Halloweek: Spirit and Soul Names

Celt legends started their new year on November 1st and believed the night before, now called Halloween, was the time when the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred. The spirits could go back and forth. Below I have a list of spiritual names in honor of this history side of Halloween. There are many names on this list that are new to me and I am sure are new to you.

Alma- The Soul; Spanish
Alma is the Spanish word for soul. The name became popular in England after the 1854 Battle of Alma. It is familiar with the phase alma mater making it double as a word name. Up until the 1920s the name ranked in the top 100 and started a decline from there. The name fits nicely with more popular names like Emma and Ava and is ready for her comeback.

Anima- Soul, Spirit; Latin
In Jungian psychology the anima is believed to be an individual's true inner self or soul. In the everyday world the name travels easily between countries and cultures with its easy to spell and pronounce elements.

Nurcan- Bright Soul; Turkish
In the United States Nurcan is almost unheard of it but it was once in the top 50 in Turkey. The last time the name ranked in Turkey though was in 2003 at #93. The most famous Nurcan seems to be Nurcan Taylan, a Turkey Olympian weightlifter.

Mahatma- Great Soul; Hindi
Mahatma Gandhi was a lawyer who inspired cicvil rights movements all over the world. He is known for peace and freedom. The name may bee too associated with him to use as a first name but I think it makes a great, strong middle name.

Ercan- Brave Man's Soul; Turkish
Like Nurcan, Ercan was once used in Turkey but has not ranked since 1997 at #97. In Turkey they have an airport bearing the same name. Could that be why it has lost usage?

Enid- Soul; Welsh
Enid is the the lover of an Arthurian legend named Geraint. She was a Celtic goddess and believed to be perfect and courages. The name became popular in England and people believed that it was special to be the "second Enid" because of her bravery.

Hugh- Heart, Mind, Spirit; English
Until the 1903, Hugh was in the top 100. Since 2009 the name has been climbing up the charts at a slow pace. As of 2018 the name was only ranked at #806. In Ireland there are about 20 saints bearing the name and there were 2 Hughes in the first English-speaking colony the New World.

Dusan- Soul, Spirit; Slavic
As of 2010 Dusan was the 29th most popular name for males in Serbia. Stefan Dusan was a 1330s King of Serbia. He helped born the country including founded the Saint Archangels Monastery.

Some of the names on this list are very usable in the English speaking country while others may not be. Overall this list covers many cultures and languages.