Baby boy 6

Thaddeus

Aramaic, meaning unclear, possibly from Theodore

"gift of God"

Thaddeus, a distinguished, long-neglected name, has several areas of appeal: a solid New Testament legacy, a nice antique feel, and the choice of several more modern nicknames and international…

Reuben

Hebrew

"behold, a son"

Reuben is derived from the Hebrew words ra’a , meaning "to see, to understand," and ben , "son." As a phrase it translates to "behold, a son." In the Bible, Reuben is Jacob's first-born son by Leah…

Ephraim

Hebrew

"fruitful, fertile, productive"

Ephraim is an Old Testament name we would place high on the list of neglected Biblical possibilities, solid but not solemn. In Genesis, Ephraim is the second son of Joseph, and founder of one of the…

Branch

Word name

Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color…

Hosea

Hebrew

"salvation"

Since so many of the biblical prophet names -- Daniel, Jonah, Nathan, Samuel -- are overused, you might want to consider this distinctive alternative. Hosea was the author of the book of prophesies…

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…

Psalm

English word name

"a sacred song or hymn"

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian added this new word name to the lexicon when they chose it for their second son and fourth child in 2019. It is now 7 times more popular than it was then, given to 120…

Ransom

English

"shield's son"

Ransom may be rakish and handsome, but it carries an unavoidable association with holding someone for ransom. But that kind of bad boy image might be exactly what attracts you to Ransom in the first…

Theophilus

Greek

"loved by God; friend of God"

This is a multi-syllabic New Testament relic that could be yet another fresh way to get to Theo. In the beginning of Luke's gospel, he dedicates his words to Theophilus. Theophilus North is the title…