Biblical Place Names

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.

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 intriguing Biblical option, albeit one with an unhappy meaning.

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.

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.

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.

Anatolian city visited by Paul in the Bible, though risks sounding a tad antiseptic.

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?

Zorah, the Old Testament home of Samson, is both soft and substantial.

A city of the Shephelah that works as a first but you'll be forever explaining why it's not Kayla.

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 in the US.

Closely tied to the widow of John Lennon.

It's a place in the Bible but also relates to the name Zebulon.

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 in the US.

Traditional Jewish name and the implement said to have been used by Solomon to cut the huge stones for the building of the Temple.

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.

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.

A city in Benjamin's territory that makes a perfect first name.