Names That Mean Jehovah

Like many spelling variations of popular names, Jonathon's star rose and is now falling along with that of the original Jonathan. Jonathon occupied the very last spot on the boys' US Top 1000 in 2016, at Number 1000. Parents in search of an Old Testament boys’ name today tend to look for more original choices, from Ezra to Abraham to Moses.

Sleekened spelling.

Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms, like Jedidiah and Zebediah.

Jose is as widespread in the Hispanic community as Joseph and Joe are elsewhere in the U.S., though its numbers here are starting to decrease somewhat. Jose is one of those Spanish baby names that has never crossed over into the Anglo naming culture.

The "Tz" beginning of Tzofia represents the Hebrew letter tzadi, which is pronounced more like ts. So Tzofia sounds like Sofia with a light t at the beginning — intriguing, but a difficult sound for a native English speaker to reproduce. While Tzofia is a distinct name from the megapopular Sophia and Sofia, many people will hear it as a cognate and pronounce it the same...or like Zofia.

Fifi is a perfect name -- for a French poodle. But Fifi may seem more child-friendly as names like Coco and Lulu rise. Fifi in its fluffiness also balances the seriousness of such full names as Josephine or Federica.

Despite its biblical pedigree and popularity in Israel, it has far too many ties to the lethal submachine gun to find many fans here.

An alternative to the formerly male Ariel, which is now in the grasp of "The Little Mermaid."

Yusuf is the Arabic form of Joseph, used in the Middle East, as well as internationally from France and the US, to the UK, Turkey and Azerbaijan - where, as of 2023, it ranked in the Top 100.

Neriah is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah as the father of Baruch and Seraiah ben Neriah. According to the Talmud, Neriah and his sons are all prophets. The name is traditionally associated with Hanukkah, the festival of lights.

Josie and Josey read as feminine names, but a handful of boys are given this form as a first name each year. Josey is also heard as a pet name for Joseph.

As a male name, Joni is a nickname for Jon or Jonathan, akin to Johnny or Jonny. It's more commonly used as a girl name, where it originated as a nickname for Joan.

Gioele is among the Top 50 names for boys in Italy, though the Italian version would cause pronunciation and spelling problems for English speakers. In the US, UK, or Australia, stick with the sleek and simple Joel.

Seosaimhín is the Gaelic form of Josephine, most notably borne by traditional Irish singer Seosaimhín Ní Bheaglaoich.

A fresh take on Jessica, Jessel is currently borne in the public eye by Jessel Taank, a Real Housewife of New York City.

The Hebrew version of Joel has a pleasant, almost jolly sound.

Giusy is to Giuseppina as Josie is to Josephine. Giusy rhymes with "woozy," not "juicy."

The German, Scandinavian and Czech variant of Joseph, borne by several notable European artists and athletes, as well as the brutal Soviet dictator Josef (or Iosif) Stalin.

Cute nickname with multicultural appeal — in addition to Yoav, Yovi could be short for names such as Yovan and Yovani.

Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.