Modern Christian Baby Names

Mount Sinai is a place sacred to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions, the mountain on which Moses received the Ten Commandments. Sinai is also the name of the peninsula where Mount Sinai is located.

True has become an accepted first and middle name; Truth makes an even stronger statement. And with nearly 150 baby boys named Truth in the US in the most recent year counted, as many as were named Ross, the word name is edging up on the Top 1000.

Page, Poet, and Story all get used as names, so why not Verse? Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry used it as a name for one of her sons.

Chosen is officially a baby name thanks to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who chose (can't resist) the word as the name of his newborn son. While it may inspire bad puns, Chosen is actually a pretty good word name: It's got the two-syllable, n-ending sound that is so fashionable for names, plus a positive, affirming meaning. Chosen is rising on the girls' side too now, given to 74 baby girls in 2022.

With its sharp Z initial and similar sound to Ryan, Zion has shot up the charts in singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son in 1997. Following on in its footsteps, spelling variant Zyon entered the Top 1000 in 2019 and was given to around 270 babies in a recent year.

A modern word and virtue name which first appeared on the US baby name charts in 2013, when it was given to 6 boys. By 2018, that had doubled to 12 (plus 8 girls), no doubt thanks to the enigmatic Credence Barebone from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise. The Creedence spelling, however, remains more popular, while the simpler Creed is in the Top 700.

Writing-related names are starting to become more popular, with names like Poet, Story, and Lyric having been used by many a celebrity. Now it's Verse's turn, as it was recently used by Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry for her son.

A word name with grandeur, musicality, and a hint of spirituality, Requiem could have the nickname Remi. Associated with remembrance, Catholic Mass, and music for the dead, it more literally means "rest". It has never been used as a name, as yet.

Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored that could feel rather heavy for a modern boy. Nevertheless, with options such as Sincere, Chosen, Messiah, and Valor on the rise, perhaps in coming years, it might not seem so hefty after all, though for now, we think it would be best reserved for the middle spot.

One of the new literalist religious names, like Blessing, Heavenly and Neveah. More male than female, but essentially unisex.

Exodus is one of the contemporary Christian names on the rise for both boys and girls. Only five baby girls were named Exodus in the most recent year counted, versus 45 baby boys, perhaps because the -us ending is usually found in ancient masculine names, such as Atticus, Thaddeus, and Cassius. But as a word name with no traditional gender associations, it can go either way.

Blessed and Blessing are two word and virtue names getting more attention, especially among religious parents.

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.

Surprisingly, one of the fastest-rising names for girls.

This newly-minted gender neutral word name has a spiritual and creative feel. It was given to 6 baby girls and 13 boys in 2021.

This name boomed in the 1940s and 50s thanks to the glamorous singer Risë (pronounced REE-sa) Stevens, who inherited her name from her Norwegian grandmother. It's rare nowadays, but when used it's more likely to be the uplifting vocabulary word, rhyming with "eyes". The latter was chosen by Nick Cannon and Brittany Bell for their son, born in September 2022.