why is Jesus a common name in Spanish-speaking countries but nowhwere else?

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by medicated

I used to work with a Greek fellow whose first name was Christos. That's how he spelled it, too.

Can kinda understan that. It's sort of like using "ph" for "f" to indicate the word is derived from the Greek.

[Nava]

Originally Posted by John Mace

Oh, OK. But there is a common misunderstanding that "The Inquisition" only took place in what is now Spain.

Yeah I know, that misconception is known in Spain as la leyenda negra, our "black legend", a "black legend" being an exaggeration perpetrated for propaganda purposes, either for political reasons or to sell more newspapers: "all Americans are gun crazy!" or "the moon landing was a hoax" would be black legends against the US. There's people who believe the moon landing was a hoax and some may even live in Houston, but I sure hope none work at NASA.

Funny thing is, if the Inquisition had been Spain-only, there wouldn't be any reason to speak about the Spanish Inquisition: the expression would be as repetitive as ATM Machine.

[Floater]

Originally Posted by John Mace

I like Estonian and Finish: Jeesus. But those guys love their double vowels...

It's just because the e sound is pronounced long, just like in English. Those languages have a one to one correlation between spelling and pronunciation.

[Deeg]

Is it possibly Muslim influence on Spanish Christians? It appears that Muslims often take the name of Muhammad (or a variation of). Much of Spain was conquered by the Moors and maybe the custom rubbed off on the Spaniards.

I have no idea why Muslims take the name of the prophet nor do I know when the Spanish custom started so this may all be bunk.

[listedmia]

Originally Posted by Lamia

In addition to this, while I don't speak Arabic at all I believe "Isa" is both the Arabic version of the name "Jesus" and a fairly common given name for boys.

I worked with a Muslim girl of Pakistani descent named Isa. I wonder, is this the same deal or does it mean something different?

[CookingWithGas]

Originally Posted by John Mace

It's not just English speakers. It's not common outside Spanish speaking countries.

Levon calls his child Jesus 'cause he likes the name. I think he's English.

[BMalion]

If I ever had a son I was determined to name him "Onan".

Hey, its a biblical name, right?

[Victor Charlie]

Originally Posted by BMalion

If I ever had a son I was determined to name him "Onan".

Hey, its a biblical name, right?

He might be proned to carpal tunnel syndrome.

[bordelond]

Originally Posted by Nava

Does anybody know whether Hristo is Bulgarian for Christ? Thinking of Hristo Stoichov here.

Yes, it is.

[grama]

Originally Posted by Victor Charlie

He might be proned to carpal tunnel syndrome.

You made me choke on my drink.... are you happy now?

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by Deeg

Is it possibly Muslim influence on Spanish Christians? It appears that Muslims often take the name of Muhammad (or a variation of). Much of Spain was conquered by the Moors and maybe the custom rubbed off on the Spaniards.

I have no idea why Muslims take the name of the prophet nor do I know when the Spanish custom started so this may all be bunk.

Now THAT sounds to me like the best working hypothesis we have so far. True, it wouldn't explain why Muslims generally don't have this taboo, but I don't think we need to worry about that too much. Looking globally, I'd wager it's the taboo that's the exception, not the rule. Think of all the South Asians named Krishna, etc.

So, that would be a topic for another thread... How did "Jesus" come to be a taboo personal name? (later removed as taboo in Spain when that region was dominated by Muslims). If the Greek "Christos" was never taboo, that could help us figure out the taboo's origins.

But that's a matter for a different thread. We still need to confirm, if we can, the working hypothesis answering to THIS thread.

[AHunter3]

Obviously, English-speaking people once did occasionally name their boychildren "Jesus" but every time they were introduced people said "gesundheit" so the practice waned.

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by typoink

Actually, his father told the mother that the son would be the next messiah, so they named him Jesus Christ accordingly.

GG Allin grew up to be a punk rock frontman with borderline personality disorder whose act regularly included performing in only a jockstrap, defecating on stage, and smashing his face against the stage and walls until he was covered in his own blood.

He also wasn't Hispanic, so far as I can tell.

[Tom Tildrum]

Obviously, we've all been asking the wrong question. What we should be wondering is "Why did Joseph and Mary give their son a Hispanic name?"

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by Tom Tildrum

Obviously, we've all been asking the wrong question. What we should be wondering is "Why did Joseph and Mary give their son a Hispanic name?"

Maybe because he was born on a Popsicle stick.

[CBEscapee]

Originally Posted by JKellyMap

The female version, "Maria de Jesus," is also quite common in Mexico. The most common nickname for such girls/women is "Chucha," just as "Chucho" is one of the common nicknames for "Jesus."

