Today's Saints Names of the Day - Helen and Ethan

The two featured names of the day on the Ave Maria Press Facebook Catholic Baby Name Contest are "Helen" and "Ethan" - in honor of this I thought I'd feature a little bit more about these names here:

Helen is a name of Greek origin and means "light" Variations of the name include Eileen, Elana, Elena, Ena, Halina, Hela, Helan, Hele, Helean, Heleen, Helene, Helin, Helon, Helyn, Holain, Ileana, Ilene, Ilyne, and Yolanda

St. Helen of Skovde (d. 1160) was born to a noble family in Sweden. After her husband died, she gave all her possessions to the poor and made a pilgrimage to Rome. When she returned, she was falsely accused to being involved in her son-in-law's death. By the time her innocence was proven, she had already been executed. Many miracles were reported at her tomb.

Ethan is a Hebrew name meaning "strong" or "the gift of the island." It is a very popular name. Variations include Aitan, Eathan, Eathen, Eathin, Eathon, Eathyn, Efan, Efen, Eithan, Eithon, Ethon, Eythen, and Eythyn

Ethan in the Bible was a cymbal player in King David's court. He is the author of Psalm 89.

For more information on names and saints, please pick up a copy of The Catholic Baby Name Book