Meaning: Its source is a Hebrew expression meaning "Red earth."

Narrative: Some authorities believe this name is Phoenician in origin, and simply means ''man.'' Others believe the Hebrew original refers to ruddy skin.

In the Jewish scriptures, this is the name of the first man. Though we aren't told if Adam named himself, it was his job to give names ''to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.''

Adam was also the first person to give a name to another human being. He named his wife and helpmate Chava (in English, Eve), meaning ''life,'' because she was ''the mother of all living.''

Soon thereafter, Adam and Eve were the first couple to face the problem of what to name their offspring.