Saints' Names (girls N-R) & Their Meanings - Good News Ministries Online

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

Feast Day	Name	Meaning	Saint & Patronage
(Aug. 1)	Nadine Nadia	hope	According to legend, there was a Roman widow, Saint Wisdom (or Sofia), who had three daughters, Saint Faith, Saint Hope, and Saint Charity, and they all suffered for Jesus. Faith, age 12, miraculously survived being scourged and thrown into boiling pitch, and was finally beheaded; Hope, age 10, and Charity, age 9, were unharmed when tossed into a furnace, so they also were beheaded; their mother suffered while praying over the bodies of her children.
July 26 Feb. 27	Nancy Nan, Nanette, Ann, Anne, Anita, Anna, Annabel, Annabella, Annette, Hannah	grace	Saint Ann was the mother of Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. Saint Anne Line converted to Catholicism at a time when people were arrested for this. She fearlessly helped others survive the persecutions, and her home became a rallying point for Catholics. Fully aware of the possible cost to her life, she hid a priest and held Mass in her home, but was arrested and hanged for it.
(July 27)	Natalie Natalia, Natasha	birth	Saint Natalie married Saint Aurelius, the son of a Moor and a Spanish woman who was secretly raised a Christian by his aunt during the Moorish persecution of Christians. His wife was a half Moorish woman, Sabigotho, who changed her name to Natalie when he converted her to Christianity. They were both beheaded for practicing their faith.
Aug. 18	Nell Nellie, Nelly, Eleanor, Helen, Helena, Eleanor, Leanore, Lenore, Lenora, Lee, Leora	light	The great emperor Constantine gave his mother, Saint Helena, the authority to promote Christianity by building churches throughout the empire and on the holy sites in Israel. She is the patron saint of difficult marriages and divorced people because her husband divorced her for someone with better political connections.
Dec. 6	Nicole Nicola, Nicolette (fem. of Nicholas)	people's victory	Saint Nicholas was an archbishop who dearly loved to help the poor, especially young children. He worked to protect the innocent and minister to those who were wronged. Eventually, the stories of his kindness evolved into the legend of Santa Claus.
Jan. 21 Mar. 2	Nina Agnes, Ines, Inez, Neysa, Ninete, Rachel	pure	Saint Agnes of Rome was only a teenager when she had to decide between life and dying for Jesus. She had been ordered to sacrifice her virginity to pagan gods, and she sacrificed her life instead. She is the patron saint of engaged couples. Saint Agnes of Prague was very wealthy, and she freely used this gift to help the poor. She financed a hospital, a Franciscan friary and a Poor Clare convent. She never considered herself as above others, and even after she became abbess, she cooked for the sisters and mended the clothes of lepers.
	Nora Noreen, Norah, Norine, Honora	honored	Saint Honorius I, as pope reorganized the Spanish church and sent out missionaries. He preserved and restored churches in Rome and converted his house into a monastery.
(July 11)	Olga	holy	Saint Olga was married to a prince who was assassinated. A cruel and barbarous woman, she scalded her husband's murderers to death and murdered hundreds of their followers. Howerver, she became forgiving and loving when she converted to Christianity.
(Mar. 5)	Olivia Olive, Oliva	olive	Saint Oliva of Brescia was martyred in the persecutions of Hadrian in 138. Her relics are still in St. Afra's church in Brescia, Italy.
Mar. 17	Patricia Pat, Patty, Pattie	nobly born	Saint Patrick had been born in Scotland to Roman parents who were in charge of the British colonies. When he was about fourteen, he was kidnapped during a raid and taken to pagan Ireland to herd sheep. He learned the Druidic language and practices of the people, which later helped him to evangelize them when he returned as a bishop.
Jan. 25	Paula Paulette, Pauline	little	Saint Paul the Apostle was converted from persecuting the Christians by an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascas, after which he poured his passionate enthusiasm into spreading the Gospel. His powerful leadership was marked by boldness and unwavering conviction.
