Today I learned a fun fact about one of my Christian names.
My full name is Robertus Dorotheus Maria. Knowing that my parents were Catholic, it is very clear were “Maria” comes from.
I always thought that the names Robertus Dorotheus were Latin based.
For Robertus this is partly correct. The name Robertus is indeed Latin, but is originally based on the Germanic name Hrodbert. This name is formed from two Germanic words “rod” = “fame” and “bert” = “bright” and so this name means “bright fame”.
Well, there you have it :-).
But today I learned from a colleague that Dorotheus isn’t Latin at all. To my pleasant surprise, I was told it is a Greek name!
Dorotheus is a male given name from Greek Dōrótheos (Δωρόθεος), meaning “God’s Gift”. δῶρον (dōron) which means “gift” and θεός (theós) that means “god”.
A nice name for an atheist as I am :-).
But see, there is something Greek to me, even when it is only one of my names!
And for those that are curious, at the top of this article my birth announcement. On the photo my mother and me. I am there just a few hours old.
Now I want to hear you pronounce Δωρόθεος. Knowing you Dutch people, you will pronounce it wrong! 🙂