Name days in May - male and female names according to Orthodox calendar. We choose unusual and original names that are suitable for girls born in May

According to folk beliefs, May boys- one of the most stubborn but purposeful children with strong character. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the days of the holy Great Martyr George the Victorious and the Apostle John fall in May. These saints themselves were people of exceptional spiritual strength. In this regard, it is not surprising that babies born in Orthodox holidays, have a strong character.

Back in the 12-13th century, shortly after the Baptism of Rus', the tradition of naming children in honor of revered righteous people was already widespread. It is believed that a child named after a holy righteous Christian will have a role model in front of him all his life. The patron saint will help you accept difficult decision at a crossroads, will illuminate the path through life.

Choosing a name is a big decision

When preparing for childbirth, expectant mothers devote a lot of time to choosing a name for the child. There is a great temptation to name your son an original and memorable name. But we need to understand how responsible this decision will be. The name you give your child will carry him throughout his life, and, more importantly, to stand before God. It is no coincidence that since ancient times names have had a sacred meaning, which is why during the sacrament of baptism so much attention is paid to choosing a name for Christmastide.

If you know for sure that your child will be born in May, you need to choose a name for the boy in advance. Usually in Rus' names were chosen according to the calendar. The child was named after the name day closest to his birthday. In May Orthodox name days there are a lot, so you can safely open the list and choose. Another option is to contact church calendar. You can also discuss this issue with your spiritual mentor.

Matching name and character

Names have big influence on the child's character. This is not only the choice of a protective angel that will always protect your child from adversity, but also a serious event that in some way determines the fate of a person. Name days in May offer many options for strong and strong-willed names for a boy. Let's look at some of them, as well as what characteristics they carry for a boy.

the 6th of May The memory of St. George the Victorious (one of the most revered holy great martyrs in Orthodoxy) is traditionally honored. Georgy can be described as an attentive listener, a good and faithful friend. He is diligent and responsible, devoid of rancor.

  • Gregory is a name also of Greek origin. Means "not sleeping."

One of the oldest Christian names, identified with the qualities of an ideal Christian. Gregory is characterized by the ability to stand up for himself and for his ideals of justice. As a child, the boy Gregory studies the world with curiosity, and as he grows up, he knows how to weigh his words so as not to offend people.

  • Ivan is a common Orthodox name, derived from the Hebrew "John", which means "merciful of God."


May 21st Orthodox Christians all over the world pay respect to the memory of John the Theologian, the closest follower to Christ, who did not abandon Him even during the crucifixion. Ivan is an active boy, with a great will and difficult character. One can definitely say about the Ivanovs that the saying “To be born in May means to toil all your life” is true. Such people are open, always ready to help, honor traditions and foundations, and with fortitude endure all trials along the way.

  • Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning “small.”

Pavels are usually sociable and moral people. Such a boy in childhood observes the prohibitions of his parents. Growing up, he becomes a homebody, calmly moving towards his goal.

  • Kirill - among the ancient Greeks this meant “lord”, and from Persian it meant “sun”.


May 24 celebrate the memorable day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who gave literature to the inhabitants ancient Rus'. The boy, whose name is Kirill, is characterized by curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. He does not succumb to the influence of others, but chooses his own path.

Boy's name according to the calendar

In the Orthodox month book there are many options for how to name a boy in accordance with the date of his birthday. Each day in the May calendar has several male names, so future parents should not have problems choosing. Traditionally, the name was determined according to the calendar as follows:

  • or on the birthday of a child;
  • or on the eighth day from birth;
  • or on the fortieth day from birth, when it is necessary to perform the sacrament of baptism.

Mother and father have at least fifteen alternatives to choose from. An important point to consider is that some Orthodox names in the world they have a slightly different shape. For example, someone named Dionysius at baptism, whose Angel days fall on the 4th, 19th, 25th and 31st, will be called Denis in the world. The situation is the same with Yegor, whose baptismal form according to the calendar is George.

Boys' names by date of birth

Below we provide a list of Angel days in May so that you can choose a name for your newborn baby boy according to the calendar:


As you can see, there are a lot of options. If you are guided by the criteria that we talked about above when determining names according to the calendar, then three dates are highlighted, and then the child’s name is selected. The main thing here is the desire of the parents, but in case of difficulty, they can turn to a spiritual mentor or priest who will baptize the baby to choose a different name.

