American tradition has held that the very first Thanksgiving meal was celebrated in November 1621 among the New Plymouth colonizers from the Mayflower ship and the local Pokanoket Indians who were considered their friends and allies. In fact, it was these Native Americans who taught the Mayflower voyagers how to cultivate corn, and a celebration was held in honor of their first harvest a year following their landing on Plymouth Rock.

 

Those original 102 brave souls packed onto the small 100-foot Mayflower ship spent two long, miserable months crossing the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean only to lose about half their company during the grueling northeastern winter that would follow in present-day Massachusetts. So what exactly was their motivation in exchange for all this suffering? The 102 original Mayflower passengers had separated from the Church of England and sought to practice their religion freely in the New World. They were religious “Pilgrims” as we have come to call them. Saints and Strangers, these Christian dissenters rejected the corruptions of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches and wanted only to pursue their austerely rigid religious life; one which they believed brought them closer to God.

 

One of the coolest things we discovered in doing our research was the name of the Captain of the Mayflower. Christopher Jones. How perfect is that? A ship carrying two congregations of Christians was being piloted by a dude named Christopher. A name that means “Christ bearer”. We couldn’t have picked a more appropriate name if we tried.

 

Of the 102 passengers, 74 were men and 28 were women. We know at least 14 of those men were named John and six of the women were named Mary. In other words, 20% (one in five) of the Mayflower’s passengers were called either John or Mary. [Yawn] Right? The next most common names were typically English: for the men it was William (7) followed by Edward (6) and Richard (5). There were three women named Elizabeth and two each of Dorothy and Alice.

 

What interested us more, however, were the less common names – yet ones so illustrative of naming styles associated with these Christian separatists (Puritans). For instance, we see a smattering of Old Testament names such as Sarah (wife of Abraham), Judith (an ancient Jewish heroine) and Susanna (a Jewish woman who refused to sin even if it meant certain death); for the men we find Moses (leader of the Exodus), Elias (the prophet swooped up to heaven by a chariot of fire), Isaac (Abraham’s son who was almost sacrificed), Myles (a Norman-French nickname for Michael), Samuel (an important prophet) and Solomon (the third King of a Israel, son of David). These names were once reserved for Jewish people until the Puritans resurrected them as their own. It was all about getting back to God, and what better way than through the Biblical figures who were God’s original Chosen Ones?

 

They also looked to the New Testament for lesser-known Biblical figures as a way of demonstrating their modesty before God. Names that show up on the list of Mayflower passengers include Bartholomew (one of Christ’s disciples), Jasper (one of the three Magi), Damaris (a Greek woman who converted to Christianity after hearing one of St. Paul’s rousing speeches in Athens) and Priscilla (one of the named Seventy Disciples of Christ and a traveling companion of St. Paul’s).

 

Hands down, though, our favorite names appearing on the ship’s manifest are some oddball examples of the so-called Christian Virtue names. Constance (firm faith), Humility (humble before God), Remember (be mindful of God) and Fear (fear of God’s wrath) for the girls; and Desire (desired child), Love (God’s love, charity), Resolved (be resolved in one’s faith) and Wrestling for the boys. Wrestling is a bit of a head-scratcher but we’re pretty sure it’s in reference to Genesis 32 wherein Jacob wrestles either with an angel of God or God Himself (the Bible isn’t exactly clear on this point). After this wrestling match, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel (which is a Hebrew word for “struggle with God”). Naming one’s son “Wrestling” is like the ultimate statement of modesty before God. Or is it? You be the judge.

 

One final point on the Mayflower names. If you really want to show off your knowledge this Thanksgiving, we have a couple of interesting little factoids about two more Mayflower passengers: Oceanus and Peregrine. HUH? That’s what we said. Here’s the backstory. Oceanus was born during the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean enroute to the New World. The baby boy born on the ocean was named after Oceanus, an ancient Greek Titan god who personified the endless river that surrounded the earth (which is how ancient Greeks viewed the ocean back then). Peregrine was the name chosen for the very first baby boy born in the New World (he was born on the Mayflower ship at port in Cape Cod). Apropos, Peregrine is the English form of the Late Latin “Peregrinus” meaning “traveler, pilgrim, one from abroad”, The very first American baby boy born is essentially named “pilgrim” – seriously, how perfect is that?

 

Let us not forget that Thanksgiving was not just a celebration with the Pilgrims, but with the Native American Indians, as well. We took a peek at male/female names on America’s Top 1000 list to see which have either come directly from a Native-American language or were at least inspired in some way by Native-Americans. For boys we found Dakota, Logan and Geronimo. For girls we found Aiyana, Amara, Cheyenne, Dakota, Kaya, Nayeli, Raven, Savannah, Shania, Winona, Yareli and Yaritza. Look up these names at OhBabyNames.com to find their connection to Native American Indians.

 

From the “Christ-bearer” who sailed the Mayflower to the first “pilgrim” born among Puritans – I mean, honestly, this stuff is surreal. And it’s all a part of American history. Let us give thanks.

 

Gobble. Gobble. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Written by Julie Hackett, Owner/Author of OhBabyNames.com

We didn’t know skiers needed their own saint, but apparently they do (especially on Black Diamond runs). St. Bernard was a real-life 11th century monk who dedicated himself to the Christian conversion of Alp-dwelling people still displaying practices of the old pagan ways. He also set up “traveler safe houses” for French and German pilgrims going to Rome over the St. Bernard Pass (a very dangerous pass between Switzerland and Italy). The very large working-dog known as the St. Bernard was named after this saint; the breed was used to find and fetch people in perilous conditions. The pooch would mercifully show up donning a “brandy barrel” around his neck in order to keep the suffering warm while they awaited rescue.

