Camino-themed Baby Names For English Speaker

[Montater]

Hello Pilgrims,

My wife and I did the Camino Frances in 2014 and both still think about the experience every day. It has shaped the way we live our life, and we are both actively seeking out our next opportunity to return to the Camino.

In the meantime, we are expecting our first child this summer! And because the Camino is still (and will always be) such an important part of our lives, I wanted to get some Camino/pilgrim-themed male/female/unisex baby name ideas.

Though I love the beautiful español/galego/português names we encountered, I'm looking for names that would also fit well in an English-speaking family, as my wife does not speak any of those languages and we live in the U.S.

Thank you in advance for your help and creativity!

Patrick

 

[Stephen]

One that leaps to mind is Peregrine, for a boy.

 

[Purky]

I myself was pleasantly surprised to learn that my own name, Perry, is derived from Peregrine. That comes from the Latin name Peregrinus, originally meaning "one from abroad", thus a foreigner, traveller, or pilgrim.
And as a result of all that etymology my first name on my compostella is filled in as Peregrino. My parents must have been clairvoyant...

 

[notion900]

What a cool question!
Ángel is nice, it's a boy's name in Spain, but I have met lady Angels too. Or just James for St James? / Jamie for a girl?

 

[MinaKamina]

"Camino" is a great name for girls. Our Lady of the Camino is the patron of León.

 

[MinaKamina]

..... and Leon is a great name for a boy

 

[notion900]

I think it's a shame we don't have a name that we all get, like Haji for people who have been to Mecca.

 

[Staggerlee]

James?

 

[Felipe]

The most obvious choice Spanish would be Santiago. In France it would be Jacques (with derivations in English as Jacob, but apparently, not Jack); pilgrims to Compostela are called "jacquets".
If Compostela sounds as too much, remember that one of the theories about its origin is "Campus Stella" (from Campus Stellae, "field of the star"). I would not go into the discussion of the merits of this etymology, but it would suffice to remember that the star (or Stella) is a traditional pilgrimage symbol and it appears in our beloved signposts. I like it.
There is a list of patron saints of pilgrims here (but no, I would not recommend "Niño de Atocha").
For some reason, Saint Roch (which is the origen of Rocco, Rocky) does not appear in the list. There are lots of churches dedicated to Saint Roch in south Germany and southwest France, and he is represented always as a pilgrim. But in present days everybody would rather remember a movie character....
Another choice are cities or villages names. Leon has been already mentioned. What about Sarria (for a girl) or Zubiri (for a boy)? Or Estella...
Anyway, remember that it is a very nice idea, but the boy/girl will carry the name for an entire life, with all the benefits and eventual problems that an usual or unusual name could have. I mention this because I have some first hand experience with the issue...

 

[notion900]

Stella is a super name. As long as no one in the family then makes jokes about Compost Stella or something silly like that. Perry is a nice and cute name, but the full Peregrine sounds old fashioned in the UK, don't know about where you are.

 

[Icacos]

Isidore / Isidor / Isidora, after the Basilica de San Isidore in Leon. Perhaps shortened to Izzy.

 

[Mike Trebert]

Galicia, girl. Boy? - I'm working on it.

 

[nycwalking]

Pamplona, Zamora, (my little cousin's name), James/Santiago, Jean.

 

[grayland]

Sarria for a girl....Santiago for a Boy.....Tui for ??....

 

[Coleen Clark]

Ultreia!

 

[Pelegrin]

Galician names are:

For Girls:
Lua (Moon), Estrela (Star), Uxía (Eugenia), Xoana ( Jane), Leda(happy)
For boys:
Iago (Sp Santiago), Brais (Sp Blas), Roi (Sp Rodrigo), Xan (John), Lois (Louis).
Galician X sounds like English SH

 

[notion900]

I would not recommend "Niño de Atocha"

Especially as Atocha is now a railway station in Madrid.