Choosing a name according to the Orthodox calendar

When deciding what to name their son, many turn to the calendar of Orthodox holidays to find a holy righteous patron for the child. This the right decision, which we have already talked about. There are several major Orthodox holidays in May, the proximity of which to the birth of your child will help you decide on your future name.

  • May 6 – memory of St. George the Victorious. You can name your son Georgy or Yegor.
  • May 8 – memory of the Apostle Mark.
  • May 10 – memory of the holy martyr Simeon. The son can be called Semyon.
  • May 13 – memory of Jacob Zabedeev. Modern version name - Yakov.
  • May 15 – memory of St. Athanasius the Great. Also the day of the discovery of the relics of the passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. At baptism they were given the names Roman and David, which have been very common in recent years.
  • May 21 – memory of John the Theologian. It is customary to call boys born on this day Ivan.
  • May 24 is the day of remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In addition, since Cyril’s name in the world was Constantine, you can name your son that way.

These righteous people left a significant mark on the history of Orthodoxy. If one of them becomes the Patron Saint of your baby, he will always be accompanied by light and good luck in life.

May is full of various holidays: it is May Day, and one of the most important holidays in the year - Victory Day, someone is lucky to celebrate a birthday in May. And even if the name day is not soon, it’s worth looking at the church calendar, the calendar. This is a list of saints honored by the church according to dates. Perhaps someone has a name day in May.

In May there are quite a few name days according to the church calendar. Some names appear in the May calendar two, three or more times. This is due to the veneration of different saints with the same name. There are cases, when the name day of a saint is celebrated by two names at once - according to the one that the person bore before he dedicated himself church life, and after being ordained.

Despite the fact that some of the names given here are outdated (especially the names found at the end of the month), May is still richer than other months for the days of the angel.

Female names

Regarding the list of male saints, female saints, whose names and deeds Orthodox Church venerates in May, of course, less. But this fact does not in any way diminish their merits. 4,6,12,13, from 19 to 22, 24 and 27 there are no girls’ name days in May according to the church calendar.

Of the May names for girls, the most common names are Anastasia, Elizabeth, and Maria.

How to choose a name

Nowadays, responsibility for choosing a name for a child lies entirely with the parents. When choosing a name, as in all other cases where the choice is related to children, you want to give the baby, be it a boy or a girl, the best. Unfortunately, this choice is not always conscious and may be dictated by fashion trends or something else. In the old days, the right to give a name belonged exclusively to the church.

May calendar

Some names may have controversial origins, and therefore their meaning may be interpreted differently. Some of the names have changed somewhat over time. Some took on new forms, almost losing their resemblance to the original ones.

As in any month, in May the memory of certain saints is celebrated almost every day. Orthodox tradition. Accordingly, almost every day of this month someone celebrates their name day. May, as you know, has 31 days, and the number of saints whom the church honors at this time is quite large. Therefore, we will list only those names that are the most common and familiar.

Name days in May according to the church calendar

  1. Anton. Ivan.
  2. Georgy. Ivan. Matron.
  3. Alexander. Afanasy. Grigory. Fedor.
  4. Alexander. Denis. Fedor. Philip.
  5. Vsevolod. Fedor.
  6. Alexander. Anatoly. Afanasy.
  7. Alexei. Valentin. Elizabeth. Innocent. Leonty. Nikolai. Stanislav.
  8. Mark.
  9. Basil. Stepan.
  10. Georgy. Ivan. Semyon. Stepan.
  11. Vitaly.
  12. Arseny. Artem. Basil.
  13. Basil. Ignat. Yakov. Maksim.
  14. Ignatius. Tamara.
  15. Afanasy. Boris. Gleb. David. Zoya. Michael. Novel.
  16. Paul. Peter. Timofey.
  17. Anton. Afanasy. Kirill. Leonty. Maria.
  18. Irina. Yakov.
  19. Denis. Ivan.
  20. Ivan. Caroline.
  21. Arseny. Ivan.
  22. Nikolai.
  23. Basil.
  24. Joseph. Kirill.
  25. Hermann. Ivan. Fedor. Philip.
  26. Alexander. Georgy. Irina.
  27. Alexander. Ivan. Leonty. Maksim. Nikita. Yakov.
  28. Anastasia. Dmitriy.
  29. Alexander. Arkady. Georgy. Nikolai. Peter. Fedor.
  30. Afanasy. Evdokia. Stepan.
  31. Alexandra. Andrey. David. Denis. Claudia. A lion. Paul. Peter. Semyon. Fedor. Christina. Julia.

