Jairo

Jairo is the Spanish equivalent of Jair which is a Hebrew name meaning “he shines” Jair shows up in the Bible, in the Old Testament (Numbers) as the son of Manasseh which would make Jair the grandson of Joseph and the great-grandson of Jacob/Israel. However, according to 1 Chronicles 2:21, Jair was the son of Segub which would make him a descendent of Judah (Joseph’s brother). He distinguished himself by taking several small towns in battle called “Jair’s Villages" (Havvoth-jair). Furthermore, the name is mentioned briefly in Judges 10:3-4 as the 8th judge of Israel who ruled for 22 years and had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys and lived in 30 cities (in reference to the ancient Havvoth-jair). Jair is also mentioned In Esther as the father of Mordecai (Esther’s uncle) and a Benjamite. In fact the Old Testament is virtually peppered with the “shining” name Jair, but only in passing and with obscure references. It’s uncertain when Spanish-speakers adopted the name Jairo, but it remains moderately popular in Spain and Catalonia.