G3686 — ὄνομα (ónoma)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3686
Original: ὄνομα
Transliteration: ónoma
Pronunciation: on'-om-ah
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Occurrences: 213 unique verses (228 tokens) across 19 books
First Occurrence: Mat 1:21 — "thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a presumed derivative of the base of γινώσκω (G1097, to know); a "name" (literally or figuratively), i.e. (authority, character, reputation) — called, (+ sur-)name(-d). The Greek ὄνομα regularly translates Hebrew שֵׁם (shem, H8034) in the LXX and carries forward the Hebrew semantic range where a "name" denotes not merely a verbal label but the person's identity, character, authority, and covenantal presence.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 33.126 — Name (subdomain of 33 Communication)
Related Domains: 9 (People — identity/person), 53 (Religious Activities — invoking/honoring the divine Name), 58 (Class, Kind — category/reputation)
Other words in Name subdomain (33.009): ἐπικαλέω (G1941, call upon), ἐπονομάζω (G2028, surname), καλέω (G2564, call), ὀνομάζω (G3687, name), προσαγορεύω (G4316, designate), φωνέω (G5455, call)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
033	Communication	`search_relationships.py` places onoma in the naming/designation field, matching uses where a name is spoken, assigned, proclaimed, or invoked.
009	People	The same tool links onoma to personal identity and counted persons, fitting passages where "names" stands for people themselves.
058	Nature, Class, Example	This reflects uses where a "name" denotes recognized status, class, reputation, or character.
053	Religious Activities	Divine-name passages ("call on the name," baptism into the name, honoring the name) place onoma in explicit worship/invocation contexts.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
name	138	64.8%
named	27	12.7%
the name	14	6.6%
names	9	4.2%
name's / name's sake	10	4.7%
a name	4	1.9%
called	4	1.9%
by name	2	0.9%
Other (he surnamed, of men, etc.)	5	2.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
3 John	2	14.3
Revelation	31	7.7
Acts	59	5.9
2 Thessalonians	2	4.3
1 John	3	2.9
Luke	32	2.8
James	3	2.8
John	24	2.7
Mark	14	2.1
Matthew	19	1.8
1 Corinthians	6	1.4
Ephesians	2	1.3
Hebrews	4	1.3
Romans	5	1.2
2 Timothy	1	1.2
Colossians	1	1.1
1 Peter	1	1.0
1 Timothy	1	0.9

Notable concentration: Acts (59x) — apostolic proclamation "in the name of Jesus"; Revelation (31x) — sealed names, names written, the Name on the forehead; Johannine corpus (Gospel + Epistles + Rev = 60+ verses) centers on believing "in his name."

Semantic Categories¶

1. Personal Designation (proper name assigned at birth / naming)¶

Mat 1:21 — "thou shalt call his name JESUS"
Mat 1:23 — "they shall call his name Emmanuel"
Luk 1:13 — "thou shalt call his name John"
Jhn 1:6 — "a man sent from God, whose name was John"

2. Identity / Individual Person Reference¶

Mar 5:9 — "What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion"
Act 1:15 — "the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty"
Rev 3:4 — "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments"
Rev 11:13 — "were slain of men seven thousand" (lit. "names of men seven thousand")

3. Divine Name — Authority, Character, Presence of God / Christ¶

Act 2:21 — "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved"
Act 4:12 — "neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"
Phl 2:9-10 (context) — "a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow"
Jhn 17:6 — "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me"

4. Baptismal / Initiation Formula — Incorporation into the Name¶

Mat 28:19 — "baptizing them in the name (εἰς τὸ ὄνομα — singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
Act 2:38 — "be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ"
Act 8:16 — "they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus"
1Co 1:13 — "were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"

5. Believing / Calling On / Acting In the Name¶

Jhn 1:12 — "to them that believe on his name"
Jhn 3:18 — "hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God"
1Jo 3:23 — "believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"
Col 3:17 — "whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"

6. Reputation / Renown / Honor¶

Mar 6:14 — "his name was spread abroad"
Heb 1:4 — "obtained a more excellent name than they"
Rev 3:1 — "thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead"

7. Suffering / Reproach for the Name¶

Act 5:41 — "counted worthy to suffer shame for his name"
Act 9:16 — "how great things he must suffer for my name's sake"
1Pe 4:14 — "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye"
Rev 2:3 — "for my name's sake hast laboured"

