Unusual Biblical Baby Names
- Rahab
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"spacious"Description:
Biblical woman from the Old Testament whose unique name is largely unknown in the modern world.
- Huri
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"linen weaver"Description:
Old Testament masculine name that could fit in well with contemporary baby names.
- Mehitabel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God rejoices"Description:
Most famously, the name of a 1920s alley cat.
- Merari
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"bitter"Description:
In the Old Testament, Merari is one of Levi's sons.
- Hodiah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"majesty of God"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament.
- Adna
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pleasure"Description:
This obscure biblical name is only mentioned twice in the Bible — first as a divorced Israelite and then as a priest.
- Tema
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"tree"Description:
A unisex name of Hebrew origin with a nature-inspired meaning. In the Bible, it is given to a male character, one of the 12 sons of Ishmael, however, in Yiddish, it is a variation of the feminine Tamar.
- Abidan
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my father is judge"Description:
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.
- Mahlah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"weak, sick; dance"Description:
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.
- Joram
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"exalted by God"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament, and a nice full form of the sweet nickname Jory.
- Orpah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fawn or gazelle"Description:
Old Testament name of the daughter-in-law of Naomi, now eclipsed by the originally misspelled Oprah. Oprah Winfrey may have made her name more famous than this original Biblical version, but no baby girls received either name in the US last year.
- Avital
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my father is dew"Description:
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.
- Naamah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"sweetness, grace, beauty"Description:
Interesting Old Testament name that embraces many traditional female attributes; also name of a place in the Jordan Valley. In the Bible, a daughter of King Ammon and wife of Solomon.
- Milka
Origin:
Slavic, Finnish, Polish, HebrewMeaning:
"gracious, dear; rival; queen"Description:
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".
- Sherah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"kinswoman"Description:
One of the unique baby names still undiscovered from the Old Testament.
- Kandake
Origin:
Greek variation of CandaceMeaning:
"white, pure, sincere"Description:
Greek variation of Candace used in the Bible.
- Nogah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"brightness"Description:
A masculine name in the Old Testament, but used contemporarily as a feminine name, Nogah was borne by a son of King David. Predominantly given in Israel, the name can also be spelled as Noga.
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