Now let's discuss church name days in May regarding the most important and widely revered saints.

Matrona of Moscow

In Russian Orthodoxy, Matrona of Moscow is one of the most revered saints. She was born in 1885 in the Tula province into a family of peasants. Matrona was blind from birth. It is believed that she received the gift of insight as a child. One way or another, fame about her spread, and people from all over the country began to flock to Matrona for advice. She died in 1952. And she was glorified as a saint in 1998.

the 6th of May. Great Martyr George the Victorious

Name days in May are also celebrated by those who are named in honor of this saint, who, among other things, is also national symbol, and also the patron saint of Moscow. The description of his life is quite fantastic in places. For example, the episode of the battle with the dragon is difficult to take for granted. However, such a person really existed and lived in the 2nd-3rd centuries. During his lifetime, Georgy carried military service and was one of the favorites of Emperor Diocletian, holding a high position under him. However, when the ruler of the empire found out about his belonging to Christianity, he ordered the saint to be tortured and then executed.

May 8. Evangelist Mark

Name days in May are celebrated by those who bear the name Mark in honor of the apostle and evangelist of the same name. According to Christian tradition, Mark was the closest assistant to the supreme ruler and wrote down his gospel from his words. In addition, he is considered the founder of the first Christian community in Egypt. According to his life, he died in 63 in Alexandria at the hands of pagan radicals.

may 13. Apostle James Zebedee

Those who bear the name Jacob (Jacob) in honor of one of the twelve apostles also celebrate their name days in May. This man was called to the apostleship by Christ, as was his brother John, who later became Saint John the Theologian. James was among Christ's inner circle even within the apostolic community. Along with John and Peter, he received special revelations and was awarded special attention your teacher. It is believed that after the death and resurrection of Jesus, he went around Spain and a number of other countries preaching, after which he returned to Jerusalem. According to legend, he was executed by the Jewish king Agrippa at the insistence of the Jewish spiritual authorities in 44.

22nd of May. Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Nikolai Ugodnik is one of the most revered saints in the Russian Church. There are two days of his memory - in winter and spring. May marks the day on which the holy remains of this man were transferred from to the Italian city of Bari.

Name day in May: what name to give a child born in May Orthodox calendar? Full list You will find May names according to the calendar in our article.

Calendar of Orthodox female and male names for May

1 – Anton, Vasily, Victor, Vissarion, Efim, Ivan, Kuzma, Tamara, Felix.

2 – Anton, Victor, George, Ivan, Matrona, Nikifor, Tryphon, Christopher.

3 – Alexander, Anastasius, Gabriel, Gregory, Nikolai, Fyodor, Theodora, Theodosius.

4 – Alexander, Alexey, Denis, Ivan, Kondraty, Nikolay, Fedor, Yakov, Januariy.

5 – Vitaly, Vsevolod, Gabriel, Dmitry, Clement, Luke, Plato, Fedor.

6 – Alexandra, Anatoly, Ivan, Georgy, Lazar.

7 – Alexey, Valentin, Elizabeth, Innokenty, Leonty, Luka, Nikolay, Savva, Sergey, Thomas.

8 – Vasily, Mark, Nika, Sergey, Sylvester.

9 – Vasily, Glafira, Ivan, Nestor, Nikolai, Peter, Stepan.

10 – Anastasia, Georgy, Ivan, Hilarion, Maria, Nikolay, Pavel, Peter, Semyon, Sergey, Stepan.

11 – Anna, Vitaly, Kirill, Maxim.

12 – Artemy, Vasily, Fedot, Filimon.

13 – Vasily, Ephraim, Ignatius, Clement, Maxim, Nikita, Yakov.

14 – Gerasim, Eremey, Efim, Ignatius, Makar, Nina, Tamara.

15 – Afanasy, Boris, Gleb, David, Ivan, Zoya, Mikhail, Roman.

