390+ Biblical Names (with Meanings and Popularity)
- Balthasar
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"God protects the king"Description:
Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally appropriate spelling.
- Narcissus
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"daffodil"Description:
Mythological young man who fell in love with his own image: the first narcissist.
- Keren
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"strength, power, ram's horn, ray of light"Description:
Israeli-born singer Keren Ann introduced this traditional Hebrew name to this country, where it could well be mistaken for Karen.
- Ami
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"trustworthy, reliable"Description:
A masculine name from the Old Testament, but would likely be confused for Amy.
- Apphia
Origin:
Greek from HebrewDescription:
Biblical name from the New Testament.
- Rebekah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"to tie, bind"Description:
Many parents prefer this spelling of Rebecca, used in some versions of the Bible. Still, it's slipped considerably since its heyday in the eighties and nineties.
- Jothan
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is upright"Description:
Jothan or Jotham was both a son of Gideon and a king of Judah in the Bible. One of the biblical boys' names that's still obscure -- though like so many others in this class, it could be rediscovered.
- Zebediah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"gift of Jehovah"Description:
Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms, like Jedidiah and Zebediah.
- Mahlon
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"sickly"Description:
Obscure Old Testament name -- he was the son of Naomi and the husband of Ruth -- that's become even more obscure over the past century, perhaps due to its unappealing meaning.
- Zillah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"shade"Description:
A light, bohemian-sounding biblical name, mentioned in the bible as a wife of Lamech, one of the first men.
- Azarel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God has helped"Description:
A name mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament.
- Tirzah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"delight"Description:
A fairly common Hebrew name without much crossover potential.
- Eder
Origin:
BasqueMeaning:
"handsome"Description:
This is one Basque name that is very transferable to the American context — and it has a great meaning, too. The feminine version is Eider or Ederne.
- Prisca
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"ancient"Description:
The rarer long form of Priscilla, which comes from the Roman name Priscus, meaning "ancient".
- Ithiel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is with me"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament that was given to 25 baby boys in 2022.
- Nathanael
Origin:
Variation of NathanielDescription:
Nathaniel is a wonderful classic name and Nathanael, which may be an ancient Greek or Hebrew form, is appealing and has gravitas but may prove needlessly confusing in the modern world.
- Erastus
Origin:
Latinized form of Greek ErastosMeaning:
"beloved"Description:
The Biblical Erastus was an assistant of Paul's in the New Testament. A name used in the 19th century that has fall off the scope, but may be revived as parents dig deeper for undiscovered Biblical choices.
- Naamah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"sweetness, grace, beauty"Description:
Interesting Old Testament name that embraces many traditional female attributes; also name of a place in the Jordan Valley. In the Bible, a daughter of King Ammon and wife of Solomon.
- Tobiah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"the Lord is good"Description:
Tobiah is the original Hebrew form of the better known Greek Tobias, to which it could make a distinctive alternative. With its ah ending, Tobiah fits in with other stylish Biblical names today, from Noah to Isaiah to Josiah and Zachariah. And of course, Toby is an adorable nickname.
- Ephron
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fawn-like"Description:
Ephron was the Old Testament son of Zohar who sold his field and cave to Abraham to use as a family burial ground. Ephron is also a Biblical place-name, a mountain range that formed the northern border of the land of Judah.