Origin of the name Philomena:

Derived from the Greek Philomenēs (lover of strength), a name composed from the elements phelein (to love) and menos (strength). The name Philomena was borne by a young 3rd-century Italian martyr whose bones were found in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome in 1802. A cult rose up around her in the 19th century, but 20th-century scholars decided the remains were not those of the Philomena in the inscription and technology found no evidence she was martyred. in 1961, her feast day was discontinued and her shrine dismantled.

From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman.Buy the book