Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally appropriate spelling.

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

The name of several minor characters in the Old Testament, including a leader of the Tribe of Simeon and a priest involved in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, Elioenai is a rare Biblical choice.

Place name from the Old Testament.

Variation of Timaeus.

In the Old Testament, Merari is one of Levi's sons.

Used in Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Milka derives from the popular Slavic element milŭ, and is a diminutive form of feminine names containing that element such as Milena, Milanka, and Militsa. Alternatively, in Poland and Finland, it is used as a short form of Emilia, while as a Hebrew name, it might be a variation of Milcah, Malka, or Melech, meaning "royal" or "queen".

Variation of Jael.

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.

A rare Biblical name that appears in the New Testament, borne by the father of two of the Apostles, Alphaeus may appeal to those who want something with Biblical roots but don't want to go for any of the classic or recently popular options. It could also be an interesting way to get to nickname Alfie (or Alphie).

A masculine name from the Old Testament, but would likely be confused for Amy.

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

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

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.

There are four figures named Ammiel in the Bible. The most notable was the father of Bathsheba.

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.

Biblical name from the Old Testament that was given to 25 baby boys in 2022.

A rare Biblical name, Shecaniah appears a number of times throughout the Bible and may be related to the concept of Shekinah, referring to a place of divine presence. In the case of this masculine name, it derives from a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling, settling" and may also be spelled as Shechaniah.

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.

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.