1. Home
  2. Slideshows
  3. From Joe to Moe: We share names, can’t we share land?

From Joe to Moe: We share names, can’t we share land?

Published May 15th, 2016 - 04:49 GMT

There is an uncanny overlap of common names that cross the borders of culture and faith, with similar and sometimes identical pronunciations and meanings. Many names now found from Arabic to English harken to tales of the Old Testament, whose characters are revered by Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. (A reminder to all that Arabs come in all those faith flavors!)

Arabic’s “foreigness” and supposed “harshness” may startle some Westerners, causing passengers to be booted from planes or for working out math problems. But is it really that alien? Consider that some of the most common names in English exist as staple Christian (and Muslim) names in Arabic - there is more to bind us together than to tear us asunder. From Peter, Paul, and Luke to Lara, Jasmine, and Mary, the common origins and recycled contemporary usage of names found throughout the West, Israel, and across the Arab World bridges political gaps.  After all, if we can share names, can’t we at least share plane rides together [or share land]?

 

 

 

 

 

View as a slider
View as a list
Adam

Adam (En) v. Adam (Ar) v. Adam (Heb) - This primordial ‘first man’ is something that all Abrahamic cultures can agree on. It's the Hebrew word for "man", and in Arabic “Beni-Adam” means human being, literally “son of Adam”.

John

John (En) v. Yahia (Ar) - for Muslims/Yo7anna (Ar) - for Christians v. Yochanan (Heb) – Means "gracious". The name pops up several times in the Bible; we’ve got John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ; and the apostle John eponymously named for his Gospel.

Zachary

Zachary (En) v. Zakaria (Ar) v. Zechariah (Heb) - Signifies that ‘God has remembered’. The Arabic name too preserves the root of memory. In Biblical geneology, ‘Zach’ was the father of John the Baptist (see slide no. 2).

Mary

Mary (En) v. Mariam (Ar) v. Miriam (Heb) – Many know this name as the mother of Jesus, and the muse behind the Hail Mary or the Salam Mariam; but its origins may go back as far as ancient Egypt: Mary was a sister of Moses, derived in part from “beloved”. The name also connotes a bit of wild child, with meanings of "rebelliousness".

Sara

Sarah (En) v. Sara (Ar) v. Sara (Heb) - This name goes stretches back to the Old Testament, held by Abraham's wife who had her first baby at age 90! Originally Sarai, now seen as Sara, and Sarah, this ubiquitous moniker appears in more languages and cultures than we can reel off in a caption.

Joseph

Joseph (En) v. Yousef (Ar) v. Yosef (Heb) – Think Joe Bloggs, Joe College, or Cup of Joe? Modern usage aside, the Old Testament’s Joseph means “He will add”. Famous Biblical Joes include the 11th son of Jacob, famed for his Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Mary’s value-adding husband of the New Testament.

Moses

Moses (En) v. Moussa (Ar) v.Moshe (Heb) - The name of the prophet whose CV includes parting the Red Sea and receiving God’s Ten Commandments is found in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Its etymology is disputed, but the Mousas of Arabia, the Moshes of Israel, and the Moses’ of the West leave no doubt that this name has stood the test of time.

Isaac

Isaac (En) v. Is'7aak (Ar) v. Yitzak (Heb) are common names throughout Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures. The name comes from the Hebrew word for laugh צָחַק (yitzhak). The Arabic for “he laughs” is ” يضحك” (Yidhak), a close cousin of the Hebrew pronunciation.

Jacob

Jacob (En) v. Yakoub (Ar) v. Ya’aqov (Heb) – Biblically speaking, this was the father of the 12 founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. If more Arabs knew that this star of the Bible later took the name of that Star of David ‘Israel’, they might be less keen on naming their sons Yakoub. The name also carries shades of “may God protect”.

Noah

Noah (En) v. Noo7 (Ar) v. Noach (Heb) – Rooted in the Hebrew word for “rest” and “comfort”, this name of the biblical boat-builder has made a comeback in the US, in fact it’s the most popular name for boys born in 2014. It is also used in Arabic-speaking countries for boys, though not nearly as popular as Mohammad.

