Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Amos
Amos is a name from the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) as one of the twelve Minor Prophets during the prosperous and active years of Israel. He is also the author of the Book of Amos, considered the oldest of the prophetic books written in the 8th century B.C. The name is most likely derived from the Hebrew “amos” (עָמוֹס) meaning “to carry” but is often translated to mean “born of God”. We think of Amos as “carrying” the word of God given his Biblical importance. Before being hand-picked as a prophet by God, Amos was a sheepherder and fig farmer from the southern kingdom of Judah. During Amos’s time, Judah and Israel were enjoying a fair share of political stability and economic prosperity. So what was the problem then? Well, when times are good, people tend to get a little lackadaisical about their duty to God and upholding His covenant. Enter Amos. It’s his job to let the people of Judah and Israel know that their hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed by the Almighty. According to Amos, the people of Judah and Israel are guilty of extravagance and social injustices, of idolatry and corruption. Yet they halfheartedly go through their obligatory religious rituals and sacrifices as if they’re perfect little citizens. Sorry, says Amos. God will cast His judgment and exact His punishment on the people. Just you wait and see. And that’s exactly what came to be. Although not all doom-and-gloom, God also promises to restore Israel after its necessary destruction. Just another one of those Biblical fatherly reminders that you better be good – and “pretending” to be good doesn’t count. As with many Hebrew names of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), Amos has been a popular name among Jewish people. The Puritans would later popularize the name among Gentiles during the Reformation and bring it to colonial America. Today Amos is rarely used, but it is on the male naming charts in the United States (and, with even lesser frequency, in Canada and Australia).
All About the Baby Name – Amos
Personality
OF THE BOY NAME AMOS
The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.
Popularity
OF THE BOY NAME AMOS
Although we don’t have available name data going back that far, we can probably say Amos was most popular in America during colonial times (as influenced by the Puritans and other strict religious folks). However, we do know that Amos was almost a Top 100 favorite name in the late 19th century (#105 in 1880). At the turn of the 20th century, Amos was on the high end of moderation. One of the most familiar fictional name bearers of the early 20th century was that of Amos Jones of the very popular radio show “Amos ‘n’ Andy” (1928-1955). Although widely denounced today for its stereotyped, minstrel-like treatment of African-Americans and for its “crude, repetitive and moronic” dialogue, Amos ‘n’ Andy was enormously popular in its day. The two titular African-American characters were created and voiced by a couple of white guys. Amos Jones was the naïve, honest one while Andy Brown was the overly confident one. The storylines generally followed Amos ‘n’ Andy as they sought better lives for themselves in Chicago. Although younger generations won’t remember this reference to an old radio show, for some Amos is strongly associated with this old character. In any case, as the decade progressed into last century, Amos saw dwindling popularity as these Old Testament fellows went out of style. The name dropped completely off the American radar in 2004 when for the first time ever Amos couldn’t find a place on the Top 1000 list. Now the name comes and goes but pretty much resides at the bottom of the list. Old fashioned Biblical names have been coming back into style (Noah, Ethan and Elijah, for example). Amos is still neglected and rarely used, so perhaps this name is a good choice for parents looking for a Biblical name of significance, but one which might be considered more original. The Bibles Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) are already in wider circulation than many of the Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). Amos is definitely better than Habakkuk, no?
Quick Facts
ON AMOS
GENDER:
Boy
ORIGIN:
Hebrew
NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:
2
RANKING POPULARITY:
778
PRONUNCIATION:
A-mәs
SIMPLE MEANING:
Carried (God’s word)
Characteristics
OF AMOS
