Names That Mean Mother or Father

Abiah is a gentle, rarely used Old Testament name belonging to Samuel's second son. This makes a good choice for the parent who wants a traditional biblical name that is not overly familiar.

More than the sum of Abby and Ella.

Abijah is a truly unusual, truly unisex, truly appealing biblical name. There were several male Abijahs in the Bible, one of them, known as Abijah of Judah, was the fourth king of the House of David, and also a couple of females.

In the Christian bible, Barabbas was a murderer that Pontius Pilate freed while condemning Jesus to die. The name is ironic, given that Christian belief promotes Jesus as the son of the Father. The name is difficult for this reason, as well as the fact that in Spain it is used as slang for a bad person.

Colonial Americans used many Biblical names forgotten by modern baby namers; this is an Old Testament descendant of Shem. If Moses and Noah can come back, why not Abimael and brethren?

Double exposure: 1970s rock sensation (Mamma Mia) and scholar/diplomat name in Israel.

Prince of the tribe of Zebulon in the Exodus, everyone will misunderstand this as Elias, with a stuffed nose.

In Roman mythology, Rumina was the goddess of breastfeeding mothers and nursing infants of all species. Her name is possibly derived from the Latin rūmen, meaning "throat."

This Hebrew name honors Dad in a subtle way and could be used as an alternative to Levi.

Variation of Aviela/Abiela, feminine forms of the Biblical Aviel/Abiel "God is my father", and related to Avielle.

This traditionally male surname name could find new life for girls thanks to its similarity to the popular Abby and Abigail.

In the Old Testament, Abidan was indeed a judge, head of the tribe of Benjamin and a leader at the time of the Exodus. Dan and Ab could work as nicknames. In 2015, there were only five boys in the US given the name.

A Hungarian name rarely heard outside its native culture.

Modern Hebrew form of the Old Testament name Abishai.

A fast-rising variation of Abigail that was shooting up the popularity charts a few years ago, but whose star is now falling now that Abigail is not quite as hot as she once was.

Not one of the five hundred names of Muhammad, but that of his uncle.

A lively name often used to honor a deceased grandmother in Yoruba culture.

No - not a creative spelling of Amber. Amba is an Indian name. Due to its meaning, Amba is a name often related with the Hindu goddess Parvati, who is a fertility deity.

Abijah, which you might think of as Abigail with rhythm, is the name of both female and male personages in the Bible. A biblical Queen Abijah was the daughter, wife, and mother of kings. The name is pronounced with a long i, to rhyme with Elijah.