Hieronymus

Hieronymus is a masculine given name, the Latin form of Jerome. It derives from the Greek Hieronymos, formed from hieros meaning sacred and onoma meaning name, and has historically been used in Latin, Dutch, Italian, and other European languages. The name has appeared in religious, scholarly, and artistic contexts throughout history.

The most famous bearer is Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516), a Netherlandish painter from s-Hertogenbosch. His work is celebrated for its intricate, fantastical imagery and complex allegories, often addressing religious themes and moral commentary. Bosch’s paintings, including The Garden of Earthly Delights, are regarded as emblematic of the Northern Renaissance.

The Latinized form Hieronymus Cardanus appears in Renaissance Latin literature for Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), an Italian physician, mathematician, and astrologer. Cardano’s Ars Magna (1545) introduced systematic methods for solving cubic and quartic equations and contributed to early probability theory, with lasting influence on mathematics and science.

Today, the name survives in various forms across Europe—Jerome in English, Girolamo in Italian, Jérôme in French, Jerónimo in Spanish, and equivalent variations in other languages. In historical and literary contexts, Hieronymus continues to be used to denote individuals associated with classical or Renaissance scholarship and art.