Unusual Biblical Baby Names

As Ezra becomes more popular, so is Esdras being rediscovered. Los Angeles chef Esdras Ochoa was recently named one of the top chefs in the US.

Think of this as the Hebrew equivalent of Benedict or Benito; best for observant Jews.

Obscure name from the New Testament.

Peninah, also found as Penina and Peninnah, was one of the two wives of Elkanah in the Bible. Peninah, who had children, upset her sister wife Hannah, who did not, and in response God blessed Hannah with a baby, Samuel.

We've been hearing a lot more of Silas and even of Cyrus, which means the obscure Tiras may have a shot at resurrection as a same-but-different name. And you can call him Ti. The Old Testament Tiras was a grandson of Noah.

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

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

A Roman forename, and later family name, used for both sexes in ancient times (but more commonly men).

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

Not a traditional biblical choice, but the Philistine giant isn't a bad character as such, just a champion fighter who lost to the underdog. He has given his name to everything from insect species to roller coasters. In a time when we're seeing more biblical names with chequered associations — Leviathan and Cain spring to mind — Goliath may appeal to some.

A son of Noah in the Bible who is also thought to be an ancestor of the Greek people and the guardian angel of Greece. An alternative to Jason or Jayden, perhaps.

Hagar is an Old Testament name with an unfortunate association with comic strip character "Hagar the Horrible."

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.

Abital is popular for boys as well as girls in Israel, but we rarely hear it here. In the Old Testament, Abital was one of King David's wives and the mother of his fifth son.

A place name and feminine given name in the Old Testament. Notable as the place where Rachel was buried, the alternative form, Efrat, is popular in Israel.

Obscure Old Testament name -- he was the son of Naomi and the husband of Ruth -- that's become even more obscure over the past century, perhaps due to its unappealing meaning.

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

An Old Testament name used by the Puritans, less well known than female relatives Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah and as deserving of revival.

A rare Old Testament name that, although short, is resoundingly biblical. It belonged to name the tenth king of Israel, who seized power violently and reigned from about 841 to 814 BCE.

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.