As a boys' name, Angel has two distinct name personalities. One is as a perennial favorite Hispanic <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a>, popular in the US along with Spain, Mexico, and South America.
 
Then Buffy the Vampire Slayer brought Angel into the Anglo camp, where it's now heard more frequently, pronounced the English way. Angel entered the boys' Top 100 in 1997 and remains solidly there today.
 
Angel's popularity for girls began to wane at the same time the name took off for boys. Any child named Angel, of whatever gender or nationality, has a, well, angelic image to live up to or live down.
 Other notable male Angels: the husband in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, a character on Dexter, and several athletes.

Angel

An implied spiritual meaning makes this a plausible new name. 

Answer

An undiscovered option among occupational names, Banner has never been used for more than 100 baby boys in a single year. But Banner has undeniable charm, much due to its associations with fêtes and phrases like "a banner year".
 
Actor Jesse Eisenberg has a son named Banner, born in 2017.

Banner

Bethany is a lyrical name that still strikes many parents as a fresher, more substantial substitute for the overused Brittany/Brittney or the more antiquated Beth. 
 In the New Testament, Bethany is the name of a village just outside Jerusalem where Jesus stayed during Holy Week. Mary of Bethany was the sister of Martha and Lazarus.
 A spelling variation was introduced by Real Housewife of New York Bethenny Frankel.

Bethany

A rarely used Biblical place-name with a soft and pleasant sound. 

Bethel

Pronounced KAY-nan, this Old Testament place name has a strong modern feel that blends in with on-trend choices like Carter, Colton, and Kayson, but also with Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Tobias. Associated in the Bible with "The Promised Land", it is also the name of one of Noah's grandsons.
 
The actual meaning of Canaan is disputed, with some scholars suggesting it simply means "lowland", while others believe the name refers to the "lowness and humbleness" that faith requires. 
 
Canaan entered the US Top 1000 in 2015, peaked in 2016 when it reached #667, then fell back down the rankings, disappearing from the popularity charts in 2023. It is still given to nearly 200 babies each year however, suggesting that it could easily return to the Top 1000 in years to come.

Canaan

Carmel is a biblical place-name heard much more frequently in Ireland than in the U.S. and is considered a particularly Catholic name. It is given in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is the name of a mountain ridge on the Mediterranean near Haifa in Israel, mentioned in the Old Testament, famous for its lush vegetation and said to have been often visited by Mary and the Infant Christ.

 Irish-born Carmel Snow was a one-time influential editor of Harper's Bazaar; Carmel Myers was a sultry silent movie star.
 Caveat: Could be confused with a candy.

Carmel

Cedar is, like Ash, Oak, Pine and Ebony, one of the new tree/wood names that parents are starting to consider; this one is particularly aromatic.
 In the Bible the cedar is mentioned in Psalm 92:12: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon." The Lebanon  Cedar was used to build King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, and there are now several hospitals called Cedars of Lebanon, plus a U2 song by that name.
 A contemporary bearer of the name is the jazz pianist Cedar Walton.

Cedar

Cymbal

One of the new bird names, like Lark and Wren, this one's associated with the billing and cooing sounds of love. Soft and gentle, Dove also has the admirable association with peace.
 Dove was actually an early bird, used as a first name in the seventeenth century and in the U.S. Top 1000 through the 1890's.
 One admirable surname association is with Rita Dove, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet and former United States Poet Laureate.

Dove

Deliverance

Solemn but soaring name with patriotic symbolism. 

Eagle

Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then exported to America, where it had some early popularity, even entering the Top 1000 in the 1880s.
 After appearing in Walter Scott's novel Waverly and Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, it made its most lasting impression as Dickens's miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, pretty much annihilating the name, but since Scrooge did reform at the end of A Christmas Carol, maybe there's some slight hope for the old name yet. If you have a sense of humor, you might consider it one of the darker <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">Christmas baby names</a>.
 The good news: the appealing short form Eben--so if you find Ebenezer too loaded and quirky for your taste, you might skip straight to the nickname.

Ebenezer

Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the seventeenth century.
 Eden entered the Top 1000 in 1989, and got a real bump in visibility when Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross used it for one of her twin girls. There have been also Edens on the old soap opera Santa Barbara and the shows Heroes and Extras.
 Pronounced ED-en, Eden is also a Hebrew name for boys, though as EE-den it's gaining ground in the US for boys, now given to one boy for every four girls.

