Modern Christian Baby Names

  1. Heaven
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Among the children named Heaven are the daughters of TV personality Brooke Burke and rap singer Lil' Mo, who also has a daughter named God'iss Love. Some parents have taken to using Nevaeh instead—Heaven spelled backwards.
  2. Kross
    • Origin:

      English word name, German surname
    • Meaning:

      "crucifix; by the crossroads; maker of mugs, jugs and pitchers"
    • Description:

      Kross is one of the new generation of Christian word names with a twist, and joins the ranks of Chozen, Kruz, Zyon, Kannon, and Tru as options for boys. Given to around 20 babies in 2018, by 2019, it was received by more than 100. Now, it is given to nearly 200 babies each year and is more popular than the traditional Cross spelling.
  3. Cedar
    • Origin:

      English from Latin tree name
    • Meaning:

      "cedar tree"
    • Description:

      A fresh and fragrant nature name, Cedar is one of the new tree/wood names that parents are starting to consider. While it is currently more popular for boys, it sounds similar enough to Selah, Celia, Freda, Sailor, and Ida, it doesn't feel out of place for any gender.
  4. Jireh
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "to see; the Lord will provide"
    • Description:

      Jireh is a spiritual name that has been rising significantly for both sexes in recent years, although still remains quite rare. Jehovah-Jireh was the location of the binding of Isaac, where Jehovah told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.
  5. Nazareth
    • Origin:

      Hebrew place name
    • Meaning:

      "branch, shoot; watch, guard"
    • Description:

      Nazareth, an important place in the New Testament as the hometown of Jesus, is on the rise as a name for both girls and boys. It's one of a handful of Biblical place names, along with Galilee and Jericho, stylish among contemporary Christians.
  6. Miracle
    • Origin:

      Word name, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "wonder, marvel"
    • Description:

      A surprisingly popular spiritual name that entered the US Top 500 in 2003. As of 2023, it is still a Top 500 choice, where it fits in with similar bold word names like Chosen, Blessing, and Dream. Miracle is a familiar name in Nigeria too, where it is used as a unisex option.
  7. Divine
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Divine seems more proper a name with the rise of Heaven and its turned-around twin Nevaeh. Though superlative names like Divine -- Unique, say, or Precious -- sometimes seems as if they're trying to hard and protesting too much.
  8. Omega
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "last"
    • Description:

      Omega is an unusual name used now equally for boys and girls, though the a ending is conventionally feminine. More popular boys' names, like Omega, end in the a sound these days: Joshua, Noah, Micah.
  9. Heavenly
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Heavenly, the word that's become a name, has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a handful of years now. Heaven and cousins like Nevaeh have been well-used so adding the popular -ly suffix, ala Everly, seems like a natural progression.
  10. Jerusalem
    • Origin:

      Place name
    • Meaning:

      "city of the ancient god Shalem"
    • Description:

      Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.
  11. Soul
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "soul, spirit"
    • Description:

      A charming addition to the ever-growing crop of virtue names, Soul is a warm yet mystical choice with links to spirituality, feelings, and music. While it is a bold word name, its similarity to Sol and Sal grounds it slightly.
  12. Chapel
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "small Christian church"
    • Description:

      Spiritual word names are a hot trend and ever-expanding category of baby names. Chapel was notably used in 2020 by Josh Brolin for his daughter. He said of her name, "Chapel Grace is, to us, a manifestation of that celestial feeling that was always felt as we meandered and knelt."
  13. Seven
    • Origin:

      Numerical word name
    • Description:

      Seinfeld's George threatened to name his future child Seven, and then singer Erykah Badu actually did it.
  14. Cross
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "cross"
    • Description:

      Evocative word name that's refreshingly straightforward. Overtones of Christianity and penalty. More subtle option: Cruz.
  15. Rise
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "ascend, move upwards"
    • Description:

      Rise joins the latest class of modern Christian names for its uplifting spiritual associations, which could make it especially appropriate for for an Easter baby. Along with these spiritual links to resurrection, it may be viewed more secularly, relating to rising to a challenge, rising in rank, or rising above negative behavior, in turn making it an ambition choice.
  16. Alpha
    • Origin:

      Greek, first letter of the alphabet
    • Description:

      The first letter of the Greek alphabet ande the brightest star in every constellation, this would make an interesting choice for a first daughter, though it does give off some spectral sci-fi reverberations--and references to the term "alpha male.".
  17. Emanuel
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Emmanuel, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God is with us"
    • Description:

      Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.
  18. Testimony
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter"
    • Description:

      Rare word name, and an unexpected way to get to Tess.
  19. Favor
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "kindness, benefit; approval, support"
    • Description:

      A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially with the Favour spelling. It might be used as a nickname for the longer, perhaps even bolder form, Godfavor (as in, "favored by God").
  20. Providence
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "divine protection or care"
    • Description:

      A Puritanical virtue name and also a place name, belonging to the state capital of Rhode Island and several other towns and cities in the US.

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