 

[MinaKamina]

Rosalía for a girl, after the great Rosalia de Castro (1837 - 1885) " the unquestioned poet laureate of Galicia."
She published the first work written in the Galician language. The day her 'Cantares Gallegos' appeared later became an official holiday in Galicia, Día das letras Galegas.

 

[Ian Afloat]

Napoleon

 

[notion900]

Val and Carlos for twins

 

[Paddington Bear]

The most obvious choice Spanish would be Santiago. In France it would be Jacques (with derivations in English as Jacob, but apparently, not Jack); pilgrims to Compostela are called "jacquets"...

Santiago actually translates into English as Saint James.
Iago in Hebrew translates to Jacob.

 

[Walk with Ernie]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Shelly.

 

[notion900]

Mochila

 

[Walk with Ernie]

Mochila

good one

 

[MinaKamina]

Blister

 

[Felipe]

Santiago actually translates into English as Saint James.

I know. But from the linguistic point of view, it does not seem a logical evolution to me. But I am not an expert.

 

[JillGat]

Tempranillo

 

[Icacos]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Shelly.

Only just got this. Clever!

 

[grayland]

Donotivo? Vino tinto? Ivar?

 

[marciarsm]

For a girl it could be Rachelle (French for Rachel) and pronounced rah-shell, with Shelly as a nickname.
Or what about Jacqueline, anther French female name for James.

 

[Chuck Cunningham]

Napoleon

Cool name, gets my vote.

 

[Chuck Cunningham]

Donotivo? Vino tinto? Ivar?

Donotivo=cool

 

[Chuck Cunningham]

Blister

Hahahahah

 

[Annalisa]

Hello Pilgrims,

My wife and I did the Camino Frances in 2014 and both still think about the experience every day. It has shaped the way we live our life, and we are both actively seeking out our next opportunity to return to the Camino.

In the meantime, we are expecting our first child this summer! And because the Camino is still (and will always be) such an important part of our lives, I wanted to get some Camino/pilgrim-themed male/female/unisex baby name ideas.

Though I love the beautiful español/galego/português names we encountered, I'm looking for names that would also fit well in an English-speaking family, as my wife does not speak any of those languages and we live in the U.S.

Thank you in advance for your help and creativity!

Patrick

Frances

 

[Bradypus]

I know. But from the linguistic point of view, it does not seem a logical evolution to me. But I am not an expert.

"James is the English language New Testament (Vulgar/Later Latin) form of the Hebrew name Yaʻaqov (known as Jacob in its earlier Latin form).[1] The name James came into the English language from the Old French variation James[2] of the late Latin name Iacomus. This was a Vulgar/Later Latin (proto-Romance) variant of the earlier Latin form Iacobus, from the New Testament Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יעקב (Yaʻaqov) (Jacob). The development Iacobus > Iacomus is likely a result of nasalization of the o and assimilation to the following b (i.e., intermediate *Iacombus) followed by simplification of the cluster mb through loss of the b. Diminutives include Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie, Jamie, Jimbo and others." Wikipedia.

 

[Davie Blisters]

Hemingway


....and Chuck, there is nothing funny about the name Blister

 

[camino07]

Knew of a little boy named Tiago

 

[FamPed]

Tiago, Benedict, Roland or Muxia for a boy.
Faith, Maria or Sarria for a girl.

 

[jmcarp]

James?

I like this one, but of course I'm prejudiced
Jim

 

[jmcarp]

Galician names are:

For Girls:
Lua (Moon), Estrela (Star), Uxía (Eugenia), Xoana ( Jane), Leda(happy)
For boys:
Iago (Sp Santiago), Brais (Sp Blas), Roi (Sp Rodrigo), Xan (John), Lois (Louis).
Galician X sounds like English SH

