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Unusual Biblical Baby Names

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Sun May 04 2025
Unusual Biblical Baby Names

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.

RELATED:

Biblical Baby Names 

Unique Names

  1. Ozias

    • Origin:

      Greek, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  2. Azriel

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  3. Abel

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "breath"

    • Description:

      Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing.
  4. Linus

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  5. Boaz

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  6. Ephraim

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  7. Adriel

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  8. Jericho

    • Origin:

      Biblical place-name

    • Description:

      A biblical place name with trumpeting verve and strength.
  9. Hiram

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "brother of the exalted one"

    • Description:

      Hiram is the kind of forgotten biblical name that adventurous parents who wish to move beyond David and Daniel are beginning to reconsider--even though it has bits of its old stiff-collared image clinging to it, along with a little hillbilly feel as well.
  10. Ariel

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "lion of God"

    • Description:

      Ariel is a male Biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest.
  11. Enoch

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  12. Lazarus

    • Origin:

      Latinized Greek variation of Hebrew Eleazar

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  13. Junia

    • Origin:

      Latin, Feminine variation of Junius

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  14. Lael

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "belonging to God"

    • Description:

      Although this is an ancient Old Testament name, it has a pleasant contemporary feel that might appeal to today's parents, who might just as easily use it for a girl. It was one of the fastest rising names for boys in the UK in a recent year.
  15. Ichabod

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "the glory is gone"

    • Description:

      Ichabod, an eccentric Old Testament name, is forever tied to the character of Ichabod Crane -- and worse, the teasing possibilities of "icky bod." Even its original meaning is a negative. Skip Ichabod, as if you were ever tempted.
  16. Damaris

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  17. Lemuel

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "devoted to God"

    • Description:

      Lemuel is a neglected Old Testament name, with the friendly nickname Lem, that we're surprised hasn't been picked up on by parents who have known too many Samuels.
  18. Mordecai

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  19. Drusilla

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "fruitful"

    • Description:

      Drusilla is an ancient Roman name, (probably) borne by descendants of Antony and Cleopatra, and is one of the 'illa' names that are ready for a comeback, especially with its cute short form Dru.
  20. Dorcas

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "doe, gazelle"

    • Description:

      Classic name used by the Romans, the Puritans, and the Bard, but pretty much taboo today due to the objectionable connotations of both its front and back ends.