16 – Mavra, Nikolai, Pavel, Peter, Timofey, Theodosius.

17 – Anton, Athanasius, Valerian, Ivan, Cyril, Clement, Lazarus, Leonty, Maria, Nikita, Nikifor, Nikolai, Pelageya.

18 – Adrian, Irina, Yakov.

19 – Vasily, Denis, Ivan, Illarion, Kasyan, Pakhom, Savva.

20 – Anton, David, Ivan, Ilya, Joseph, Mikhail, Pakhom, Sidor, Stepan.

21 – Adrian, Arseny, Ivan, Nikifor.

22 – Vasily, Gabriel, Dmitry, Joseph, Nikolai, Christopher.

23 – Anisim, Vasily, Lavrenty, Simon, Taisiya.

24 – Alexander, Joseph, Cyril, Methodius, Michael, Nicodemus, Rostislav.

25 – German, Denis, Ivan, Peter, Semyon, Fedor, Philip.

26 – Alexander, Vasily, Gabriel, George, Glikeria, Efim, Ivan, Irina, Makar, Nikifor, Sergei, Taras, Theodosius, Christopher.

27 – Leonty, Maxim, Nikita, Peter, Sidor.

28 – Anastasia, Dmitry, Ignat, Pakhom.

29 – Alexander, Arkady, Georgy, Ephraim, Kasyan, Lavrenty, Modest, Muse, Nikolai, Peter, Fedor.

30 – Adrian, Athanasius, Evdokia, Euphrosyne, Nikolai, Stepan, Feofan.

31 – Alexandra, Anastasy, Andrey, Vasily, David, Denis, Claudia, Leo, Makar, Matrona, Mikhail, Pavel, Peter, Semyon, Faina, Fedor, Fedot, Christina, Julian, Julia

Church Orthodox holidays in May

Blessed Matrona of Moscow

St. Athanasius the Great

May 15 the church remembers one of the holy fathers - St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, who lived in the 3rd-4th centuries. From childhood, he was distinguished by great piety and desire to study the Holy Scriptures. Patriarch Alexander watched his spiritual growth and over time ordained him to the ranks of deacon and presbyter. After the death of the patriarch, Afanasy at the age of 28 was elected as his successor. For 47 years the saint ruled the Alexandrian Church, and he was especially strong in its support during the years of persecution of Christians. He died peacefully in 373, leaving behind numerous theological writings.

Holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb with their lives

On the same day, we remember the transfer of the relics of Roman and David, who were killed by order of their brother Svyatopolk in 1015, to the Vyshgorod temple in Holy Baptism.

The memory is celebrated May 21st. One of the closest followers of Jesus Christ, John was the only one of the disciples who did not leave the Lord during His crucifixion. The Apostle lived for more than a hundred years, preaching the Gospel in many countries. The celebration was established in remembrance of the annual descent on this day of the finest pink ashes, which were collected by believers for healing from various diseases, to the place of his burial.

St. ap. and Evangelist John the Theologian

22nd of May- the day of the transfer of the relics of the Archbishop of Myra of Lycia from Myra to the Italian city of Bari. This event took place in 1087 to avoid desecration of the shrine by Muslims.

St. equal to app. Cyril and Methodius

A common day of remembrance is celebrated May 24. The brothers, born in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, knew well Slavic language and many liturgical books were translated into it. At the end of the 9th century. they established Slavic worship in Moravia, while Methodius became the archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, and he baptized the Czech prince Borzhivoj and his wife Lyudmila. On this day the namesake is celebrated His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.

Name days in May are a wonderful occasion to congratulate your loved ones. Also the calendar of the last spring month will help you decide what name to give to a child born in May. This important point for all parents, because it largely influences a person’s fate. Moreover, a name can influence character. May personalities often have excessive positivity, ease of thinking, charm, activity, but at the same time absent-mindedness and emotionality.

The right name will help smooth out sharp corners. Names for girls in May should endow a restless nature with concentration and diligence, and this is exactly the case with the stronger sex.

May girls are natures with an elusive disposition, high impulsiveness and creativity. Therefore, May names for a girl should be chosen carefully, taking into account its influence on the future. Saints female names(May) also help to do right choice. Orthodoxy is convinced that in this case the baby’s life will be under the protection of higher powers.

