Saints' Names (boys J-M) & Their Meanings - Good News Ministries Online

Note: Those with unlisted and ( ) Feast Days are not in the book
Daily Prayers with the Saints for the New Millennium

Feast Day	Name	Meaning	Saint & Patronage
Dec. 20	Jacob Jake, James	holding by the heel, or supplanter	Jacob was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. His name comes from his birth, when he emerged grabbing onto his twin brother's heel as they fought for first place. He later stole from his brother (Esau) the first-born's rights. He was renamed Israel by God after he wrestled with a divine visitor and was finally broken of his pride.
July 25	James Jacob, Diego, Jacques, Jaime, Santiago, Iago, Seamas, Shamus	supplanter	Saint James the Greater was one of the first Apostles, but he started out as a very impulsive, self-centered man. He dared to ask Jesus for a place of honor in His kingdom, and he wanted Jesus to destroy the villages that had rejected Him, but eventually he developed a true understanding of holiness.
(Feb. 16)	Jeremiah Jeremy, Jeremias	exalted of the Lord	Saint Jeremy and four companions were Egyptians who visited Christians condemned to do hard labor in the mines during persecutions, to comfort them. They were arrested for this, tortured and beheaded. The Old Testament writer Jeremiah (Jeremias) was called at a youthful age to become one of Israel's greatest prophets.
Sept. 30	Jerome Geronimo	holy name	Saint Jerome said that ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ. As secretary to the Pope, he received the commission to translate the Bible from its original languages into Latin—the Vulgate.
July 26	Joachim Joaquin	God prepares	The grandparents of Jesus, Saints Joachim and Ann dedicated their precious daughter Mary to the service of the Temple when she was three years old, preparing the way for her to become the Blessed Mother.
	Joel	the coming down of God	In the Old Testament, Joel was the second in the list of the twelve Minor Prophets. He warned of the judgment of Jahweh in order to awaken the people from their moral lethargy, while rejoicing in Jahweh's work of salvation.
Dec. 27 Sept. 13 Aug. 4	John Baptiste, Evan, Gian, Giovanni, Hans, Ian, Ivan, Jan, Johann, Johannes, Jon, Juan, Sean, Shane, Shaun	God has mercy	Saint John became one of Jesus' closest friends. He was the only one who stayed with Him until the end. On the cross, Jesus placed His Mother into his care. After Jesus rose, he ran ahead of the other Apostles to see the empty tomb and he was the first to recognize Him at the lakeside. Saint John Chrysostom was very vocal in condemning the sinful customs of his society, earning the name "John of the Golden Tongue." With his powers of persuasion, he stopped immoral performances of plays. Saint John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests with a special concern for men who enter the priesthood late in life. He himself had a delayed vocation, and he managed to get through seminary only with great difficulty.
Mar. 19 Sept. 18	Joseph Josef, Jose, Gisseppe	increase	God chose Saint Joseph to care for Mary and Jesus because his holiness and love for Him was great, his compassion for others was outstanding, and his desire to protect and provide for his family was honorable. Saint Joseph of Cupertino endured much rejection—his mother disapproved of him and the religious orders he tried to join refused him—but rather than succumbing to self-pity, he turned to God for acceptance. He became a priest who worked miracles and conversed intimately with Christ in ecstasies.
Oct. 28	Jude	praised	Saint Jude was one of the first 12 Apostles. He was known for exorcising pagan idols, which crumbled as the demons fled. He is the patron of desperate situations and lost causes.
Feb. 12	Julian Julius, Giles, Jules, Julio	soft beard	Saint Julian spent his life caring for the poor as a sacrifice for inadvertently killing his parents. He is the patron saint of circus workers, innkeepers, travelers, and murderers.
June 1	Justin	just	Saint Justin Martyr struggled with his intellect in order to find God. He had studied various philosophies, filling his mind with many ideas that were contrary to Christianity, and this made it difficult for him to accept the Faith. But once converted, he wrote strong defenses of Christian beliefs.
(Oct. 11)	Kenneth Kent, Canice	handsome	Saint Kenneth was an Irish priest who was a close friend of Saint Columba. He was a very successful missionary and built a few monastaries.
(June 3)	Kevin	handsome, beautiful	Saint Kevin was born into royalty, but when he was ordained, he became a hermit for 7 years. Then he founded a monastery for the disciples he attracted. Many fantastic miracles were attributed to him, and he supposedly lived to the age of 120.
July 8	Kilian Killian	church	Saint Kilian was a bishop who traveled throughout his diocese to reach all the parishes and minister to his flock. He realized that his calling to be a missionary meant going being the borders of his own country, so he took eleven companions and left home to evangelize Gaul.
(June 27)	Lance Ladislaus, Lancelot, Lazlo	ruling well	Saint Ladislaus was a great king of Hungary who encouraged Christian missionaries, built many churches, and gave religious freedom to the Jews and Mohammedans in his country. He was known for his zeal, piety, and moral life.
