Names That Mean My

The sharp and unusual name of an archangel associated with mercy in Jewish and Christian tradition, sometimes cited as the angel who stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. Its crisp sound makes it an interesting alternative to the likes of Ezekiel and Azriel.

Zadkiel

A melodious Yoruba name with one of the best meanings around.

Ayomide

A fast-rising variation of Abigail that was shooting up the popularity charts a few years ago, but whose star is now falling now that Abigail is not quite as hot as she once was.


Abbigail

Nilo

Azriel, also found as Azrael or Asriel, is the name of the Angel of Death in Jewish and Islamic tradition. The Asriel spelling occurs as a Biblical name, notably as the forefather of the Asrielite tribe. Lord Asriel is Lyra’s immensely powerful and charismatic father in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

Asriel

A beautiful Indian girl name to add to the growing list of obscure but alluring "El-" names for girls.

Elahi

Romi and Romy are used interchangeably, though they have different roots. Both are on the rise especially for girls, given to more than 800 baby girls in the US last year and about 50 baby boys. 

Romi and Romy can also make short forms of any Rom-starting boys' name such as Roman or Romeo or even of a name like Jeremy.

Romi

Elroi can be considered a variation of Leroy, which uses the Spanish "El" instead of the French "Le", and the Roi spelling over the Roy option, either to make the pronunciation clearer, to mirror French Eloi, or just to be different. In this case, the name would mean "the king".
 
Alternatively, it is a Hebrew compound name, blending El with Roi, to form one name that means "God is my shepherd" or "God is my sight", depending on which etymological root you follow. 
 
The name is given to just 5 girls and 10 boys in the US each year, and while Elroy was once popular in the 20th century, use of it has significantly declined too.

Elroi

With Lazarus heating up, this slimmer Eastern European form will likely see an uptick in use.

Lazar

A feminine form of Adriel, a Biblical name that has soared up the US charts in the 2020s . A possible successor to Adrienne and Danielle or an alternative to Arielle and Adeline, Adrielle was give to 35 girls in a recent year, while alternative forms Adriella, Adriel, Adriela, Adrielly, and Adriely were chosen for around 80 girls collectively. 

Adrielle

Asiyah is a name with various possible origins. It could be an alternative transcription of the Arabic name Asiya, an alternative spelling for the Biblical Azaiah, or an alternative transcription of the Hebrew Assiah. Given predominantly to girls, the name is also used on a handful of boys every year.
 
As an alternative spelling of Azaiah, Asiyah could have the meaning "my strength is God" and is a lesser known Biblical name that sits outside the US Top 1000. As an alternative spelling of Assiah, however, it is related to a school of thought in Jewish Mysticism, in which there are four (or five) spiritual worlds, with Assiah being the lowest and most material, but where prayers are heard and answered. 
 
If derived from Arabic on the other hand, the name could mean "pensive and melancholic". In Islamic tradition, Asiya was the wife of the Pharaoh and the adoptive mother of Moses. Considered an exemplar woman, some scholars also suggest that Moses named the continent Asia after her.

Asiyah

Gabe ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880 until 1905, when it fell into obscurity.  There are fewer than 100 boys named Gabe, just plain Gabe, each year in the US, compared with over 10,000 named Gabriel. Our advice: Go with the crowd and choose the angelic long form, and then call him Gabe if you want to.

Gabe

With Azariah and Azaria in the Top 1000, this similar but shorter alternative is also attracting attention. Likely a form of the aforementioned Azariah, or of Uzziah, it is currently trending for boys, however, 2024 also saw it treble in use for girls when it was given to 24 babies compared to 8 the previous year.
 
While Azariah is split 40:60 across the sexes, Azaiah is split more like 8:92, but we could see it easily catching on for as a unisex possibility.

Azaiah

A compound name used occasionally in Spanish speaking countries, which blends Jose with Daniel to create something new. In English, it could also be considered a smoosh of John and Daniel, giving it the meaning "God is a gracious judge". Given to around 30 boys each year in the US, Joniel also ranked in Puerto Rico. 

Joniel

Made most familiar in English-speaking countries by prize-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda has a wonderful meaning and can be shortened to Chima or the spunky Chi. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 1000 for the first time, and has been climbing ever since. A recent year saw it rank in at #547, when it was given to 70 girls. 

Chimamanda

This name is one of the hot new spiritual names for both sexes. In Hawaiian it means "chieftain of the sky" or "spirit of the sky,"and is extremely popular for boys.

Kalani

Eliane is a melodic name with the very fashionable El- beginning. Lovely and lilting as it is, be aware that there are many El- variations around these days, and little girls called Ellie as a result.


Eliane

A name used in the Middle East but that could easily work in the US. As a girls' name, Nuri can also be a short form of Nuria. It was chosen by Christy Lefteri for the protagonist of her novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo which may have familiarized people with the name.

Nuri

Like many spelling variations, Abigayle sprang up during the recent heyday of the Biblical Abigail, ranking in the US Top 1000 from 1998 through 2008. Now its star has dimmed.

Abigayle

A common girl name in Israel that could travel well to the US.