Hebrew Names

Aleph came into the spotlight when chosen by Israel-born Natalie Portman for her son. Alef is a more common spelling of these related Hebrew baby names.

Unusual name with stylish, silky feel.

A chief member of the tribe of Benjamin, and another obscure Old Testament name that few parents, even those tired of Aaron and Zachary, would consider. But with a pronunciation that rhymes with Gannon, it has the strong, straightforward, two-syllable sound that's in step with modern style.

This simplified version is not nearly as popular as the original (it also destroys a perfectly good palindrome), and has been on the decline in recent years.

A son of Noah in the Bible who is also thought to be an ancestor of the Greek people and the guardian angel of Greece.

Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names.

Eliška is warm and friendly, in the Misha, Sasha mode.

An Israeli place-name as well as being the Hebrew form of Gabriel.

An appealing name almost unknown in our culture but with roots in several others; worldlier than cousins Celia and Delia.

Short form occasionally used on its own, with an open and friendly androgynous quality.

Rarely used biblical choice -- he's a son of Jacob -- with a bit of a white-bearded image.

A unisex Hebrew name sometimes given in Israel to kids born under the goat sign of Capricorn; it's also spelled Yael/Ya'el.

A euphonious and lovely name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image, Raphaela is, like Gabriella and Isabella, beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.

A diminutive of Daniel that's been immortalized in odes ranging from 'Danny Boy' to 'Danny's Song.'

A modernization of the Hebrew Rivka, which doesn't sound so modern anymore.

A thundering biblical name - belonging to a grandson of Adam and Eve, also known as Enosh - that hasn't made as much of a comeback as similar Enoch. Enos is also a book in the Book of Mormon, and the name of the first chimpanzee to go into orbit. Caution: depending on your accent, it could have one or two unfortunate rhymes.

Absalom, because of its biblical and literary associations, just might appeal to the daring namegiver.

A rarely heard Hebrew name whose zippy first initial Z transforms it from dated Yetta-like image to more lively Catherine Zeta Jones-like appeal.

While some sources say it's Arabic for lofty and others call it Hebrew, Jaliyah seems to be a variation of the popular Aliyah, which is a Hebrew word and name meaning "ascent." The Ja- beginning often connotes God, so the meaning might be God's ascent.

Rarely, if ever, heard outside the Jewish community.