Feminine forms: Alexandra, Alexia, Sandra.
Alexandra, Alexia, Alexa, feminine forms of Alexander.
Alexis (m, f)
[uh-LEK-sis] from Greek, meaning ‘defender’.
Beggar of Mesopotamia (fifth century). The life of Saint Alexis is largely a matter of legend. Tradition has it that he was the son of a wealthy Roman nobleman who abandoned his bride on their wedding day to go on pilgrimage and ultimately chose a life of poverty in Syria. He willingly shared everything he received with other needy people. A further legend claims that he spent the last years of his life living incognito as a servant in his father’s household in Rome.
Sometimes considered as a variant or feminine form of Alexander.
Aleydis (f)
[uh-LAY-dis] from Germanic, meaning ‘noble cheer’.
Thirteenth-century Cistercian saint. Born at Shaerbeck, near Belgium, Brussels, she entered the Cistercian convent there at the tender age of seven, staying for the remainder of her life. She was noted for her humility and kindness. At a young age, however, she contracted leprosy and so had to be treated in isolation, with the illness eventually paralysing and blinding her. She received much divine help and assurance including ecstatic visions.
Variants: Alice, Alicia, Alison, Allison.
Aloysius (m)
[al-uh-WISH-uhs] Latinised form of Aloys.
Italian Jesuit student (1568–91). Born Aloysius Luigi Gonzaga into a noble family of Lombardy, he attended military school before experiencing life at the court of the duke of Mantua. He felt such disgust at the immorality of the court that he refused to accept his inheritance and chose instead a life of prayer and self-denial. He defied the wishes of his family and in 1585 joined the Jesuits, who succeeded in persuading him to give up the more excessive practices of mortification that he favoured. Though he himself never enjoyed the best of health because of a kidney complaint, he dedicated himself to tending victims of the plague in Rome and in due course died of the disease himself, aged just 23.
Alphonsine feminine form of Alphonsus.
Alphonsus (m)
[al-FON-suhs] from the Spanish name Alfonso, from the Old German athal ‘noble’ and funsa ‘ready’.
Alphonsus de Orozco (1500–91), Spanish mystic and spiritual writer. Born in Oropesa, Avila, in Spain, he spent much of his early life in solitude, responding from a command received in a vision of the Virgin Mary to write extensively about prayer and the Christian way of living. His works include his Confessions, in which he recounts his own spiritual journey. He became an Augustinian friar at Salamanca in 1522 and dedicated much of his time to prayer. He spent many years of his life preaching to the Spanish nobility in Madrid and hearing their confessions, exercising a strong influence on many prominent figures in public life.
The Italian bishop, theologian and mystic Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787). Born in Marianella, near Naples, Alphonsus Marie Liguori pursued a highly successful career as a lawyer in Naples before losing a high-profile court case in 1723 and giving up the profession in humiliation. As the result of a vision he defied the wishes of his family and joined the Fathers of the Oratory, being ordained in 1717 and earning a wide reputation as a preacher. In 1732 he founded his own order, called the Congregation of the Most Holy Saviour, popularly known as the Redemptorist Congregation. Appointed Bishop of Sant’ Agata dei Goti at the age of 66, he was always a controversial figure within the church establishment and some time before his death was even excluded from the Redemptorist community he had founded. He wrote numerous books and pamphlets, of which the most influential included Moral Theology and Victories of the Martyrs.
Also the name of the Spanish Jesuit lay brother Alphonsus Rodriguez (1533–1617). Born in Segovia in Spain, Alphonsus Rodriguez had a troubled childhood, having to help his mother run the family wool business after the death of his father when he was 14. He married at the age of 23 but his wife died three years later, shortly followed by his mother and his two children. When his business failed, he attempted to join the Jesuits at Valencia but was refused because of his lack of education. Despite his relatively advanced age, he took up Latin studies and in 1571 was finally admitted by the Jesuits as a lay brother. He spent the next 45 years serving as doorkeeper at the Montesione College on Majorca, earning a wide reputation as a spiritual adviser. Those who profited from his guidance included St Peter Claver, who was inspired by the advice of Alphonsus to take up missionary work.
Variants: Al, Alfonso, Alphonse, Alphonsus.
Feminine form: Alphonsine.
Alva (m)
[AL-vah] probably from Hebrew, meaning ‘exalted’.
Mentioned, in the form Alvah, in the Old Testament as a descendant of Esan and clan leader of the Edomites (Genesis 36:40; 1 Chronicles 1:51).
Amanda (f)
[uh-MAN-duh] feminine form of Amandus, meaning ‘worthy of love’.
Seventh-century French saint. Born into a noble family, he became a monk at the abbey of St Martin near Tours. King Clotaire II requested him to undertake missionary work in Flanders and Holland. Under his later ministry, many people were converted.
Variant: Mandy.
Ambrose (m)
[AM-broze] from Greek, meaning ‘immortal’.
German-born bishop (c.339–397). Born in Trier in Germany, Ambrose was the son of the prefect of Gaul and studied law, literature, philosophy and Greek in Rome. His appointment as Bishop of Milan in 374 came as a considerable surprise as Ambrose had not even been baptised, having been sent to Milan simply to maintain peace between rival Catholics and supporters of the Arian heresy. As bishop, however, he gave away his possessions and dedicated himself to the study of Christianity. He soon earned a reputation as a powerful preacher and scholar and also emerged as the leading opponent of Arianism in the West, driving its adherents out of Milan. His writings advanced the cause of Christianity in Western Europe. Notable figures who were deeply influenced by his example included St Augustine who met him in Milan in 386 and was inspired by him to convert to Christianity. He is honoured today as the patron saint of learning and of beekeepers and candlemakers.
Variant: Emrys.
Amity (f)
[AM-i-tee] from English amity, meaning ‘friendship’.
The name stands for the qualities of friendship, kindness and fondness.
Amos (m)
[AY-MOSS] from Hebrew, meaning ‘burden-bearer’.
Prophet active about 760 BC. Like his contemporary Hosea, he was unpopular for criticising the kingdom of Israel, predicting its downfall unless the people repented. His warnings were fulfilled when Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC.
Amy (f)
[AY-mee] from Old French amée, ‘beloved’.
The name has been in use in the English-speaking world for several centuries. Originally it was known in its Latin form Amatus, after the thirteenth-century St Amatus, a Dominican nun of Bologna, Italy.
Variant: Aimee.
Ananaias (m)
[an-uh-NY-uhs] from Hebrew, meaning ‘the Lord