Names That Mean God

Unusual letters like X and Z are often considered <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/1558/badass-boy-names">badass and cool</a>, so by that logic, does having two Xs in one name make it next level awesome? This seems to have been the thinking of the parents to nearly 3000 babies named Jaxx in America since the spelling first came into use in the 90s.
 
Jaxx is twist on the popular Jax and Jaxon, which are themselves sons of the more traditional but on still trend Jack and Jackson, ultimately all leading back to the very classic John. Following in their footsteps, Jaxx made it onto the Top 1000 names for boys in 2017, lingered near the bottom of the charts for the next five years, before dropping off in 2023. Across the pond it fares better still, making the Top 500 in the UK and the Top 100 in The Netherlands. 
 
While the extra X serves no other purpose than perhaps making Jax seem less like a nickname or less popular than it really is, Jaxx remains just outside the US popularity charts.

Jaxx

Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly popular Disney movie Frozen. The name shot all the up to Number 286 (its highest ranking since the 1890s) in the year after the release of the movie, though it's now dropped back down the list in the US.

Elsa has international credibility, ranking in the Top 100 in countries as diverse as Sweden, Spain, and France. If Elsa, is just too Frozen for you, sister name Elsie is also on the rise, especially popular in English-speaking countries.
 Elsa came into English-speaking use in the nineteenth century, boosted by Wagner's operatic bride in Lohengrin&mdash;the first to walk down the aisle to the famous wedding march. For a while Elsa took on a leonine image via the lioness in the popular book and movie Born Free, but that's all but forgotten. Elsa has lots of varied and interesting human namesakes, including designer Schiaparelli, writer Morante, Bride of Frankenstein Lanchester (born Elizabeth). Read more about Elsa and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Elsa

Combine the popularity of Betty White and Mad Men's glamorous Betty Draper Francis, with the residual sweetness of Ugly Betty's Betty Suarez, and the result is an impending return of the name. It's got presidential cred via Betty Ford and feminist history through Betty Friedan.
 
Betty's image is still very World War II, when Betty Grable was a hot pin-up girl and Betty was the all-American girls' name blanketing the country, second only to Mary from 1928 to 1934. 
So yes, Betty has been out for so long now that we are starting to imagine a new generation of adorable baby Bettys. We may be on the precipice of a Betty wave, thanks to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, who recently chose it for their third daughter.
 
Bette Davis pronounced her name 'Betty,' while Bette Midler is 'Bet.'

Betty

A spelling variation of the Hispanic Jovanni, itself a variation of the Giovanni, the Italian form of traditional John. This form may also be used by English speaking parents, hoping to make the pronunciation of Giovanni clear. 
 
Currently in the lower end of the US Top 1000, it was given to around 260 babies in a recent year. By comparison, Giovanni was given to 2910 boys, meaning for every one Jovanni, there are 11 Giovannis.

Jovanni

Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names. 
 Eleazar is also a Twilight name, first appearing in the Stephenie Meyers book Breaking Dawn.
 It's related most closely to Eliezer, which also appears in the Bible many times. The name also belonged to three great Talmudic scholars.

Eleazar

An Arabic form of Zachariah which may also be spelled as Zakariyya. In Islamic tradition, Zakariya was a priest and prophet, in charge of managing the services at the Second Temple in Jerusalem. 
 
Popular in West Asia, Zakariya is a name that travels well, with nicknames including Zak and Ari.

Zakariya

Lazarus is a name that looks as if it could possibly be raised from the dead, just like its biblical bearer. Look for it in the next wave of Old Testament revivals that transcend their long-bearded images, the way Noah, Moses, and Abraham have for this generation.
 In the Bible, there are two people named Lazarus, the better known being the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany whom Jesus raised from the dead. There have been also several saints named Lazarus.
 As a surname, Lazarus is most identified with poet Emma Lazarus, whose words are displayed on the Statue of Liberty.
 Related options are the original Hebrew Eleazar, the Italian and Spanish Lazaro, and the Yiddish form Lazer/Laser, the name of the son in the film The Kids are All Right.

Lazarus

A compound name made up of Aubrey and Brielle, this modern invention blends fresh, stylish sounds, with a nod to more traditional elegance. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2012 and remained there for a decade, and though it has fallen from the top of the charts, it was still given to around 230 girls in a recent year. 
 
The unisex Aubrey has been more popular for girls since the 70s, and Aubrielle makes it more definitively feminine, reminiscent of Gabrielle, Annabelle, or Isabelle. Brielle meanwhile is used as a diminutive of Gabrielle - or as a nod to the towns in New Jersey and the Netherlands, whose name means "hunting grounds". This name could also be seen as a combination of Aubrey and the suffix -elle used to denote it is a feminine name. This could switch the meaning to "elf queen".
 
A notable Aubrielle is the gymnast, model, and social media star, Aubrielle Rich, whose account is run by her mother.

