Ehden & Zgharta

It’s derived from the word Eden in Phoenician. The name Ehden means the base of the mountain which complies with Ehden’s actual location. Similarly, Zgharta, it either comes from the Aramaic word ‘Zaghar’ meaning the fortress or the Syriac word ‘Zeghartay’ meaning the barricades.

Hemlaya

From the word hemlayé — > bet hmalé in Syriac which means Grain/Harvest Depot or something of the sort. It can also have a Hebrew origin from the word Heml (חמל) which means mercy & peace.

Brummana

Brummana has an Aramaic name, which most probably means ‘house of Rammana’, the God of air, storm and thunder.

Amioun

It derives it’s name from Aramaic “Am Yawan” meaning place of the Greeks. It’s worthy to note Amioun‘s population is predominantly Greek Orthodox.

Amsheet

Amsheet is found in Phoenician papyrus and parchment, where it is repeatedly referred to as ‘Promised land’.

Ehmej

It is widely believed that the name Ehmej is adapted from Syriac by replacing the Gh with a J. The meaning of the old Syriac word is “Top of the Valley”, perhaps it is due to its location that oversees the Fidar valley.

Jaj

‘Jaj’’ name’s is originally Phoenician, meaning the top, since Jaj is the most elevated town among all the surrounding villages.

Hadshit

Hadshit’s name might come from Phoenician (Hadash) new moon or half moon, so Hadashit would mean ‘the new one’ or the ‘new village’. In Syriac it means one of the six temples that were built by Baltimos the 5th.

Baakline

Syriac origin, “Beit Aakline” meaning the place of knots and turns.

Aley

This word ‘Aley’ derivatives from Aramaic, and means “high place”, referring to the City’s high attitude above sea level.

Annaya

This name derives from the Hebrew “‛ănâyâh”, meaning “God (Yahweh) has answered”. Anaiah is the name of two people in the Bible. Anaiah was a priest who assisted Ezra in rebuilding the Temple. The other Anaiah was one of the heads of people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah.

Bsous

The name Bsous derives from the Phoenician “Bet Sus” and means place of horses.

Bet Shabeb

This name comes from Syriac ‘Bet Shbaba’ meaning house of the neighbor.

Bikfaya

The name Bikfaya is contraction of the Aramaic (Syriac) compound phrase “Beit Kiifa”, בית קיפיא, with “Kifayya” being the relative adjective of the word “rock” or “stone” in Aramaic. And so, Bikfaya would mean the “house of stone” or “the rocky/stony house” with the semantic connotation of “the place, location of stones, or stone quarry.”

Zahlé

Syriac origins, meaning “moving places”

Douma

Canaanite origin “Doumah” Meaning “calm”.

Tripoli & Sidon

Sidon: The Phoenician name Ṣīdūn (𐤑𐤃𐤍, ṣdn) probably meant “fishery” or “fishing town”. It appears in Biblical Hebrew as Ṣīḏōn (צִידוֹן) and in Syriac as Ṣidon (ܨܝܕܘܢ). This was hellenized as Sidṓn (Greek: Σιδών), which was Latinized as Sidon. In the Book of Genesis, Sidon was the first-born son of Canaan, who was a son of Ham, thereby making Sidon a great-grandson of Noah.

Tripoli: Under the Phoenicians, the name Athar was used to refer to Tripoli. When the Ancient Greeks settled in the city they called it Τρίπολις (Tripolis), meaning “three cities”

Naqoura

It’s name comes from a verb meaning to “pierce/to make a hole in some protruding rock”, and is to be found in the Talmud.

Beirut

Phoenician/Hebrew origins (brt) “Be’rot”, meaning “the Wells”

Sawfar

Origins from Syriac — ”Sephro” or “Saphro” Meaning: “bird” or “morning”.

Tyre-Sour

The name Tyre means “rock”, after the rocky formation on which the town was originally built. Most locals call it “Sour”, this comes from Phoenician 𐤑𐤓 Ṣūr; Syriac-Aramaic: ܣܘܪ.

Maghdouché

Origin: Syriac, meaning “crop collectors”.

Mlikh

Origins are may be the Aramaic word for “King”. The root of Mlikh “king” in Semitic language is mlk.

Ziftâ

It comes from “Sefta” meaning “The Edge” in Aramaic.

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There are probably way more villages with names rooted in Syriac/Aramaic/Phoenician and even Hebrew, if I missed your village/area let me know! And if you’re interested to know about more Lebanese villages with Syriac/Aramaic origins check “Le lexique des localités libanaises” by Anis Freiha.

Special thanks to @LBMaronites (Twitter account) for shedding light on most of this information and on Lebanon’s Syriac Aramaic heritage.