# Spanish folks and Jesus **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073 "2000-08-28T18:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/21 "2000-08-29T16:52:21Z")
thinking that perhaps joshua and jesus are the same name in spanish (like in russian in the example i gave above)i asked 2 women in my office who are from south america. they looked at me about as baffled as you could. they had no clue what joshua would be in spanish, they said they would check their bibles tonight and get back to me. perhaps someone here could find out quicker? i’m also checking with other people in the office from other countries to see if the same name thing holds true. perhaps all the people we think (in our english speaking way) are named after jesus are actually joshes.(?) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/22 "2000-08-29T17:06:02Z")
xicanorex: > [@](#): > > I was surprised as heck that Protestants did NOT name their children Jesus or Mary and that they considered that blasphemy! Interesting perspective…but if it were clearly a Catholic-Protestant split, I’d understand it. As Arnold pointed out earlier, the name Jesus is unheard of for non-Spanish Catholics as well: French, Irish, Italian… For some reason, this non-use of the name doesn’t occur in Spanish-speaking countries. Rocking Chair: The [on-line Bible Gateway](http://bibles.gospelcom.net), which has a Spanish section, translates the Book of Joshua as “Josué,” not as “Jesus.” Chaim Mattis Keller ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/23 "2000-08-29T17:17:47Z")
I looked “Joshua” and “Jesus” up in a baby name book (not terrifically reliable, I know), and it said that Joshua was Hebrew in origin and means “God is my saviour,” and “Jesus” is Aramaic for “saviour.” ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/24 "2000-08-29T18:38:00Z")
For what it’s worth as a middle-of-the-road Protestant, there is nothing in my faith or religion that prohibits anyone from naming their child “Jesus.” I have never heard of a Christian “policy,” formal or informal, that frowns on giving a child that name. It’s just not a popular name in our WASPy culture. Just as I wouldn’t name a son “Jesus,” I wouldn’t name a daughter Immaculata (Immaculate One) or Concepcion (Conception), either. I think its a cultural thing, not a religious thing. I mean, I wouldn’t name my son Marcel or Marian, either, but it doesn’t have anything to do with religion. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/25 "2000-08-29T18:41:09Z")
CMK – Re the Gateway Bible, that’s because “Jesus” and “Joshua” have evolved into separate names, even if they were once totally synonymous. Just as it would be inaccurate to call it “the Book of Jesus” in English, it would be inaccurate to call it the “Book of Jesus” in Spanish. Josue (sorry no accent) is Spanish for Joshua, not Jesus. Also Italian, I believe – wasn’t that the name of the little Jewish boy in “Life Is Beautiful”? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/26 "2000-08-29T23:36:51Z")
Also, I would think that naming a child Jesus would be an incredibly hard thing to do to a kid. Can you imagine trying to live up to THAT name? ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/27 "2000-08-30T01:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Also, I would think that naming a child Jesus would be an incredibly hard thing to do to a kid. > Can you imagine trying to live up to THAT name? > \*\* Even worse, what if the kid became an atheist in his teenage years? He’d think he didn’t exist. :GD&R: ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/28 "2000-08-30T01:33:14Z")
cmkeller thank you for the quick look up. it appears that russian stands alone in having jesus and joshua as the same name. although it was fun confounding people at work. i’ve just checked italian, french, german, and greek all are diffrent names. it also seems that joshua is a popular name mostly in america. (maybe another thread topic?) i also checked with a priest on where the “taboo” may have started. according to him jesus and mary are patrons of all people, not just an individual. so to name someone after one of them specifically would cause undue pride, ie my patron saint IS god. that wouldn’t help someone become a better christian. a patron saint is used as a further example of how to be more christ-like, christ being the first example. ---
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/29 "2000-08-30T02:28:16Z")
That doesn’t sound right to me. How would Russians translate the name of the Joshua’s in the old testament? They wouldn’t say Yezoos (Jesus) because that’s not the same name. It’s not even the same language. I’m gonna try to look into this. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/30 "2000-08-30T02:47:13Z")
both names are pronounced ee ee soos, in russian. i have bibles in english and russian (church slavonic) at home. russian like english has words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same, but have very diffrent meanings. you have to go with context. ---
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/31 "2000-08-30T02:54:46Z")
Well, this may be inappropriate, but Levon named his son Jesus just because he liked the name. (Just trying to get my post count up. Sorry. Back to your discussion.) ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/32 "2000-08-30T03:23:49Z")
On a minor tangent… A popular french name is Marie-Josef (Mary Joseph). It’s a male’s name, and is considered extremely good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/33 "2000-08-30T11:35:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Even worse, what if the kid [named Jesus] became an atheist in his teenage years? He’d think he didn’t exist. Don’t forget the [Atheists for Jesus](http://www.atheists-for-jesus.com). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073/34 "2000-08-30T12:55:09Z")
**JESUS SAVES!!!** Rodriguez scores on the rebound! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-folks-and-jesus/31073.md?page=1)