It’s worth congratulating Tamara on her name day on May 1st. If you call a girl this name, she will be easy-going, sociable and cheerful. Toma always wants to be the center of attention, but this is not selfishness at all, on the contrary, she always has something to talk about. Such ladies are endowed creative abilities and enviable optimism.

On the 7th you should congratulate:

  • Maria. It would seem that there is no limit to the kindness of Mary’s soul. Helping everyone around her is an honor for her. She becomes an excellent housewife and homemaker. Such women help others to the detriment of themselves, but without regretting it at all. Parents should remind and instill in their baby love and respect for herself.
  • Ivanna. Mayskie Ivanny are creative individuals with extraordinary thinking. They have a sense of purpose. If they failed to achieve what they wanted, there is a high probability that they will get down to business again, but after waiting out the dark streak a little.
  • Elizabeth. Often such young ladies are narcissistic. Find mutual language It’s not difficult with them, but Elizabeth is not always ready to make contact. Most often, they firmly know what they want from life. And, moreover, they achieve what they want. Parents should early age work on Lisa's responsiveness.
  • Marfa. Unpredictable and elusive, Martha does not often listen to the opinions of her parents, or anyone else in general. She is strong in spirit, defends her opinion and is not afraid of criticism, quickly finds contact with representatives of the stronger sex, and also often holds leadership positions.

Glafira celebrates her day on May 9. Independent and sociable Glafira has high intelligence, developed intuition and curiosity. The desire to stay on her own wavelength sometimes interferes with adapting to the world around her, because she continues to defend her point of view in any situation.

Anastasia celebrates her name day on the 10th. From an early age, Nastya is incredibly sincere, they are ready to help their parents around the clock, listen to their grandmothers' fairy tales and immerse themselves in dreams. Grudges and revenge for long-standing grievances are not their trait. They love communication and society, although they find it difficult to tolerate criticism and misunderstandings from loved ones.

Don't forget to congratulate Anna on the 11th. Affectionate girls are endowed with a pleasant appearance, kind hearted and lively disposition. They cannot imagine life without friends, warm family gatherings and a constant thirst for new knowledge. Sometimes it is difficult for them to understand their true desires, so from childhood it is worth teaching them to make a choice from the proposed options.

May 14 is Nina's Day. Girls with the same name are extremely hardworking and energetic, they prudently pursue their goals from an early age and jealously perceive the victory of someone else. They know their strengths and they certainly use them.

May 15 is Zoya's day. Zoe's beauties often enjoy little things and try to learn from any situation they live in; they do not pay attention to material wealth and do not rush around career ladder. Stability means a lot to them, so moving, sudden changes activities and moods are far from their options.

The second part of May is rich in birthdays. May 17 - name day of Pelageya. They often cannot understand themselves, especially if they failed to achieve their desired goal. Moving towards material assets, pragmatically choose work and friends.

The 18th is Irina's day. They know exactly what they want to get, but they move towards their goals slowly, without destroying everything in their path. They are characterized by kindness and liveliness of character, a positive outlook on life, even in negative situations.

The 21st, like the 16th, 19th and 20th, is not famous for the birth of saints.

Taisiya celebrates her name day on May 23. Straightforward and impulsive young ladies are capable of building an excellent career, happy family and gather a large circle of friends. They are charming and friendly, and also endowed with a lot of abilities.

The 24th, 25th-28th do not correspond to the birth of saints.

On May 29, it’s worth congratulating Muse on her name day. Unusual name endows the owner with originality of thinking, style and actions. They trust her, and this is not without reason, because she true friend who will always rush to help.

The 30th is the day named after Evdokia. The beautiful Evdokia is very independent, she knows how to act better and what to do in any situation. Often does not find approval from loved ones, after which he withdraws into himself. She doesn’t have many friends, but she has more than enough fans.

May men are diligent, mentally and physically developed. They deftly find solutions to problems, see new methods for achieving the desired results and earning money. Name days in May for boys are a wonderful opportunity to choose the name of a saint, which, in accordance with religious beliefs, will help the person born in the future.

On the last day before June, May 31, be sure to congratulate Heraclius, Julian, Fedot and Leo. Strong and stubborn guys achieve heights in all areas of life.

May your name bring you happiness!

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