873+ Names That Mean God

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

Common Arabic version of Elijah. The Ilyes spelling is a Top 100 name in France.

A cute diminutive of Jack, already technically a nickname for John, famously borne by Hong Kong actor, director and martial artist Jackie Chan.

Pronounced like Teddy, this gaelicized spelling is growing in popularity in Ireland.

An unconventional Spanish and Portuguese smoosh name made up of feminine Maria and masculine Jose.

We like Matti in theory, but in practice it’s likely to get confused for the girlish Maddie.

A cute and easily accessible Finnish nickname, although not one that is likely to become popular in America now that Hannah and co are on the decline.

You’re most likely to find this Theodore cognate in Eastern Europe, where it ranks among the top names for boys in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, and Romania. The nickname Teo is a real winner.

Nicknames ending in o are invariably cute, though this one is a boys' name in its own right. And not just any boy name, but a saint's name no less. Saint Hanno, aka Saint Anno, was an 10th century archbishop of Cologne, He is also known as, less attractively, Hanno of Worms, which is one of the oldest cities in Germany.

Quirky form of Ishmael found in Nordic countries.

Whether spelled Raffaela, Rafaela, Raffaella, or Raphaela, a euphonius name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image. Like Gabriella and Isabella, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.

A multicultural nickname for Samuel. The Spanish and Finnish variation is pronounced SAH-moo, while the Hungarian version is SHAW-moo.

A rare French name from the Roman cognomen (nickname or family name) Saturninus, derived from the god Saturn. The English word saturnine means "gloomy, brooding".

In Germany, Jannis outranks its parent name, Johannes. Virtually no American babies were given the name in the last year on record.

This common name in Finland, which is also a diminutive for Jan in Sweden, might feel a bit feminine in the English-speaking world, too close to girls' names Jan and Jane.

The archetypal diminutive, in every sense of the word. Bitsy enjoyed some use as a nickname in the era when children were named after family members and then called by a cute pet name: Chip, Skip, Babe, Bitsy. As a full name, it has made the US list only three times: in 1943, 1958 and 1962.

Most famously, the name of a 1920s alley cat.

Relatively well-used in Puerto Rico, where it resembles common Basque names like Alaia and Anaia. With the sharp rise of Alaia in the US in recent years as well as the love for "Ad-" names on girls, it makes sense that the still rare Adaia is increasing in use as well. Adaia was given to just under 100 baby girls in 2022.

South African musician Unathi Msengana brings this unusual choice to a wider audience.

Arabic form of Joshua