Name of the Week

 

With a rich and artistic history,
Balthazar is dramatic, debonair and daring.

 

Origin:

Balthazar is a form of Belshazzar, the Hebrew equivalent of the Akkadian Bel-sarra-usur meaning "may Bel (Ba'al) protect the king." In Greek and Latin translations, Belshazzar became Baltasar, which later became Balthasar or Balthazar.  Bel or Ba'al was well known across the Mesopotamian world. It was a titular name, meaning "lord," which was given to the greatest god of their respective pantheon. In the case of the Babylonians, this title was given to their chief god, Marduk.  History gives us mention of a Prince Belshazzar, the eldest son of Nabonidas, the last Neo-Babylonian king. Evidence suggests that Belshazzar became co-regent with his father (probably 553–539 B.C.). In the Old Testament, Belshazzar is mentioned as the last King of Babylon for whom Daniel interpreted the mysterious writing on the wall.  It is interesting to note that Daniel himself was given the very similar Babylonian name Belteshazzar, from Balatsu-usur "protect his life." Occasionally, Belteshazzar is also rendered as Balthazar. By the eleventh century Balthazar was most commonly known as the legendary name of one of the three Magi of the Epiphany who visited Jesus on his birth.

Usage:

In 1164, the reputed relics of the Three Kings (Magi) were transported from Milan to Cologne, making it a renowned pilgrimage site, and the centre of a widespread cult. As seen with Jasper, the spread of this cult saw the name Balthasar in use across Spain, Portugal, Germany, Brussels, Poland and Italy, where it perhaps enjoyed the most popularity in the form Baldassare.  It was uncommon in Britain as an actual given name, though it did enjoy use in Elizabethan theatre. Shakespeare used the name four times in his play, while contemporary Thomas Kyd use the name for his character Prince Balthazar in the highly popular play The Spanish Tragedy (1592).  A handful of parish records for the name can be found, mostly around London, from the mid-16th century. It became more regular in use in the 17th century, especially in London, Cornwall and Devon.  UK census records in the 19th century are as follows: 1841: 7 males 1851: 6 males 1861: 9 males 1871: 21 males 1881: 15 males 1891: 9 males 1901: 13 males 1911: 4 males The name registered only four times as a first given name in England and Wales from 1910 to 1990: in 1960, 1970, 1979 and 1981.  Since 1996, Balthazar has ranked six times in England and Wales, mostly in the last decade: 1998: #2901 (3 births) 2006: #4053 (3 births)  2007: #4333 (3 births)  2009: #2544 (7 births)  2010: #4678 (3 births)  2012: #4805 (3 births)  The name has not ranked in Scotland or Northern Ireland in the last ten years. It fairs quite well internationally, however. Baltasar was #30 in Iceland and Boldizsár #75 in Hungary in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Baldassare Castiglione (1478–1529), Italian Renaissance author. * Balthazar Alvarez (1533–1580), Spanish Catholic mystic. * Sir Balthazar Gerbier (1592–1663), an Anglo-Dutch diplomat, artist and architectural designer. * Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658), Spanish Baroque prose writer. * Balthasar Bekker (1634–1698), Dutch philosopher. * Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753), German engineer and architect. * Balthasar Ferdinand Moll (1717–1785), Baroque sculptor. * Balthazar Lange (1854–1937), a Norwegian architect. Contemporary: * Balthazar Getty (b. 1975), American actor and member of the band Ringside. Literature and Media: * Balthasar, a minor character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. * Balthasar, Portia's masculine alter-ego, as well as a minor character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. * Balthasar, a follower of Don Pedro in Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing. * Balthasar, a merchant in the Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. * Prince Balthazar, son of the Portuguese Viceroy, in Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1592). * Balthazar Claes, the main character of Honore de Balzac's The Quest of the Absolute (1834). * Balthazar (1958), a novel by Lawrence Durrell. * Belthazor, alternate name of the character Cole Turner in the show Charmed, portrayed by Julian McMahon. * Balthazar, an angel in the TV series Supernatural, played by Sebastian Roché.

Variants:

Balthasar, Baltasar, Belshazar (Biblical), Baldassare (Italian), Balzer (German), Boldizsár (Hungarian)

Pronunciation:

BAL-thə-zar [key]

Possible diminutives:

Baz, Bart, Taz, Zab, Zal

Sibling Names:

Hepzibah     Mehitabel     Tatiana     Euphrosyne    Delilah     Zipporah  Casimir     Lazarus     Salvador     Cosimo     Santiago     Oberon

Name Lists:

Gothic Victoriana    Shakespearean Names

 

If you like Balthazar you may also like:   Zebulon, Bartholomew, Zebediah, Ebenezer, Adelmar, Zadok, Barnabas, Florizel, Valdemar, Isambard

 

Thanks to Noetje for requesting this post.