David

David (En) v. Dawood (Ar) v. Dawid (Heb) - The name of the second king of Israel and vanquisher of giant Philistine Goliath, David is believed to be derived from the Hebrew Dawid, meaning “beloved”. Dave is a common name in the West, as is its Arabic equivalent - Daoud - in Arab countries.

Michael

Michael (En) v. Mikhail (Ar) v. Mikha’el (Heb) - In Hebrew, this name confers “who is like God?” That is to say, “nobody”, despite what Michael Jackson fans might tell you. He’s an Archangel in the Bible and a key player in the battle depicted in the Book of Revelations - and also one of the most common English names for boys.

Elijah

Elijah (En) v. Eliyyahu (Ar) v. Eliyahu (Heb) means “my God is Yahweh” in Hebrew, which makes sense, as all 3 Abrahamic faiths revere him for his miracles (such as raising the dead and making it rain fire!), and unflappable faith. The name ranks #11 in most popular boys’ names in the US in 2015.

Hannah

Hannah (En) v. Hanneh (Ar) v. Channeh (Heb) - Popular and palindromic, Hannah comes from the Hebrew Channah meaning Gift from God. Mother of the prophet Samuel in the Bible, this name is found in all three Abrahamic religions and pops up in plenty of languages. It’s also the origin of the even more common Anna, the girls’ name.

Solomon

Solomon (En) v. Suleiman (Ar) v. Shlomo (Heb) - Derived from “shalom”, the Hebrew word for peace. Solomon was the great biblical king who built the temple in (hardly peaceful) Jerusalem. Though not so common in English, the Arabic variant “Suleiman” and Hebrew “Shlomo” are contemporarily popular in the Middle East.

Dina

Dina/ Dinah (En) v. Dina (Ar) v. Dina (Heb) - In Arabic this name means 'believe', if you believe that. Its Hebrew meaning gets amped up as a force to be reckoned with, translated as 'avenged, judged and vindicated'. Namesakes include the famous Jordanian Queen Dina, and the biblical Dinah, Jacob's only daughter.

Issa Jesus

You might be surprised to learn that Issa, Jesus in the Quran, is hugely prolific in the Middle East. Jesus’ name in the Arabic Bible, Yesua’, derives from the Hebrew “Yeshua”, “God (Yahweh) is Salvation”. Yeshua also gives us Joshua, which, unlike 'Jesus' in English at least, you may have had in your classroom.

