Hebrew Names

Like many spelling variations of popular names, Jonathon's star rose and is now falling along with that of the original Jonathan. Jonathon occupied the very last spot on the boys' US Top 1000 in 2016, at Number 1000. Parents in search of an Old Testament boys’ name today tend to look for more original choices, from Ezra to Abraham to Moses.

Not ready to go all the way to Malachi? Then take this Biblical shortcut name, with the second syllable rhyming with eye.

Tyra would be a more modern pick.

Talila is a pretty and novel name, somewhere between Talia and Tallulah.

Short form used in Israel; the v makes it more vivid and unusual.

This modernized version of Yehudah could be assimilated further by making it Judah. The name is traditionally given to boys born at Chanukah. It first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 2001.

The name of an angel in the Zohar, Nuriel is related to the Arabic name Nur.

Tzvi is a Top 100 pick in Israel. It's a cool, sharp-sounding name which would make for a great distinctive alternative to Levi.

Unusual biblical name that may be too close in sound to the feminine Mariah.

Raffaella is the Italian form of the lovely name Raphaela, the female version of the angel's name Raphael, gorgeous in any spelling or international variation. Raffaella is one of the most appealing Italian baby names for girls.

Derived from Aku, the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament this is the Babylonian name of Mishael, one of the three men cast into a furnace but saved by God. Meshach Taylor is an actor who has been featured on several sitcoms.

Hillel the Great was a famous Talmudic scholar, the spiritual and ethical leader of his generation, and his name is greatly honored by parents in Israel and, to some extent, here.

An outdated feminine form of David sometimes heard in the UK, though Davina is more usual..

Gila and its variants have joyous meanings in Hebrew, but other kids might connect them to the monster.

Also a city near Tel Aviv, Hadar is a name found primarily in Israel. There is also a citrus fruit associated with the holiday of Sukkat the Torah calls the "hadar fruit".

Adonijah was one of King David's sons in the Old Testament; this name (the accent is on the "ni" syllable) is waiting to be rediscovered.

An energetic and distinctive choice.

Love the popular Noah but want to make it more distinctive? You can vary it to Noam, and going all the way to Noaz takes it from distinctive to unique.

Well used in Israel, likely to be confused with Ramona here.

Highly unusual; conceivable alternative to Daniel.