Hebrew Names
Hebrew names used widely in the modern world include Noah, Isabella, Elizabeth, Sarah, Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Leah, James, John, Michael, Mary, and Eva.
Along with Isabella, Hebrew names in the US Top 200 for girls include Ariel, Delilah, Eliana, Eva, Maya, and Naomi. For boys, Hebrew names in the US Top 100 include Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Levi, and Noah. In Israel, popular names include Tamar, Shira, Uri, and Noam.
Of course, Biblical names are some of the best-known as well as the most interesting Hebrew baby names today.
Bible names for girls often have Hebrew origins. Recommended choices include Delilah, Dinah, Keziah, Esther, and Susannah.
Bible names for boys include such appealing Hebrew boy names as Amos, Asher, Eli, Ezra, and Moses.
Hebrew is spoken in modern Israel, so it's both an ancient and a living language. Names popular in modern Israel include many Hebrew names but some modern Israeli names as well.
The top Hebrew names for girls in Israel include Abigail, Sarah, and Esther. Top Hebrew names for boys in Israel include David, Ariel, and Raphael.
If you’re searching for Hebrew names for your baby or simply want to survey all the options with roots in ancient languages and cultures, here is the full range of Hebrew name choices in our database. You can also browse our lists of Hebrew girl names and Hebrew boy names or browse our full roster of Name Origins.
- Ezra
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"help"Description:
Ezra is potentially an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase Azaryahu, meaning “Yah helps.” In the Bible, Ezra led a group of fifteen hundred Israelites out of slavery in Babylon and back to Jerusalem. The Latin name Esdras derives from Ezra.
- Ethan
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"strong, firm"Description:
Ethan derives from the Hebrew name Eitan. There are several Ethans in the Old Testament, the most prominent of whom, Ethan the Ezrahite, is praised for his wisdom. International variations include Etan and Izan.
- Tobias
Origin:
Greek from HebrewMeaning:
"God is good"Description:
Tobias is the Greek form of the Hebrew Tobiah, which was derived from the name Toviyah. Toviyah was created from the elements tov, meaning "good" and yah, representing the Hebrew God. Tobias is the name of several biblical figures but is primarily associated with the story of Tobias and the Angel.
- Caleb
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"devotion to God"Description:
Caleb has two potential derivations, the first being from the Hebrew kelev, meaning “dog,” and the second from the Hebrew components kal and lev, together meaning “whole heart.” In the Old Testament Caleb is one of only two ancient Israelites (Joshua was the other) who set out from Egypt to finally enter the promised land.
- James
Origin:
English variation of Jacob, HebrewMeaning:
"supplanter"Description:
James is an English derivation of the Hebrew name Jacob. James is biblical (the name of two apostles in the New Testament), royal (kings of both England and Scotland), presidential (with more U.S. Chief Executives named James (six) than any other name), and it is shared by countless great writers and entertainers.
- Nathaniel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
Nathaniel was derived from the Hebrew name Netan’el, meaning “gift of God,” composed of the elements natan, meaning “to give,” and ’el, in reference to God. The name is featured several times in the Old and New Testaments, typically spelled Nathanael. In the New Testament, Nathanael is also known by his other name, Bartholomew.
- Noah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"rest, repose"Description:
Noah was derived from the Hebrew name Noach, which itself came from the root nuach, meaning "rest." In the bible, Noah was deemed the only righteous man of his time, singled out by God to survive the great flood sent to punish the world. Noa is generally a separate feminine Hebrew name, although it's also found as a variant spelling of the male name Noah.
- Zachary
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"the Lord has remembered"Description:
Zachary is the English variation of Zacharias, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah. The name Zachary is attached to eight different people in the Bible, the most prominent being the father of John the Baptist, and it's also presidential, via 12th president Zachary Taylor. Zackery is an alternate spelling, and nicknames include Zack, Zach, Zac, and Zak.
- Aziel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my strength"Description:
Aziel is a rarely used name that connotes zeal and may become more familiar thanks to its fashionable initial A and z in the middle.
- Sadie
Origin:
Diminutive of SarahMeaning:
"princess"Description:
Sadie started as a nickname for Sarah, but their images couldn't be more disparate. Where Sarah is serious and sweet, Sadie is full of sass and fun.
- Gideon
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"hewer; or, having a stump for a hand"Description:
Gideon is a no-longer neglected Old Testament name, but still makes an excellent choice for parents looking to move beyond such overused biblicals as Benjamin and Jacob. In the Old Testament, Gideon was a judge called on by God to rescue the Jews from the Midianites, and the name was popular among the Puritans.
- Asher
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fortunate, blessed, happy one"Description:
In the Bible, Asher was one of Jacob's twelve sons who gave their names to the tribes of Israel. Asher is derived from the Hebrew word osher, which means "happiness." Rabbinical scholars claim that the Asherites lived up to this meaning, as they had the most oil, wisdom, and male children compared to the other tribes.
- Eliza
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Eliza originated as a diminutive of Elizabeth and eventually became used as a name in its own right. Despite its similarity to the Hebrew name Aliza, meaning "joyful," the two are unrelated. Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was the wife of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, recognizable today as one of the lead characters in the musical "Hamilton."
- Simon
Origin:
Hebrew, GreekMeaning:
"he has heard; flat-nosed"Description:
Simon is pure and simple (not in the nursery rhyme sense), and an appealingly genuine Old and New Testament name that's not overused – making Simon a stylish choice. In the Bible, Simon was the second son of Jacob and Leah and the original name of Saint Peter, as well as the name of several New Testament figures. Historically, Simon Bolivar is known as The Liberator of Latin America.
- Eva
Origin:
Latin form of Eve, HebrewMeaning:
"life"Description:
Eva is found in many different languages as a variation of Eve—the Old Testament name recognizable as the first woman in Abrahamic religions. Short forms of the name include Evie and Evita. The diminutive Evita is still strongly associated with Evita Peron, wife of the Argentine President Juan Peron.
- Seraphina
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"ardent; fiery"Description:
Seraphina is one of the most-searched name on Nameberry, destined for even greater popularity. The highest-ranking angels, the six-winged seraphim, inspired the lovely name Seraphina, which was brought into the contemporary spotlight when chosen by high-profile parents Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck for their second daughter, following the influential choice of Violet for their first.
- Delilah
Origin:
Hebrew or ArabicMeaning:
"delicate"Description:
Delilah has shed the stigma of its Biblical image, and is now appreciated for its haunting, melodic, feminine qualities. Checking out Delilah's popularity graph shows that Delilah's use is heading straight for the top. Right now, Delilah is among the most popular Hebrew names for girls in the US as well as the Number 1 girls' name starting with D.
- Emmett
Origin:
English masculine variation of Emma, GermanMeaning:
"universal"Description:
Emmett, honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, is on the rise as a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, not to mention being a character in the popular Twilight series.
- Levi
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"joined, attached"Description:
In the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of Leah and Jacob, from whom the priestly tribe of Levites descended; in the New Testament, Levi was Matthew's given name before he became an apostle. It is suspected that Levi derives from the Hebrew word yillaweh, meaning “he will join.”
- Raphael
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God has healed"Description:
Raphael is a romantic archangel name that sounds both artistic and powerful. Raphael is also a great cross-cultural choice, with significance for people with both Latinate and Jewish roots, plus plenty of grounding in the English-speaking world.