873+ Names That Mean God

Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at its peak in the early 1970s, it was a Top 200 baby name for girls in the US, given to nearly 2000 baby girls... and 12,000 boys in this spelling alone.

Lazer has some biblical cred as a form of Eliezer, Eleazar, or Lazarus, all relatives, and it's also a modern bad boy name a la Ranger and Breaker. Our recommendation would be to use one of the biblical forms as the proper name and Lazer as a nickname.

This Old Testament name is traditionally masculine, but with its lyrical Ls, sounds just as nice on a baby girl.

An obscure Old Testament name used by parents of 75 boys in 2016, Oziel could be a distinctive route to fashionable nickname Oz.

A beautiful Indian girl name to add to the growing list of obscure but alluring "El-" names for girls.

Unisex name in Israel, ideal for a Hanukkah baby.

Similar to the floral name Aster, this spelling derives separately from Old Provençal astur "hawk") and from the Icelandic name elements as ("god") and þor ("thunder").

There are four figures named Ammiel in the Bible. The most notable was the father of Bathsheba.

Sweet and bright international form of Josephine, used in many European countries with various pronunciations of the initial J. A notable bearer is Josefina "Joey" Guerrero, a Filipina spy during World War II.

Diminutive of the Italian Giovanna, or sometimes Vanessa or Ivanna.

The currently preferred replacement for Becky, sometimes used on its own.

Although Joan was the more popular name in the 20th century, it's the nickname Joanie that is likely to be revived first. Joan ranked as a Top 100 name from the mid '20s to the mid '60s, and the US is still Joan-ed out from that era. But sweet Joanie feels fresh — a sister to names like Sadie, Elsie, and Sylvie. It could have a future on the Top 1000 but for now, scoop up Joanie while it's undiscovered.

Dania is a fun, offbeat name with international flair that would be a wonderful choice to honor a Danielle, Daniel, or a Dana. It is both an Italian diminutive of Daniela and a spelling variation of the Arabic Daniya.

Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.

A fresh, Italianized take on the Hebrew classic Emmanuel. But beware of the similarities to the feminine name Emmanuelle.

Abiel is a biblical name (he was the grandfather of Saul) that was used by Puritans, particularly in Massachusetts, so it has a long pedigree. Parents are increasingly looking for underused traditional names, and this name, with the great nickname option of Abe, is ripe for more use!

Oh, the many spellings of Rafaella. Those with Fs and double-Ls denote Italian origins, while an F and a single L is Spanish and Portuguese. The original Hebrew form is Raphaela.

This cross-cultural variation of Johanna is used in several areas throughout the world.

A friendly nickname for Joachim, also used independently in Finland and Sweden.