Biblical Place Names
- Azazel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"scapegoat"Description:
In the Hebrew bible, Azazel is the name of the place where the scapegoat bearing the Jews' sins during Yom Kippur,was sacrificed. In Christian and Islamic traditions, Azazel is the name of a fallen angel.
- Ephron
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fawn-like"Description:
Ephron was the Old Testament son of Zohar who sold his field and cave to Abraham to use as a family burial ground. Ephron is also a Biblical place-name, a mountain range that formed the northern border of the land of Judah.
- Idalah
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
Idalah is a town in Zebulon that makes a distinctive first name for a modern girl. Where the boys get most of the ancient yet unusual Biblical names, Idalah is one for the girls' side.
- Jetur
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"more, increase; row, column, rank"Description:
A rare Biblical name borne by one of the sons of Ishmael (and the grandson of Abraham and Hagar), Jetur derives from either the Hebrew yoter meaning "more, increase" or from the word toor meaning "column, rank". Another possibility however is that it comes from yatar meaning "abundance" and making it a cognate of Jethro.
- Betsaida
Origin:
Latin American, Spanish, HebrewMeaning:
"house of hunting"Description:
Derived from the name of two places mentioned in the New Testament, Betsaida is the Spanish and Latin American form of Bethsaida, or a variation of Bethesda. As such, its meaning is sometimes contested, with "house of hunting" being most likely, while "house of fishing" and "house of grace" are other possibilities.
- Judea
Origin:
Biblical place name or variation of Judah, HebrewMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Judea — also spelled Judaea — is a mountainous region in the Middle East historically part of Jerusalem, that is significant in religions like Judaism and Christianity. As Jude and Judah dominate in the charts, and fresh Biblical place names like Jericho and Galilee feel stylish as ever, Judea holds a lot of potential.
- Keilah
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
A city of the Shephelah that works as a first but you'll be forever explaining why it's not Kayla.
- Lydda
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
Lydda is the name of a Biblical town whose similarity to Lydia makes it plausible as a first name. But if you're considering Lydda, we can't help but wonder: Why not just stick with Lydia?
- Lystra
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
Anatolian city visited by Paul in the Bible, though risks sounding a tad antiseptic.
- Marah
Origin:
Bibical place-nameDescription:
Marah is where the Israelites camped right after they walked through the parted Red Sea. Marah is related to Mara and has the same "bitter" meaning.
- Ono
Origin:
Japanese surnameDescription:
Closely tied to the widow of John Lennon.
- Samaria
Origin:
Place-name, HebrewMeaning:
"to guard, to keep"Description:
Similar to but distinct from Samara, this pretty name was chosen for his daughter by rapper LL Cool J. It's the name of an ancient Palestinian city, located in present-day Jordan, and is associated with the Biblical story of "The Good Samaritan" who came from Samaria. Derived from shamar meaning "to guard" this name was chosen for 100 girls in 2023 in the US.
- Shamir
Origin:
AramaicMeaning:
"a sharp thorn, flint"Description:
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
Origin:
Hebrew, short variation of BathshebaMeaning:
"daughter of an oath"Description:
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.
- Uz
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
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 either way depending on the personality of your child: super-cool or scuzzy. Proceed with caution.
- Zair
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
In the Bible, Joram and "all his chariots" pass over Zair.
- Zebulun
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
It's a place in the Bible but also relates to the name Zebulon.
- Zelah
Origin:
Biblical place-nameDescription:
A city in Benjamin's territory that makes a perfect first name.
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