Jewish Hebrew Biblical boy names

Isaac has shaved off his biblical beard and leaped into the upper echelon of popular boys' names, outrunning cousin Isaiah. A favorite of the Puritans, Isaac has never dipped below Number 400 on the US list of top boy names.

Isaiah, like brethren Isaac and Elijah, is a once neglected biblical name now firmly back in favor, already surpassing such long-popular Old Testament stalwarts as Aaron and Adam. Isaiah has ranked on the US Top 1000 list for boys every year but two, 1969 and 1970.

Ishmael is most familiar through "Call me Ishmael," the opening line spoken by the youthful narrator of Moby-Dick. Few American parents have followed that advice, though the Spanish and Arabic spelling, Ismael, ranks at Number 362. With its warm and pleasant sound, though, we could see Ishmael tagging along behind Isaiah and Isaac.

A son of Noah in the Bible who is also thought to be an ancestor of the Greek people and the guardian angel of Greece.

Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be attributable to the similarly named Jude Law.

An Old Testament name with a Gaelic lilt, Malachi entered the list in 1987.

The name of five men and one woman in the Bible, this name has so far escaped much notice but its similarity to popular choices such as Michael and Michaela/Mikayla, along with the long-running penchant for Old Testament names, may propel it to prominence. Also spelled Micaiah.

Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image.

Moshe is the original Hebrew form of Moses, also spelled Mosheh. In the past it was changed to names like Morris, Moe and Maurice.

Old Testament name of a king of Israel, related to the harvest.

Idiosyncratic Hebrew choice.

A name with visible links to Sarah and Sarai, Sarahi is a rare and unusual name in the US. Nonetheless, it has made several appearances in the Top 1000 every year since it debuted in 1996. It also has a similar appearance to Sahara. Pronunciation could present some challenges.

Name of a king featured in the Old Testament.

This ephemeral name of the loving angels surrounding the throne of God is all but unheard of in the US, although its feminine forms Seraphine and Seraphina are catching on. In Russia, it's long been in use, spelled Серафим (Serafim).