Hebrew Names for Boys

Jacoby, a surname spin on Jacob shot up the charts in the middle of the 2000's, thanks largely to the popularity of Jacoby Ellsbury, the first Native American of Navajo descent in the Major Leagues, but has been dropping steadily since it peaked at Number 423 in 2008. As of 2022, it dropped out of the US Top 1000 and is given to around 170 boys each year.

Jacoby

The -ie version is usually for girls, with the simple e ending—pronounced the same as Jessie—for boys, though the spellings sometimes cross gender lines.

Jessie

Because of its meaning, a symbolic name given to boys born on TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, or Arbor Day. 

Ilan

Fierce meaning, gentle image. This name is very common in Israel, where an endearing pet form is Dubi.

A minor prophet who has his own Book, Zephaniah is another Old Testament gem waiting to be rediscovered now that Noah and Abraham are becoming too trendy. 
 
The vowel-sound ending of Zephaniah is currently bang on trend, along with other Biblical boys' names with softer sounds – think Elijah, Asher and Isaiah. Zephaniah would make a perfect lesser-used alternative to Zachariah.

 A famous namesake is the British writer and dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

Zephaniah

Akiva has a distinguished scholarly pedigree and a lovely meaning. Its softer sound is very on trend for masculine names at the moment and is in line with more familiar monikers like Ezra, Elijah and Theo.

Akiva

Ishmael is most familiar through "Call me Ishmael," the opening line spoken by the youthful narrator of Moby-Dick. Few American parents have followed that advice, though the Spanish and Arabic spelling, Ismael, ranks at Number 362. With its warm and pleasant sound, though, we could see Ishmael tagging along behind Isaiah and Isaac.
 In the Bible, Ishmael was Abraham's first son by the Egyptian maidservant Hagar, who was told by God to name him Ishmael. In Islamic tradition, Ishmael (or Ismail) is believed to have been the ancestor of the Arabs.
 Ishmael Bush is one of the main characters in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Prairie, and there is an Ismael in the Lemony Snicket book, The End. Some notable real-life bearers are novelist and poet Ishmael Reed and Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant.

Ishmael

Like many spelling variations of <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a>, Jonathon's star rose and is now falling along with that of the original Jonathan. Jonathon occupied the very last spot on the boys' US Top 1000 in 2016, at Number 1000. Parents in search of an Old Testament <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a> today tend to look for more original choices, from Ezra to Abraham to Moses.

Jonathon

An Israeli place-name as well as being the Hebrew form of Gabriel. 

Gavriel

Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered the list in 2014; Emmett, on the other hand, has never been off the charts.

Emmet

An energetic and compact Spanish name, likely derived from Esaias or Esau, it is best associated with actor Esai Morales of American Family and Bad Boys fame. Pronounced as EH-sye in Spanish, it may also be said as ee-SYE in English.
 
A short form of Esaius, inspired by Esau perhaps, Esai may be viewed as a variation of popular Biblical name Isaiah, meaning "salvation of the Lord". If you look to Esau as another source, however, it could mean "hairy", in reference to the tough and hardened appearance of the Biblical Esau. 
 
Coinciding with the Indonesian word for "essay" (from the French essai), Esai is a rare but rising choice in the US, given to 117 boys in a recent year — double the number it was used to a decade earlier. It could make a cool, less popular alternative to on-trend options like Ezra, Levi, Eli, and Silas.

Esai

Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The Egyptians distinguished themselves from their Nubian neighbors through differences in skin tone.
 
A quirky route to nickname Finn that also feels totally traditional, Phineas had been out of style for over a century before it was revisited in the 2000s, last heard from via circus impresario, Phineas T. Barnum. It was drawn back into the limelight, first by actress Julia Roberts who chose the even-more-antique spelling Phinnaeus for her son in 2004 and then by the Disney Channel animated show Phineas and Ferb in 2007.
 
While the cartoon link may put some people off, the name did see a surge in usage after it aired: given to just 40 boys in the years prior, by 2010, it was being given to 140. Chosen for 114 boys in the latest count, it was given extra star-cred when Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake selected it for their son in 2020.
 
Anthony Trollope combined name and nickname for the young, handsome and charming Irish lawyer hero of his eponymous novel, Phineas Finn, while Phineas is also the name of three biblical personages and was popular among the seventeenth century Puritans. Jazz pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. is a contemporary namesake, while musician Finneas Baird O'Connell is another notable bearer, albeit with an alternative spelling.

Phineas

For the seriously audacious biblical baby namer who wants to move beyond Elijah and Josiah, this name has considerable old-fangled charm. Obadiah, who gave his name to one of the shortest books in the Bible, was a rich man who had the gift of prophecy. There are several other men named Obadiah in the Bible, as well as a Saint Obadiah. 
 More recently, star basketball player Obi Toppin's formal name is Obadiah, after his father. There have been two prominent U.S. senators named Obadiah.
 In literature, there is an Obadiah in Laurence Sterne's novel Tristan Shandy, one in Tobias Smollett's The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, and another in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers--as well as a villain in the Iron Man series.

Obadiah

Hiram is the kind of forgotten biblical name that adventurous parents who wish to move beyond David and Daniel are beginning to reconsider--even though it has bits of its old stiff-collared image clinging to it, along with a little hillbilly feel as well. 

The name belonged to an Old Testament king of Tyre who helped David and Solomon plan and build the temple in Jerusalem, and was a favorite in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, though a couple of well-known bearers dropped it--Ulysses S. Grant was orignially Hiram Ulysses Grant, but he didn't like having the initials H.U.G., and country singer Hank Williams was also born Hiram.

With its definite funk factor, and its friendly nickname Hi, Hiram would make a distinctive choice.

Hiram

The Hebrew version of Joel has a pleasant, almost jolly sound. 

Yoel

Abiel is a biblical name (he was the grandfather of Saul) that was used by Puritans, particularly in Massachusetts, so it has a long pedigree. Parents are increasingly looking for underused traditional names, and this name, with the great nickname option of Abe, is ripe for more use!

Abiel

Old-fashioned but right on trend with the likes of Miller, Baker, Sawyer, and Major, Meyer has been borne by gangsters, businessman, sculptors, composers, and writers alike. 
 
A versatile choice in terms of meaning and origin, it has its roots in German, from which it means "tenant, farmer, bailiff" and "leader of the household" and in Dutch, from which it means "great" via Latin. It's also a variation of the Hebrew Meir, meaning "shining" or "enlightening", and was often adopted from the 1700s, in order to assimilate with German culture.
 
Familiar as a given name in the late 19th- to early 20th-century, Meyer dropped out of the US Top 1000 in the 1930s. Recent years have seen renewed interest in the choice, with around 100 boys given the name in the latest counts.
 
Typically pronounced as MIE-uhr in English, it would be said as as MIE-uh in German and Hebrew, and as MAY-uhr in Dutch.

Meyer

Familiar as the most common form of greeting in Hebrew, but also associated with top female model Shalom Harlow. 

Shalom

A celebratory choice with a bright sound, Simcha is also used as a word to describe Jewish festivities and joyful occasions such as a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah. 

Simcha

Six Feet Under transformed Nate's image from crusty uncle to cool guy. Nate is one of a new generation of nicknames that go directly on the birth certificate. Other similar names: Sam, Jack, Mack. But Nate is arguably fresher and cooler than many nickname-names.

Nate

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 9)

Hebrew Boy Names