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

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

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‘.

Yeah, go for Concho better.

At least polla is only “female chicken” or “horse bet”

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.

New word for me!

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! :slight_smile:

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.)

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.

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

His name was “Jesus”.

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.