July 20 Jan. 19	Peggy Pearl, Pegeen, Margaret, Maggie, Marge, Margery, Margo, Margot, Marina, Margarita, Marguerite, Marjorie, Gretchen, Greta	pearl	Saint Margaret of Antioch’s father was a pagan priest. Her escape from his false beliefs was depicted in a story of being swallowed by a dragon representing paganism, and then escaping from its belly as if being born anew. Because of this tale, she has become the patron saint of pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. Saint Marguerite Bourgeous gave away her inheritance to family members and departed for Canada, where she founded the Congregation of Notre Dame. She helped people survive when food was scarce, opened a vocational school, and taught young people how to run a home and farm.
Jan. 1 July 6	Polly Molly (both nicknames for Mary)	rebellion	The obvious Saint for this name is the Blessed Mother. Saint Maria Goretti was a young girl when a farmhand tried to rape her. As she warned him that he was sinning, he stabbed her repeatedly. Before she died, she forgave him. Later, while in jail for his crime, the perpetrator had a vision in which Maria led him to conversion. She is the patron of teen girls, rape victims, and chastity.
(July 8)	Priscilla	ancient	Saint Priscilla (or Prisca) was the wife of Aquila, a Jewish tentmaker. Both were converted by the Apostle Paul when he went to Corinth. Saint Paul stayed in their home. They accompanied him to Ephesus and remained there. Paul also stayed at their house during his third missionary journey. They then returned to native Rome, where their house was used as a church.
Jan. 21 Mar. 2	Rachel Agnes, Ines, Inez, Neysa, Nina, Ninete	pure	Saint Agnes of Rome was only a teenager when she had to decide between life and dying for Jesus. She had been ordered to sacrifice her virginity to pagan gods, and she sacrificed her life instead. She is the patron saint of engaged couples. Saint Agnes of Prague was very wealthy, and she freely used this gift to help the poor. She financed a hospital, a Franciscan friary and a Poor Clare convent. She never considered herself as above others, and even after she became abbess, she cooked for the sisters and mended the clothes of lepers.
Sept. 29	Rafaela	God's healer	Saint Raphael is one of seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord. The angel of healing, he is the one who moved the waters of the healing sheep pool in Jerusalem. He is the patron of the blind, of happy meetings, of nurses, of physicians and of travelers.
Aug. 31	Ramona Mona, Raimunda (feminine of Raymond)	protector	Saint Raymond Nonnatus spent his inheritance paying the ransom for Christians who had been enslaved and even traded himself to set others free. Because he miraculously survived his birth as his mother died, he is a patron saint for pregnancies.
	Rebecca Becky	ensnarer	Saint Rebecca (or Rebekah) was the Old Testament wife of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Rebecca and Isaac's children were Esau and Jacob. Jacob became the father of the Israelites.
(April 3)	Renee Irene, Irena, Renata	peace	Saint Irene was caught with texts of the Scriptures when this was punishable by death. When she refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, she was sent to a house of prostitution. There, when she was unmolested after being exposed naked and chained, she was put to death.
May 22	Rita	pearl	Saint Rita of Cascia had a special devotion to the Passion, because she felt unspeakable awe at what Jesus did on the cross. She shared in His suffering beginning at age twelve when her parents married her to an abusive man, and so she has become a patron of impossible causes.
Sept. 17	Roberta	bright flame	Saint Robert Bellarmine is the patron saint of catechumens because he wrote two catechisms and devoted much of his time to teaching the Faith to children. He also wrote a revised version of the Bible.
Oct. 7	Rosaria	rosary	Praying the Rosary holds more power than we can imagine. It often saved Christian Europe from Muslim invaders. The Blessed Mother taught three children in Fatima that the Rosary obtains special graces for us, saves sinners from Hell, and protects us from evil spirits.
Aug. 23	Rose Rosa, Rosalie, Rosalinda, Rosalyn, Rosetta, Roseanne, Rosemarie, Rosemonde	rose	Saint Rose of Lima was a mystic and visionary who received invisible stigmata, and yet she often suffered from the feeling that God was distant. Despite how lonely this felt, she persisted in believing that He was indeed with her all the time, and she continually prayed to grow stronger in her ability to trust Him.
	Ruth	female friend	The Old Testament Book of Ruth tells the story of Saint Ruth, a young widow who followed her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem, where Ruth met and married Boaz. Ruth gave birth to Obed, who became the grandfather of David, Israel's greatest king, from whose lineage Jesus was born.