From a practical standpoint, Iago is a pretty rare name in the English-speaking world and I suspect most people that recognize it will associate it with the villain in Shakespeare's "Othello." If you have a boy and name him that, it may cause some distress later in life as most kids -- his peers while growing up -- will not associate the name with the saint of the Camino, especially once they get introduced to Shakespeare (do they teach that in schools any more?). FWIW, my name, James, as it appears on my Compostela, is Iacobum -- but I'm not suggesting that as a choice for your child.
Jim

 

[Paddington Bear]

Blister

Why not? We have Bindi which is a thorn from a type of grass that gets painfully stuck in your feet.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

More ideas from the Camino.........Cizur, (Ceasar), Reina (Queen), Santo (Saint), Juan (John), Rei/Rey (King), Viana (Vivian), Jean (John), Cruciero/Cruz (Cross), Michel (Michael), Arleta (Arlette), Capilla (Chapel), Sebastian (Steven), Rio (River), Martin (Martin), Clara (Clara), Calzada, Gaudi, Isodoro (Isador), Palacio/Palacia (Palace), Pieros (Peter), Melide (Melinda?), Xulian (Julian), Anton (Anthony), Matias (Mathias), Faba (Fabian), Cebreiro, Sarela/o, ...

 

[JillGat]

Chinche would be cute.

 

[marciarsm]

Charles, Charlene, Carla, Charlotte for Charlemagne.

 

[oursonpolaire]

I think it's a shame we don't have a name that we all get, like Haji for people who have been to Mecca.

A Muslim barista in town, aware of my Camino-ing, does call me Haji.

As far as names go, a German academic of my acquaintance fell pregnant on her Camino a few years ago. After some thought, she decided that the child should be named after the town in which it was conceived, and came to the conclusion that Puente la Reina was the spot, her calculations suggesting that her first identification of Estella was wrong. This caused her some distress as she had no intention of calling her daughter Puente la Reina, when Estella was so excellent a choice. I suggested that she instead call the girl Estefania, who was one of the bridge-building queens. This went down well and little Steffi is about to head into her first year of school next year. I wondered why she had not consulted the father on this question but did not have the nerve to enquire.

In any case, it is as well that nothing untoward happened in Villalcazar de Sirga or Mansilla de las Mulas. Still, Atapuerca could be workable, although I would not recommend Belorado. Burgo is an occasional boy's name in England.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Whichever name you might be considering, make sure you go to the back door and yell it out loud as if you were calling your child home after a day of play - best to make sure it sounds as good as it looks on paper.

 

[MinaKamina]

A Muslim barista in town, aware of my Camino-ing, does call me Haji.

As far as names go, a German academic of my acquaintance fell pregnant on her Camino a few years ago. After some thought, she decided that the child should be named after the town in which it was conceived, and came to the conclusion that Puente la Reina was the spot, her calculations suggesting that her first identification of Estella was wrong. This caused her some distress as she had no intention of calling her daughter Puente la Reina, when Estella was so excellent a choice. I suggested that she instead call the girl Estefania, who was one of the bridge-building queens. This went down well and little Steffi is about to head into her first year of school next year. I wondered why she had not consulted the father on this question but did not have the nerve to enquire.

In any case, it is as well that nothing untoward happened in Villalcazar de Sirga or Mansilla de las Mulas. Still, Atapuerca could be workable, although I would not recommend Belorado. Burgo is an occasional boy's name in England.

Before naming any child Atapuerca, please look up the meaning of 'ata' (from 'atar') and 'puerca'.
The same goes for 'Muxía' or 'Mugía' as it used to be written in Spanish. 'Mugir' as a verb refers to the sounds that cows make, especially when they do not stop. That same verb can be used in case of a howling child, the kind of darling that never sleeps when it is supposed to.

 

[tyrrek]

'Elias', after Fr Elias Valina Sampedro, who did so much to stop the Camino dying out in the late 20th Century by painting the first yellow arrows etc.

He is also referred to with the Spanish honorific 'Don' (i.e. Don Elias), which would also work.

