Coptic names
Coptic names are the personal names used by the Copts, the indigenous inhabitants of Egypt. They reflect the intersection of Egyptian, Greek and Arab influences in the region and encompass a diverse range of naming practices, which have evolved over centuries.
History
The oldest layer of the Egyptian naming tradition is native Egyptian names. These can be either traced back to pre-Coptic stage of the language, attested in Hieroglyphic, Hieratic or Demotic texts or be first attested in Coptic texts and derived from purely Coptic lemmas.The conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great and subsequent rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty led to Hellenisation of Egypt, which led to adoption of a great number of Greek names by the Copts, which was advanced even further by the Christianization and influx of Hellenised Hebrew and Aramaic names. Most names with exclusively pagan connotations, both Egyptian and Greek, fell out of use after the 3rd century, although some persisted, taken from the martyrdoms of venerated saints, e.g. Anoup, Phib, Diogenes, Phoibammon, Shenoute, Sarapion, Onnophris.
The Roman conquest of Egypt added Latin names to Egyptian naming tradition. Over time, many of these foreign names were gradually Egyptianized, while some Egyptian names underwent Hellenization, resulting in the development of a distinctive syncretic Graeco-Egyptian naming tradition. Some names became closely associated with certain regions: Pousi, Sambas, Ioulios, Nilammon and Gerontios with Faiyum; Taurinos, Pamoun and Pjol with Middle Egypt , while Souai, Chenetom, Kalapesios, Psan and Sourous were popular around Thebes.
After the Arab conquests of the Middle East, the Arabs implemented a policy of strict segregation to subjugate the native inhabitants of the occupied lands, including the Copts in Egypt. This policy aimed to easily identify and exploit them financially. The second Caliph, Umar I, established a code known as "The Pact of Umar" that governed the relationship between ruling Muslims and the non-Muslim "People of the Book". The code restricted non-Muslims from using certain names, nicknames, and kunyas. The Sunni jurist Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya emphasized that Muslim names were reserved exclusively for Muslims, while non-Muslims were allowed to use their own names or shared names. However, non-Muslims were prohibited from using names that implied honor or virtue, e.g. Rashid or Salih.
Despite these strict restrictions, changes began to emerge over time. During the Fatimid Dynasty, which ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171 and followed the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, there was a relative period of tolerance towards the Copts. The Fatimids sought the support of the educated Coptic population and relaxed some of the Sunni restrictions. As a result, Copts started assimilating into Arab and Muslim culture to escape social segregation and promote social mobility. This included adopting Arab and Muslim names for their children, as well as using nicknames and kunyas that were previously exclusive to Arabs and Muslims.
Given names
Egyptian
Greek and Latin
Graeco-Egyptian
Semitic/Biblical
Arabic
Christian concepts
Some of the modern Coptic Arabic names are translation of Christian names and concepts from Coptic and Greek:| Arabic translation | Coptic/Greek name | Meaning |
| Salah | Αγαθόν | "good" |
| Atallah | Θεόδωρος | "given by God" |
| Abd al-Mashih | "servant to the Messiah " | |
| Sadiq | ⲡⲓⲑⲙⲏⲓ | "true, righteous" |
| Sami | ⲡⲓϣⲱⲓ | “high, exalted” |
| Habib | ⲙⲉⲛⲣⲓⲧ | "beloved" |
| Eid | ⲡⲓϣⲁⲓ | "feast, holiday" |
| Fadi | ⲡⲥⲱⲧⲏⲣ | "saviour" |
| Ḥikma | "wisdom" | |
| Iman | "faith" | |
| Bishara | "good news", "Annunciation" | |
| Salib | ⲡⲓⲥⲧⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ | "cross" |
Diminutives and short forms
Diminutives and shortened forms are created by either removing one or more syllables from the beginning or end of the original first name to create a familiar or affectionate variation that is often used in casual or close relationships.| Name | Diminutive |
| ,, | |
| ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ | ⲧⲉϫⲓ, ⲑⲱⲧⲣⲓ, ⲇⲱⲣⲉ |
| ⲁⲗⲉⲝⲁⲛⲇⲣⲟⲥ | ⲁⲗⲉⲝ, ⲁⲗⲝⲁⲓ |
| ⲧⲓⲙⲟⲑⲉⲟⲥ | ϯⲙⲱ |
| ⲉⲡⲓⲫⲁⲛⲓⲟⲥ | , |
| ⲕⲗⲉⲟⲡⲁⲧⲣⲁ | ⲕⲗⲉⲱⲡⲁ |
Compound names
Coptic has a number of compound names, made by combining, a Coptic rendering of the Greek word ἀββα, with a personal name of a saint or a martyr, whose honorific title "abba" became a part of his name.European forms
In recent years the original Coptic forms of the names get replaced with European ones, mostly from English, French and German, e.g. Maurice replaced the native Maurikios and George replaced Georgios.With the rise of Egyptology in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, Ancient Egyptian names, often adopted from Ancient Greek "Egyptological" forms, gained prominence among the Coptic community, i.e. Ramesses or Ramsis, Amasis, Sesostris, Narmer.
Second names and surnames
The concept of second name and a surname wasn't developed in Classical Coptic, although epithets and nicknames were used to distinguish people, such as:ⲁⲙⲉ "herd, pastor", ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ "Southener", ⲡⲉⲃⲱ "dumb", ⲡⲕⲱϩⲧ "fire", ⲡⲟⲩⲱⲛϣ "the wolf", ⲡⲓⲭⲁⲙⲉ "the black", ⲡⲓϧⲉⲙⲥ "ear of corn", ⲡⲉϭⲱϣ "Ethiopian, black", ⲡϭⲏϫⲉ "purple", ⲱ "great", ϣⲏⲙ "small", ⲗⲁⲙⲡⲟⲩⲥ "bright, shining", ⲧⲭⲉϩⲗⲓ "of the elders", ⲡⲓⲥⲧⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ "the cross".
Demonyms
Demonyms are based on the place of origin, formed by either using a prefix and its female equivalent or by using possessive article and its feminine parallel "the one of" :Masculine: ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲙⲣⲁⲕⲟϯ "from Alexandria", ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲙⲡⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ "from Pousiri", ⲡⲁⲛⲉ "from Thebes", ⲡⲣⲟⲙⲉⲛⲉⲥⲓⲛⲁ "from Sinai";
Feminine: ⲧⲁⲡⲓⲁⲙ "from Faiyum", ⲧⲣⲟⲙⲡⲁⲃⲁⲓⲧ "from Behbeit", etc.