Bethany (given name) used primarily by Catholics in honour of Mary of Bethany. Notable people with the name include: Bethany (given name) Bethany ( ("Bethania"), in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs") is a feminine given name derived from the Biblical place name, Bethany, a town near Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Lazarus lived in the New Testament, along with his sisters, Mary and Martha, and where Jesus stayed during Holy Week before his crucifixion. The name has been well-used in English-speaking countries. It was the 59th
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus "Feast of the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ". In the Church of England, the calendar of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer stipulates a festival "The Name of Jesus" to be observed on 7 August as had been the practice in Durham, Salisbury and York, but in the more recent "Common Worship" resources the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (1 January) takes its place as the primary festival of the name of Jesus. The Anglican Church of Canada's 'Book of Common Prayer' (1962) retains the date of 7 August, but as a commemoration, not a feast day.