Nature, Place and Word Names · Unisex Baby Names
Biblical Place Names
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About this list
Biblical place names relate not to the people in the Bible but the physical places. As place names become more mainstream, parents are searching for ones with meaning and history, such as those in the Bible.
The Bible has many name-worthy settings, from Ariel to Zion. Along with Ariel and Zion, other Biblical Place Names in the US Top 1000 include Bethany, Canaan, Eden, Jericho, Jordan, Judah, and Shiloh.
More unique place names from the Bible that may be worth considering include Abilene, Lydda, Bethel, and Zebulun. Can these ancient place names work as contemporary baby names? We say yes.
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The names
Eden
Hebrew
"place of pleasure, delight"
Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the 17th century. Eden entered the Top 1000 in 1989, and…
Jordan
English from Hebrew
"flowing down"
Jordan became one of the top unisex baby names in the heyday of basketball's Michael Jordan, and is still among the most popular unisex names starting with J . The name was originally given to those…
Zion
Hebrew
"highest point"
Zion has taken off in recent years, particularly after singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son back in 1997 and incorporated the name into a hit song. It combines a user-friendly Ryan-Brian sound with…
Judah
Hebrew
"praised"
Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be…
Shiloh
Hebrew
"tranquil"
Haunting biblical and Civil War place-name; now unisex—especially after the mega-high-profile Brangelina couple picked it for their daughter. It debuted in the Top 1000 for boys in 2015. Many people…
Ariel
Hebrew
"lion of God"
Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in…
Galilea
Feminine variation of Galileo, after "Galilee"
"Galilee"
Like the masculine form Galileo, Galilea is a variant of Galilee, a region in Northern Israel of great Biblical significance. Given the current popularity of soft Italian girls’ names , this name’s…
Bethany
Biblical place name and Hebrew
"house of figs"
Bethany is a lyrical name that still strikes many parents as a fresher, more substantial substitute for the overused Brittany/Brittney or the more antiquated Beth. In the New Testament, Bethany is…
Jericho
Biblical place-name
A biblical place name with trumpeting verve and strength. Though rarely heard as a first name, Jericho has appeared in the titles of films, TV series, songs, bands, comics, and video games (Clive…
Shamir
Aramaic
"a sharp thorn, flint"
Traditional Jewish name and the implement said to have been used by Solomon to cut the huge stones for the building of the Temple.
Sheba
Hebrew, short variation of Bathsheba
"daughter of an oath"
This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal , played on screen by Cate Blanchett. Sheba is…
Uz
Biblical place-name
A minimalist choice, Uz is the Biblical home of Job. It's also the name of a character in the Bible, the father of Aram and the grandson of Shem, as is Uzziah. Uz is one of those names that could go…
Zair
Biblical place-name
In the Bible, Joram and "all his chariots" pass over Zair.
Zebulun
Biblical place-name
It's a place in the Bible but also relates to the name Zebulon.
Zelah
Biblical place-name
A city in Benjamin's territory that makes a perfect first name.
Zorah
Biblical place-name
Zorah, the Old Testament home of Samson, is both soft and substantial, and also has musical heritage, having appeared on a character in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Ruddigore (1887). Similar in…
Meribah
Biblical place name, Hebrew
"quarreling"
Though this Biblical place name is found among early American settlers, usually as a male name, today it sounds completely feminine. As a place name, its gender is mutable in any case. An unusual and…
Abilene
English from Hebrew
"grass"
Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D.…
Jerusalem
Place name
"city of the ancient god Shalem"
Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year…
Jerusalem
Place name
"city of the ancient god Shalem"
Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year…