I'm still curious about the OP's excellent question -- why taboo in many countries, why not taboo in Mexico and a few others? May just be the chance vagaries of history, but may be something more interesting, like some product of the synthesis of Spanish Catholic and indigenous traditions in Mexico (maybe something related to how some Indians adapted certain of their gods to specific Christian "deities," including Jesus, and so maybe the tradition of naming some kids after the former god was transferred as well.) But I'll let another Doper do the real research on this.

The most common nickname for a person named Jesus is "Chuy". Around my part of México "chucho" is more commonly used as slang for a dog.

My wife's name is María de Jesús. She hates being called Mary Chuy.

[Ellis Aponte Jr.]

There also seem to be plenty of Spanish "Angels" (and Italian "Angelos") but precious few anglo Angels.

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by Ellis Aponte Jr.

There also seem to be plenty of Spanish "Angels" (and Italian "Angelos") but precious few anglo Angels.

Good point. But we've got God Shammgod.

[GovernmentMan]

Originally Posted by John Mace

And there are none (or almost none) with the English pronunciation of any name. Jesus in Spanish is hay-SUS. Just like David is dah-VEED and Steven is eh-STAY-bahn.

FYI, it's 'heh-sus' and 'es-steh-bahn'

Spanish letter 'a' or 'e' are never pronounced as like '-ay'

[yorick73]

Originally Posted by Ellis Aponte Jr.

There also seem to be plenty of Spanish "Angels" (and Italian "Angelos") but precious few anglo Angels.

Also quite a few Santos, Rosario, and crucifijo. Never see algo names such saints, rosary or crucifix...well, maybe a rosary here and there. Of course, you also never see anyone in english named July.

[Nava]

Originally Posted by CBEscapee

The most common nickname for a person named Jesus is "Chuy". Around my part of México "chucho" is more commonly used as slang for a dog.

My wife's name is María de Jesús. She hates being called Mary Chuy.

In Spain chucho usually means mangy dog, too, yet I know Chuchos, Chuchas and even a Chuchín (only called so by his mother, his classmates already found it overly precious when we were in kindergarten).

Never met a Crucifijo (I don't mean they don't exist, just that I personally haven't met any - obligatory disclaimer after someone jumped on me for a similar phrasing), although Cruz is very typical of my region both by itself and in multi-word names.

[grama]

I have a question for people from other spanish speaking countries. Is Jesus actually that common? I've only met one Jesus in my life (although plenty of women called Maria Jesus) and he is from a very hardcore catholic family (mass in latin and all that).

[yorick73]

Originally Posted by grama

I have a question for people from other spanish speaking countries. Is Jesus actually that common? I've only met one Jesus in my life (although plenty of women called Maria Jesus) and he is from a very hardcore catholic family (mass in latin and all that).

It's common enough among latin americans here in the US

[Frodo]

Not very common in Argentina, though I remember during the worst part of the hyperinflation crisis in '88, '89 we briefly had a minister of economy (hard to translate that position, the US and Britain don't seem to have an equivalent government post), named Jesús Rodriguez, resulting in the obvious jokes in the newspapers.

[Nava]

In Spain it's become less common as we moved away from traditional names, but it's still quite normal. Depending on the area you're more likely to find other versions of the name: in Catalonia you'll meet a lot more guys called Manel than Jesús, in Madrid there are a ton of Manueles (usually called Manolo) and you get the occasional person who names her child Joshua and never misses an occasion to give anybody who asks "what's his name?" an explanation on the origins of the name; the other frequent(ish) reason for a Joshua is conversion of a Jesús or Manuel to Islam. There's Salvador called Salva (very common in Valencia), there's all those girls named Leyre (usually by parents who don't realize that's Salvadora de Leyre and not María de Leyre, as the patron of the Monastery of Leyre is Our Saviour and not Our Lady like for every other monastery in Navarre), there's many people who are surprised to be told that their Emma is a Manuela.
I've surprised people by pointing out that the "pretty Italian name with absolutely no relationship to any Catholic saint" they had picked actually happens to be the name of a very popular saint, so running into others who have no idea who's the patron of a monastery isn't exactly a shock (the Italian name in question - Chiara; no, caro, no relationship to no saint).

[KarlGrenze]

It's probably more common in Spanish than in other languages, but really, Jesús in Puerto Rico is a common uncommon name. And somehow, from the people I know of other countries, that is very much the case. It is a common uncommon name, but since it is probably more common in Spanish than in other languages, people are more likely to identify it and notice it (selection bias).

[Ají de Gallina]

When I was younger I knew more women called (or refered to as) Jesús than men.
One of Peru's most famous female singers was Jesùs Vásquez.

