Hebrew Names

Aziza is a zippy palindromic choice that is the female variation of Aziz and is found in several Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures. All in all, an attractive and interesting option; a Turkish variation is Azize.
<p<>In African mythology, the Azizi are a supernatural race of forest dwellers who give practical and spiritual advice.
 Aziz is the male version, as represented by Aziz Ansari, one of the stars of Parks and Recreation.

Aziza

Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her "fair countenance".
 
From its Biblical roots, it has a distinctive sound, being an iambic name, with the emphasis on the second syllable (tah-MAHR), however, it may also be heard as TA-MAR in Georgia and as TAHM-ahr in the UK and US. 
 The Russian form of the name, Tamara, has long outshone Tamar, but Tamar could feel fresher, given to around 80 American girls in a recent year. In Israel, however, it is one of the top ranking choices for girls. href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a> there.
 Tamar is also the name of a river in England, forming the border between the British counties of Devon and Cornwall. In this case, it would be pronounced TAY-mahr and likely gets its name from the River Thames, a name of uncertain origin, by likely linked to an ancient Celtic word for "dark" or "river".

Tamar

Dave is the ultimate good guy name, but where father name David is still holding onto a spot in the Top 20, Dave -- widely used as an independent name in the middle of the last century -- dropped off the Top 1000 a few decades ago and shows no signs of a comeback.  

Baby Davids today, often named for dad or grandpa, are more likely to be called David than Dave.

Dave

Not a biblical name, but one with authentic Hebrew roots that's used in Israel; would fit in with the current trend for two-syllable J names. Jaaron, Jairon, Jaran, Jaren, Jarin, Jarone, Jarran, Jarren, Jarrin, Jarron, Jaryn, Jayron, Jayronn, Je Ronn, J'ron. 

Jaron

Edna is one of those names that, until what it seemed like a few minutes ago, felt so terminally frumpy that no one could imagine a parent choosing it for an innocent modern baby girl. But with the great upswing in names honoring ancestral family members, several of them being other four-letter, e-ending names, we wouldn't be so sure.
 Edna, which means delight, is a semi-biblical name--in the Apocrypha she is seen as a loving mother-- and was enormously popular in this country in the late nineteenth century, reaching as high as Number 11. It also relates to Eden--another, more contemporary sounding, option.
 Three literary bearers of the name are Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber and Edna O'Brien, and to some the name might be identified with the campy character, Dame Edna Everage.

Edna

The boyish spelling, which is still pronounced with two syllables and a long e at the end, is sometimes used for girls, though the Jessie form -- whether short for Jessica or standing on its own -- is usually considered the feminine one.

Jesse

When given the French pronunciation (ay-LAN), has a great deal of esprit and élan. 

Elan

Prince of the tribe of Zebulon in the Exodus, everyone will misunderstand this as Elias, with a stuffed nose.

Eliab

Ilana is a name with seemingly endless variations, well used in Israel, sometimes chosen for little girls born on the holiday of TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees. 

While some sources say Ilana is a variation of the Greek Helen, meaning torch or shining light, or the multicultural Alana, this is not accurate. The similar Elena is related to Helen, while Alana can be a spelling variation of Ilana, not vice versa.

Ilana

Sometimes considered a rare feminine form of Simon or Simeon, in turn giving it the meaning "to hear, to listen", Simea also appears in the 2024 Disney movie, Moana 2. In this case, the name is a twist on Samea (the director David Derrick Jr's daughter's name) which could come from the Arabic Samiya ("high") or from the Hebrew Samuel ("name of God").
 
Simea made its entrance to the US stats in 2025 when it was one of the fastest rising debuts of the year.

Simea

Famous violinist-conductor Pinchas Zuckerman is the most famous modern bearer; the biblical Pinchas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron -- both preferable name choices. 

Pinchas

Sahari has been in the US stats since 2008, but 2025 saw it more than double in usage when it was given to 70 girls — the highest number of Saharis on record. 
 
A name with a number of possible origins, Sahari could have its roots in the Arabic Sahara ("deserts"), the Arabic Sahar ("morning, dawn"), or in the Hebrew Sahar ("crescent, moon"). Additionally, it is sometimes linked to the Finnish Sakari (a form of Zachary, "Yahweh remembers") and to the Spanish Sarahi (from Biblical Sarai, "princess").