 

[Pelegrin]

Before naming any child Atapuerca, please look up the meaning of 'ata' (from 'atar') and 'puerca'.
The same goes for 'Muxía' or 'Mugía' as it used to be written in Spanish. 'Mugir' as a verb refers to the sounds that cows make, especially when they do not stop. That same verb can be used in case of a howling child, the kind of darling that never sleeps when it is supposed to.

Muxia is Galician and Mugia was the Spanish official name in Franco's times . But don´t mean the same:
The name Muxia that I´m sure has another origin, in Galego means milked (past) from verb to milk, whereas Mugia in Spanish refers to the sounds that cows make.
There were some more cases of Galician toponomy that translated into Spanish changed completely their meanings, the most notorious was Niño da Aguia (Eagle Nest) that officially was Niño de la Guia (Child of the Guide).

 

[MinaKamina]

Muxia is Galician and Mugia was the Spanish official name in Franco's times . But don´t mean the same:
The name Muxia that I´m sure has another origin, in Galego means milked (past) from verb to milk, whereas Mugia in Spanish refers to the sounds that cows make.
There were some more cases of Galician toponomy that translated into Spanish changed completely their meanings, the most notorious was Niño da Aguia (Eagle Nest) that officially was Niño de la Guia (Child of the Guide).

I do not recommend any name for a child that may be confused with a word with completely different meaning. Moreover, in my opinion, there is no grace in calling a boy "Milked" either. Nor a girl.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

...in the English-speaking world and I suspect most people that recognize it will associate it with the villain in Shakespeare's "Othello." If you have a boy and name him that, it may cause some distress later in life as most kids -- his peers while growing up -- will not associate the name with the saint of the Camino, especially once they get introduced to Shakespeare (do they teach that in schools any more?).

I don't have much faith in today's education system and would not worry about Shakespearian references.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Muxia is Galician and Mugia was the Spanish official name in Franco's times . But don´t mean the same:
The name Muxia that I´m sure has another origin, in Galego means milked (past) from verb to milk, whereas Mugia in Spanish refers to the sounds that cows make.
There were some more cases of Galician toponomy that translated into Spanish changed completely their meanings, the most notorious was Niño da Aguia (Eagle Nest) that officially was Niño de la Guia (Child of the Guide).

And Muxia is pronounced Moochee'a, unlike mugir.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

As far as names go, a German academic of my acquaintance fell pregnant on her Camino a few years ago.
...
I wondered why she had not consulted the father on this question but did not have the nerve to enquire
.

Who on earth has the energy for such things on the Camino? Let's just hope she was visiting pensiones claiming to do so because of other people's snoring.

 

[Pelegrin]

And Muxia is pronounced Moochee'a, unlike mugir.

The Galician X sounds like English SH, so Muxia is Moosheea (I think).

 

[Anemone del Camino]

The Galician X sounds like English SH, so Muxia is Moosheea (I think).

Yes, that's what I said.

 

[Icacos]

And Muxia is pronounced Moochee'a.....

The Galician X sounds like English SH, so Muxia is Moosheea (I think).

Yes, that's what I said.

No, I don't think so ..... just stirring the pot here ...
The 'cheea' in Moocheea is pronounced, I would think, as in 'cheese.'
The 'sheea' in Moosheea is pronounced, again, I would think, as in 'she.'
Which is it?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

No, I don't think so ..... just stirring the pot here ...
The 'cheea' in Moocheea is pronounced, I would think, as in 'cheese.'
The 'sheea' in Moosheea is pronounced, again, I would think, as in 'she.'
Which is it?

Ch and sh are the same in French . No t sound.

 

[Icacos]

Aaah, now I understand. I of all people should know that.....I have a French name starting with 'Ch' and it is pronounced 'Sh.. Thanks for that.

 

[MinaKamina]

Well, I think we can safely conclude that Muxía would make life difficult for a child of that name, even more so when living in an English-speaking environment.

However, with a slight alteration, it does become an extraordinary name for a cat, as Meoxía or Mouxia depending on character and talent.

