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The practice of having a European forename comes from contact with Christianity. It is customary in Christian baptism to take a name of a recognized saint. Thi
by Zuider 11y ago
The practice of having a European forename comes from contact with Christianity. It is customary in Christian baptism to take a name of a recognized saint.
This naming convention has been a long tradition in Europe, making the names appear indigenous to that region, but in many cases these 'European' names actually originated in North Africa or the Middle East which had Christian populations before Europe did.
- mc32 11y agoYeah, it's true all biblically derived names are to one extent or another Middle Eastern or Mediterranean. It's so ingrained, it's easy to forget. It can be said that a great part of modern European thought is based on middle eastern philosophy --as well as ancient Greek philosophy. Of course some indigenous aspects survive despite the total immersion due to pervasive spread of religion throughout Europe.