873+ Names That Mean God

A contracted form of Yehochanan, the Biblical Hebrew form of John. Variants include Yohanan and Johanan.

An old-fashioned nickname that hasn't been heard in ages--Cute and unusual, but lacking the legs to stand on its own. Maybe save it for your kitten.

Betty alternative most frequently found in Hungary.

Near Eastern name with lots of opportunities for variation and improvisation.

Form of Elizabeth commonly seen in Slovenia and Croatia.

Nyakyusa form of John.

Splits the difference between Joanie and Joni, if you can't decide between the two.

Intriguing Russian possibility, even though proper pronunciation would not be obvious. Ilya might be a more manageable option.

Elzie was given to 16 baby girls in the US last year, almost certainly as a spelling variation of the increasingly popular sweet nickname Elsie, a diminutive of Elizabeth.

The name of a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek version of the more familiar Amadea / Amadeus. Philothea could make for a lovely, unusual way to get to stylish Thea. Bottom line: Philothea is one of those unique baby names that deserves to be discovered.

An alternative transcription of Hebrew Benaiah, currently among the Top 50 boys' names in Israel.

Sambo went from being a short form of the venerable name Samuel to being a racial slur after the popularity of the children's book Little Black Sambo, first published in 1899 but by the 1930s decried by such esteemed critics as Langston Hughes as being racist. While some measures have been taken to rehabilitate the image of the book, the name Sambo seems terminally tainted.

The name of the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses in the Old Testament. Yocheved was also the name of one of the three daughters of the medieval Talmudic scholar, Rashi.

Modern form of Theophanes

This variation of Ivan entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022. Double As are trending across the states, such as Saanvi and Aarush, and Ivaan is running right along with them — all the way into the Top 1000 this past year in 2022.

While Liesa is the German short form of mother name Elizabeth, Leisa is a spelling variation and is pronounced just like Lisa, though some people say it Lee-sha.

This is the name of several people in the Old Testament, including one of King David's lute players. Also spelled Yechiel or Jehiel.

Made most familiar in English-speaking countries by prize-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda has a wonderful meaning and can be shortened to Chima or the spunky Chi. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 100 for the first time, when 38 baby girls were given the name.

Saint Osyth was a 7th century martyr who founded a monastery and was beheaded by pirates. She is usually depicted in images carrying her own head. Variations of her name include Osgyth, Osith, and Ositha.