Women's bible names Part II

I have been meaning to write some more about women’s bible names... many of the male names have fallen into disuse... but the women’s names are still liked. 
Leah was the name of the Patriarch Jacob’s first wife… whom he married though he was in love with her sister Rachel.  The name may mean gazelle or even cow… which has a suggestion of gentleness.  Variants of the name include Lia or Lea.
Lydia is a Greek name, meaning “woman from Lydia” a Greek region, which features in the New Testament...  Lydia was a well to do woman who was one of St Pauls converts.  It has proved popular, and has been used in literature in Sheridan’s play, The Rivals, and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Mary is the name of Jesus’ mother, which means “swelling” and has a connotation of pregnancy.  The original Hebrew version of the name is Miriam….
Naomi was quite a popular name; it is the name of the mother in law of Ruth, who is an ancestress of Jesus.  Ruth and Naomi were devoted to each other, a touching story of love between two women… The name means pleasant.
In Greek the name Phoebe means “Shining” and it was the name of one of St Paul’s Greek converts.  It has never been very popular but has sometimes been used.
Rachel is one of the most popular Bible names… It is the name of Jacob’s second wife, whom he loved, and who was the mother of his beloved son Joseph.  The name means “ewe”.  It is even more popular nowadays because of the character Rachel in Friends.
Rebecca is also a very popular name.  It is the name of Jacob’s mother, the wife of Isaac... the son of Abraham.  It means knotted cord, which can be a reference to the bond of marriage.  The name has some abbreviations, Becky, or Becca.  There is also the abbreviation “Reba”, used by the country singer Reba MacEntire.
Ruth is the name of the ancestress of David, and the daughter in law of Naomi.  The meaning of the name is unclear... but it has been very popular. Abbreviations are Ruthie, or Rue…
Sarah is one of the most popular English names, which has now lost its association with the bible because it has become so well used...  The original character was Sarai, or Sarah, the wife of Abraham.  The Hebrew name means Princess. Other forms include Sally, Sadie, and Sarita.

Sapphira is a rare name, which means “Sapphire”…but the bible character who bears this name is a deceitful and unsympathetic woman, so it has not been much used. 

Sharon is the name of a place in the bible, but has become a popular name.  A “Rose of Sharon” is the name for a type of Lily, and the name also has the variant Sharona.  It can be abbreviated to Shari.

Susan or Susannah is a popular name that has also lost its “bible” origin… the name means Lily (Shoshan) and is the name of a Bible character who is accused of adultery and defended by Daniel.  The name can be abbreviated as Sue, Susie, Shanna, or Sukie...
Shulamith is another rare name, which springs from the Hebrew word Shalom, meaning peace.  It is mentioned in the Song of Solomon.  It is quite popular in Israel and can be abbreviated to Shula.

More will follow.