Unusual Biblical Baby Names

Rarely used biblical choice -- he's a son of Jacob -- with a bit of a white-bearded image.

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

In the Old Testament, Abidan was indeed a judge, head of the tribe of Benjamin and a leader at the time of the Exodus. Dan and Ab could work as nicknames. In 2015, there were only five boys in the US given the name.

A rare alternative to Tobias, with a lesser-known Biblical story.

A Hebrew name that appears in the Bible as one of David warriors, Shama means "to hear" or "to listen", linking it to understanding and obedience too. An unexpected way to the nickname Shay perhaps, Shama coincides with the feminine Hindi and Arabic name, Shama, meaning "candle".

Attractive name from the Old Testament. Adino was one of David's "mighty men," though texts do disagree on his name.

Azubah is one of those unique baby names from the Bible that is both uncommon and usable, especially given that trendy letter Z in the middle. Azubah's sad meaning may be a strike against it. There were two figures named Azubah in the Bible, one the wife of Caleb and the other the mother of Jehoshaphat (as in Jumping).

Variation of Jael.

Old Testament name of the daughter-in-law of Naomi, now eclipsed by the originally misspelled Oprah.

Avital is a feminine Hebrew name that appears in the Bible as the name of one of King David's wives. The name symbolizes freshness, renewal, and natural beauty.

What the Old Testament Rachel originally named Benjamin, before his father changed it; rarely heard today.

An Old Testament name, Bithiah is a bit like Tabitha, Keziah, and Beulah in sound, but heard far less often. In the Bible, Bithiah is the name of one of Pharaoh's daughters, often depicted as the one to take Moses out of the Nile. Used occasionally in the US, it was given to 14 girls in 2023 — the highest number on record.

The Portuguese form of the rising Biblical name Enoch was popular in Brazil from the 1930s up until the 80s. Reminiscent of Enrique, it could perhaps see more use again in the future.

Abijah is a truly unusual, truly unisex, truly appealing biblical name. There were several male Abijahs in the Bible, one of them, known as Abijah of Judah, was the fourth king of the House of David, and also a couple of females.

Derivative of Shalom and one of the unique baby names featured in the Old Testament.

In the Bible, Gershon is one of Levi’s sons. The name is a variation of Gershom, another Old Testament name that is now primarily used in Orthodox Jewish communities.

Deriving from the Greek word phos meaning "light", Photine is a rare choice with a Biblical link. The name of the Samaritan woman in "Jesus and the Woman at the Well" (John 4), Photine is associated with Jesus's mercy and love, and with spreading the word of God.

Sounds like a name from an old science fiction movie -- but this god of letters invented writing, and so might interest parents who are writers or professors.

Intriguing alternative to Jedediah.

Variation of Timaeus.