin | Origin.Script | Malayalam |
| Abraham | Hw. Avraham | אַבְרָהָם | Avira, Avaran, Avarachan |
| Alexander | Gr. Alexandros | Αλεξανδρος | Chandy, Idiculla |
| Cyriac | Rm. Cirieco | Kurian | |
| Cyril | Gr. Kyrillos | Κυριλλος | Korula, Kuruvilla |
| David | Hw. Dvd | דוד | Tharian, Thavu |
| Dominic | Lt. Dominicus | Dummini | |
| Emmanuel | Hw. | Mani | |
| Francis | Lt. Franciscus | Pranji, Pranju, Porinju | |
| George | Gr. Georgios | Γεωργιος | Varghese, Varkey, Vakkachan, Vareethu, Geevarghese |
| Ignatius | Rm. Egnatius | Inasu | |
| Issac | Hw. Yitzchaq | יִצְחָק | Ittack, Itty |
| Issac Abraham | Ittyavirah, Ittiyerah | ||
| Jacob | Hw. Ya’aqov | יַעֲקֹב | Chacko, Yakob |
| John | Hw. Yochanan | יוֹחָנָן | Yohannan, Ulahannan, Lonan, Lonappan, Ninan |
| Joseph | Hw. Yosef | יוֹסֵף | Yesoph, Ouseph, Outha, Ipe, Ittoop, Kunjeppu, Joppan |
| Joshua | Hw. Yehoshu’a | יְהוֹשֻׁעַ | Koshy, Eenashu, Easow |
| Luke | Gr. Loukas | Λουκας | Lukose |
| Mathew | Hw. Mattityahu | מַתִּתְיָהוּ | Mathew, Mathai, Mathan, Mathu, Mathulla |
| Mark | Rm. Marcus | Markose | |
| Paul | Lt. Paulus | Paulose, Paili, Pailo | |
| Peter | Gr. Petros | Πετρος | Pathros, Pathappan |
| Philip | Gr. Philippos | Φιλιππος | Philipose, Peeli, Pothan |
| Sebastian | Lt. Sebastianus | Devasy, Devasia, Devasianos | |
| Stephen | Gr. Stephanos | Στεφανος | Eapen, Esthappan, Punnoose, Uthup |
| Thomas | Ar. Te’oma | Thomma, Thampan, Mamman, Oommen | |
| Zachariah | Hw. Zekharyah | זְכַרְיָה | Cheriyan, Kuncheria, Karia, Scaria |
| English | Origin | Origin.Script | Malayalam |
| Anna | Hw. Channah | חַנָּה | Annamma |
| Bridgit | Ir. Brighid | Bridgita | |
| Elizabeth | Hw. Elisheva | אֱלִישֶׁבַע | Elisa, Elia, Elacha, Eliamma |
| Mary | Hw. Miryam | מִרְיָם | Mariam, Maria, Mariamma |
| Rachel | Hw. | רָחֵל | Rahel |
| Rebecca | Hw. Rivqah | רִבְקָה | Akka, Raca, Akkamma |
| Rosa | Ger. Rose | Orotha, Kunjorotha | |
| Sarah | Hw. Sara | Saramma | |
| Susan | Hw. Shoshannah | שׁוֹשַׁנָּה | Susanna, Sosa, Sosamma, Achamma |
| Theresa | Sp. Teresa | Thresia, Therthia, Theyya, Iyya, Kochuthresia | |
Hw. Hebrew, Gr. Greek, Lt. Latin, Rm. Roman, Ar. Armenian, Ir. Irish, Ger. Germanian, Sp. Spanish
It is to be noted that the origin mentioned here is not the immediate origin from where the malayalam name originated, but the root of the name. The english equivalents given here are those used locally (in Kerala). Hovering your mouse over the english equivalents will give the extended meanings of the respective names.
There are still other kerala christian names out there, and do comment us about them. Yet to identify the origin of names like Dummini, Outha, Kuriakose (Cyril or Cyriac?) etc., if there are any. There is a school of thought which says that ‘Itty’ is used as a prefix, like kutty, kunju etc. For example, usage of Itty Ipe, Itty Avirah etc could be analogous to Kutty Varkey, Kunju Ipe, etc. Hence do not take this list as conclusive or exhaustive.
Transition in the naming style
The transition beyond the 1950s (post independence) brought a multitude of names to the kerala christian name group, from simply the english quivalents (eg: George, Thomas) to the two-syllabled names (Sunny, Lisy) to the combination of parents’ names (eg: child of Sunny and Lisy will be Susy) to all kind of possible sounds! Sometimes while updating the database, I have the names but I would get stuck in identifying the gender of the person. Like, in our genealogy database of 2200+ (current figures), there are 9 of which I could not identify the gender by name.