Adam
John
Zachary
Mary
Sara
Joseph
Moses
Isaac
Jacob
Noah
David
Michael
Elijah
Hannah
Solomon
Dina
Issa Jesus
Adam
Adam (En) v. Adam (Ar) v. Adam (Heb) - This primordial ‘first man’ is something that all Abrahamic cultures can agree on. It's the Hebrew word for "man", and in Arabic “Beni-Adam” means human being, literally “son of Adam”.
John
John (En) v. Yahia (Ar) - for Muslims/Yo7anna (Ar) - for Christians v. Yochanan (Heb) – Means "gracious". The name pops up several times in the Bible; we’ve got John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ; and the apostle John eponymously named for his Gospel.
Zachary
Zachary (En) v. Zakaria (Ar) v. Zechariah (Heb) - Signifies that ‘God has remembered’. The Arabic name too preserves the root of memory. In Biblical geneology, ‘Zach’ was the father of John the Baptist (see slide no. 2).
Mary
Mary (En) v. Mariam (Ar) v. Miriam (Heb) – Many know this name as the mother of Jesus, and the muse behind the Hail Mary or the Salam Mariam; but its origins may go back as far as ancient Egypt: Mary was a sister of Moses, derived in part from “beloved”. The name also connotes a bit of wild child, with meanings of "rebelliousness".
Sara
Sarah (En) v. Sara (Ar) v. Sara (Heb) - This name goes stretches back to the Old Testament, held by Abraham's wife who had her first baby at age 90! Originally Sarai, now seen as Sara, and Sarah, this ubiquitous moniker appears in more languages and cultures than we can reel off in a caption.
Joseph
Joseph (En) v. Yousef (Ar) v. Yosef (Heb) – Think Joe Bloggs, Joe College, or Cup of Joe? Modern usage aside, the Old Testament’s Joseph means “He will add”. Famous Biblical Joes include the 11th son of Jacob, famed for his Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Mary’s value-adding husband of the New Testament.
Moses
Moses (En) v. Moussa (Ar) v.Moshe (Heb) - The name of the prophet whose CV includes parting the Red Sea and receiving God’s Ten Commandments is found in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Its etymology is disputed, but the Mousas of Arabia, the Moshes of Israel, and the Moses’ of the West leave no doubt that this name has stood the test of time.
Isaac
Isaac (En) v. Is'7aak (Ar) v. Yitzak (Heb) are common names throughout Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures. The name comes from the Hebrew word for laugh צָחַק (yitzhak). The Arabic for “he laughs” is ” يضحك” (Yidhak), a close cousin of the Hebrew pronunciation.
Jacob
Jacob (En) v. Yakoub (Ar) v. Ya’aqov (Heb) – Biblically speaking, this was the father of the 12 founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. If more Arabs knew that this star of the Bible later took the name of that Star of David ‘Israel’, they might be less keen on naming their sons Yakoub. The name also carries shades of “may God protect”.
Noah
Noah (En) v. Noo7 (Ar) v. Noach (Heb) – Rooted in the Hebrew word for “rest” and “comfort”, this name of the biblical boat-builder has made a comeback in the US, in fact it’s the most popular name for boys born in 2014. It is also used in Arabic-speaking countries for boys, though not nearly as popular as Mohammad.
David
David (En) v. Dawood (Ar) v. Dawid (Heb) - The name of the second king of Israel and vanquisher of giant Philistine Goliath, David is believed to be derived from the Hebrew Dawid, meaning “beloved”. Dave is a common name in the West, as is its Arabic equivalent - Daoud - in Arab countries.
Michael
Michael (En) v. Mikhail (Ar) v. Mikha’el (Heb) - In Hebrew, this name confers “who is like God?” That is to say, “nobody”, despite what Michael Jackson fans might tell you. He’s an Archangel in the Bible and a key player in the battle depicted in the Book of Revelations - and also one of the most common English names for boys.
Elijah
Elijah (En) v. Eliyyahu (Ar) v. Eliyahu (Heb) means “my God is Yahweh” in Hebrew, which makes sense, as all 3 Abrahamic faiths revere him for his miracles (such as raising the dead and making it rain fire!), and unflappable faith. The name ranks #11 in most popular boys’ names in the US in 2015.
Hannah
Hannah (En) v. Hanneh (Ar) v. Channeh (Heb) - Popular and palindromic, Hannah comes from the Hebrew Channah meaning Gift from God. Mother of the prophet Samuel in the Bible, this name is found in all three Abrahamic religions and pops up in plenty of languages. It’s also the origin of the even more common Anna, the girls’ name.
Solomon
Solomon (En) v. Suleiman (Ar) v. Shlomo (Heb) - Derived from “shalom”, the Hebrew word for peace. Solomon was the great biblical king who built the temple in (hardly peaceful) Jerusalem. Though not so common in English, the Arabic variant “Suleiman” and Hebrew “Shlomo” are contemporarily popular in the Middle East.
Dina
Dina/ Dinah (En) v. Dina (Ar) v. Dina (Heb) - In Arabic this name means 'believe', if you believe that. Its Hebrew meaning gets amped up as a force to be reckoned with, translated as 'avenged, judged and vindicated'. Namesakes include the famous Jordanian Queen Dina, and the biblical Dinah, Jacob's only daughter.
Issa Jesus
You might be surprised to learn that Issa, Jesus in the Quran, is hugely prolific in the Middle East. Jesus’ name in the Arabic Bible, Yesua’, derives from the Hebrew “Yeshua”, “God (Yahweh) is Salvation”. Yeshua also gives us Joshua, which, unlike 'Jesus' in English at least, you may have had in your classroom.

You may also like

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content
Subscribe Now
Loading content ...