Hebrew Names for Boys

Simple and worldly, popular and carrying two positive meanings in two diverse cultures. A winner prime for wider use.

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

A symbolic name for boys born during a period between Passover and Shavuot.

The name of an Old Testament king, and yet another 'Z' choice from the Bible that still retains some zip, especially with the appealing nickname Zed. Zedekiah was the name of the last king of Judea before the city was destroyed by Babylon.

Positive meaning -- and a choice of spelling variations.

Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for revival.

While everyone may think you said "Harold," this name sounds more up-to-date. And if you get tired of explaining, you can always call him Harry.

A rare Old Testament name that, although short, is resoundingly biblical. It belonged to name the tenth king of Israel, who seized power violently and reigned from about 841 to 814 BCE.

One of the few biblical names ending in the upbeat o.

An Old Testament name -- he was the eldest son of Joseph -- that's still used in the Jewish community.

Known from the Menotti opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, this is a subdued and gentle name.

Model Trish Goff's Nima is a boy, but the a ending gives this name a feminine feel.

Biblical name -- he was an ancestor of Abraham's -- rarely used today but registered on the U.S. popularity list at the end of the 19th century. With the rise of other obscure Old Testament names, just might have a shot at revival.

Maoz is a symbolic name given to boys born at Hannukah because of the song "Maoz Tzur," "Rock of Ages," which is sung at that time.

Malachi is one of the surprise Biblical hits of recent years, in the US Top 200, and now spelling variation Malaki is in the Top 1000 too. Both names are pronounced with a long final i, as in "eye," but the Irish variation Malachy is MAL-ah-kee, which Malaki might mimic instead.

When considering the playground years, might be too close to gory.

Refers to the hilly region of Galilee, an easily assimilated Israeli name.

Joab is the biblical name of an advisor of David, who led many military victories, and is surely much more usable than the burdened Job. A similar option is Joah, a possible replacement for Jonah or Noah.

This is most familiar here as a musical name, via Indian Parsi conductor Zubin Mehta, but it certainly could be used by others.

A Hebrew name also used for girls, with many variations to choose from. Hadara is another version. The name is associated with the holiday of Sukkot.