 

For all of you sloths out there, not to worry. There is a saint you can invoke to help get your ass out of bed in the morning, and his name is St. Vitus. Vitus was a late 3rd / early 4th century child saint martyred at the age of 13 when being a Christian was punishable by death in the then-pagan Roman Empire. It was his tutor who converted him and his father who turned him in to the authorities. Ouch! An angel freed him from prison, but eventually he was captured and put into a pot of boiling oil. A rooster was thrown into the cauldron with Vitus for good measure (a pagan sacrifice). Because the rooster is the “early riser”, Vitus’s many patronages include oversleeping.

 

Ok, we need to get serious for a second. This one is not funny, although the story of how Agnes became the patroness of rape victims is really quite interesting. Born to the Roman aristocracy c. 291, Agnes was not only educated and wealthy, but she was also said to be easy on the eyes and not without her share of male admirers. However, the “chaste” Agnes, a girl of about 13, refused to marry anyone, as she had already given herself over to Christ. One of her rejected suitors turned her into the Roman authorities, essentially “outing” her as a Christian (illegal in the then-pagan Roman Empire), and she was consequently condemned to death. Since it was against Roman law to execute a virgin, Agnes was dragged to a brothel in an attempt to deflower her. According to legend, the Holy Spirit interceded and all sorts of miraculous circumstances prevented her rape (she grew hair all over her body, the men were struck blind before they could attack her, and so forth). So ladies, if you ever see a creepy guy approaching you at night in a dark alleyway, be sure to invoke St. Agnes.

 

7. Saint Adelaide – Patron Saint of Second Marriages and In-Law Problems.  

For all you spouses out there ruing the days your mother-in-law comes for a visit, just invoke St. Adelaide. The 10th century Saint Adelaide of Italy was one of the most prominent women of her time; a medieval celebrity of sorts. Her first marriage was a planned alliance during a time of great political chaos in Italy; however, her husband soon died and his usurper tried to force the young Adelaide (then barely 20) to marry his son. When she refused, she was forced to flee and threw herself at the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. Otto had other plans. Taking advantage of this precarious situation, he went ahead and conquered Italy for himself and then married Adelaide. Her second marriage was a success, but she had some issues with her daughter-in-law that created a schism between her and her son.   

 

According to statistics, the majority of married couples have cause to invoke St. Elizabeth. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336) was a Spanish princess who was betrothed to King Denis of Portugal at the ripe old age of twelve. A beautiful, kind and devoutly religious woman, the King grew tired of her soon enough and began to cause her great suffering. According to legend, the King was told an untrue rumor about one of his wife’s pages (a low-ranking servant in royal court) and so conspired to kill him. The page stopped for Mass on his way to his (unknown) death. As a result of this delay, the “bad” page (the one who started the rumor in the first place) was mistakenly put to death by furnace in the good page’s place. Are you following us? When the King got wind of this situation, he realized that God had saved the good page (for stopping at Mass) and immediately saw the errors of his ways. This amazing event guided the King into a more pious life, and he and Elizabeth went on to live out their marriage happily. 

 

This one just amuses us. The 4th century Saint Martin of Tours is the patron of both Wine-makers and Alcoholics. That’s just priceless. Conflict of interest much? 

 

Pious St. Bridget of Ireland (5th/6th century) did not fall off a building or anything. And she certainly remained chaste all of her life. Her patronage is a result of a “House of Corrections” for wayward women which stood next to the famous Well of St. Bridget. Apparently she looked over these recalcitrant ladies and their bastard children. As only an Irish Catholic girl knows how to do.

 

This one is to die for (pun intended). The seventh century King of Wessex (England) was never officially made a saint, but he’s the unofficial patron of serial killers. And we certainly can’t think of a group of people more in need of a saint!  Cædwalla was responsible for the killing of several people including a King of South Saxon and almost all the inhabitants on the Isle of Wight. In the end, he abdicated his own throne to go on a pilgrimage to Rome (having apparently given up his penchant to kill). Not surprisingly, ï»¿Cædwalla ï»¿is a name no longer in circulation, but it’s Celtic in origin and means (apropos) "one who leads in battle."

 

Rocco was born to a barren mother who prayed to the Virgin Mary for a child. In fact, it is said that he was born with a birthmark on his chest in the form of a red cross (which apparently grew larger as he grew older). Orphaned at 20, the devout Rocco distributed all of his earthly possessions among the poor and went on a pilgrimage to Rome where he ended up caring for the sick struck down by the Plague as it ravaged throughout Italy. Eventually he contracted the Plague himself, was expelled from the community, and retreated to the forest where a nobleman and his dog tended to the pious saint, keeping him alive by bringing him warmth, food and water. Proving once again that the dog is indeed man’s best friend.

 

Seriously. Even his name is ugly. St. Drogo was a 12th century French saint with Flemish ancestry. Upon learning at the age of 10 that his mother had died giving birth to him, the guilt-ridden Drogo turned completely to religion. During one of his pilgrimages to Rome, Drogo contracted some unknown disease which left him severely disfigured. The townspeople found him way too repulsive to look at, and a cell was built attached to the church where Drogo could live out his saintly life in complete isolation. Nice town folk, huh? So if you happen to get hit with the ugly stick, you know who to invoke. Just remember, though, “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” (at least that’s what ugly people say).