8. Eschatological / Sealed Name (Revelation)¶

Rev 2:17 — "a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it"
Rev 3:12 — "I will write upon him the name of my God... and my new name"
Rev 13:17 — "save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast"
Rev 14:1 — "having his Father's name written in their foreheads"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
κύριος (kýrios)	G2962	39x (18%)	"the name of the Lord" — OT formula transplanted
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs)	G2424	36x (17%)	"in/on the name of Jesus"
πᾶς (pâs)	G3956	36x (17%)	"every name / all whose names / all in the name"
λέγω (légō)	G3004	33x (15%)	"saying... name" (naming / calling)
θεός (theós)	G2316	32x (15%)	"name of God"
πατήρ (patḗr)	G3962	20x (9%)	"name of the Father" — Trinitarian / prayer
Χριστός (Christós)	G5547	19x (9%)	"name of Christ"
υἱός (huiós)	G5207	18x (8%)	"name of the Son"
γράφω (gráphō)	G1125	16x (8%)	"name written" (Book of Life, Rev sealing motif)
ἔθνος (éthnos)	G1484	14x (7%)	name proclaimed "among the Gentiles/nations"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3687 ὀνομάζω (onomázō) — cognate verb: to name, call by name, nominate
G2028 ἐπονομάζω (eponomázō) — to surname, bestow an additional name
G5122 τοὔνομα (toúnoma) — contracted form, "by name"
G3588 + G3686 — "the name" as definite divine designation
G5581 ψευδώνυμος (pseudōnymos) — "falsely named" (1Ti 6:20)
G4377 προσφωνέω and G2564 καλέω — verbs of calling/naming that take ὄνομα as content

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G3686.

Antonyms¶

G4487 ῥῆμα (rhēma) — returned by search_relationships.py as a contrast term within the speech/communication field.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
שֵׁם (shêm)	H8034	"name" (Hebrew source — 89 verses)	ὄνομα is the standard NT carrier of this Hebrew concept
שֻׁם (shum)	H8036	"name" (Aramaic equivalent in Daniel/Ezra)	Aramaic cognate of shem, rendered ὄνομα in LXX
καλέω (kaléō)	G2564	"called"	Verb of calling/naming; ὄνομα is the thing by which one is called
λέγω (légō)	G3004	"named" (2x)	General "say"; occasionally rendered "named" when reporting what one is called
ὀνομάζω (onomázō)	G3687	"named"	Verbal form of ὄνομα — "to give a name" / "to invoke by name"
φωνέω (phōnéō)	G5455	"called"	To call aloud, summon; distinct from the noun ὄνομα

Hebrew Source (LXX bridge)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Score
שֵׁם (shêm)	H8034	716	4.79	31.50 — overwhelmingly primary source
קָרָא (qârâʼ, to call)	H7121	194	3.06	16.13 — "called his name..." pattern
שֻׁם (shum, Aramaic)	H8036	8	4.70	10.33 — Daniel/Ezra Aramaic portions
יָדָה (yâdâh, give thanks/confess)	H3034	29	2.94	9.99 — "give thanks to thy name"
תּוֹלְדָה (tôwlēdâh, genealogy)	H8435	15	3.49	9.69 — genealogical "names"
בָּחַר (bâchar, choose)	H977	32	2.59	9.05 — "place where he chose to put his name" (Deuteronomic)
נָקַב (nâqab, designate by name)	H5344	9	3.52	8.10 — formal nomination

Shem background: In Hebrew thought, שֵׁם (shem) is not a mere label but encompasses the bearer's revealed character, reputation, and effective presence. When God "puts his name" in a place (Deut 12:5, 11), he grants his covenantal presence there. When one "calls on the name of the LORD" (Gen 4:26; 12:8; Joel 2:32), one invokes his self-revealed identity. ὄνομα inherits this full-bodied Semitic sense in the NT: to act "in the name of Jesus" is to act with his delegated authority and in union with his revealed character, not merely to utter a syllable.

Grammatical Note — Mat 28:19 (singular "name")¶

Parsing (from greek_parser.py): τὸ ὄνομα [N-ASN] — Accusative Singular Neuter, governed by preposition εἰς (into/unto).

πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος

"baptizing them into the name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"

Grammatically the noun ὄνομα is singular (τὸ ὄνομα, not τὰ ὀνόματα), yet it is followed by three coordinated genitives (τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος), each with its own definite article. The articles set off three distinct referents, while the single noun "name" holds them together. Greek readily uses the plural ὀνόματα when multiple distinct names are in view (e.g., Luk 10:20; Act 1:15; Rev 3:4; 11:13; 17:8), so the singular here is a deliberate grammatical choice, not a stylistic default.

In Hebraic idiom, "the name" of a party denotes that party's revealed identity and authority (see Hebrew Source above). A single ὄνομα shared by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit parallels the Hebrew formula in which baptism "into the name" marks incorporation into one owning authority — cf. 1Co 10:2 (baptized "unto Moses"), 1Co 1:13-15 (the question "in whose name were ye baptized?"), Act 8:16 / 19:5 ("baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus"). The triadic genitive with singular ὄνομα is a grammatical pattern unique in the NT and has been a major data point in Trinitarian formulations from the earliest creeds forward. (Interpretive weight belongs to study agents; this entry documents the grammatical facts.)