Etymologies of personal names in the Talmud
Part of a series on names in the Talmud. See previous entries here, section “Naming, Onomastics, and Biography in the Talmud”. Based on previous research of mine in “From Abba to Zebedee: A Comprehensive Survey of Naming Conventions in Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic in Late Antiquity” (Academia.edu, requires registration), section “Male Jewish names, by etymology”, see there for full documentation and notes.
Hebrew origin
Elinoar Bareket, “What’s in a Name?: The Bible vs. the Middle Ages”, in TheTorah.com:
“Insofar as Hebrew names, certain seemingly central biblical names virtually disappeared (Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, Aaron), while others remained in use (Judah, Eliezer, Elyakim, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Jonathan, etc.). Non-biblical Hebrew names were also in use (Mattathias, Gamliel,[1] Nahman, Meir).”
Names like Shimon (שמעון), Yosef (יוסף), Yohanan (יוחנן), Yonatan (יונתן), Yehoshua (יהושע), Elazar (אלעזר), Eliezer (אליעזר), Yehuda (יהודה), Ya’akov (יעקב), Hanina (חנינא), and Hanania (חנניה) were notably prevalent, some of which were Hasmonean names.[2] These Hebrew names gained popularity during the later Second Temple period as evidenced by the names within Jesus' close associates:
Yehuda (יהודה), Jesus' brother and Yehuda Ish Kerioth (יהודה איש קריות);
Shimon the Zealot (שמעון הקנאי);
Yohanan Ben Zebdi (יוחנן בן זבדי);
Yaakov Ben Zebdi (יעקב בן זבדי) and Yaakov, Jesus' brother .
Benzion C. Kaganoff, “Jewish First Names Through the Ages, Juanita to Yente, Shaindel to Sandra” in Commentary Magazine:
“Throughout the later books of the Bible, in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, the old Hebrew names of the patriarchal era—Joseph, Benjamin, Simeon-reappear [...]
During the period of Alexander’s rule, new Hebrew names continued to be invented. Examples of these occur in the early Mishnayoth: Shatach,[3] Admon, Perachiah.”
Of the Hebrew names there are very few names that are completely new. Some exceptions are Meir and Tanchum. Generally, they are Biblical, or variants of Biblical names. For example, the name "Yossi" is a diminutive form of "Yosef", but "Yossi" as such is not mentioned in the Bible. Some names are much more common in one period: More common in Tannaitic period: Gamliel ; Yishmael ; Hanania. More common in Amoraic period: Yitzchak ; Yermiah ; Berechia.
Aramaic origin, with possible etymology
Bareket, “Name”:
“Aramaic names [...] began to appear already in the Persian period [and] remain part of the repertoire well into the Mishnaic and Talmudic eras, (Abba, Akiva, Nehorai, Chiya, Shemaiah), perhaps even gaining in popularity over time.”
Kaganoff, “Names”:
“We find many names in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles with the Aramaic ending ai. Even names that have a Hebrew root are converted into an Aramaic form, as for example: Piltai (from Pelatiah), Shammai (from Shemaiah), Atlai (from Ataliah), and a name which has been much in the public eye, Adlai (from Adaliah). We also come across names entirely and directly Aramaic, as well as names borrowed by the Jews from neighboring peoples. Persian-Babylonian names, brought back from the Exile, make their first appearance at this time. Two names in this last category, Mordecai and Shabbetai, have remained popular to this day despite their pagan origin.”
Greek and Latin origin
Bareket, “Name”, writes:
“After the conquest of Alexander, and years of Greek and then Roman rule, Greek became a dominant language in the Levant. Thus, in the Hellenistic period we begin to see the use of Greek names, such as Menelaus, Jason, Antipater, Aristobolus, etc. We also find some rabbis with Greek names, (Antigonus, Alexandri, etc.), but only infrequently.”
Kaganoff, “Names”:
“[..I]n the Mishnah and Talmudic literatures we find many Tannaim and Amoraim with such Greek names as Alexander, Theodorus, Dosa, Nanos,[4] Nakdimon, Polemo, Pappos, Patros, Symmachos, Tarfon, etc.
