Cool Biblical Baby Names

Amal is the name of a male figure in the Bible, a member of the tribe of Asher. Not, in this case, Mrs. George Clooney.

Amal

Jotham is an Old Testament name that today would certainly be the only one in his class, having something of an urban feel via its similarity to the word 'gotham'. In the Bible one Jotham is the sole surviving son of Gideon after the massacre of his brothers, the other is a king of Judah who was an enthusiastic builder. Jotham Riddle is a character in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Pioneers, while Jotham Powell appears in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

Jotham

Short and to-the-point, it turns an ancient biblical name into a friendly cowboy. 

This unusual and spunky biblical name was one of the Kings of Israel as well as one of Judah's grandsons and has a wonderful meaning. We'd like to see Zimri being used more, and we think it has potential — "traveling lite" names, or 2 syllable names ending in -i, such as Zuri, Ezri, and Rafi are red-hot right now.

Zimri

In the Bible, Elim is an oasis where the Israelites stopped during their Exodus from Egypt. It is a place of plenty representing the natural blessings of God, with twelve springs of fresh water and seventy date palm trees to provide food and shade.

As a name, Elim didn't appear on the US list until 1997 (for girls) and 2000 (for boys). It's now given to a dozen or so babies per year of each sex, making it a great underused, gender neutral choice which fits in well with current baby name trends.

Elim

Simple Biblical name with an auspicious meaning. There are two men named Gad in the Old Testament — one the first son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the other a prophet of King David.
 
Gad can also be used as a nickname for the name Gadiel.
 
In Navajo, Gad is a male name that means "juniper tree".

This Persian name with an Old Testament pedigree has a warm Sasha-like feel. The Biblical Vashti was a queen who refused her husband's orders to appear naked in front of his party guests and so was deposed in favor of Esther. For her independent spirit, Vashti has become something of a feminist icon.

Vashti

An Old Testament warrior whose name still sounds tough. 

Barak

In Roman mythology, Silvanus was the god of the forests. He protected farmers and fields and was credited with developing a system for marking field boundaries.
 
Silvanus is the name of a disciple in the New Testament, also referred to as Silas.

Silvanus

This unusual Biblical name includes the popular Eli- and the on trend letter Z, which could make it an unexpected alternative to Elijah, Elias, Azariah, or Azriel. Derived from the Hebrew elements el meaning "God" and paz meaning "pure, fine gold", Eliphaz appears in the Bible as one of the sons of Esau and Adah, and as a friend and comforter of Job. Eliphaz is the typical English form of the name, while Elifaz is both the standard Hebrew transliteration and the Spanish and Portuguese form. The French form is Éliphas.

Eliphaz

The newest surname names move beyond the Waspy, and this is an excellent example, associated these days with gossip blogger Perez (born Mario) Hilton.


Perez

Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Hebrew Book of Kings, has long had a bad girl reputation. But in the modern secular world, this is somewhat mitigated by the feminist perspective of her as a strong woman, the power behind the throne. Previously avoided as a baby name, Jezebel is now, along with the also previously avoided Delilah and Desiree, coming into use, helped by its relation to other 'bel' name such as Isabel and Bella.
 
The popular feminist celebrity blog Jezebel upped the name's cool factor. Jezebel is the title of one of Bette Davis's best known early films.

Jezebel

Adlai is an Old Testament name long associated with 1950's liberal presidential candidate Stevenson, who was named after his grandfather, who was Grover Cleveland's vice president in the nineteenth century. Now it's an unusual Biblical choice ripe for rediscovery.
 In the Bible, Adlai was a minor character, the father of one of King David's herdsmen. Adlai is a contracted form of the Hebrew name Adaliah.

Adlai

Abra is soft, sensitive feminine form of Abraham that was the name of a soft, sensitive character in the John Steinbeck book and movie, "East of Eden."  In the bible, Abra was a favorite of King Solomon and it was a popular name in seventeenth century England.
Abra is also a West African name used for girls born on Tuesday. The magical 'abracadabra' is thought to have originated in the Aramaic language.

Abra

This biblical name of the mother of King Jotham of Judah has an appealing soft Russian accent.

Jerusha

Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it is. A sweet-spot name that's a real winner.
 Barnaby is a version of Barnabas, the name of an Apostle companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. Barnaby has NEVER ranked on the US Top 1000, though it is on the charts in the UK and is well-liked by Nameberry visitors.
 The name of the good-natured hero of Dickens's novel Barnaby Rudge, it became more familiar to the modern American public through the TV series Barnaby Jones. Barnaby has been a character in Hello, Dolly!, a doctor played by Cary Grant in the movie Monkey Business, a comic strip character, and has starred in a number of children's books.

Barnaby

An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation. 
That said, contemporary interest in the name Aquila probably stems from its use as the name of Facebook's secretive drone project. If that takes off, and its name doesn't change, Aquila could take a hit, like Siri and Alexa before it.

Aquila

Kids would be more likely to associate this name with the hyperactive meercat in "The Lion King" than with the ancient Greek philosopher or Shakespearean character, which could cause playground problems. 

Timon

Parents seeking a distinctive New Testament name might consider this one. Adopted by some Puritans in the seventeenth century, Persis was used in the William Dean Howells novel The Rise of Silas Lapham for the wife of the protagonist.
 In Romans 16.12 of the New Testament, Persis is a Roman woman who was an early follower of Christ, mentioned by St. Paul in a letter as "beloved" and having "worked hard in the Lord."
 Indian actress Persis Khambatta was Lieutenant Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Persis

A potential hero name: Crispus Attucks, an African and Native American man, was the first colonist to die for independence in the Boston Massacre.

Crispus

Cool and unusual Biblical baby names move beyond those Biblical favorites, like Noah and Abigail, that have been popular for several decades. Such previously off-limits Bible names as Moses and Malachi are now climbing rapidly up the rankings of the US popularity charts, and ever more obscure baby names from the Bible are being revived all the time.

 in the US Top 1000 include Abram, Delilah, Cyrus, Justus, Lilith, Omar, Phoebe, and Titus. Cool Biblical names that are still under-the-radar — for now! — include Boaz, Galilee, Junia, and Zaccai.

 include Ada, Bathsheba, Dinah, Persis, and Salome. The coolest 

 include the popular Felix and Asher along with the more unusual Urban and Zebedee. 

 in the cool category include Jericho and Galilee.

If you're looking for a cool, unique Biblical baby name, you can find a selection of our favorite options for boys and girls in the list below.

Cool bible and biblical baby names, including biblical girl names and biblical boy names such as Boaz, Jericho, Selah, Susannah. (Page 6)