Historic and Vintage Names · Classic Baby Names
Old Testament Names
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Nebuchadnezzar
Hebrew, Babylonian
"Nabu protect my eldest son"
The name of an ancient Babylonian king who captured Jerusalem, and ultimately destroyed the city's temple and deported many of its citizens, as told in the Old Testament. Nebuchadnezzar is certainly…
Nimrod
Hebrew
"we shall rise up, we shall rebel"
As a Biblical name, Nimrod appears in the Old Testament as a great-grandson of Noah, a founder of Babylon, and a famous hunter. In popular culture, its image was altered after the dopey Looney Tunes…
Obadiah
Hebrew
"servant of God"
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…
Obed
Hebrew
"servant of God"
This quirky Old Testament name has potential, as parents are digging deeper into the Bible to find names for their children. It has also been used as a nickname for Obediah. In the Old Testament,…
Elioenai
Hebrew
"my eyes look to Yahweh"
The name of several minor characters in the Old Testament, including a leader of the Tribe of Simeon and a priest involved in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, Elioenai is a rare Biblical…
Amittai
Hebrew
"my truth"
More popularly spelled as Amitai, this is the original transcription of the Old Testament name. Derived from the Hebrew emet meaning "truth", this virtue-adjacent name is borne by the father of Jonah…
Omri
Hebrew
"my sheaf"
Old Testament name of a king of Israel, related to the harvest.
Chephirah
Biblical place name, Hebrew
"village; young lioness"
Also spelled Kephirah, Kfira, Kephira, and Kefirah, Chephirah is an Old Testament, Biblical place name, mentioned in the Book of Joshua. It likely derives from the Hebrew kephir meaning "village" and…
Orpah
Hebrew
"fawn or gazelle"
Old Testament name of the daughter-in-law of Naomi, now eclipsed by the originally misspelled Oprah. Oprah Winfrey may have made her name more famous than this original Biblical version, but no baby…
Othniel
Hebrew
"lion of god, or strength of god"
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…
Phineas
English, Egyptian
"the Nubian, the bronze-colored one"
Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The…
Phinehas
Phinehas is a masculine name of Hebrew origin from the Bible, where Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron and known for his zealous defense of God's covenant. The name may derive from the Egyptian term…
Rimmon
Hebrew
"pomegranate"
A rare Hebrew word name from the Old Testament, where it is used to refer to a man from the tribe of Benjamin and a Syrian deity. With its cute fruit association and fashionable -on ending, Rimmon is…
Sargon
Hebrew
"true king"
Name of a king featured in the Old Testament.
Shem
Hebrew
"name"
This down-to-earth Bible name is surprisingly little-used, considering the popularity of other Old Testament names. Shem was Noah's eldest son, and is the origin of the term Semitic (as in the…
Simeon
Hebrew
"he [God] has heard"
Could Simeon be the next Gideon? Parents seeking a less simple form of Simon might consider this biblical appellation that was chosen by Wynton Marsalis for his son. Simon is actually the Greek…
Tamar
Hebrew
"date palm tree"
Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars,…
Terah
Variation of Terach, Hebrew
"wild goat, silly old fool"
Terah goes some distance to making this forgotten Biblical name more friendly. The Old Testament Terach was the father of Abraham.
Tola
Hebrew or Yoruba
"scarlet red or wealth"
The Biblical Tola was a long-ruling judge of Israel renowned for his wisdom and fairness, definitely a positive association.
Uzziah
Hebrew
"my power is Yahweh"
Uzziah was an Old Testament king of Judah, among other personages. The initial U is a bit funky for modern tastes; we don't see this one enjoying a revival ala Isaiah and Noah anytime soon.