Aubrielle

Through all the years when Betty, Betsy, Beth, Liz, and Lizzie were the Elizabethan nicknames of choice, the bubblier Libby was set aside, but today it may be the most modern of all—it has already made a strong comeback in England and Wales, where it ranks Number 139.
 Libby Holman was a colorful torch singer in the 1920s and '30s, Libby Smith was a mysterious character on Lost, and Carly Simon wrote a song titled "Libby."

Libby

The given name of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, Ermias is a form of Jeremiah used in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It leapt into the charts in 2019 after the rapper's death, but has declined in use since then. 

Ermias

The name of nine minor male biblical characters, this could easily make a gender switch as a singular substitution for the popular Mariah.  It has also spawned the popular gender-neutral name Amaris, used for 300 baby girls and 100 baby boys last year, along with spelling variation Amarys.

Amariah

Sweet and sparky but maybe a little bit stuck in the 90s for some, Bria is a nickname-y style choice with various origins.
 
Unheard of until the 1970s, Bria only started to see substantial use in the 90s, when it rose up alongside its longer forms, Briana, Gabriella, and Sabrina. It fitted right in besides Brittany, Brooke, and Paige, and got a boost after comedian and actor Eddie Murphy used it for his daughter in 1989.
 
Peaking in 1993, Bria has been on the decline ever since. Given to 250 girls in a recent year, Bria has been replaced by the likes of Mia, Billie, Briar and Bridie.
 
Connected to poetry via its ties to the literary Briana, to the Bible through its link to Gabriel and Gabriella, to mythology through Brigid and Sabrina, Bria could holds an unexpected amount of meaning. It could also originate from the Italian word brio meaning "lively" or "confident" or from the Celtic Brigantī, meaning "high, exalted".
 
Namesakes such as basketball player, Bria Hartley, singer Bria Kelly, actress Bria Vinaite, and influencer Bria Myles help keep the name in the public eye - but what does the future hold for this short but punchy name? Only time will tell, especially with longer forms Briana and Brianna falling also down the charts in recent years.

Bria

Benaiah is an unusual Biblical choice that can get you to Ben. 

Benaiah

One of the most enduring French names, this form of John has been borne by philosophers (Rousseau and Sartre), artists (Millet, Arp) and fashion designers (Gaultier) alike. Often used in a double name with the likes of Pierre, Paul, and Luc, it is a classic in its native country,
 
Charming in Paris, in America, a boy might get called Jean, as in blue jeans or auntie Jean. Still, people are capable of learning and with namesakes from the musicals, sport, and literature, it could work internationally. Pairing it with another name, as noted above, would also alert people to the fact it isn't that Jean, but the other.

Jean

A lesser-known archangel, but the name is probably best known today on comedian Gadiel Del Orte. Thanks to him, and the trend for biblical-sounding names, Gadiel has been rising in recent years.

Gadiel

A respelling of Giovanni which makes the Italian pronunciation – three syllables, rather than four – more clear. Jovani and its variant Jovanni were both Top 1000 picks for the first decade and a half of the 20th century. They are particularly popular in the US's Latino community.

Jovani

Jaziel or Jahziel is an old Biblical name -- he was the son of Nephtali and a grandson of Jacob and Leah -- that is reemerging along with many of his obscure brethren. While it's used in the US for both sexes, it's predominant for boys. The South African band The Jaziel Brothers may have pushed it toward prominence.

Jahziel

Juana has not achieved the popularity in the U.S. of the male version Juan.  Whereas Juan has made it almost to the Top 50 on the U. S. hit parade, sister Juana has barely entered the thousand most popular. It is nevertheless a popular choice in Mexico.


Juana

This name has two derivations. One is as a member of the well-populated Alice/Alicia family (with an overly literal spelling), which gives it the meaning "noble"; the other is an Urdu name with the meaning "protected by God." If you're going with the first derivation, we suggest you stick with the classic and beautiful Alicia.
 This spelling of the name peaked in the 1980s.

Alisha

As a female name, Anaia is typically used in its Basque form, where it is derived from the word anai, meaning "brother." In the Bible, Anaiah is the name of two minor male characters.

Anaia

Names that mean God are plentiful, as God and all things related to a supreme power are at the root of the creation of many names.

Isabella, a variation of Elizabeth, is the top girl name meaning God. Along with Isabella, 

girl names in the US Top 1000 meaning God

 include Elizabeth, Danielle, Gabrielle, Samantha, Michaela, and Jane.



Elizabeth and Jane have dozens of popular variations that also mean God, including Elsie, Eliza, Elise, Janet, Jean, and Joan.



Elijah is the most popular boy name that means God. Along with Elijah, other 

 include Daniel, Matthew, Jack, Jeremy, Nathaniel, Caleb, Samuel, Oscar, and Shane.



John and Michael, two of the most widely-used male names of the last several centuries in the Western World, have God in their meanings.



Here is our full roster of names that mean God, ordered by current popularity on Nameberry.

Baby names for girls and boys that mean god or names that have meanings related to God, with meanings, origins, and popularity. (Page 10)

873+ Names That Mean God