Following the Roman conquest of Palestine, a strong Latin influence made itself felt, though it was never so extensive as the Greek. In the Mishnaic and Talmudic literatures (especially the Palestinian Talmud) we encounter many rabbis with Latin names: Drusus, Marinus, Valens, Romanus, Justus, and, mirabile dictu, in several places in the Palestinian Talmud mention is made of a Rabbi Titus! There were Jews who even bore the names of the pagan Roman gods, Apollo and Castor.”
The Talmud Bavli in Gittin is aware that many names are indistinguishable from non-Jew’s names. In a sugya based on a conversation between R’ Yochanan and Reish Lakish:
Bavli, Gittin 11a-11b (bolding is mine):
[...] לא בא לידינו אלא לוקוס ולוס, והכשרנו.
ודוקא לוקוס ולוס, דלא שכיחי ישראל דמסקי בשמהתייהו, אבל שמהתא אחריני דשכיחי ישראל דמסקי בשמהתייהו – לא.
[...] שרוב ישראל שבחוצה לארץ שמותיהן כשמות גוים.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him: There came before us bills of divorce that were signed only with names such as Lukos and Los [...]
The Talmud qualifies:
[S]pecifically [...] names such as Lukos and Los, as it is uncommon to find Jews who are called by these names. However, with regard to other gentile names, concerning which it is common to find Jews who are called by these names [...]
Then, quoting the Tosefta:
[...] [T]he names of most Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael are like the names of gentiles.
Jastrow, entry “גיוס”, says that in place of Los, it should say Gaius (I split into paragraphs, opened up acronyms, and added hyperlinks):
גַּיּוּס, גַּיּיוּס, (גייס) proper name Caius, Gaius,
1) (mostly corrupt) used, in connection with לוקיוס (Lucius), to represent gentile names in general. Pesikta Rabbati 21.1 [...] גייס מן הגודר ולוקיוס מן סוסיתה - Gaius of Gadara and Lucius of Susitha (Hippos). Ibid. 108ᵃ (corrected accordingly).
Yerushalmi Gittin I, 43b top גוים לוקין וכ׳ (corrected) Gaius and Lucius are the signers and ye ask yet (whether the signers must be personally known as Jews to the witnesses)? [Bavli ibid. 11b לוקוס ולוס, prob. לוקוס וגיוס.] [...].
Persian origin
See Bavli, Gittin 11a:
היכי דמי שמות מובהקין?
אמר רב פפא, כגון: הורמיז, ואבודינא, בר שיבתאי, ובר קידרי, ובאטי, ונקים אונא.
The Gemara clarifies: What are the circumstances of unambiguous gentile names?
Rav Pappa said: This is referring to names such as Hurmiz, and Abbudina, bar Shibbetai, and bar Kidri, and Bati, and Nakim Una.
Yaakov Elman writes: “It should be recalled that R. Papa knows the difference between names that are used by both Jews and non-Jews and names that are unambiguously non-Jewish – Hannez, Abudina, Bar Shibtai, Bar Qidri, Bati, Naqim, and Una (B. Gittin 11a).”[5]
[1] Actually, Mattathias and Gamliel are in fact both Biblical names. Gamliel - Gamaliel b. Pedahzur. Mattathias - a name mentioned 4x in Book of Chronicles (https://www.sefaria.org/I_Chronicles.15.18).
[2] As pointed out by Tal Ilan
[3] Actually, Shatach is not a given name, but a nickname in the format of a patronymic ("ben X").
[4] Actually, Nanos (ננס) is not a given name, but a nickname (meaning short/small) in the format of a patronymic ("ben X").
[5] Elman, “Middle Persian Culture and Babylonian Sages: Accommodation and Resistance in the Shaping of Rabbinic Legal Tradition,” in Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert and Martin S. Jaffe, eds., Cambridge Companion to Rabbinic Literature (2007), p. 174.