Hurricane Isaias: Here's the meaning behind name of the storm that's menacing South Florida
A famous line from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” poses the question “What’s in a name?” And, Isaias, the name of the second hurricane of the 2020 storm season, has left many wondering just that.
Isaias seems an interesting choice for the name of a hurricane considering that, according to popular name origin websites, it means “God is my salvation.”
Isaias, pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs, is the Spanish-Latin derivative of the Hebrew name Isaiah, a prophet in the Old Testament tied to both Jewish and Christian religions.
In 2018, Isaias ranked 510 among baby names in the U.S., according to Social Security data. It was at peak popularity in 2009 when it ranked at 481, which represented “0.027% of total male births” that year, the data showed.
Other characteristics of the name, according to the Oh Baby! Names website, include dependable, solid, practical, hard-working, industrious, studious and conservative.
Storms are named by the World Meteorological Organization through a strict procedure that uses a list of male and female names which are used on a six-year rotation. The names of deadly and costly storms are retired from being used.
After Isaias, the next three names for 2020 are Josephine, Kyle and Laura.
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