Names That Mean Father

Colonial Americans used many Biblical names forgotten by modern baby namers; this is an Old Testament descendant of Shem. If Moses and Noah can come back, why not Abimael and brethren?

Darth Vader, as in the Star Wars villain, is said to mean "dark father"

A dashing form of Julian, which derives from Julius, a Roman family name. Its origin is shrouded in history, but possible roots include Latin iuvenis, meaning "youthfu"; Greek ioulos, meaning "downy-bearded"; or Jovis, a form of Jupiter, which means "sky father".

Julia is a name that's ancient and hallowed enough to not only have many variations, but for its variations to have variations. Juliana has been consistently used in the US and Europe, sometimes spelled Julianna. Yuliana or Yulianna is the Russian version. That Y at the beginning makes the name sound distinctly more exotic in the US.

This traditionally male surname name could find new life for girls thanks to its similarity to the popular Abby and Abigail.

Turns Axel into a word name.

In the Old Testament, Abidan was indeed a judge, head of the tribe of Benjamin and a leader at the time of the Exodus. Dan and Ab could work as nicknames. In 2015, there were only five boys in the US given the name.

Variation of Aviela/Abiela, feminine forms of the Biblical Aviel/Abiel "God is my father", and related to Avielle.

This Hebrew name honors Dad in a subtle way and could be used as an alternative to Levi.

A more scriptural way to spell Abraham.

Most of the parents that name their sons Avri are likely using it as a creative spelling of Avery. It's also seen as a nickname for Avraham, the Biblical Hebrew variation of Abraham.

One of the most usable names for an American child from the Icelandic Top 50.

A fast-rising variation of Abigail that was shooting up the popularity charts a few years ago, but whose star is now falling now that Abigail is not quite as hot as she once was.

Not one of the five hundred names of Muhammad, but that of his uncle.

Modern Hebrew form of the Old Testament name Abishai.

An alternate Hebrew form of Abraham that could lead to the nickname Avi.

The name of a High Priest in the Hebrew Bible.

Axelle is the French feminine form of Axel — it was a Top 100 French name in the late '90s and early 2000s — sometimes adopted for boys in the US as an Axel variant.

Slovene and Croatian form of the international classic Julian.