Names That Mean Lord

Jotham is an Old Testament name that today would certainly be the only one in his class, having something of an urban feel via its similarity to the word 'gotham'. In the Bible one Jotham is the sole surviving son of Gideon after the massacre of his brothers, the other is a king of Judah who was an enthusiastic builder. Jotham Riddle is a character in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Pioneers, while Jotham Powell appears in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

The name of an Old Testament king, and yet another 'Z' choice from the Bible that still retains some zip, especially with the appealing nickname Zed. Zedekiah was the name of the last king of Judea before the city was destroyed by Babylon.

The Finnish equivalent to Zachary.

Kyrie elieson is one of the oldest religious refrains, meaning Lord, have mercy. As a first name, though, Kyrie is less a name of God and more a nickname-name that might be short for Kyra or a diminutive that stands on its own, a la Kylie. The best-known Kyrie is the male basketball player Kyrie Irving, who pronounces the first syllable to rhyme with my rather than fear. He has inspired more than 1000 baby boys to be given this name one recent year in the US, while it was given to 178 baby girls. Impressive numbers.

Blink and you’ll miss that the first I in Jedidiah was swapped for an E.

This contracted form of Asaiah was one of the fastest-rising boy names of 2019, but has yet to reach the popularity levels of its longer counterpart. Concise and less vowel heavy as it is, Asiah is given to 95 boys each year, compared Asaiah, which is given to more than 200.

Laird is a Scottish title for the landed gentry – it ranks just below a Baron – with a pleasantly distinctive Scottish burr that must have appealed to Sharon Stone, who chose it for her son.

This is the second-to-the-original spelling of a name that's part Jersey Shore, part upper-crust British. Dominick gets you more directly to nickname Nick.

Evans is an historic Welsh patronymic surname, derived from Evan, which is a form of John. With Evan's popularity in the U.S. and the U.K. -- it's a Top 50 names -- the stylish s-ending version may also be on the rise.

Names with the del element, such as Adeline, Adelaide, Adele, and Della, are currently en vogue, but old-fashioned Odella didn't get the memo.

One of several more venerable names that get to the nickname Zack if you're tired of Zachary. In the New Testament, Zacharias was the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist.

Zechariah is actually the original Biblical form of the name more often found these days as Zachariah, probably because of the popularity of Zachary. People are going to have trouble getting Zechariah because they won't understand the Zech part. This name, in whatever form, begs to be shortened in the modern world to Zach (or Zac or Zack).

Ysai is a less-known variation of the popular Isaiah.

A cool and straightforward Vietnamese name, which resembles the increasingly popular Hawaiian name Koa.

Kyriaki is the feminine variation of Kyriakos, derived from the Greek word kyrios, meaning "lord." It is also the Greek word for Sunday, meaning it doubles up as a word name.

This zippy short form of Zachary is more and more often standing on its own -- sometimes as Zac, Zach, Zack, or even Zakk -- but this simple-yet-straightforward version may be the very best.

Micah is now in the Top 100, so naturally the spelling variation Mikah is getting some love too. Either spelling would be a fun and fresh way to honor a Mike or Michael.

Atalia or Athalia is a biblical name with a gory history. But it's an attractive name in step with the current fashion for A-starting and -ending names that are both distinctive and deeply rooted.

Adonijah was one of King David's sons in the Old Testament; this name (the accent is on the "ni" syllable) is waiting to be rediscovered.

Jianna was one of the fastest-rising names of 2020 after the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. It continued to rise in 2021.