"Chucha" is Peruvian slang for vagina so please, don't call your girlfirend like that when you come here.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by Ají de Gallina

"Chucha" is Peruvian slang for vagina so please, don't call your girlfirend like that when you come here.

Same here

[Nava]

Originally Posted by Ají de Gallina

When I was younger I knew more women called (or refered to as) Jesús than men.
One of Peru's most famous female singers was Jesùs Vásquez.

"Chucha" is Peruvian slang for vagina so please, don't call your girlfirend like that when you come here.

Or Concha if her name happens to be Concepción, from what I hear...

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by Nava

Or Concha if her name happens to be Concepción, from what I hear...

Chucha means the same in Panama as in Peru, but (usually) means body odor in Colombia (the source of some hilarity when Colombians inadvertently use it here). On the other hand, Concha is pretty much OK in Panama, usually just meaning a seashell.

Chuleta! is a common euphemistic exclamation in Panama, like Ajo! for "carajo" and Miercoles! for "mierda."

[Frodo]

and Miercoles! for "mierda."

same here, where any day of the week can be a "dia de Miercoles".

[Johanna]

Originally Posted by John Mace

I don't know how common "Isa" is a name in Arabic speaking countries among Arabic Christians.

I'd bet zero. That's because Islamic and Christian sources have different names for Jesus in Arabic! Jesus in the Qur’ān is called عيسى بن مريم ‘Īsá ibn Maryam. In the Arabic translation of the Bible, though, he's يسوع Yasū‘. I've never heard of anybody getting named Yasū‘. For one thing, Greeks would think you're saying hi. It's also a different name from Joshua in Arabic, which is يوشع Yūsha‘.

[Ají de Gallina]

Originally Posted by Nava

Or Concha if her name happens to be Concepción, from what I hear...

Yeah, go for Concho better.

At least polla is only "female chicken" or "horse bet"

[Mississippienne]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

He also wasn't Hispanic, so far as I can tell.

GG Allin wasn't Hispanic, but he got his name under some exceptional circumstances -- his father believed his son was going to be the next messiah. It is still very unusual for an Anglo-American to be named Jesus. Very, very unusual.

I do know that in most parts of medieval Europe, during the early medieval period parents were reluctant to name their children after Mary or the holiest saints. That taboo started breaking down sometime about the 12th century. Among the children of the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine, we find a Marie (by her marriage to the king of France) and a John (by her marriage to the king of England), both uncommon names beforehand.

The only predominantly Christian cultures to use Jesus as a given name on a regular basis seem to be Hispanic and possibly Lusophone cultures.

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by Mississippienne

Lusophone

New word for me!

[Kimstu]

Originally Posted by John Mace

It's not just English speakers. It's not common outside Spanish speaking countries.

Not as uncommon as you might think, though; it used to be a recognized practice in France to name boys "Jesus" or some name with "Jesus" in it. For instance, Jesus Marie Dugue immigrated from France via Ellis Island in 1913.

An early 20th-century "Frenchie" Vermonter, Jesus Marie Charland, was the son of the magnificently named Telesphore Gaudiose Charland. They don't make 'em like that anymore!

Found a couple Marie-Jesus examples too, more 19th-c. French immigrants.

And the practice still hasn't totally died out; you can find a Jesus Marie Fourviere in Lyon or the horoscope of Jean-Jesus Chavarrias born in 1978, for instance. (Some of these examples might be immigrants from ex-French colonies in Africa, where the use of, say, "Jesus-Marie" seems more persistent than in France proper.)

Originally Posted by JKellyMap

Now THAT sounds to me like the best working hypothesis we have so far. True, it wouldn't explain why Muslims generally don't have this taboo, but I don't think we need to worry about that too much. Looking globally, I'd wager it's the taboo that's the exception, not the rule. Think of all the South Asians named Krishna, etc.

Whoa, watch that analogy there. "Muhammad" is revered by Muslims as the Prophet, but he most emphatically was never considered to be God (medieval Western misapprehensions about "Mohammedan idolaters" aside), so no cultural taboo about giving humans the name of God would apply in this case.

[robert_columbia]

Oh BTW, how do we know that Jesus was Puerto Rican?

SPOILER:

His name was "Jesus".

[robert_columbia]

Originally Posted by yorick73

Also quite a few Santos, Rosario, and crucifijo. Never see algo names such saints, rosary or crucifix...well, maybe a rosary here and there. Of course, you also never see anyone in english named July.

Well, you might find a Julius.

Also, at least historically, many Spanish speakers had middle or second names that was of the opposite gender. The point was giving the person a second, opposite sex patron saint, iirc. So you could have Jose Maria Rodriguez (Joseph Mary Rodriguez) and his sister Maria Jose Rodriguez. I believe this practice is or was common among francophones - not sure about lusophones.