User-created list
Biblical or Hebrew.
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Artaxerxes
Barak
Hebrew
"lightning"
An Old Testament warrior whose name still sounds tough.
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…
Bartholomew
Aramaic
"son of the furrow"
Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish…
Bohan
Irish, anglicized form of Old Gaelic Buadhachain
"victorious"
The surname of influential French fashion designer Marc Bohan could make a modern-sounding two-syllable boy's name, though it might be confused with Bowen.
Beor
Canaan
Biblical place name, Hebrew
"The Promised Land; humble, low"
Pronounced KAY-nan, this Old Testament place name has a strong modern feel that blends in with on-trend choices like Carter, Colton, and Kayson, but also with Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Tobias.…
Cephas
Aramaic
"rock"
The apostle Simon was called Cephas by Jesus because he was to be the rock upon which the Christian church was to be built. In most versions of the New Testament, Cephas is translated into Petros in…
Clement
Latin
"mild, merciful"
Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather." Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from St.…
Cornelius
Latin
"horn"
Cornelius, the New Testament name of a third century Pope and saint, is one of those venerable Latin names on the edge of consideration, despite the corny nickname alert. Cornelius has some magical…
Cyprus
Latin from Greek
"cypress tree; copper"
This Mediterranean island name would be a plausible choice for parents with a Greek or Turkish heritage.
Demas
Dothan
Ebenezer
Hebrew
"stone of help"
Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then…
Elihu
Hebrew
"Jehovah is God"
Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.
Ebez
Hiram
Hebrew
"brother of the exalted one"
Hiram is the kind of forgotten biblical name that adventurous parents who wish to move beyond David and Daniel are beginning to reconsider--even though it has bits of its old stiff-collared image…
Jair
Hebrew
"he shines"
In the Old Testament, Jair is a son of Manasseh as well as a judge of the Israelites. Jair is off its 2003 peak but is still hanging on in the Top 1000 and as a simple yet distinctive name with…
Jairus
Greek, Hebrew
"God enlightens"
The Greek form of the Hebrew Jair, Jairus appears in the Bible as the father of a girl resurrected by Jesus. Though it is the original, its Spanish variation Jairo is more popular.
Jarah
Hebrew
"honeycomb or honeysuckle"
This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the…