Names That Mean God

Amiel is a biblical name with lots of connections to  those with a creative spirit, including director Jon Amiel, French pop singer Thierry Amiel, and medieval troubadour Gaubert Amiel. Ami (which means friend in French) is an obvious (and beautiful) nickname option.

Amiel

This Elizabeth nickname has a decidedly retro feel--think Betsy Ross and the Betsy Wetsy doll-- once seen as a perkier, younger-sounding alternative to Betty. But with Betty on the brink of a comeback, pigtailed Betsy could return as well.
 Betsy's height of popularity was from the forties to the sixties, when she was likely to be the radio, film or TV teenaged daughter.
Betsy, spelled Betsey, was a Dickens favorite, appearing in both David Copperfield (in which Aunt Betsey had wanted David to be named after her had he been a girl) and The Pickwick Papers.

Betsy

Evanna is the name of a Harry Potter actress who pronounces it ee-vah-na. This might be considered another international feminine form of the many variations of John; Ivana, Giovanna, and even Joan are cousins of Evanna. It could also be a compound name, combining Eva and Anna.

Evanna

A standard form of John in Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Polish, Slovene, German, and Catalan. Properly pronounced yahn (in most of these languages), most Americans will still equate it with the Brady Bunchesque girls' name Jan, which is now officially extinct. 

About 70 baby boys were named Jan in the US last year, and we'll bet many of those are pronounced the American way, rhyming with can.

Although Joan was the more popular name in the 20th century, it's the nickname Joanie that is coming back in style, in tune with the likes of Bonnie, Margot, and Billie, or Sadie, Elsie, and Libby. A Top 1000 name back in the 1950s and 60s in the US, in England and Wales,, it re-entered the the charts in 2025.
 
Alternative spelling Joni (made popular by the singer) was always more popular, and remains so in England and Wales where its ranked since the 2010s.

Joanie

Othniel is mentioned in the Bible and Tanakh (in the Book of Judges) where he is the first of the biblical judges mentioned. Othniel was related to Caleb, which might make these two names a nice biblically themed sib-set.

Othniel

Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god.  One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.

Surya

With brother name Theodore ranking in the US top 10, this alternative might appeal to parents looking to honor Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish heritage.

Teodoro

Timoteo put some bounce in the step of the somewhat wispy Timothy. And it can be a more original way than Mateo to the cool short form Teo.

Italians emphasize the second syllable -- tee-MO-tay-oh -- while Spanish speakers put the emphasis on the third and say tee-mo-TAY-oh.

Timoteo

Colonial Americans used many Biblical names forgotten by modern baby namers; this is an Old Testament descendant of Shem.  If Moses and Noah can come back, why not Abimael and brethren?

Abimael

An Arabic equivalent to the popular Gabriel, Jibril appears in Islamic tradition as the archangel who acts as an intermediary between God and humans and delivers revelation to prophets. Most notably, Jibril communicated with the Prophet Muhammad and became a constant helper and voice of inspiration to him. 
 
As a name, it is born by musician Wiz Khalifa as a middle, and may also be transliterated as Jabril. Familiar in France, it was also a fast rising choice in the UK in 2023.

Jibril

Lazer has some biblical cred as a form of Eliezer, Eleazar, or Lazarus, all relatives, and it's also a modern bad boy name a la Ranger and Breaker. Our recommendation would be to use one of the biblical forms as the proper name and Lazer as a nickname.

Lazer

An unusual member of the popular -iah ending clan.

Nasiah

Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of Jeannette, a derivative of Joan and another feminization of the name John.
 
Five hundred years ago Janet was a royal favorite in Scotland, where it remains a common name. Here in the US, however, Janet has been on a downhill slide since the 1960s, with Grandma Janet now knitting booties for baby Janae. Or even, increasingly, Jane.
 There have been several Janets recently involved in US government, Janet is a leading member of the Jackson family, and Janet Evanovich is a bestselling author; and in the past there have been first Best Actress Oscar winner Gaynor, Psycho actor Janet Leigh, and the mother of Jackie Kennedy.
 There are several attractive foreign versions that might prove appealing alternate namesakes for Gran Jan—Gianetta, Zaneta, Janneth, Sinead or Janica.

Janet

Though Eoin is a Gaelic form of John, its Anglicized pronunciation links it directly to Owen. Eoin is currently a Top 30 name in Ireland. Other variations: Ewan, Ewen, Evan and Eoghan (pronounced as Owen but also translated as Eugene).

 Eoin Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl books.

Eoin

Mateus

Queen Elizabeth's childhood nickname was Lilibet, the name of Prince Harry and Meghan's newborn daughter, and Lilibeth has the same kind of lilting charm. While many combo names are less attractive than either of their original parts, Lilibeth can make a nice compromise if you're stuck between Lily and Elizabeth or if you want a fresh variation of either.
 
The birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet in 2021 gave Lilibeth a boost as well in the following years: it rose from 13 baby girls in 2020, to 69 in 2022. Parents probably found it a good compromise between using this appealing name, but not looking like they were copying Meghan and Harry.

Lilibeth

Similar in style and appearance to Aaliyah, Azariah, and Anayah, Azaliah may be interpreted as a variation of Azelia (from French Azelie, meaning "noble"); a form of Azalea (an English flower name), and a form of the (masculine) Biblical name Atsalyahu (Latinized as Aslia, meaning "God has set aside"). Nearly 60 girls were given the name in a recent year. 

Azaliah

Elisha (ee-LYE-sha) is an Old Testament male name, sometimes borrowed for girls. Pronouced eh-LEE-sha, it is also used as a spelling variant of Alicia or Elysia.

Elisha

This euphonious and lovely name is an internationally appealing choice, that, like Gabriela and Isabela before it, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream. Also spelled Raffaella (Italian), Raffaela (German), or Raphaela (Hebrew), it was given to around 50 girls in the US in 2023.
 Girls star Jemima Kirke named her daughter Rafaella Isreal--and her son Memphis.

Rafaela

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 18)

873+ Names That Mean God