Claudia meaning

Meaning

Limp, Enclosure

Etymology

From the verb claudo, to shut in or be shut in.

Related names

• Via claudo: Clauda, Claudius

Claudia is a Roman (Latin) name, but it the Bible it occurs in the New Testament, which is written in Greek. She's immortalized in Paul's salutations at the end of his second letter to his young friend Timothy (2 Timothy 4:21). Apparently, Claudia was among the congregants of Paul's Roman church, who visited him during his second incarceration in Rome (see 2 Timothy 1:8, 1:17 and 2:9). She and some others wish to greet Timothy, then in Ephesus, and Paul attaches their warmest regards to his letter. Scriptural details like that argue, like no theological theory, the delight of fellowship in the Body of Christ.

The origin of the name Claudia is obscure. Apart from it obviously being the feminine variant of the masculine name Claudius, nobody seems to know what the original name-giver meant to say with it. But there are a few options:

The name Claudia is usually reported to come from the Latin verb claudico, meaning to limp or to waver. It's perfectly conceivable that once upon a time there was a cripple or a con person who was named Claudius (Lamo) by his neighbors, who then passed on his name to his progeny as a kind of family totem. But one would expect that a name that's not really a nice thing to have people say about you, would die out rapidly. Even during the days that people spoke Latin, and were quite aware of the meaning of the verb claudico, the names Claudius and Claudia were big hits.

All the more reason to look at the word cluster claudo, which is related to the previous and carries a meaning that is obviously kindred:

The meaning of the name Claudia may be formally obscure but here at Abarim Publications we're guessing that it doesn't mean Lame; it means Enclosure, even Haven or slightly indirect: Safety, Support or One To Lean On.