Reference:
1. genealogy.rocksea.org
2. behindthename.com
3. Cross reference: The Syrian Christians by S.G. Pothen; from an article by Nidhin Olikara on nasrani.net.
Hey friends,,,i wanted to know the english equivalent of “THANKAMMA”,,,can anyone plz help me out,,,,
What about Antony? Tony, Anthoni…..
Wonderful place to learn and recollect embroidery…..love it…
I was seeking for a place like this.
Alas i found …………
I want put my son name as chacko or chackochan
my name is toms, my father name is jacob(chacko)
family name is AARACKAL
every one is opposing this name so i want alter this name please help me
Example- Chackos A Toms o
I found this site very useful for helping us understand the meanings of
old christian names which are very familiar.good initiative.
Trying to figure out the English equivalent of Ponamma?..any ideas out there?
I am Indian,Indian christian because my father is an Orthodox christian.When I searched many Malayalee Xian names came from Hindu background eg Iype chanda Pillai,Koshy Vaidyan,Paul Karnavar Etc..etc…All Indian Xians were Hindus(Dravidians).When we go back to just200years,we can get a vivid picture about it.Almost all our culture and worship patterns are owed to Hindu worship and tradition.When we choose a name of our children please use Indian names like Sara,Manju,Abram,Manu,Mani,Raji,Sachi,Chandi,Gauri insted of Micheal Steve,Nixon etc..etc.
Some traditional Christians (whose ancestors were converted to Christianity, centuries ago) like the St. Thomas Christians would take offense to your statements
1. “All Indian Xians were Hindus(Dravidians)”. They are quite
touchy on this issue.
2. ” When we go back to just200years.”
The belief of St. Thomas Christians is that St. Thomas came to Kerala around 52 AD. where does the just 200 years come from? it was only in the past 200 years or so that family Histories were taken down on panayola and paper etc. prior to that period Family Histories were orally transmitted.
My own grandfather was the historian for the Powathiukunnil Family. His earliest references to the Family History were on panayola. Education was no so prevalent 200 years earlier, so, for almost all St. Thomas Christian families, their recorded histories wont extended beyond 200 years back to the maximum, but they did indeed have a longer history, the details of which was orally transmitted down the generations.
one of my friends name is Koruthu what is the meaning of the malatalam name and what is the Englsh equivalent?i could not find in google,please…if you know!
hi,
Do you know what is the meaning of Aliamma one of the famous christian name and the english name?
Refer to the chart up top but aliamma/aleyamma is Elizabeth….I know this for a fact!! 🙂
I found this website very informative. Now I know that my surname Koshy originated from the name Joshua.
What is the bible name for leelamma
leela doesn’t have a biblical name, just like krishna doesn’t have. you can’t equate all indian names to bible.
It could be from the semitic ‘Leila’, not possibly from Indian ‘Leela’
is it a simple and meaningfull
Wow a wonderful eye opener I say! I saw many names of people from the family here. Did not really know that Cherian was zachariah in English. Sharing it on my fb wall for the benefit of my fellow Syrian Christians! 🙂
Kindly visit
http://rinzurajan.blogspot.in/2012/05/streedhanam-womans-wealth-or-groom.html
If it intrigues you, this post on streedhanam mmight want to know your views
Thank you!
What is meaning and origin of name koruthu?
What is the equivalent of the name Michael in mAlayalam?
The closest malayalam name to Michael would be Michael (pronounced as mi-ha-yel). The original Michael is also widely used in central kerala
I read, Kuruvilla means – invincible in Indian context. Is that true? Most of the Syrian Christian names don’t have meaning or they mean a correspodnig western saint/ person right? Then how is Kuruvilla means invincible?
Cheers
I was told earlier by some of my relatives that the Christian English name of Achamma is “Elizabeth”. As per your explanation Achamma come from Susan and Akkamma comes from Rebecca.
Who is correct? Achamma & Akkamma are similar but both comes from different names. My relatives says that the name Achamma from “Elizabeth”!
On what basis these name matching are derived. Off course some are from common sense as it read &/or sound similar. Others have no such relations.
Could you please give more details, on what basis you are matching?
Regards
Jose
Nice to know the roots and meaning of names. jewish people had names that was meaningful and that influenced their lives.
nice to know that cherian comes from zachariah which means
yahweh remembers
god remember all cherians
can u say from where name CHERIAN came ?
Nice helpful site.
Our names have always been unique unlike Goan names which are used in the south american countries.
So now I’ve 2 versions of Cherian:
Cherian is derived from Zachariah
Cherian is an Armenian name
But it will be interesting to note how our family names originated.
Molly from Koratty,Trichur
I am trying to find out the english equivalent of name “kunjandamma” and “thandamma”. If anybody has knowledge about this name please respond.
names with meaning cyriac
Couldn’t cherian be from jerry/ jeremiah than zachariah?
sounds more far fetched mispronouncing karia as cherian.
