873+ Names That Mean God

Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at its peak in the early 1970s, it was a Top 200 baby name for girls in the US, given to nearly 2000 baby girls... and 12,000 boys in this spelling alone.

There are four figures named Ammiel in the Bible. The most notable was the father of Bathsheba.

Unisex name in Israel, ideal for a Hanukkah baby.

This Old Testament name is traditionally masculine, but with its lyrical Ls, sounds just as nice on a baby girl.

Similar to the floral name Aster, this spelling derives separately from Old Provençal astur "hawk") and from the Icelandic name elements as ("god") and þor ("thunder").

Although Joan was the more popular name in the 20th century, it's the nickname Joanie that is likely to be revived first. Joan ranked as a Top 100 name from the mid '20s to the mid '60s, and the US is still Joan-ed out from that era. But sweet Joanie feels fresh — a sister to names like Sadie, Elsie, and Sylvie. It could have a future on the Top 1000 but for now, scoop up Joanie while it's undiscovered.

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.

Sweet and bright international form of Josephine, used in many European countries with various pronunciations of the initial J. A notable bearer is Josefina "Joey" Guerrero, a Filipina spy during World War II.

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

Diminutive of the Italian Giovanna, or sometimes Vanessa or Ivanna.

The currently preferred replacement for Becky, sometimes used on its own.

Dania is a fun, offbeat name with international flair.

A beautiful Indian girl name to add to the growing list of obscure but alluring "El-" names for girls.

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!

Azaire was the highest breakout name for boys of 2021 thanks to a fashionable sound and pop culture connection. Azaire is the title of a hip hop album released by M. Pire the Sire, who named it after his son. His previous album is called Zariyah, after his daughter. In 2022 Azaire continued to climb steeply, rising to 42 boys from 25 in 2021.

Haskell has two separate forms of origin, the first being from the Ancient Norse given name Ásketill. The Normans converted Ásketill to Aschetil, then the English transformed Aschetil into Haskell, which was originally only used as a surname. Haskell is also considered a variant of Haskel, a Yiddish given name derived from Ezekiel.

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

A fresh, Italianized take on the Hebrew classic Emmanuel. But beware of the similarities to the feminine name Emmanuelle.

A friendly nickname for Joachim, also used independently in Finland and Sweden.