873+ Names That Mean God

This bold musical word name is given to just a handful of baby girls per year in the US, but it has a very contemporary sound. Hallie and Lou/Lulu would make for more mainstream nicknames. Lovers of the music and lyrics of Leonard Cohen might also appreciate the link to one of his most successful hits.

An English diminutive of Isabel or Elizabeth that works best with a longer form on the birth certificate.

Elzie was given to 16 baby girls in the US last year, almost certainly as a spelling variation of the increasingly popular sweet nickname Elsie, a diminutive of Elizabeth.

Elkan is derived from Elkanah, the name of Samuel's father in the Old Testament.

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

Whether spelled Raffaela, Rafaela, Raffaella, or Raphaela, a euphonius name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image. Like Gabriella and Isabella, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.

Abijah, which you might think of as Abigail with rhythm, is the name of both female and male personages in the Bible. A biblical Queen Abijah was the daughter, wife, and mother of kings. The name is pronounced with a long i, to rhyme with Elijah.

The name given to Jacob/Yaacov after wrestling with God's angel, most often used without the initial Y.

If default nickname Eli is too common for your tastes, you may consider resuscitating the antique nickname Lige for your little Elijah.

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

Basha bears a family resemblance to other newly popular Slavic names Sasha and Mischa, all of them hearty, warm and welcoming.

Multisyllabic New Testament relic dimly recalled from the Thornton Wilder novel Theophilus North.

A cool spiritual word name à la Psalm.

The name of a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek version of the more familiar Amadea / Amadeus. Philothea could make for a lovely, unusual way to get to stylish Thea. Bottom line: Philothea is one of those unique baby names that deserves to be discovered.

Nitasha sounds exactly like Natasha but has a different origin and meaning. This makes it a good choice for parents looking to bridge Christian and Muslim or European and Arabic or Indian cultures. Down side: Endless and inevitable spelling confusion, but this is far outweighed by the name's cross-cultural grace.

Relatively well-used in Puerto Rico, where it resembles common Basque names like Alaia and Anaia. With the sharp rise of Alaia in the US in recent years as well as the love for "Ad-" names on girls, it makes sense that the still rare Adaia is increasing in use as well. Adaia was given to just under 100 baby girls in 2022.

An unusual Biblical name with modern appeal, borne by the father of Gideon, a king of Judah, and a son of King Ahab of Israel.

Though meaningful in its own culture, would make a challenging crossover.

A rare name even among Basque speakers (fewer than 20 women in Spain are called Elixane), this beautiful name has drawn some attention via Elixane Lechemia, the French pro-tennis player.

Debanhi took the lead in 2022 as the name with the biggest increase in percentage of babies born — a whopping 1,164% increase. The name was given to 177 baby girls, and this rise may be attributed to the tragic murder of Debanhi Escobar in 2022. The name comes from the phrase Dios Eterno Bendiga A Nuestra HIga, meaning "Eternal God bless our daughter".