Best Boy Names That Mean God

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.

Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names.

With Old European vibes, Johan is a variant of the classic John, similar to the Latin, Hebrew, and Germanic forms, Iohannes, Yohanan, and Johannes. Conjuring up the image of the classical composer Brahms or the astronomer Kepler, while still feeling timeless and distinctive, Johan has been in the US Top 600 for most of the 21st century, helped along by Heidi Klum and Seal using it for their son in 2006.

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.

Yusuf is the Arabic form of Joseph, used in the Middle East, as well as internationally from France and the US, to the UK, Turkey and Azerbaijan - where, as of 2023, it ranked in the Top 100.

The ultimate midcentury nickname, retaining a good measure of retro charm, was chosen for her son by Mira Sorvino.

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.

This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.

Those "Where's Gretel?" jokes will get old pretty fast.

Lazer has some biblical cred as a form of Eliezer, Eleazar, or Lazarus, all relatives, and it's also a modern bad boy name a la Ranger and Breaker. Our recommendation would be to use one of the biblical forms as the proper name and Lazer as a nickname.

An obscure Old Testament name used by parents of 75 boys in 2016, Oziel could be a distinctive route to fashionable nickname Oz.

Abiel is a biblical name (he was the grandfather of Saul) that was used by Puritans, particularly in Massachusetts, so it has a long pedigree. Parents are increasingly looking for underused traditional names, and this name, with the great nickname option of Abe, is ripe for more use!

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

This appealing name of a mythical king of Tara whose reign brough prosperity to his kingdom is strongly associated with actor Sean. The Irish form is Conaire.

This evocative name of a dramatic tropical Indian fig tree is ready to move west.

A particularly charming spin on the original, as is theSpanish name Tadeo. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016.

Blink and you’ll miss that the first I in Jedidiah was swapped for an E.

This might be a better choice than the similarly pronounced Jan, to avoid gender confusion.

Raz is one of the many modern Israeli unisex names. It's simple and sleek and translates easily to English.

Attractive attenuated form of the popular Christopher, well used throughout Europe, appearing as Christophe in France and Christoph in Germany.