New Testament Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

This ancient Roman family name, first borne by the distinguished Marcus Claudius Marcellus and later by two popes, is a possibilty in the hot new category of names from antiquity.

Candace, an ancient title of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens mentioned in the New Testament, is associated both with actress Candice Bergen and Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell.

Though there were two apostles named Judas, everyone remembers the one who betrayed Jesus, and the name has been permanently shunned.

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin is a character in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend.

Dionysius derives from Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, revelry and fertility. This Romanized spelling has been used for poets, soldiers, and saints throughout the centuries, but is hardly ever seen today.

Jesus -- pronounced hay-SOOS -- is used exclusively and extensively among Spanish speakers, though JEE-zus as in the first name of Christ is never used in the Anglophone world. Jesus Quintana was a character in The Big Lebowski and Jesus Velasquez appeared on True Blood.

Parents seeking a distinctive New Testament name might consider this one. Adopted by some Puritans in the seventeenth century, Persis was used in the William Dean Howells novel The Rise of Silas Lapham for the wife of the protagonist.

Nazareth, used equally for boys and girls, is one of several place names with religious associations -- Galilee, Jericho --that have been rising in use in recent years. The name may relate to branch or to the verb watch or guard, but there are many possible derivations and meanings.

This name made famous in the New Testament has gone from crusty grandma to sleek and chic in recent years, or is it months? The name's image is perhaps helped by the fact that Mary Magdalene was one of the most intriguing women inthe Bible, both a saint and a sinner.

Galilee is a highly unusual place name, Galilee being a large region in northern Israel, the home of Jesus during at least thirty years of his life, and also where he cured a blind man. The Sea of Galilee gets its name from the area.

The name of the father of the sea nymphs -- or one of its shorter forms such as Nereo or Nerio -- would be somewhat easier for a child to carry than Neptune. The name Nereus is largely forgotten but it certainly can rise again along with Atticus and Cassius and other ancient Greek brethren.

Zechariah is actually the original Biblical form of the name more often found these days as Zachariah, probably because of the popularity of Zachary. People are going to have trouble getting Zechariah because they won't understand the Zech part. This name, in whatever form, begs to be shortened in the modern world to Zach (or Zac or Zack).

An underused Biblical name borne by a New Testament prophet, Nahum feels like a good option for parents looking for a rare but traditional name that fits in with current trends.

The Greek form of the Hebrew Jair, Jairus appears in the Bible as the father of a girl resurrected by Jesus. Though it is the original, its Spanish variation Jairo is more popular.

Sylvanus or Silvanus was the Roman god of the forest whose name is much more often found today in such variations as Sylvia, Sylvie and even Silas than in its original form. But if you're looking for a genuine mythological or Ancient Roman name with a nature connection, this might be the perfect choice.

A Biblical name deriving from the Greek god Apollo. Apollos was a 1st century Alexandrian Jewish Christian and contemporary of Paul the Apostle mentioned several times in the New Testament.

The name of the capital city of ancient Syria, an important centre in early Christianity. Its founder Seleucus I Nictor named it after his father, Antiochus. Antiochus was the name of several early rulers and saints, including the patron saint of Sardinia.

Rarely heard New Testament name -- he was a friend of Saint Paul -- that might conceivably stand up to modern usage.

Sharing an etymology with Cleopatra, this masculine form of the name also has biblical ties. Cleopas was one of the men who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus following his resurrection. As a child's name, it has been a rare sight. While it does have an interesting history, it's connection to Cleopatra and obvious nickname Cleo could make it seem too feminine for some.

Rarely used these days, Onesimus was the name of an escaped enslaved man in the Bible who met St. Paul in prison. Its Greek sound is obvious, and its four syllables make it one that might be hard to wear in the twenty-first century.