Hebrew Names for Boys

Strongly associated with the city of Tel Aviv. For girls, may be lengthened to Aviva; for boys, might be better abbreviated to Avi.

Aviv

The final letter makes the name more unusual and adds some zest.  Downside: Sure to be confusion with Elias.

Eliaz

A very unusual biblical name, Rei was one of David's most loyal supporters.

Benyamin

This name of a son of Noah, whose descendants were said to have populated Europe, was well used by the seventeenth century Pilgrims. With "Ja" names and obscure Old Testament names both trendy these days, Japheth might just seen a resurgence: 37 boys were given the name in a recent year. 

 Japheth is a major character in the Madeleine L'Engle novel Many Waters.

Japheth

This name, once considered overly powerful due to the superhuman strength of the biblical figure, is now an option for parents in search of an unusual route to Sam. But you really don't need that p: Samson will do.

Sampson

While some may think of ruby slippers and a yellow brick road, Oz is a legitimate Hebrew name denoting power. An element in a number of names including Ozni, Oziel, and Ozias, it may also be used as a stand-alone choice which may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Ty, Ed, Bo, and Cy. 

As an English name, it derives from the Old English os meaning "god" and can be found in names such as Osmond, Osgood, and Osborn. 
 
From its Irish roots, it is a diminutive of Oscar, which is the given name of the Wizard of Oz. In this case, it would come from the Old Irish oss meaning "deer". 
 
As Ozias, Osgood, and Osmond start to sound more cool and less grandpa, and with Ozzy already on the rise, this (even) shorter may begin to feel like a very modern possibility. In fact, 40 boys were given the name Oz in the US in 2023, nearly double the number who received a decade earlier.

This name of an Old Testament king is reminiscent of the woodsy nature name Hazel. Given to just 35 boys in 2024, it could make a similar but less popular option than Top 1000 Azael.

Hazael

Old Testament name of a king of Israel, related to the harvest.

Omri

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.

Heber

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.
 
Jehu Mountain is a peak in the Catskills in New York State.

Jehu

Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move on from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms like Jed and Zeb.
 If you like this style of name, there are a number of others to choose from--Zedekiah (the last king of Judah), Zecheriah (there are 31 in the Bible), Zachariah, the prophet Zephaniah, and Jedidiah, the name given to Solomon at his birth.

Zebadiah

Place-name of a settlement in Galilee in Israel. 

Abir

Idan is a Hebrew unisex place-name rarely heard in this country. 

Idan

An alternative to the formerly male Ariel, which is now in the grasp of "The Little Mermaid." 

Hadriel

Still one of the most appealing short forms, which goes a long way toward explaining the sustained popularity of Matthew.  Matt is perennially the popular guy in high school, friendly, attractive, and comfortable with a baseball.  Matty or Mattie are cute for a younger boy.

Matt

Though most parents would shy away from Ebenezer, short form Eben is affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; nothing Scroogish about it. This also makes a fresh new spin on the very popular Ethan or Evan.
 Eben Oleson is the name of the character played by Josh Hartnett in the movie "30 Days of Night."

Eben

Jorah, a Biblical name with a lovely nature-related meaning, might make a fresher alternative to the overused Jordan. It's similar to the feminine Nora, Cora, and Laura, but depending on your viewpoint, that may be an advantage. Jorah Mormont, often called Jorah the Andal, is a major character in HBO's Game of Thrones, marked by his loyalty to the woman he considers the rightful Queen of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen.

Jorah

Variation of trendy angel name Ramiel that gets you directly to the fashionable nickname Remi. Thirty-five baby boys were named Remiel in the US last year, along with six baby girls.

Remiel

Abbott is a neglected masculine surname with religious overtones, used to describe the head of a monastery or a prominent church figure, such as a priest. Though the feminine nickname Abby could be seen as a slight drawback, that's hardly stopped Abner or Abraham rising up the charts, and besides, there's nothing wrong with a gentler boy name.
 
Derived from the Italian abate meaning "priest, abbot", the name ultimately comes from the same Hebrew and Aramaic root as Abram or Abraham, giving it the additional meaning of "father". While the Abbot spelling is used to describe the head of an abbey of monks, Abbott was originally used as an English nickname or a last name for someone who worked for a high-ranking church official. 
 
An unexpected honor for an Abraham or Abigail, or perhaps for a family member who works within the church, Abbott fits in with the trends for spiritual names, occupational names, and names with a double -tt ending, like Everett, Barrett, Bennett, and co. 
 The political activist and co-founder of the Yippies, Abbie Hoffman's birth name was Abbott, while Abbot (one 't') Kinney is known for developing Venice, California--whose main throughfare bears his name.
 
Quietly used in the US, it was given to 30 babies in a recent year.

Abbott

Hebrew boy names have been in continual use for thousands of years, and with good reason: such 

 are all Hebrew boys’ names. In fact, many of the most widely-used boys’ names in English-speaking countries are Hebrew in origin, include recent Number one names Noah and Jacob. 

Along with Noah and Jacob, other 

 include Adam, Asher, Caleb, Elijah, Isaac, Levi, Nathan, and Samuel. 

origins include James, Joseph, and John.



 popular in Israel include Uri — especially among Jewish Israelis — Ariel, Noam, and Eitan.


But some Hebrew boy names are still far off the beaten track. 

Hebrew boy names including meaning and popularity, with Old Testament boy names such as Isaac and Moses and top Hebrew boy names such as Noah and Jacob. (Page 13)

Hebrew Boy Names