GreekSaint's name2 syllables
Meaning: sacred name.
Jerome
| Origin | Greek Hieronymos, through Latin Hieronymus and French Jérôme |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Sacred name, from hieros (sacred, holy) + onoma (name) — the same onoma that sits inside synonym and anonymous |
| Pronunciation | juh-ROHM in English, stress on the second syllable; French zhay-ROHM |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100. A familiar American name in the middle of the twentieth century that has since gone quiet; Jérôme is still ordinary in France |
| Variants | Hieronymus (Latin, Dutch), Girolamo (Italian), Jerónimo (Spanish), Jérôme (French), Jeroen (Dutch), Geronimo |
| Nicknames | Jerry, Rome, Romy |
| Feast day | 30 September — Saint Jerome, patron of translators, librarians and scholars |
History & meaning
The Greek original, Hieronymos, was a perfectly ordinary pagan name centuries before any Christian used it: hieros, sacred, plus onoma, name, given to boys born on a festival or dedicated to a god. Greek is generous with that second element, which is why English inherited synonym, pseudonym and anonymous from the same root. Latin took the name as Hieronymus, Old French sanded it down to Jerome, and the Normans carried that form into England.
Everything the name carries today it owes to one man. Jerome, born around 342 and dead in Bethlehem in 420, spent decades producing a Latin Bible that became the standard text of the Western Church for a thousand years under the name Vulgate. His decision to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew rather than from the Greek Septuagint was contested in his lifetime and vindicated afterwards; Augustine wrote to him worried about the consequences for congregations who knew the old wording. Painters gave him a lion, a red hat and a skull, and translators still claim him as their patron. Two later Jeromes kept the name in circulation: Girolamo Savonarola in Florence and Saint Jerome Emiliani in Venice.
Why parents choose it
Jerome has an unusual shape for an English name — the stress lands on the second syllable and the whole thing ends on a long, rounded vowel, which gives it a formality that the blunter J names lack. It is scholarly rather than sporty, quietly dignified, and currently unclaimed by any trend, which for some parents is the whole appeal.
Middle names for Jerome
Because Jerome ends on a stressed syllable, a middle name that starts unstressed keeps the line moving: Jerome Patrick, Jerome Alexander, Jerome Victor, Jerome Elias. See the middle names guide for how to test a pairing out loud before committing.
Famous Jeromes
Jerome Kern wrote Show Boat and a large share of the American songbook. Jerome Robbins choreographed West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, and won Academy Awards for co-directing the first. Jerome Bettis ran the ball for the Steelers hard enough to be nicknamed The Bus and to end up in the Hall of Fame. One more, hiding in plain sight: the J in J. D. Salinger stood for Jerome.
Consider instead
Julian shares the scholarly, faintly Continental air with an easier first impression. Vincent is the same vintage of saint's name and has already begun its revival. Simon offers the same understated intelligence in a shorter, plainer package.