Does anybody know English for valsa or valsamma
Valsa is derived from Malayalam valsalyam and the English equivalent is ‘beloved,”lovely” (sundari, shobana, manju, manoroma, priya etc.,) Amma is pet word added to Valsa. Amma is not for mother alone but a word of affection in Malayalam . In this context, Amma is ‘darling.’ So Valsa + Amma = Lovely Darling.
Cherian is derived from Zachariah. Charia in Zachariah has become Skaria, Kun (minor) cheria = Kuncheria (kunjumon) and Cheria +n=Cherian (cheriyakutty or cheriyavan). Cheria means minor or small.
obviously…so kurian means short one by that logic, kuria means short, and so on.. funny, man
Cherian is not an Armenian name. Many Armenian names date back to antiquity, some coming from the Bible (eg. Sahak for Isaac) or relating to nature (Shoushan, meaning lily) There are also a number of familiar names, such as Hanna, Rouben, Ester, Yulia–variations with their own distinctive charm. But names such as Cherian, Kurein, Chacko, Koshy etc., were randomly given by Church leaders to remove previous Hindu names. There was large scale migration of Christians from Hindu dominated areas due to caste oppression and compulsory oozhiyam service. Missionaries asked these people to move into distant areas, especially forest lands, and to settle there to start a new life. That is how Christian settlements arose and they lived with new names and assumed superior caste status to avoid harassment by Nair jenmis.
Hi All,
Please let me know the meaning Ukru or english equivalent.
How did malayali people get christian names? was it from missionaires?
Just Google Nasrani, Syrian Christians, or St. Thomas Christians and you will know everything about our history. Are you a Malayalee? Your name is Mathai and it sounds like a Malayalee name. I find it weird that you’re asking a question about how we got our names.
what is the meaning of Felix
Felix means ‘Happy’ in Latin. The word Feliz (in spanish: means happy) could be derived from it…
hat is the meaning of my name
nic post….
what is maliyakel house name means what are they
Some of the origin of Kerala Cristian names given in the table above are not accurate.
Cherian did not originate from Scaria. Cherian is an Armenian name, any name that will end up with ian will be an Armenian name. The original name is Khatcherian which means “follower or son of the Cross”. Khat is silent and only Cherian is pronounced. You could check with a real Armenian, there are some in India, Chennai and Kolkatta who came to India during the begining of last century to escape persecution by Turkey.
If you want to know more about Kerala Christian names, you could look into my book, “Names of Kerala Christians”.
My email address pecman2005@yahoo.com
I had noticed the site states the name “uthup” is said to have originated from the name stephanos which is very surprising to me because I have always heard it originated from the name Joseph. You might want to double check the accuracy of that, if you find anything please let me know. Thank you and well done site
Robin
Your list states Eapen is from Stephen. I thought Eapen was also derived from Joseph.
Thanks for the research.
Though the origin of Varghese or Geevarghese is Gorgius (Farmer), the closest variant is Armenian/Persian equivalent Gevork.
Hi, what is the malayalam equivalent of benjamin?
The malayalam name for Benjamin could be Ninan. Ben is prefix in Hebrew which means “son of”. So Ben Nyamin could be the original name. Nehman and Nehemiah are also Biblical names. Behenan is a name still heard in Kerala. Any of these names could be the derivative of Benjamin.
There are several names in Kerala beginning with the prefix Idi or Itti – Idichandy, Ittoop, Ittyavara, Idicula etc. Idichandy could be a variant of Alexander. What about the others? Any thoughts?
Another name not mentioned is NICHOLAS ..in malayalam ..IKKILA (IKKILACHAN). Append it to complete the list ..
I am trying to find out the english equivalent of “KAKU, CHERUCHI, KUNJANNAM, KUNJEETI, THANKAMMA, MOLLAMMA, THANDAMMA”. If anybody has any knowledge about this name, please respond.
What is the English equivalent for chechamma.
Chechamma, Chachamma, Chachy, all these are variations of Susan.
I am trying to find out the english equivalent of “Chinnamma”. if anybody know pls inform me.
Dear Fr. Kuriakose, the closest I can guess is Anna, as it originates from Channah.
THANKS
Fr,.Kuriakose…….. Please suggest me a new house name in kerala… Christian Based…..
My id is : aleeshamelvin@gmail.com
Chinnamma has a Tamil shade. Dear little one. ‘Amma’ is a term of endearment.
Rajan
I thought esthappen came from estello (urumi)
Hi, Anybody knows the equivalent of ‘Valsa’
Thanks, Agish
Hi,
how about the name chachy? where is it derived from? what is the English equivalent. I always thought it was Susan…is that right?
Any idea of the equivalent of of names like :-
– Naithoma (female) ??
– Elichamma (female) ??
