Christian names beginning with B

Meaning: Greek "foreign" or "barbarian" (the Greek word for non-Greek-speakers).

Figure: Saint Barbara; legendary virgin martyr (third or fourth century).

Saint Barbara is the legendary virgin martyr (her historicity is debated by modern scholarship) honored in Orthodox tradition on December 4 and traditionally in Catholic tradition on the same date. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of medieval Catholic devotion; patron of miners and artillery. The name has been in continuous Christian use.

Meaning: Aramaic "son of encouragement" or "son of consolation" (Acts 4:36).

Figure: Companion of Paul on the first missionary journey; sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem church (Acts 4:36; 11-15).

Barnabas is the early Christian disciple originally named Joseph who was given the name Barnabas ("son of encouragement") by the apostles (Acts 4:36). He was a principal companion of Paul on the first missionary journey and a member of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). The Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican calendars commemorate him on June 11.

Meaning: Aramaic "son of Tolmai" (a patronymic rather than a given name).

Figure: Apostle; traditionally identified with Nathanael of John 1:45-51.

Bartholomew is one of the twelve apostles, listed in all four New Testament apostle lists but with little detail given in the narrative. Christian tradition typically identifies him with Nathanael in the Gospel of John (John 1:45-51). The Catholic and Anglican calendars commemorate him on August 24; the Orthodox calendar on June 11.

Meaning: Greek "kingly" or "royal" (basileus, "king").

Figure: Saint Basil the Great; fourth-century Cappadocian Father (c. 330-379).

Saint Basil the Great is the fourth-century bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, one of the three Cappadocian Fathers (with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus), Doctor of the Church. His Rule shaped Orthodox monasticism; the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil is celebrated ten times a year in Orthodox practice. The Catholic calendar commemorates him on January 2; the Orthodox calendar on January 1.

Meaning: Latin "blessed" (benedictus, from bene + dictus, "well-spoken").

Figure: Saint Benedict of Nursia; founder of Western monasticism (c. 480-547).

Saint Benedict of Nursia is the sixth-century founder of Western Christian monasticism, the author of the Rule of Saint Benedict that shaped Catholic monastic life for fifteen hundred years. Pope Paul VI declared him patron of Europe in 1964. The Catholic and Anglican calendars commemorate him on July 11.

Meaning: Hebrew "son of the right hand," sometimes interpreted as "son of the south."

Figure: Youngest son of Jacob; the tribe of Benjamin (Genesis 35:18).

Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob, born to Rachel as she died in childbirth (Genesis 35:18). The name is in steady Christian use across the traditions; the apostle Paul identifies himself as a Benjaminite by tribe (Philippians 3:5), giving the name additional New Testament resonance.

Meaning: Germanic "bear-strong" (bern + hard).

Figure: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux; Doctor of the Church (1090-1153).

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is the twelfth-century Cistercian monk, Doctor of the Church, and the figure whose preaching, hymnody, and Marian devotion shaped medieval Catholic spirituality. The Memorare prayer is traditionally attributed to him. The Catholic and Anglican calendars commemorate him on August 20.

Meaning: Hebrew of contested etymology; traditionally interpreted as "in him is strength."

Figure: Husband of Ruth; great-grandfather of David (Ruth 2-4).

Boaz is the kinsman-redeemer who marries Ruth in the book of Ruth, and through whom David descends from a Moabite ancestor. The name is uncommon in modern Christian use but appears in English-speaking Protestant families, often where the parents value the book of Ruth as a model of redemption.

Meaning: Latin "good fortune" (bona + ventura).

Figure: Saint Bonaventure; Franciscan Doctor of the Church (c. 1217-1274).

Saint Bonaventure is the thirteenth-century Franciscan minister general, theologian, and Doctor of the Church, the great spiritual writer of the Franciscan tradition (The Soul's Journey into God). The Catholic calendar commemorates him on July 15.