Eden

Euphrates

Galilee is a highly unusual place name, Galilee being a large region in northern Israel, the home of Jesus during at least thirty years of his life, and also where he cured a blind man. The Sea of Galilee gets its name from the area.
 Its pretty, delicate sound make Galilee a real possibility for use as a girl's name--in fact one of our Berries chose Galilee as the middle name of her baby daughter.

Galilee

Like Bethany and Shiloh, a meaningful biblical place-name. 

Gilead

Glory sounds fresh and uplifting and a lot more modern than Gloria (which is definitely feeling the stirrings of a revival, though some might still view it as a terminal Old Lady name).  Glory, as in "Glory Be" and "Old Glory," has both a religious and a patriotic flavor.

Glory

Gesthemane

In the New Testament this was exclaimed by those around Jesus when he first entered Jerusalem.  An exuberant choice!

Hosanna

Hallelujah

Harp

A biblical place name with trumpeting verve and strength.
 Though rarely heard as a first name, Jericho has appeared in the titles of films, TV series, songs, bands, comics, and video games (Clive Barker's Jericho). It's perhaps these references that helped it enter the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013 -- as one of the year's fastest-rising names.

Jericho

Jordan became one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a> in the heyday of basketball's Michael Jordan, and is still among the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/unisex-names/j">unisex names starting with J</a>. The name was originally given to those baptized in holy water brought back by Crusaders from the River Jordan, the only river in Palestine, and the one in which Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.
 Celebrities with sons and daughters named Jordan include Taylor Hanson, Dierks Bentley, Dr. Phil and Kenny Rogers.

Jordan

Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Valentina, and Amor.

Love

Where Abraham took his son Isaac to sacrifice him. Taylor Hanson chose this as the middle name for his son Viggo, his fourth child, but most will see it as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a>. Make life simpler and spell it Mariah.

Moriah

Nazareth, used equally for boys and girls, is one of several place names with religious associations -- Galilee, Jericho --that have been rising in use in recent years. The name may relate to branch or to the verb watch or guard, but there are many possible derivations and meanings.

Nazareth

Nissi

Pearl, like Ruby, has begun to be polished up for a new generation of fashionable children after a century of jewelry box storage. The birthstone for the month of June, Pearl could also make a fresher middle name alternative to the overused Rose. Cool couple Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson named their daughter Pearl Minnie, followed by Jack Osbourne, and several celebs have put it in the middle spot, as in Busy Philipps's Cricket Pearl, Jake Owen's Olive Pearl and Caleb Followill's Dixie Pearl .
After being a Top 25 name in the late nineteenth century, Pearl went into a long slide, but is showing signs of a strong comeback -- it reentered the Top 1000 in 2010.
 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne, who gives her the name because she is 'her mother's only treasure.'
 Pearl was also the alter ego name of Janis Joplin, tied to singer Pearl Bailey, and---hmm--the birth name of western writer Zane Gray.
 Variations are PERLE and PERLA.

Pearl

Promise is one of those word names with an uplifting meaning that is making inroads as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a>, like sisters Dream and Serenity. How promising is Promise as a first name? Our try at cleverness illustrates perhaps the biggest problem with naming your baby girl Promise: It will be difficult for people to resist making bad puns on the name. We promise (argh) you'll be tired of hearing them well before your baby Promise's first birthday.

Promise

In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child. 
 Prosper was the name of several early saints, including a noted fifth century theologian, St. Prosper of Aquitaine, and was a favorite of English Puritans.
 Prosper has strong associations with P.Merimee, who wrote the novel Carmen, upon which the opera is based. Prospers were also the protagonists of two other books, The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff and The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
 The Italian version, Prospero, is another attractive option, with ties to Shakespeare's magician character in The Tempest.

