Baby Name Meanings
Classic Names That Mean God
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Nilo
Spanish diminutive of Daniel
"God is my judge"
So much more worldly than Danny.
Ilya
Russian variation of Elijah
"the Lord is my God"
A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. >p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov."…
Eleazar
Hebrew
"God helps"
Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names. Eleazar is also a Twilight name,…
Lazer
Yiddish variation of Eliezer or Lazarus
"God helps"
Lazer has some biblical cred as a form of Eliezer, Eleazar, or Lazarus, all relatives, and it's also a modern bad boy name a la Ranger and Breaker. Our recommendation would be to use one of the…
Surya
Hindi
"sun god"
Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.
Eliot
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of Elias
"Yahweh is God"
Sleekened spelling.
Shawn
Spelling variation of Sean
"God is gracious"
Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at…
Shauna
Hebrew
"God is gracious"
More modern options: Shaw, Shay, or even Sean.
Zelma
German, diminutive of Anselma
"God helmet"
Familiar in the US, Brazil, and Latvia in the early 20th century, Zelma has been off the radar for some time. While the Selma-Thelma-Velma connection might date it, with Zelda and Alma sparking…
Rafaela
Spanish and Portuguese version of Hebrew Raphaela
"God has healed"
This euphonious and lovely name is an internationally appealing choice, that, like Gabriela and Isabela before it, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream. Also spelled Raffaella…
Mattea
Italian, from Hebrew
"gift of God"
This pretty, international feminization of Matthew was chosen by Mira Sorvino for her daughter, Mattea Angel. As the Spanish Mateo and the Italian Matteo become more popular for baby boys throughout…
Marcy
Diminutive of Marcia
"Mars, god of war"
Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the…
Joelle
Feminine variation of Joel, Hebrew
"Jehovah is his God"
Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's…
Ganesh
Sanskrit
"god of the multitude"
The name of the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom is rarely heard outside India.
Joanne
French variation of Joanna, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
A Top 100 name from the 1930s all the way through the 1950s, it's now firmly in Mom -- or Grandma -- land and supplanted for babies by Joanna.....or even great-grandmother Josephine. In its heyday,…
Siobhan
Irish Gaelic
"god is gracious"
Siobhan is the Irish variation of Joan, which is derived from the ancient Anglo-Norman name Jehanne. In this way Siobhan is indirectly related to the name Sinead—the Irish form of Jeannette, which…
Hannibal
Punic and Assyrian
"grace of Baal, god of fertility and fortune"
These days, it's thought of less as the name of the great general and more as the first name of Lecter the fictional cannibal. Either association is too heavy for a child to bear.
Hansel
German diminutive of Hans
"God is gracious"
Those "Where's Gretel?" jokes will get old pretty fast.
Johannes
German, Dutch, Scandinavian, and Estonian variation of John
"God is gracious"
An Old World name that might have a chance to rise again with other ancient and worldly forms. Be sure to say yo-HAHN-es.
Hermes
Greek mythology name
"cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker"
These days, some may think of Hermes as an upscale brand name like Chanel and Porsche (spelled as Hermès), or a strange choice thanks to the parcel delivery company. However, with names from Greek…