Unusual Biblical Baby Names

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.

Rosh is not Ross, not Rush, but an improvement on both of those more familiar names. The Biblical Rosh was a son of Benjamin, so you might consider it to honor a father or otherwise ancestral Benjamin. Very much associated with the Jewish New Year holiday, Rosh Hashanah.

One of the wives of King David in 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.

Obscure name from the New Testament.

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.

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 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.

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 19 girls in a recent year — the highest number on record.

Greek variation of Candace used in the Bible.

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

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

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

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

In the Bible, Mahlah was one of five daughters of Zelophehad. The others were Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Noa is popular, Tirzah is sometimes used, and Mahlah has a much better chance of modern revival than Hoglah.

A masculine name in the Old Testament, but used contemporarily as a feminine name.