873+ Names That Mean God

This soft-yet-sturdy Biblical name belonged to Moses’ father-in-law (also called Jethro) and was the second middle name of J.R.R. Tolkien.

With Isabel getting so popular, parents are searching for new varieties of the name, and Isabeau is one that makes a lovely French twist.

Joah is a simple but obscure Biblical name, the name of four men in the Old Testament. Joah could be the perfect way to honor Grandpa Joe, or might be seen as a streamlined alternative to Josiah. Joah has so much basic appeal, in fact, that it just might be the next Noah.

So much more worldly than Danny.

This name of an influential Old Testament king of Judah is one that would challenge even the most adventurous biblical name-seeker, but it does have the modernizing short forms Zeke or Kiah.

These days, it's thought of less as the name of the great general and more as the first name of Lecter the fictional cannibal. Either association is too heavy for a child to bear.

Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's inevitable that its female form Joelle would gain visibility too, and indeed Joelle was used most widely during Joel's reign in the Top 100, from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.

Tobias-related name that makes an attractive and modern-sounding form of the biblical original. It was recently chosen by Karolina Kurkova for her son.

While Jadon is the authentic biblical name, Jaden is by far the more popular spelling, first noticed when Will and Jada Pinkett Smith used it for their now grown (and famous) son. It has since swept the country for both sexes, with a wide variety of spellings and rhyming cousins.

An attractive and little-known member of the group of romantic, Euro-chic boys' names ending in -ian: think Julian, Fabian, Florian, Adrian.

Variation of Aviela/Abiela, feminine forms of the Biblical Aviel/Abiel "God is my father". The modernized/anglicized double-l spellings are popular now in English-speaking countries.

While Daniel is the usual male form of this usually male Biblical name, it's a Top 100 name for girls in Israel, pronounced as above. In most cultures, Daniel is feminized to Denielle or Daniela when used as a girls' name. There were 11 baby girls named Daniel in the US last year, so its use is not unheard of beyond Israel.

One of the many South Asian names skyrocketing up the U.S. popularity charts. This one, with its user-friendly similarity to Ryan, was brought to the fore when Bollywood superstar Karisma Kapoor used it for her son in 2010.

Bodi is a succinct and friendly looking name, with a number of possible origins. One one hand, it could be a diminutive of the Hungarian Boldizsár, which ultimately derives from the Babylonian Belshazzar or Balthazar, in turn lending it a regal quality.

With Mateo making its first ever appearance in the US Top 10 in 2023, its Scandinavian variant Matheo borrowed some of its spotlight and appeared in the Top 1000 for the first time.

While Elliott and Elliot are well-established for boys, parents are now considering both these boy names for girls, too.

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.

Elyse hasn't been heard much since the 80s, but it's beginning to be reconsidered as a possibIlity again, now that it's not so much seen as a Mom name, as it was in the TV show "Family Ties." A spelling variation of Elise, it's another variation of Elizabeth. Many parents today would opt for Eliza.

Though you may pray to the god of sleep for your baby to slumber through the night, a drowsy image is not the greatest one to inflict on your little boy.

If you feel, as many parents do, that Gabby or Gabi is too harsh a short form for the mellifluous name Gabriella, try Brie, Brielle, or Briella.