Prosper

Palm

Povidence

Psalm

Vibrant, sassy, and bubbly, Ruby is a vintage gem that hasn’t lost any of its sparkle. Currently popular in a number of English-speaking countries, Ruby is proof of the 100 Year Rule, trending again for the first time since its heyday in the 1910s. 
The name of a precious stone, Ruby was ultimately derived from the Latin ruber meaning “red”. Despite its sweet, shiny contemporary feel, Ruby has in fact been used as a given name since the 1500s, though it really took off in the Victorian era, alongside Pearl and Opal. 
Many cultures consider rubies to be the stone of kings, and the gem is surrounded by symbolism of wealth, power, life blood, success, and protection. It is also the birthstone for July, which could make it a discreet honor for a July-born relation or just right for a July-born baby. 
In the US, Ruby was a popular choice in the early 20th century, and it peaked at #22 in 1911. By the 1940s however, it was falling down the charts, and while it never left the Top 400, parents turned away from Ruby and to the likes of Judy, Crystal, Rebecca, and Robin instead. 
Then, in the mid-2000s, Ruby made big moves in the UK, leaping to #1 in 2007. Propelled upwards by the catchy song by The Kaiser Chiefs which was released the same year and influenced by celebs such as Tobey Maguire and Charlotte Church choosing it for their daughters, Ruby moved back into the US Top 100 in 2013. 
A truly musical name, Ruby has featured in hits by The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, and Kenny Rogers, while namesakes of the fictional and famous variety including Rue from “Euphoria”, Ruby from “Steven Universe”, and Ruby Rose of “Orange is the New Black”, have kept the name in the public eye. 
Given to more than 3000 babies in the US every year and continuing to climb the charts, Ruby is one of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/339/vintage-baby-names">vintage baby names</a> that feels totally modern and full of life. 
Love Ruby but want to beat the trends? You could try another vintage gem like Edith, Lula, Twila, Betsy, or Fern, or perhaps something with a similar sound, like Thisbe, Prue, Billie, or Rumi.

Ruby

Rejoice

Revelation

The name is derived from the term commonly used in the Book of Psalms, which has a many Hebrew scholars in confusion over its meaning. Given its context in the Bible, Selah is likely to mean "to praise" or "pause and reflect upon what has just been said." Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter. It is the last word in Anita Diamant's novel The Red Tent.

Selah

Supermodel Shalom Harlow glamorized this name, which is heard as a greeting every day in Israel. 

Shalom

Shepherd is an occupational surname with a pleasant pastoral feel. It was chosen for their son by the Jerry Seinfelds, which might inspire others to follow their lead.
 There are other spelling choices--Shepard, Sheperd, Sheppard--all of which lead to the friendly nickname Shep. Artist Shepard Fairey (original first name Frank) gained a lot of attention for his Obama HOPE poster.
 Those various spellings are reflected in the surnames of such notables as astronaut Alan Shepard, "Winnie the Pooh" illustrator Ernest Shepard, actor/playwright Sam Shepard, "A Christmas Story" writer Jean Shepherd, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, and actress Cybill Shepherd. Shepherd might be thought of as one of the out-of-the-box <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>.

Shepherd

Haunting biblical and Civil War place-name; now unisex—especially after the mega-high-profile Brangelina couple picked it for their daughter. It debuted in the Top 1000 for boys in 2015.
 Many people may associate this name with the 1990s family film about a dog.

Shiloh

Sinai

Shekinah

The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she was played by Claire Danes. 
 As a female name, it was seen as the college-girl character of Temple Drake in the William Faulkner novel Sanctuary and the 1933 film The Story of Temple Drake. And as a surname, it will forever be identified with cute child star Shirley Temple.

Temple

Tigris

While nature names, even those of fierce animals and mountain peaks, are used for children these days, architectural features like this somehow seem a bit cold. 

Tower

Timbrel

A winning unisex word name, fresher than Victoria or Victor.

Victory

A bit too self-congratulatory and, understandably, exceedingly rare. Still, if you're looking for a modern virtue name for your daughter, this may be one of the best qualities to exemplify.

Wisdom

A Biblical place name that's one of the rising <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a> for both girls and boys. It's got an uplifting feel and that zippy Z beginning.

Zion is an alternate name for Jerusalem and is used as a nationalistic pro-Israel movement known as Zionism. The name has gained popularity after being used by celebrities including Lauryn Hill and Fantasia Barrino.

Zion

kpearl8's list "Bible Word and Place Names" of 51 great name ideas: Angel - Zion!

Bible Word and Place Names

Some unusual names for parents that want to reference the Bible in a less obvious way.