150+ Names That Mean Gift from God

Teddy or Teddie is an adorable short form of Theodora or Edwina, made more feminine by the -ie ending. Extremely cutesy for a full name, but feels increasingly wearable in this era of nicknames as given names. Television personality Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave is a famous bearer of another spelling variation.

Portuguese variation of Matthew.

Derived from the Tigrinya elements hiyab, meaning "gift," and el, "God."

Maori form of Matthew

This Arabic name, which can be used for either boys or girls, can also mean "wide-eyed" in the sense of someone who is studious and perceptive. Ayaan is most familiar to people in the West from its connection to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali women's right activist.

Last moment of glory was in the Janis Joplin sixties.

Feodora is an interesting choice for the intrepid name-giver, especially with the dynamic nickname Feo.

Diminutive of Matthijs, the Dutch form of Matthew.

A Gaelic form of Jane which shares its simple, sleek look – but is much rarer. The Anglicized form Sheena peaked at #80 in the US in 1984, inspired by singer Sheena Easton.

A romantic way to get to covetable nicknames Gia and Nina.

Armenian variation of Theodore.

Armenian variation of Theodore.

Addai is derived from Thaddai, the original Aramaic form of Thaddeus. We prefer this derivative to Thad, which is twice as common.

One of the most unusual of the "iah" names, it comes with the appealing and usable nickname Zev.

Thoroughly masculine in Central Europe, although it may be misconstrued as a feminine name in English-speaking countries.

Popular in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Russia, and familiar in the UK too, Bogdan is a rugged and strong sounding choice with a similar meaning to US favorite Theodore. Made up of the Slavic elements bogŭ and danŭ, it means "gift from God".

Anno is an extreme rarity: a simple, familiar-sounding name with deep history that is completely unknown in the US and rare in its native Germany. Anno is the name of a saint also known as Hanno, a 10th century archbishop of Cologne also known as Hanno of Worms.