 

[Pelegrin]

No, I don't think so ..... just stirring the pot here ...
The 'cheea' in Moocheea is pronounced, I would think, as in 'cheese.'
The 'sheea' in Moosheea is pronounced, again, I would think, as in 'she.'
Which is it?

It is Moosheea. (Muxia)
Moocheea (Muchia) sounds different in Galego.

 

[Bradypus]

It is Moosheea. (Muxia)
Moocheea (Muchia) sounds different in Galego.

Think yourself lucky that your pronunciation is fairly regular and predictable. English is full of inconsistencies. Famously someone once demonstrated that in English the word "fish" could quite easily be spelled 'ghoti'

 

[geraldkelly]

Bocadillo for the boy and Caña for the girl. Happy memories!

 

[Tigger]

A little off topic, but I have a cactus collection and I call ALL my cactuses 'Juan'...as in 'If you have seen Juan you have seen them all!


boom-tish

 

[MKalcolm M]

My daughter's name is "Faith", so named because her mother was very nervous during the pregnancy. Whenever she worried, I would say "Just have faith". When a little girl was born, it seemed the natural name for her. Faith is now 12 years old and she I recently walked the Camino Portugese. Many people on the camino liked her name.

 

[Brenda54]

One that leaps to mind is Peregrine, for a boy.

I know a woman in Kansas City whose name is Peregrine. A fabulous artist!

 

[kdespot]

Chinche would be cute.

Ha! That's just bad.

 

[Jacobus]

"James is the English language New Testament (Vulgar/Later Latin) form of the Hebrew name Yaʻaqov (known as Jacob in its earlier Latin form).[1] The name James came into the English language from the Old French variation James[2] of the late Latin name Iacomus. This was a Vulgar/Later Latin (proto-Romance) variant of the earlier Latin form Iacobus, from the New Testament Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יעקב (Yaʻaqov) (Jacob). The development Iacobus > Iacomus is likely a result of nasalization of the o and assimilation to the following b (i.e., intermediate *Iacombus) followed by simplification of the cluster mb through loss of the b. Diminutives include Jim, Jimmy, Jimmie, Jamie, Jimbo and others." Wikipedia.

Iago in Spain,Seamus in Ireland, Hamish in Scotland,

 

[Montater]

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies, I appreciate your creativity! Burn camino

 

[SYates]

Hello Pilgrims,

My wife and I did the Camino Frances in 2014 and both still think about the experience every day. It has shaped the way we live our life, and we are both actively seeking out our next opportunity to return to the Camino.

In the meantime, we are expecting our first child this summer! And because the Camino is still (and will always be) such an important part of our lives, I wanted to get some Camino/pilgrim-themed male/female/unisex baby name ideas.

Though I love the beautiful español/galego/português names we encountered, I'm looking for names that would also fit well in an English-speaking family, as my wife does not speak any of those languages and we live in the U.S.

Thank you in advance for your help and creativity!

Patrick

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies, I appreciate your creativity! Burn camino

Is it there yet? ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[Montater]

We are very close! T minus 1 month!!

 

[KinkyOne]

Concha (shell) /Conchi/Conchita for a girl?

 

[notion900]

Concha (shell) /Conchi/Conchita for a girl?

Rude word in South America

 

[KinkyOne]

Rude word in South America

Oops

 

[Mikel Olivares]

What a cool question!
Ángel is nice, it's a boy's name in Spain, but I have met lady Angels too. Or just James for St James? / Jamie for a girl?

Ángel, singular for men.
Ángeles, plural for women

 

[Mikel Olivares]

Chinche would be cute.

Oh my gosh!

 

[Mikel Olivares]

Rude word in South America

But very common in Spain

 

[FRL]

I stayed in a gite in SJPdP and the owner's name was Maristella. The meaning is slightly different depending where you look: star or sea star. When I stayed at Albergue A La Sombra Del Laurel the owner was Esperanza: hope. Both of these names seem perfect for a Camino girl!