Unusual Biblical Baby Names
- Ephron
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fawn-like"Description:
Ephron was the Old Testament son of Zohar who sold his field and cave to Abraham to use as a family burial ground. Ephron is also a Biblical place-name, a mountain range that formed the northern border of the land of Judah.
- Sharar
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"enemy"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament.
- Barak
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lightning"Description:
An Old Testament warrior whose name still sounds tough.
- Hepzibah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my delight is in her"Description:
This is a streamlined spelling of the biblical Hephzibah. Hephzibah is an Old Testament name that came into use in the 17th century, but is not often used today. It does have less formal nicknames Eppie and Hepsie, which seem revivable. Hephzibah "Eppie" Cass/Marner is the heroine of George Eliot's novel Silas Marner and Hepzibah Smith is a witch in the Harry Potter series.
- Obadiah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"servant of God"Description:
For the seriously audacious biblical baby namer who wants to move beyond Elijah and Josiah, this name has considerable old-fangled charm. Obadiah, who gave his name to one of the shortest books in the Bible, was a rich man who had the gift of prophecy. There are several other men named Obadiah in the Bible, as well as a Saint Obadiah.
- Zaccai
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Cool biblical name that could get you to the nicknames Zac or Cai.
- Crispus
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"curly-haired"Description:
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
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pearl, coral"Description:
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.
- Abiel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my father"Description:
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!
- Shifra
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"handsome, good"Description:
In the Bible this was the name of a midwife who helped deliver Moses.
- Jetur
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"more, increase; row, column, rank"Description:
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.
- Bilhah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"bashful"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament.
- Ahab
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"uncle"Description:
Hard to think of this name without "Captain" in front of it.
- Ishvi
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"he resembles me"Description:
In the Old Testament, Ishvi is the name of one of Asher's sons.
- Atarah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"crown"Description:
Appearing on a minor character in the Old Testament, Atarah is the wife of Jerahmeel and a descendant of Judah. Also spelled Atara, it has confidence and succinctness and may appeal to those who like Atlas, Amara and Elara. The name was chosen for 60 girls in the US in a recent year, while Atara was given to almost 50.
- Ithai
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"with me"Description:
Uncommon biblical name from the Old Testament.
- Jeriah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"taught by God"Description:
Biblical name from the Old Testament, Jeriah is one of the remaining rare names that just might catch on. Maybe about the time Jerry is ready for a comeback.
- Agrippa
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"born feet first"Description:
A Roman forename, and later family name, used for both sexes in ancient times (but more commonly men).
- Rosh
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"chief"Description:
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.
- Herod
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"song of the hero"Description:
Greek name featured in the New Testament.
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