Unusual Biblical Baby Names
Updated Sun May 04 2025
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The Bible is full of names, and many that were once considered unusual—Moses, for example, and Delilah—are now familiar on playgrounds throughout the US. So if you're looking for unique bible baby names, you have to look a lot harder, but they're still there.
Instead of Delilah or Moses, you might try Zillah or Moab. Along with Zillah and Moab, other unusual biblical baby names worth considering include Boaz, Gaius, Jericho, Joah, Keturah, Omri, Tirzah, or Zipporah. Biblical names that are unique in the US but common elsewhere in the world include Boaz, Linus, and Adah.
Old Testament names that are still rare include Haman, Joram, and Adino for boys; Bilhah, Zibiah, and Sherah for girls. New Testament names rare in the modern world include Joses and Philemon for boys; Apphia and Tryphena for girls.
Here are hundreds of unique biblical baby names for boys and girls from both the Old and New Testaments, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Ozias
Origin:
Greek, HebrewMeaning:
"my strength is God"Description:
A cool Biblical option that entered the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2024, Ozias gets extra points for its user-friendly nicknames Oz and Ozzie or Ozzy. Given to around 280 boys in 2024, it is five times more popular than it was in 2014.
- Linus
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"flax"Description:
Can Linus lose its metaphorical security blanket and move from the Peanuts page onto the birth certificate? We think it has enough charm and other positive elements going for it for the answer to be yes.
- Abel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"breath"Description:
Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing.
- Azriel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my help"Description:
Azriel is more masculine than Ariel, more unusual than Israel. Also spelled Asriel and Azrael, Azriel is the name of the Angel of Death in Jewish and Muslim traditions.
- Boaz
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"swiftness"Description:
Now that such Old Testament patriarchs as Elijah and Moses fill the playground, Boaz seems downright baby-friendly, having more pizzazz than many of the others, perhaps as a successor to Noah.
- Enoch
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"dedicated"Description:
A major figure in the Old Testament, Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah whose Book of Enoch provides a focal point for ancient Jewish mysticism. Another Enoch was the son of Cain. "Enoch Arden" is a famous poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. On the negative side, British politician Enoch Powell gave the infamously racist Rivers of Blood anti-immigration speech, taking the name out of consideration for many parents in the UK.
- Lazarus
Origin:
Latinized Greek variation of Hebrew EleazarMeaning:
"God is my helper"Description:
Lazarus is a name that looks as if it could possibly be raised from the dead, just like its biblical bearer. Look for it in the next wave of Old Testament revivals that transcend their long-bearded images, the way Noah, Moses, and Abraham have for this generation.
- Mordecai
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"follower of Marduk"Description:
Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image. Nevertheless, with parents searching for rarer Biblical names that work as alternatives to Malachi and Matthew, Mordecai has seen increased interest in recent years and was given to 74 boys in the US in 2024.
- Jericho
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
A biblical place name with trumpeting verve and strength.
- Nehemiah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"comforted by God"Description:
Nehemiah is an Old Testament name used by the Puritans, whose white-bearded image kept it out of favor for centuries, until it suddenly reappeared in 1998, along with the more user-friendly Josiah and Isaiah.
- Barnabas
Origin:
AramaicMeaning:
"son of consolation"Description:
Barnabas, whose birth name was Joseph, was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem, who undertook missionary journeys with Paul the Apostle, His name is a bit Old World compared to the update Barnaby, but could gain some attention as boys' names ending in 's' are enjoying a comeback.
- Ephraim
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fruitful, fertile, productive"Description:
Ephraim is an Old Testament name we would place high on the list of neglected Biblical possibilities, solid but not solemn.
- Adriel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my master"Description:
This biblical name is getting wider notice. While Adrian has had its time in the limelight since the late 70s, parents are beginning to look for fresher alternatives. In the Bible, Adriel was the husband of Merab, a daughter of King Saul. Adriel, like other names ending in -el like Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, is also the name of an angel. The angel Adriel is known as the Angel of Death. Adriel entered the charts in 2002, and has risen now into the Top 200.
- Jubal
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"ram's horn"Description:
This unusual name might be a possibility for musical families: Jubal was credited in Genesis with the invention of the lyre, flute, harp, and organ. It also has a jubilant feel through its sound and meaning, and has had some southern popularity via Confederate general Jubal Anderson Early. George Eliot wrote a poem called The Legend of Jubal.
- Junia
Origin:
Latin, Feminine variation of JuniusMeaning:
"born in June"Description:
Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and who may have been male), is yet to be discovered.
- Azrael
Origin:
Hebrew, variation of AzrielMeaning:
"help of God"Description:
This is the name of Angel of Death in Jewish and Muslim tradition, but that isn't putting contemporary parents off. With its cool letter Z and popular -ael ending, Azrael has been in the US Top 1000 since 2019 and has continued to rise since then.
- Damaris
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"dominant woman"Description:
In the New Testament, Damaris was an Athenian woman converted to Christianity by St. Paul. Known for her charitable work, her name was a favorite among the Puritans. Having slid off the bottom of the Top 1000 in 2012, Damaris might be deserving of more attention by parents in search of a New Testament name that is unusual but accessible, especially since girls' names ending in 's' are coming back into fashion.
- Hadassah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"myrtle tree"Description:
This Hebrew name of Queen Esther is well used in Israel (especially for girls born around the holiday of Purim), and in the US is the name of a Zionist women's philanthropic organization. Formerly shunned as hyper-religious, this name entered the Top 1000 in 2007 and has since climbed into the Top 700. Nickname Haddie feels like a natural companion for Addie and Maddie.
- Havilah
Origin:
Biblical place-nameMeaning:
"to dance"Description:
Though there are a few (male) people named Havilah in the Bible, it's also a Biblical place-name that can work as an original choice for modern girls.
- Nicodemus
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"victory of the people"Description:
This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin is a character in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend.
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