Old Testament Names
- Nadab
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"generous"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament.
- Achsah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"adorned"Description:
Spelled with or without the final "h," Achsah, pronounced AK-suh, was the daughter of Caleb in the Old Testament. We can't imagine anyone finding it greatly appealing.
- Orpah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"a fawn"Description:
Old Testament name of the daughter-in-law of Naomi, now eclipsed by the originally misspelled Oprah.
- Tola
Origin:
Hebrew or YorubaMeaning:
"scarlet red or wealth"Description:
The Biblical Tola was a long-ruling judge of Israel renowned for his wisdom and fairness, definitely a positive association.
- Issachar
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"there is reward"Description:
This unusual Old Testament name belongs to one of the twelve sons of Jacob and Leah, the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Lamech
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"strong or low"Description:
The name of two characters in Genesis in the Old Testament, the first being a descendant of Cain, and the second being a descendant of Seth and the father of Noah.
- Terah
Origin:
Variation of Terach, HebrewMeaning:
"wild goat, silly old fool"Description:
Terah goes some distance to making this forgotten Biblical name more friendly. The Old Testament Terach was the father of Abraham.
- Nebuchadnezzar
Origin:
Hebrew, BabylonianMeaning:
"Nabu protect my eldest son"Description:
The name of an ancient Babylonian king who captured Jerusalem, and ultimately destroyed the city's temple and deported many of its citizens, as told in the Old Testament. Nebuchadnezzar is certainly an eye-catching choice, and has the distinction of being one of the longest names mentioned in the Bible.
- Manasseh
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"to forget"Description:
The biblical Joseph named his oldest son Manasseh to symbolize that he'd forgotten the trials he suffered when his brothers sold him into slavery. Manasseh is the head of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
- Ahinoam
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my brother is pleasant"Description:
Also spelled Achinoam, this Biblical name belonged to wives of both King Saul and King David.
- Phinehas
- Amram
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"exalted nation"Description:
In the Old Testament, Amram is the father of Moses. It is most frequently seen as a Jewish surname.
- Abihu
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"he is my father"Description:
The name of a son of Aaron in the Old Testament. Avihu is a variant form.
- Ehud
Origin:
HebrewDescription:
Biblical judge from the Old Testament.
- Amaziah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"the strength of the lord"Description:
The biblical Amaziah was the ninth king of Judah, the son of Joash. There were about 30 baby boys named Amaziah in the US last year along with six baby girls. The name's similarity to the word "amazing" makes it a serious possibility for greater popularity.
- Chavatzelet
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lily"Description:
An elaborate and pretty name with plenty of strength too, Chavatzelet means "lily". It likely comes from the phrase Chavatzelet HaSharon in the Old Testament book, the Song of Solomon, translating to "rose of Sharon", which is thought to refer to a sand lily.
- Rimmon
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pomegranate"Description:
A rare Hebrew word name from the Old Testament, where it is used to refer to a man from the tribe of Benjamin and a Syrian deity. With its cute fruit association and fashionable -on ending, Rimmon is an attractive but still relatively undiscovered Biblical name.
- Zebidah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"to give"Description:
A rare name from the Old Testament, Zebidah appears in the Bible as the wife of King Josiah and the mother of Jehoiakim. While it has yet to see widespread use, Zebidah combines a number of current trends: a spiky letter Z, a lesser known Biblical option, and boyish-nicknames-for-girls, including Zeb, Zebbie, Zippy, Ziggy and Zed — though Zadie and Zia could be others.