Aug. 10 July 21	Lawrence Lars, Lauren, Laurence, Laurenz, Loren, Lorenzo	laurel	Saint Lawrence protected the Church’s money from the Roman Empire by giving it to the poor. When the greedy prefect of Rome demanded the Church’s treasures, Lawrence presented to him the poor and the sick, announcing, "This is the Church's treasure!" When he was martyred, he was roasted on fire. Keeping God's joy and good humor to the end, he told his torturers: "Turn me over, I'm done on this side!" Saint Lawrence of Brindisi served You as a military chaplain who preached effectively and taught the Faith in many languages.
Nov. 10	Leo Lee, Leigh, Lon, Leov, Lionel	lion	Saint Leo the Great was pope during fearsome times. Heathen armies were attacking the faithful in many places and Christians were spreading errors about the Faith. Yet, he led the Church wisely and courageously, refusing to fear any threat, any difficulty, or any army.
(Oct. 9)	Louis Alois, Aloysius, Lewis, Ludwig, Luigi, Luis	famous warrior	Saint Louis Bertrand was a Dominican priest who was so poor at preaching, it seemed he'd be ineffective, but his deep love for people produced great results. As a missionary in South America for 6 years, he baptized thousands. Though he knew only one language, God gave him the gift of tongues, so that when he preached, all the different Indian tribes understood him.
Oct. 18 Oct. 26	Luke Lucian, Lucas, Luca, Luciano, Lucio, Lucius	light	Saint Luke the Evangelist was a physician who helped Saint Paul set up young faith communities. He is a patron saint of doctors. Saint Lucian was a devil worshipper who converted to Christianity. He is the patron of possessed people
(Nov. 3)	Malachy Malachi	messenger of the Lord	Saint Malachy was appointed archbishop, but because of political intrigues he was unable to serve at his flock for two years. Over the next three years, he restored order to the Church, and put the Roman Liturgy to use. Numerous miracles were attributed to him, and he was had the gift of prophecy.
April 25 (June 2)	Mark Marc, Marcel, Marco, Marcus, Markus, Marcellus	of Mars	Saint Mark the Evangelist was one of those who ran away in fear when Jesus was arrested, but after the resurrection of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, he became a writer of the Faith, and he helped Saints Paul, Barnabas, and Peter build the new Church. Saint Marcellinus was a priest who was martyered for his faith. He thought of his imprisonment as just one more opportunity to evangelize. He converted his jailer and his family, and his executioner became a Christian after his death.
Nov. 3 Nov. 11	Martin Martino	warlike	Saint Martin de Porres studied medicine to cure the sufferings of people. By entering the Dominican order and growing in holiness, he discovered that God often would heal people miraculously through his prayers. Saint Martin of Tours was raised by pagan parents, but after joining the Roman army he began to study the Christian faith. When his desire to imitate You compelled him to help a beggar, You came to him in a vision and called him to receive baptism and enter religious life. Eventually he became a bishop and banished pagan worship from his diocese.
Sept. 21 May 14	Matthew Matt, Matteo, Mattias, Matthias	the Lord's gift	Saint Matthew the Apostle was considered by his own people to be a traitor because he collected taxes for the enemy, but You, O Lord, did not label him as bad. You knew he was willing to hear the truth and learn from it, so You said, "Follow me," and immediately he left his money and his job to accept salvation. Before the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, He chose Saint Matthias to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle. This was the beginning of the apostolic succession and a reminder to us today that God is the One who calls men to the priesthood.
Sept. 22	Maurice Maur, Morris, Moritz, Mauricio	dark	Saint Maurice was a Christian officer in charge of a legion of converts in an anti-Christian army. He had a very challenging and significant responsibility to help his men remain strong in the Faith despite persecutions. When he and his men refused to sacrifice to the gods, they were martyred.
Aug. 14	Maximilian Max, Maxim	greatest	Saint Maximilian Kolbe was imprisoned in Auschwitz where he ministered to the captives and celebrated Mass by consecrating bread and wine that had been smuggled in. He was martyred after he voluntarily took the place of a young married prisoner condemned to die. He’s the patron of drug addicts and people in prison.
Jan. 21	Meinrad Maynard	strong firmness	Saint Meinrad is the patron and in some part the founder of the still-functioning Benedictine abbey of Einsiedeln in Switzerland. He lived as a hermit at Einsiedeln and was martyred in 861 when he gave hospitality to two criminals.
Feb. 6	Mel	honey	Saint Mel is the nephew of Saint Patrick. He went with his uncle to Ireland as a missionary and helped him evangelize that country. He supported himself by working hard, and any extra that he earned he gave to the poor.
May 8	Michael Michel, Michele, Miguel, Mikhail, Mitchell	who is like God?	Saint Michael the Archangel led the army of angels that defeated Satan and the demons when they rebelled against God. Because his name means "Who is like God," Pope Saint Gregory the Great said, "Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power."
	Moses	saved by water	Moses of the Old Testament was rescued from death during persecutions of the Jews in ancient Egypt, raised as one of the Pharoah's own family, and later returned to free the Hebrews from cruel slavery under the Pharoah's tyranny. Saint Moses the Ethopian was an Abyssinian slave feared for his strength and ferocity. He led of a gang of thieves but converted to Christ. He had supernatural gifts, and his wisdom is included in the sayings of the Desert Fathers.