Damaris Meaning in the Bible

Damaris (Δάμαρις) is Greek, and its derivation is disputed. The two main proposals are a form of damalis, 'heifer' or 'young cow' — a positive pastoral image in Greek, not an insult — and a connection to damar, 'wife,' or to daman, 'to tame, to subdue.' No reading is secure, which is unusual for a New Testament name and a reason most name sites simply guess.

Her one appearance is Acts 17:34, at the end of Paul's speech on Mars' Hill: 'Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.' The Athens sermon is usually read as Paul's least fruitful — most of the crowd mocked, some deferred — and yet Luke thought two converts worth naming.

The detail that she is named at all is the point. Dionysius is identified by office; Damaris is identified only by name and gender, which some commentators take to mean she was a woman of standing in her own right, since Athenian women of the citizen class did not typically attend such gatherings. Luke's consistent habit of naming women alongside men is one of the marks of his Gospel and Acts.

Damaris is rare in English-speaking countries, better established in Spanish-speaking Christian communities, and has the practical advantages of three clear syllables and an intuitive spelling. It offers a New Testament woman's name that has not been worn smooth by use.