Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Damaris

A lot of people are unaware of the fact that Damaris is a Biblical name. She appears briefly in the New Testament (Acts of the Apostles 17:34) as a woman who listened to the Apostle Paul give a thundering speech in Athens to the pagan Athenians, preaching Jesus and the Resurrection. While many of the Athenians mocked the resurrection of the dead; others were eager to hear more. Damaris is specifically mentioned as a woman who “joined [Paul] and believed”. What’s noteworthy about the recording of Damaris’s name in the New Testament is that it provides evidence of her high-standing and education (not many women were invited to speeches given at the Areopagus in Athens circa 50 A.D.). Because Daramis is mention in the same verse as Dionysius of Areopagite, Christian tradition has held her to be his wife. This has placed Damaris on an even higher Christian pedestal because Dionysius of Areopagite became the first Bishop of Athens, and it is believed that she helped her husband organize the budding Christian Church there. It was also important for the Church to gain such privileged and influential converts; their impact would have been seen as critical in drawing more followers to the new faith. Not to mention their willingness to turn away from opulence and personal wealth would have served as a powerful example to other Athenians. There is some uncertainty and debate as to the etymological meaning of Damaris. Likely it comes from the Greek “damalis” meaning “calf, heifer”. Others claim it’s a Hellenized alteration of the Celtic Damara (a fertility goddess) since the Gauls did intermingle with the Greeks around the 3rd century B.C. (when the Celtic world extended down into Asia Minor and modern-day Turkey after a series of invasions). Lastly, and this one might be a stretch, but the Greek word “damianos” means “to tame, subdue” suggesting Damaris might be a female name meaning “dominant woman”. Yet others maintain the name means “gentle gift” or “gentle girl” but we could not find any supporting evidence to this (likely) folk etymology. Saint Damaris of Athens is celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church where her Feast Day is October 3. Damaris, like many other fleeting female names in the Bible, was eventually adopted by English-speakers in the 16th century (thanks to the Reformation). The religiously stricter off-shoots of the Roman Catholic Church (most notably the Puritans) combed through the Bible and resurrected many obscure names. Damaris was one such example. This particular name, however, has experienced little popularity overall. Except, randomly, in Chile where it’s a Top 100 favorite. This may have something to do with popular Peruvian folk singer Damaris Mallma Porras known simply as Damaris.

All About the Baby Name – Damaris

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME DAMARIS

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME DAMARIS

Damaris is an ancient Greek name but pretty modern here in the United States. First appearing on the female naming charts in the 1970s, Damaris pretty much resided at the very bottom of the Top 1000 list. For all intents and purposes, the name didn’t really take hold until the early 1990s. There was a brief (but light) period of interest when Damaris got as high as #603 on the charts (2006). Today the name is dangerously close to falling off the Top 1000 list completely. In fact, in 2011, Damaris was ranked at the very bottom of the list at position #1000. We’ll have to wait and see if she hangs in there. Super underused, Biblically relevant and totally obscure, we feel like we found a little hidden gem today. Damaris is interesting and original and parents have several potential etymologies from which to choose. In terms of spelling, some folks opt for Demaris (which looks more masculine to us). Also there appears to be some confusion regarding pronunciation. We have read DAM-ə-ris; də-MAHR-is; and də-MARE-is. We’ll leave that question mark up to you. Demi is a potential nickname.

Quick Facts

ON DAMARIS

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Greek

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

1000

PRONUNCIATION:

DAM-ə-ris; də-MAHR-is; də-MARE-is

SIMPLE MEANING:

Calf, heifer

Characteristics

OF DAMARIS

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Damaris

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME DAMARIS

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Damaris

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME DAMARIS

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Damaris


Popular Songs

ON DAMARIS

Damaris
a song by Patrick Wolf

Famous People

NAMED DAMARIS

Damaris Lewis (supermodel)

Children of Famous People

NAMED DAMARIS

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Damaris

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME DAMARIS

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Damaris