Unusual Biblical Baby Names

Greek variation of Candace used in the Bible.

A common Arabic name also spelt Jaouad, Javad or Javadd (the middle name of One Direction band member Zayn Malik).

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.

Intriguing alternative to Jedediah.

This obscure biblical name is only mentioned twice in the Bible — first as a divorced Israelite and then as a priest.

One of the wives of King David in the Old Testament.

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.

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.

One of the unique baby names still undiscovered from the Old Testament.

The name of two Old Testament kings that seems as ripe as you can get for modern use, given the popularity of sound-alike Biblical brethren Jadon and Jacob (and even mythological Jason). Note that different sources give wide-ranging meanings for Jabin, but we think "perceptive" is the most authoritative, not to mention appealing.

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

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

This variation of Iscah connects that biblical name to the Shakespearean Jessica, which it's believed to be the root of. Iscah, a niece of Abraham, is mentioned briefly in the Book of Genesis.

In the Bible this was the name of a midwife who helped deliver Moses.

The biblical Zilpah was a handmaiden of Leah who had two sons with Jacob, Gad and Asher. Zilpah is a one-hit wonder, appearing on the US Top 1000 only one year, 1881. No baby girls were named Zilpah in the US last year.

Compelling Z name mentioned in the Old Testament and one of the unique baby names still undiscovered from the Bible.