By Sandra Tanner

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The Book of Mormon contains over 300 proper names. Many LDS assume that this is evidence that Joseph Smith could not have made up the Book of Mormon. However, when we examine the list of names at the end of the Book of Mormon we notice that 141 of the names are taken from the Bible. For example, the Book of Mormon has Abraham, Ammon, Bethabara, Esrom, Ether, Gomorrah, Ishmael, Jared, Jonas, Judea, Lemuel, Madmenah, Nazareth, Pathros, Pekah, Rama, Shinar, Sinim and Zebulun. The Book of Mormon also uses the Greek words Alpha and Omega.

Many names not found in the Bible seem to be made up by re-arranging various syllables or changing the ending of Bible names. For example, consider the following names found in the Bible, with related Book of Mormon versions:

Biblical Names	Book of Mormon Names
Abinadab Aminadab	Abinadi, Abinadom Aminadab, Aminodi
Antipas	Antipas Antipus, Antiparah Antiomno, Antion, Antionah, Antionum, Anti-Nephi-Lehi
Gideon	Gid, Giddianhi, Giddonah, Gidgiddonah, Gidgiddoni
Gimzo	Gimgimno
Helam	Helam, Helaman
Kish	Akish, Kishcumen
Riplah	Riplakish, Ripliancum

Some Book of Mormon names seem to be Bible names that are simply spelled differently: Melech in the Bible becomes Melek in the Book of Mormon; Nahum becomes Nahom. Some names seem to be just extensions of the same Book of Mormon word. For example, Antion seems to be the base for Antionah, Antionum and Antiomno. Book of Mormon Shim is expanded to Shimnilon. Corianton is slightly changed to make the additional names of Coriantor,Coriantum and Coriantumr. More names are created by adding such endings as “hah.”

• Nephi — Nephihah
• Moroni — Moronihah
• Ammon — Ammonihah
• Mathoni — Mathonihah

Some Book of Mormon Names with Their Possible Sources

Cumorah and Moroni

Cumorah and Moroni are probably from the Comoro Islands, where the capital is Moroni, off the coast of East Africa. (See any atlas.) Another possiblity for Cumorah would be the Biblical name Gomorrah.

A common school book in Smith’s day was Geography Made Easy, by Jedidiah Morse, 1813. On page 356 he mentions the “Comora Islands” off the coast of Africa.

Jedidiah Morse’s Geography Made Easy (1813 ed.), mentioning the “Comora Islands.”
(Click to enlarge)

Smith could have also heard of these islands in connection with his treasure-digging, as the famous pirate Captain Kidd, along with many other pirates, stopped there. It was rumored that he later buried his treasure somewhere in New England.

Lehi

• Lehi is from the Old Testament, Judges 15:9,14 and 19.

Nephi

• Nephi is from the King James Version of the Apocrypha,
  II Maccabees 1:36.

Enos

• Enos is taken from Genesis 4:26.

Zenos

• Zenos was in use prior to the Book of Mormon as a person’s name. Zenos Riggs is listed in the 1873 Hanover, New Jersey census. Zenos Gurley, Sr., was born in 1801 at Bridgewater, New York, and later joined Mormonism. There is also Zenas in the New Testament, Titus 3:13.

Mormon

• The words “mormo” and “Mormon” are found in Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1974, p. 1169:

mormo, n. a bugbear; false terror. [Obs.]
Mormon, n. [Gr. mormon, a bugbear.]

1. the puffins, a genus of sea birds characterized by a short, thick beak.
2. [m-] the mandrill

The designation of “Mormon” for the puffin and mandrill seems to stem from their markings that give the appearance of having on a mask (e.g., white circles around the eyes, blue cheeks and red nose).

For more information on the puffin and mandrill see:

• National Audubon Society, LARGE-BILLED PUFFIN, Mormon glacialis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 599.
  https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/large-billed-puffin

• Zoological Society of London: Simia mormon or tufted ape. Coloured etching.
  https://wellcomecollection.org/works/mv9kvadv

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