Hebrew Names that Start With T

Tobias is one of a number of s-ending boys' names that are riding a wave of popularity. With its Old Testament-Dickensian feel, it's a name with a distinguished pedigree.

Talia is derived from the Hebrew elements tal, meaning "dew," and yah, in reference to God. In the mythology of one ancient sect, Talia was one of ten angels who attended the sun on its daily course. The occasionally homophonous name Thalia has unrelated Greek origins.

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.

Lively modern Hebrew name with a positive meaning.

Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her 'fair countenance'.

Friendly and relaxed choice used by singer Annie Lennox for her daughter; Tal is a unisex Hebrew version.

A fairly common Hebrew name without much crossover potential.

A unisex Hebrew name often found in combination with others, as in Tal-El and Tal-Or.

Tobiah is the original Hebrew form of the better known Greek Tobias, to which it could make a distinctive alternative. With its ah ending, Tobiah fits in with other stylish Biblical names today, from Noah to Isaiah to Josiah and Zachariah. And of course, Toby is an adorable nickname.

A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.

This rarely used Old Testament name will inevitably set off a connection to thirst. Thirza was historically used as both an independent name and as a nickname for Theresa.

Pleasant, in a Bon Jovi kind of way.

Tallie is a seldom-heard nickname name that, with the ascendance of Hallie and Callie, we might just be hearing more of.

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.

Tavora is an attractive option, based on the name of a mountain in northern Israel. But the meaning of Tavora and brother name Tavor is less than optimal.

The "Tz" beginning of Tzofia represents the Hebrew letter tzadi, which is pronounced more like ts. So Tzofia sounds like Sofia with a light t at the beginning — intriguing, but a difficult sound for a native English speaker to reproduce. While Tzofia is a distinct name from the megapopular Sophia and Sofia, many people will hear it as a cognate and pronounce it the same...or like Zofia.

Tuvia is the Hebrew cognate of Tobias or Tobiah, found in the Bible and used in this form in Israel. The film "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" included a character named Tuvia, who was female, pointing to the biggest downside of this name to the English-speaking ear: It sounds quite feminine.

A Near Eastern favorite, with an agreeable, evocative sound.

We've been hearing a lot more of Silas and even of Cyrus, which means the obscure Tiras may have a shot at resurrection as a same-but-different name. And you can call him Ti. The Old Testament Tiras was a grandson of Noah.