Sahari

Susannah is by far the most stylish form of the classic name now that Susan and Suzanne have retired. Susannah has biblical and musical pedigrees, is impervious to trends, and has an irresistible, flowing rhythm. It can be spelled just as properly with or without the final 'h.'
 Susannah is one of the loveliest names that, surprisingly, is not in the Top 1000—and hasn't been since 1978—though we expect that to change as soon as the memory of too many older Susans and Susies fades.
 Susannah and Susanna seem to have traded place over time as the dominant version. How do they differ? The h-less version feels a bit more streamlined and modern, and might refer more directly to an ancestor named Ann or Anna, while Susannah seems more old-school Biblical and self-contained.
 
In the Apocrypha, Susannah is the beautiful and devout wife of Joachim, falsely accused of unfaithfulness by the elders.
 William Shakespeare named one of his daughters Susanna, while more recently, YouTuber Ms. Rachel chose the -H ending form for her daughter in 2025.
 A European short form that's become popular is Sanna/Sanne. The Hebrew Shoshana has played a prominent role on the TV show Girls. Zuzu is an adorable nickname from the classic Christmas fiilm, It's a Wonderful Life.

Susannah

Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then exported to America, where it had some early popularity, even entering the Top 1000 in the 1880s.
 After appearing in Walter Scott's novel Waverly and Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, it made its most lasting impression as Dickens's miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, pretty much annihilating the name, but since Scrooge did reform at the end of A Christmas Carol, maybe there's some slight hope for the old name yet. If you have a sense of humor, you might consider it one of the darker <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">Christmas baby names</a>.
 The good news: the appealing short form Eben--so if you find Ebenezer too loaded and quirky for your taste, you might skip straight to the nickname.

Ebenezer

Appearing on a minor character in the Old Testament, Atarah is the wife of Jerahmeel and a descendant of Judah. Also spelled Atara, it has confidence and succinctness and may appeal to those who like Atlas, Amara and Elara. The name was chosen for 60 girls in the US in a recent year, while Atara was given to almost 50.

Atarah

One of the relatives on the widely-branching family of John names, Yanis is in the French Top 50 and was a fast rising choice in the UK in 2022, when it went from being outside the Top 1000 to within the Top 700.

Yanis

Atalia, also appearing as Athaliah and Atalya, is a biblical name with a gory history but a bright and appealing sound. In step with the current fashion for A-starting and -a-ending names that are both distinctive and deeply rooted, Atalia may make an intriguing alternative to Natalia or Aleah. 
 
In a biblical context, it is borne by the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who went on to become the queen consort of Jehoram of Judah. After Jehoram's death (and the murders of her family and son), Athaliah took the throne by killing every other possible claimant. Known as the usruper queen, she set up a Baalist cult, but was later killed herself. 
 
Meaning "the Lord is exalted", Atalia was also the name of an ancient Assyrian queen and was chosen for 62 girls in the US in a recent year, making it a familiar but underused option. Athaliah was chosen for 65 girls in the same year, and Athalia for 86, while Ataliah and Atalya were chosen for around 10.

Atalia

Israeli-born singer Keren Ann introduced this traditional Hebrew name to the US, where it could well be mistaken for Karen. Nevertheless, 100 girls were given the name in a recent year. 

Keren

A lively feeling choice with multicultural origins, Tova is both a Hebrew name with a positive meaning and a Swedish variant of Tove, a modern Old Norse name meaning "beautiful, beloved". In Hebrew, it would be pronounced as TOH-VAH, while in Swedish, it would be said as TOO-vuh.

Tova

Amiel is a biblical name with lots of connections to  those with a creative spirit, including director Jon Amiel, French pop singer Thierry Amiel, and medieval troubadour Gaubert Amiel. Ami (which means friend in French) is an obvious (and beautiful) nickname option.

Amiel

Hebrew names used widely in the modern world include Noah, Isabella, Elizabeth, Sarah, Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Leah, James, John, Michael, Mary, and Eva. 

 include Ariel, Delilah, Eliana, Eva, Maya, and Naomi. For boys, 

 include Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Levi, and Noah. In Israel, popular names include Tamar, Shira, Uri, and Noam.

 are some of the best-known as well as the most interesting Hebrew baby names today.

 often have Hebrew origins. Recommended choices include Delilah, Dinah, Keziah, Esther, and Susannah.

 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. 

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, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Hebrew names including Hebrew boy names and Hebrew girl names for jewish babies with meaning and popularity (Page 20)