Egyptian Female Names

Coptic names refer to the personal names used by the Copts, the indigenous Christian inhabitants of Egypt. They reflect the intersection of Egyptian, Greek, and Christian influences in the region and encompass a diverse range of naming practices, which have evolved over centuries.

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 (i.e. ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ Amoun, ⲛⲁⲃⲉⲣϩⲟ Naberho, ϩⲉⲣⲟⲩⲱϫ Herwōč, ⲧⲁⲏⲥⲓ Taēsi) or be first attested in Coptic texts and derived from purely Coptic lemmas (i.e. ⲡⲁⲛⲓⲣⲁⲛ Paniran, ⲡⲁⲙⲃⲱ Pambō, ⲗⲟⲩⲗⲉ Loule, ⲧⲁⲗⲟⲩϣⲏⲙ Taloušēm).

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 (i.e. ⲅⲉⲱⲣⲅⲓⲟⲥ Geōrgios, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ Paulos, ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ Theodōros, ⲑⲉⲕⲗⲁ Thekla, ⲕⲗⲉⲟⲡⲁⲧⲣⲁ Kleopatra), which was advanced even further by the Christianization and influx of Hellenised Hebrew and Aramaic names (i.e. ⲓⲱϩⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ Iōhannēs, ⲓⲱⲥⲏⲫ Iōsēph, ⲁⲃⲣⲁϩⲁⲙ Abraham, ⲉⲗⲓⲥⲁⲃⲉⲧ Elisabet). 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 (ⲃⲓⲕⲧⲱⲣ Viktōr, ⲥⲉⲩⲏⲣⲟⲥ Sevēros). 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.

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" (including Christians). 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 (Arabic: رشيد, lit. 'rightly guided') or Salih (Arabic: صالح, lit. 'good').

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w6VP2qa-90