Modern Christian Baby Names

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus after his death, burial and resurrection.

Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.

Bird names have taken flight, and Cardinal is a new addition recently used by Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden for their son. The red bird was named for the color of the robes worn by the religious cardinals.

Spiritual word names are becoming more and more popular – think Peace, Bodhi, Zen and Psalm – and Spirit is among the rarer options, given to a couple dozen baby girls each year in the US. It's the name of the horse in the kids' TV show Spirit.

A modern word and virtue name which first appeared on the US baby name charts in 2013, when it was given to 6 boys. By 2018, that had doubled to 12 (plus 8 girls), no doubt thanks to the enigmatic Credence Barebone from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.

Cruz might be a sister for Concepcion and Corazon, although its masculine side was emphasized when the high profile David Beckhams chose it for their son.

Blessed and Blessing are two new entrants in the word name and virtue name categories, gaining popularity for both boys and girls.

Spiritual word names are a hot trend and ever-expanding category of baby names. Chapel was notably used in 2020 by Josh Brolin for his daughter. He said of her name, "Chapel Grace is, to us, a manifestation of that celestial feeling that was always felt as we meandered and knelt."

Rise joins the latest class of modern Christian names for its uplifting spiritual associations. Rise may be especially appropriate for an Easter baby. We expect it will, erm, rise now that Nick Cannon and Brittany Bell have used it for their son, born in 2022.

Omega is an unusual name used now equally for boys and girls, though the a ending is conventionally feminine. More popular boys' names, like Omega, end in the a sound these days: Joshua, Noah, Micah.

A Puritanical virtue name and also a place name, belonging to the state capital of Rhode Island and several other towns and cities in the US.

In the Bible, Calvary is the hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. This religious significance, along with a pleasant sound, have led some parents to begin using it as a name for their daughters.

Page, Poet, and Story all get used as names, so why not Verse? Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry used it as a name for one of her sons.

Rare word name, and an unexpected way to get to Tess.

Fresh and fragrant nature name more apt to be used for a boy.

Transferred use of the geographical name Jerusalem, which is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.

Generally used in conjunction with another name to form a religious phrase -- for instance the daughter of rapper DMX is called Praise Mary Ella.

Omega is a perfect choice for a youngest child.

Nazareth, an important place in the New Testament as the hometown of Jesus, is on the rise as a name for both girls and boys. It's one of a handful of Biblical place names, along with Galilee and Jericho, stylish among contemporary Christians.