Hebrew Names for Girls

This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, played on screen by Cate Blanchett.
 Sheba is probably more ready for prime time than the long-form mother name, although Bathsheba, which means "seventh daughter," has a rich Biblical and literary history. 
 The Queen of Sheba was a monarch of the ancient kingdom of, yes, Sheba

Sheba

Popular with the Puritans, this name of the shrewd and beautiful wife of King David and mother of King Solomon could be a bit of a load for a modern girl to carry. 
 Bathsheba is the name of the central character in the Thomas Hardy novel Far from the Madding Crowd and there's a Harry Potter character named Bathsheba Babbling, Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts.

Bathsheba

Gently appealing, a floral choice in Japanese.

Bara

Pronounced as-TAIR-ah, this is one of many frequently heard Israeli flower names.  Other floral choices popular in Israel include Dafna, which means laurel; Dailia; Irit, which means daffodil; and Vered, which means rose.

Astera

Josephene could be considered an alternative spelling to Josephine, or an Anglicized form of the Norman Joséphène. Only ever used in small numbers in the US, it last appeared in the stats back in 2007.

Josephene

Straightforward yet intriguing, a winning combination. 

Arza

Arela is a delicate feminine name with possible Hebrew origins, where it may be related to the word "ara'el" meaning "angel" or "hero of God." In some interpretations, it could be a variation of Ariella, meaning "lion of God." Arela might also have roots in other cultures, such as being a variant of the Spanish Araceli, meaning "altar of the sky." This melodious name remains relatively uncommon but offers a beautiful alternative to more popular names like Aria or Arielle. Its gentle rhythm and soft ending sound create a name that feels both graceful and distinctive, with an ethereal quality that many parents find appealing.

Arela

Appearing in some versions of the Old Testament, Ardith sounds like an ethereal combination of Arden and Edith, with a sweet naturey meaning. Also appearing as Ardeth and Ardath, it was first considered as a first name after the writer Marie Corelli used Ardath as the name of her 1889 novel. It was at its peak in the 1930s, when it was given to 176 girls.

Ardith

Unknown but eminently usable choice, especially for Jewish parents, with lovely meaning. 

Arava

A multicultural choice, Niran is used predominantly as a masculine name in Thailand where it is is associated with eternity and everlasting, while in among Hebrew and Arabic speakers it is used more neutrally. From its Hebrew roots, it means either "plowed field" or "first-born" (ultimately an abbreviation of noled yeled rishon, while in Arabic, it comes from nar meaning "fire" or "fires". 
 
Other sources of the name include a Yoruba word for having a memory or a supernatural vision, and a Persian word for pomegranates.

Niran

Erelah (and Erela and Erella) are feminine forms of the Hebrew unisex name Erel, which may be derived from Ariel.

Erelah

A rare name, most notably borne by Opha May Johnson, who became the first woman to officially join the United States Marine Corps in 1918, Opha may appeal to those who like the sounds of Aoife, Opal, and Sophia. The exact origins of the name are unknown, but it may well have emerged as a short form of stylish, Shakespearean Ophelia meaning "help, assistance" or as a variation of the Biblical Ophrah (from the Hebrew ofer) meaning "fawn".
 
The name has also been used as an enemy species in the video game Borderlands, which leads to another possible source:the ophanim, a type of celestial being whose name means "wheels, spheres, whirlwinds" and appear in one of Ezekiel's visions in the Bible.They are sometimes considered alongside Cherubim and Seraphim, beings who guard the throne of God.
 
In addition to this, it's the acronym of various health associations across the globe.

Opha

This feminine form of the Hebrew unisex name Erel, possibly a form of Ariel, is used in modern Israel. Also found as Erella and Erelah.

Erela

Suze can be a diminutive of Susan or Susanne.' Suze also exists as an independent Dutch name, pronounced SHU-sha, 

While Suze is one of the fastest-rising girl names in the Netherlands, no baby girls were named Suze in the US in the US last year, perhaps because it's too close to the dated Susie or because of pronunciation confusion. The best-known person with the name in the US, financial columnist Suze Orman, pronounces her name like Susie.

Suze

Leeza may feel like the flagging Lisa or Liza, but its pronunciation is a hybrid of the two and it's a name that's distinct on its own.

Leeza

A masculine name in the Old Testament, but used contemporarily as a feminine name, Nogah was borne by a son of King David. Predominantly given in Israel, the name can also be spelled as Noga. 

Nogah

Bright and bold traditionally masculine name used in Israel. 

Akiva

Traditionally a masculine diminutive of Moses or Morris, Moe has also been used for Moriah, Maureen, Moira, and Maura, ultimately variations of the classic Mary. It could work equally well as a short, sweet, gender-bending nickname for more contemporary choices like – Ramona, Moana, Imogen, or Monroe.
 
Moe is also a Japanese girl name, with the nature related meaning "bud, sprout, flower". In this case it would be pronounced with two syllables.

This unisex Biblical name is born by multiple men and women in the Bible, and, when spelled with an "h", it's also a Biblical place name. Typically pronounced as teem-NAH in Hebrew, it may also be said as TIM-na in Austria, where singer Timna Brauer made it a more familiar choice.



Timna

Commonly heard in Israel, but a rare choice elsewhere, Shlomit ultimately comes from shalom, relating it to peace, and to the names Solomon, Salome, and Shlomo. Other forms of the name include Shlomith, Shelomith, and Shelomit.

Shlomit

Hebrew girl names include some of the most popular female names of all time in the US, such as Hannah, Elizabeth and Rachel. Hebrew girls’ names, indeed, are so familiar and deeply rooted in English-speaking cultures that they're among the classic girl names that have been most widely used over time.

 in the US top 100 include Abigail, Anna, Eliana, Eva, Leah, Maya, Naomi, and Sarah. 

 include Tamar — especially among Jewish Israelis — Noa, Shira, and Talia.

 that are more unusual yet worthy of consideration include Biblical names Dinah, Kelilah, and Susannah. And then there are 

 such as the unisex place-name Zion and the literary nickname-name Zadie, derived from Sarah.

Browse our full list of Hebrew baby girl names here, ordered according to their current popularity on Nameberry. 

Hebrew names for girls with meanings and popularity, including classic names such as Sarah and Elizabeth, Old Testament girl names, and top names in Israel.. (Page 24)

Hebrew Girl Names