– Uthoop (male)
Further,
– Itty – is it ‘Issac’ or does it come from Timothy ? I was once given to understand from an elder that it’s origins were from ‘Timothios’
– Achamma (my wife’s name – she understands it to be Rebecca)
Great Site !!!!!!
Elichmma could be Elizabeth and Uthoop might be Stephen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christian_names
I want to know the origin of the name Kourth. It was my grandpa’s last name and I looked up the name on the internet and it seems like it wasn’t a common name in Kerala. I even typed in the name Kourthu but there was no result. The only people with the same name as Kourth was in Greece.
I heard that Koruthu/Koruth/Koreth are all derived from the name Koheth. But Koheth means in the presence of the Lord but after the destruction of the Temple people changed the name from Koheth to Koreth. These are mainly people who are the descendants of Tharakan, a person who came from Persia to Kerala before the 10 century AD due to the Dhimmini status given by the Mohammedians to the people of Nasra sect. This semite setlled in Kerala as there were already a good number of people from the Nasra Sect who have settled in Kerala.
Thanks for the help, but I don’t think anyone can help me find the origins of the name Kourth. It’s definitely a Greek name and there were Greeks that ended up staying from trading with Kerala in ancient times.
Koruthu is misunderstood as a greek name but it is actually an Aramaic name. If you are further interested do a research on this and you will know for sure that it is a pure Aramaic name :).
God Bless U!!
How many times do I have to say the name is Kourth not Koruthu? Please read my message correctly. You are talking about a completely different name, while I’m talking about my family surname. Kourth in Greece is an ancient Greek word and it means helper of the king. Everyone with the name Kourth is from Greece. My father knows another family with the name Kourth as well. I really need to know if there were any Greek settlements in Kerala, since Kerala has been trading with Greece since ancient times. Thanks for the help anyways, but I don’t think anyone on here can help me.
Hello Michael Varghese,
Don’t get irritated with people trying to help.
The most obvious explanation of Kourth is that some ancestor of yours changed Korathu to Kourth. Maybe the registrar in British times interchanged a couple of letters and voila… Kourth!
Geevarughese became Varghese in your case and Verghese in mine. I have also seen Verghis and even Vergis. Take a look at how some other names have evolved. Come on, if Isaac can become Ittiyerah, what prevents Korathu from becoming Kourth? Probably rhymes with Fourth in the US.
However if you want it to be Greek, then so be it – it’s Greek.
Maybe there were Greeks in Alexander’s army who made their way to Kerala and procreated, or it could be traders that landed up on Kerala shores and procreated. Maybe some Greeks came with Mar Thoma – and procreated, of course. Could even be some Saada Malayalee Syrian Christian who went to Greece and thought that this was a cool name.
I am trying to find out the english equivalent of “Achiamma”. If anybody has any knowledge about this name, please respond.
Accamma, Aachiamma, Acca, Reba, Raca – Rebecca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christian_names#Female_names
susan = susanna, sosamma, achamma , aachi amma
Besides Soshamma, Chachamma is also
Susan. Ninan is a derivative of Benjamin
I was always led to believe. Benjamin
Became Behenan which became nehenan
Which became Ninan, so goes the belief
in our family.
Surely Orothu cannot be Rosa! Could it
not be from Ruth? Rosa is not a Biblical
name, is it?
I searched for the Christian Patron Saint for the name: Eldhose. I missed the specific answer; but got a treasure of Information leading to knowledge. Thanks and congratulations. If you strike with an answer to my specific query please let me know. Rev. Sebi Thomas Achangadan, from Dt. Thrissur., Kerala., INdia
eldho is name mostly using syrian chiritan,the name came from one preast called eldho mar basilose bava from irqe ,he came to india ,kerala .,eranakulam district ,the place called kothamangalam .he build a church and he died this same place.if you want to know more go to visit kothamangalam cheriya pally.october his fesival
Kuriakose <– Kyriakose (greek name)
q.v. kurialyson (malayalam for lord have mercy) e.syriac –> the ancient dialect of tamil which would become malayalam)
I knew that my surname verghese had of course originated from the Greek name Georgious (hope i have spelled it correct), but i was quite curious about how the other christian names in kerala have originated/formed.
Thanks for explaining it all. have book marked this page for further references.
hi,
Do you know what is the meaning of ELDHO one of the famous christian name in central kerala if you know send me a mail hope you will do for me
eldhoiccc@yahoo.co.in
thanks
it means “BIRTH OF GOD” in enciant ARAMIC language .. its now also exist in some areas like syria etc…. u can find more abt this in google serch …. t c have a grt day
Hi thanks for reply let me know how you got this one kindly send me is there any web page about this meaning/ hi let me know about you if you feel free plz write me back
hi,
Do you know what is the meaning of ELDHO one of the famous christian name in central kerala if you know send me a mail hope you will do for me
thanks