Unusual Biblical Baby Names

Not ready to go all the way to Malachi? Then take this Biblical shortcut name, with the second syllable rhyming with eye.

Like Bethany and Shiloh, a meaningful biblical place-name.

Hillel the Great was a famous Talmudic scholar, the spiritual and ethical leader of his generation, and his name is greatly honored by parents in Israel and, to some extent, here.

Judea — also spelled Judaea — is a mountainous region in the Middle East historically part of Jerusalem, that is significant in religions like Judaism and Christianity. As Jude and Judah dominate in the charts, and fresh Biblical place names like Jericho and Galilee feel stylish as ever, Judea holds a lot of potential.

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.

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

Greek name featured in the New Testament.

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.

This quirky Old Testament name has potential, as parents are digging deeper into the Bible to find names for their children. It has also been used as a nickname for Obediah.

Abiel is a biblical name (he was the grandfather of Saul) that was used by Puritans, particularly in Massachusetts, so it has a long pedigree. Parents are increasingly looking for underused traditional names, and this name, with the great nickname option of Abe, is ripe for more use!

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.

Mythological young man who fell in love with his own image: the first narcissist.

This is one Basque name that is very transferable to the American context — and it has a great meaning, too. The feminine version is Eider or Ederne.

Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.

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.

This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the rise of Biblical boys' names that end in vowel sounds like Noah and Ezra, Jarah may have new possibilities for boys. An alternate spelling is Jarrah, which is also a distinct Arabic name. Jared and Jareth are unrelated but similar-sounding Biblical choices for boys.

Name of a king featured 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.

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.

Hard to think of this name without "Captain" in front of it.