Baby Boy G (baby 3)

Isaac

Hebrew

"laughter"

Isaac has shaved off his biblical beard and leaped into the upper echelon of popular boys' names, outrunning cousin Isaiah. A favorite of the Puritans, Isaac has never dipped below Number 400 on the…

Josiah

Hebrew

"God supports, heals"

Josiah—a biblical name with lots of quaint, old-fashioned charm—makes a much fresher sounding alternative to either Joseph or Joshua, combining the best of both. Josiah is among the several Biblical…

Isaiah

Hebrew

"Salvation of the Lord"

Isaiah, like brethren Isaac and Elijah, is a once neglected biblical name now firmly back in favor, already surpassing such long-popular Old Testament stalwarts as Aaron and Adam. Isaiah has ranked…

Ezekiel

Hebrew

"God strengthens"

Ezekiel used to be reduced to its nickname Zeke, but modern parents now embrace it in full for its power and dignity. Along with biblical brethren Asher and Ezra, Ezekiel is rising steadily up the…

Joshua

Hebrew

"the Lord is my salvation"

Joshua, a Top 10 name from 1983 until 2010, has dropped out of the Top 50 but manages to present a relaxed, attractive image, with a bit of the Old West mixed in with its biblical persona. Joshua was…

Jeremiah

Hebrew

"appointed by God"

Jeremiah is a solid Old Testament prophet name that has gradually taken the place of the now dated Jeremy, Gerard and Gerald, joining other currently popular biblical 'iah' names like Josiah and…

Judah

Hebrew

"praised"

Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be…

Abraham

Hebrew

"father of multitudes"

Abraham is among the most classic baby names that's still widely-used today, popular for its references to both the Bible and American history. The Biblical Abraham was the first of the Old Testament…

Gideon

Hebrew

"hewer; or, having a stump for a hand"

Gideon is a no-longer neglected Old Testament name, but still makes an excellent choice for parents looking to move beyond such overused biblicals as Benjamin and Jacob. In the Old Testament, Gideon…

Solomon

Hebrew

"peace"

Solomon, a name that evokes wisdom and peace, is an Old Testament name that, along with other patriarchal classics, is finally beginning to shed its long white beard and step from the pages of the…

Zechariah

Hebrew

"the Lord has remembered"

Zechariah is actually the original Biblical form of the name more often found these days as Zachariah, probably because of the popularity of Zachary. People are going to have trouble getting…

Jedidiah

Hebrew

"beloved of the Lord"

Jedidiah, an Old Testament name with a touch of Gunsmoke -era western panache, is right in line to be revived along with the other biblical -iah names. Jedidiah was the name given by the prophet…

Boaz

Hebrew

"swiftness"

Now that such Old Testament patriarchs as Elijah and Moses fill the playground, Boaz seems downright baby-friendly, having more pizzazz than many of the others, perhaps as a successor to Noah. A name…

Obadiah

Hebrew

"servant of God"

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…

Mordecai

Hebrew

"follower of Marduk"

Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image. Nevertheless, with parents searching for rarer Biblical names that work as…

Kirk

Norse

"church"

Far more friendly and open than similar one-syllable names like Kent, Kurt, and Karl, it's been associated for more than half a century with actor Kirk Douglas, whose birth name was Issur…

Barnabas

Aramaic

"son of consolation"

Barnabas, whose birth name was Joseph, was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem, who undertook missionary journeys with Paul the Apostle, His name is a bit Old World compared to the…

Zedekiah

Hebrew

"the Lord is just"

The name of an Old Testament king, and yet another ' Z ' choice from the Bible that still retains some zip, especially with the appealing nickname Zed. Zedekiah was the name of the last king of Judea…

Increase

Word name

One Puritan virtue name unlikely to thrive in the 21st century.