Bartholomew (English)
Where does "Bartholomew" come from?
The English given name Bartholomew has a rich linguistic history, traveling from Aramaic into Ancient Greek and Latin before reaching English[1]. It originates from the Aramaic phrase 'בר תלמי' meaning 'son of Talmai' or 'son of Ptolemy', composed of 'בר' meaning 'son' alongside the name 'תלמי'[1]. The term passed into Ancient Greek as 'Βαρθολομαῖος' and subsequently into Latin as 'Bartholomaeus'[1][2][3]. In English, the pronunciation of the name was eventually altered to match its spelling, providing a distinct development from its French cognate 'Barthélemy'[1].
Open questions
- It remains unclear whether the Apostle's father was named after the biblical king of Geshur or one of the Greek Ptolemies, because the two names were conflated in Jewish Aramaic. [1]
Full etymology tree
- Bartholomew (English), 'An Apostle, identified with Nathanael. (biblical character)'
- borrowed Bartholomaeus (Latin), 'Bartholomew'
- borrowed Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos) (Ancient Greek), 'Bartholomew, a disciple of Jesus.'
- borrowed בר תלמי (bar tolmai) (Aramaic)
- compound בר (bar) (Aramaic), 'absolute form of בְּרָא (b'rā)'
- compound תלמי (tolmai) (Aramaic)
- borrowed בר תלמי (bar tolmai) (Aramaic)
- borrowed Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos) (Ancient Greek), 'Bartholomew, a disciple of Jesus.'
- borrowed Bartholomaeus (Latin), 'Bartholomew'
Ancestors
- Bartholomaeus (Latin)
- Βαρθολομαῖος (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- Barthélemy (French)
Descendants and derived words
- Bartholomew baby (English)
- Bartholomewtide (English)
Sources
- Bartholomew (English) - Wiktionary
- Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- Bartholomaeus (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris