Biblical Baby Names: Old & New Testament Names and What They Mean

Updated October 2026 · Modern Baby Names

Biblical names have been given to children for more than two thousand years, and they are as fashionable now as they have ever been. Noah, Elijah, Levi, Hannah and Naomi sit comfortably on modern playgrounds, yet each carries a meaning rooted in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. This guide walks through the Old Testament names and their Hebrew roots, the New Testament names that came through Greek and Aramaic, the saints' names that grew out of both, and the biblical names parents are choosing today.

Why biblical names last

A biblical name does several jobs at once. It ties a child to a story everyone in the family can read, it usually carries an explicit meaning about God, and it travels well across languages. John became Juan in Spain, Giovanni in Italy, Jean in France, Johan in Germany and Scandinavia, Ivan in the Slavic world, Sean and Seamus (from James) in Ireland, and Ian in Scotland.

Most biblical names fall into three groups. Old Testament names are Hebrew, sometimes with older Egyptian, Persian or Canaanite layers. New Testament names are a mix: Hebrew names in Greek form, Aramaic names from the everyday language of first-century Judea and Galilee, and Greek or Latin names borne by early believers across the Roman world. The third group, saints' names, includes names that are not in the Bible at all but became Christian through the people who bore them. For a wider list, see our Christian baby names, Hebrew baby names and Jewish baby names pages.

Old Testament names and their Hebrew roots

Hebrew names are usually short sentences or phrases. Nathan means "he gave"; Isaac means "he will laugh"; Joseph means "he will add"; Reuben means "behold, a son". Many record the circumstances of a birth. The Bible often explains a name at the moment it is given: in Genesis 21 Sarah says God has made her laugh after the birth of Isaac, and in Exodus 2:10 Pharaoh's daughter names the baby Moses because she drew him out of the water. In 1 Samuel 1:20 Hannah names Samuel after asking him of the Lord.

Some names change mid-story, and those changes are part of their meaning. In Genesis 17:5 Abram, "exalted father", becomes Abraham, "father of many nations". In Genesis 32:28 Jacob, "holder of the heel", is renamed Israel, "one who struggles with God". In Genesis 35:18 the dying Rachel calls her son Ben-oni, and his father renames him Benjamin, "son of the right hand".

Other Hebrew names come straight from nature. Jonah means dove, Tamar date palm, Rachel ewe, Deborah bee, Susannah lily, Hadassah myrtle, Yael mountain goat, and Tabitha (Aramaic) gazelle. Adam is linked with the earth, Abel with breath or vapour, and Eve with life itself.

The -el and -iah endings: names that mean God

The single most useful thing to know about Hebrew names is that two short pieces mean God. El is the general Hebrew word for God, and it can sit at the start or end of a name. Yah (often written -iah or -jah in English, and Jo- or Jeho- at the start) is a short form of the divine name YHWH. Once you spot them, a huge number of names decode themselves:

• -el at the end: Daniel (God is my judge), Gabriel (God is my strength), Michael (who is like God?), Raphael (God has healed), Ezekiel (God strengthens), Nathaniel (gift of God), Uriel (God is my light), Azriel (God is my help), Ariel (lion of God), Ismael (God hears) and Joel, which combines both pieces as "Yahweh is God".
• El- at the start: Elijah and its Greek form Elias (my God is Yahweh), Elisha (God is salvation), Eliezer (my God is help), Eliana (my God has answered), and Elizabeth (my God is an oath), which in Hebrew is Elisheva.
• -iah at the end: Isaiah (God is salvation), Jeremiah (God will exalt), Josiah (God supports, God heals), Zechariah (the Lord has remembered), Nehemiah (comforted by God), Uriah (God is my light) and Benaiah (God has built).
• Jo- at the start: John and Joanna (God is gracious), Jonathan (God has given), Joshua (God is salvation) and Joaquin (raised up by God).

Notice that the same idea can appear with either piece. Uriel and Uriah both mean "God is my light"; Elisha and Isaiah both mean "God is salvation". Michael and the girls' name Michal share the question "Who is like God?"

A word of caution: not every name ending in -el or -ah carries God. Rachel means ewe, Leah is usually explained as weary, Noah means rest, and Hannah means grace. The -ah ending is often simply a feminine or Hebrew word ending.

Old Testament boys' names

Beyond the God-bearing names, the Old Testament offers patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets. Caleb (faithful, whole-hearted) was one of the two spies who trusted that the land could be entered. Gideon means hewer, Boaz is explained as "in him is strength", and Ezra simply means help. Asher (happy, blessed), Levi (joined, attached) and Judah (praised) are three of the twelve sons of Jacob, along with Reuben, Benjamin, Joseph and Gad. David means beloved, and Solomon means peaceful, from the same root as shalom. Malachi, the name of the last book of the Old Testament in Christian Bibles, means "my messenger".

Some older names are quietly coming back: Enoch (dedicated), Seth (appointed), Amos (carried by God), Abner (my father is light), Jesse (gift), Ephraim (doubly fruitful) and Ebenezer (stone of help).

Old Testament girls' names

The women of the Hebrew Bible give some of the most beloved girls' names. Sarah means princess, and her pet forms Sadie and Sally carry the same meaning. Rebecca is usually explained as "to bind, join", and the Hebrew form is Rivka. Ruth is debated but often read as friend or companion; Naomi means pleasantness. In Ruth 1:20 Naomi, in her grief, asks to be called Mara, "bitter", one of the clearest examples in scripture of a name being understood by its meaning.

Esther is a Persian name, usually linked with "star", and Esther 2:7 tells us her Hebrew name was Hadassah, myrtle. Abigail means "my father is joy" and gives the nickname Abby. Miriam, the sister of Moses, has an uncertain meaning; it is the root of Mary and Maria. Deborah, Judith, Dinah, Leah, Tamar, Jemima (dove), Zipporah (bird) and Shifra (beautiful) round out a list that ranges from the very familiar to the rare.

New Testament names: Greek and Aramaic

By the time of the New Testament, Jews in Galilee and Judea spoke Aramaic day to day, while the gospels and letters were written in Greek. Names from this period therefore come in three kinds.

Hebrew names in Greek form. Jesus is the Greek form of Yeshua, the same name as Joshua; Matthew 1:21 gives the reason for the name: "for he shall save his people from their sins." Jesus remains a common given name in Spanish-speaking countries. John comes from Yochanan; in Luke 1:63 Zechariah writes "His name is John" when relatives expect the baby to be named after his father. Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Simon, Matthew, James (from Jacob) and Jude (from Judah) all belong here. Emmanuel is explained in Matthew 1:23 as "God with us".

Aramaic names. Thomas means twin, and John 11:16 adds that he was called Didymus, the Greek word for twin. Martha means "lady, mistress of the house". Tabitha means gazelle, and Acts 9:36 gives her Greek name as Dorcas, which means the same thing. Barnabas is glossed in Acts 4:36 as "son of encouragement" (older translations say "son of consolation"). Bartholomew means "son of Talmai", and Thaddeus is debated, with "heart" one common suggestion.

Greek and Latin names. Many apostles and early believers had names from the wider Roman world. Andrew means manly, Philip lover of horses, Stephen crown, and Timothy honouring God. Peter means rock; in Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, "thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." Paul is Latin for small or humble; Acts 13:9 introduces him as "Saul, who also is called Paul", so Saul and Paul are the same man. Luke and Lucas mean "man from Lucania"; Mark and Marcus are Latin, probably linked to Mars. Silas is Paul's companion, and Jason (healer) appears in Acts as well.

New Testament women's names are mostly Greek, and several are now very fashionable. Phoebe (bright, radiant) is commended by Paul in Romans 16:1. Lydia, "woman from Lydia", is the seller of purple cloth in Acts 16:14. Chloe (young green shoot) is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:11. In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul praises the faith of Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Priscilla (Latin, ancient), Rhoda (rose) and Salomé (peace) also appear, as does Joanna, one of the women who supported Jesus.

Saints' names

For much of Christian history, especially in Catholic and Orthodox families, children were named after a saint, often the saint whose feast fell near the birthday. That habit turned many non-biblical names into Christian classics. Catholic children traditionally choose an additional saint's name at confirmation, and in countries such as Poland and Greece a person's name day, the feast of their namesake saint, can be celebrated as warmly as a birthday.

Some favourites and the saints behind them:

• Francis (Frenchman; free one) after Francis of Assisi, and Clare or Clara (bright, clear) after his companion Clare.
• Patrick (nobleman), the patron of Ireland, and Bridget, another Irish favourite.
• Benedict (blessed), whose Rule shaped Western monasticism, and Dominic (belonging to the Lord), founder of the Dominicans.
• Augustine (venerable) and his mother Monica; Ambrose (immortal), the bishop who baptised Augustine; and Jerome (sacred name), who translated the Bible into Latin.
• Ignatius (popularly "fiery"), after Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.
• Nicholas (victory of the people), the bishop of Myra behind Santa Claus; Christopher (bearer of Christ); and George (farmer), the dragon-slaying patron of England.
• Agnes (pure), Cecilia, Lucy (light), Catherine and Margaret (pearl), all early or medieval women saints.
• Teresa, after Teresa of Ávila and, more recently, Mother Teresa; Joan, after Joan of Arc; Bernadette, after Bernadette of Lourdes; and Rita, after Rita of Cascia.
• Anthony, Vincent, Martin, Sebastian and Gregory, each borne by several well-known saints.
• Helena (torch), the mother of the emperor Constantine, and Veronica, the woman remembered in tradition for wiping the face of Jesus.

Virtue names such as Grace, Faith and Hope, and devotional names such as Christian or Christina (follower of Christ) and Carmen (of Mount Carmel), also belong in this wider family of Christian names.

Which biblical names are popular now

Biblical names are some of the biggest names of the moment, particularly for boys. Noah has been among the most popular boys' names in the United States, Europe and Australia in recent years, and Elijah is very popular across the English-speaking world. Levi, Ezra, Asher, Josiah, Isaiah, Jonah, Caleb and Micah are all well used in the US, and Silas is rising in America and much of northern Europe. In the Spanish-speaking world Mateo, the Spanish form of Matthew, is currently one of the most popular boys' names, and Lucas is a favourite across Europe and the Americas.

Two trends stand out. First, parents are reaching deeper into the Old Testament for weightier names: Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Malachi, Judah and Enoch are all gaining ground among families who want a strong biblical name that is less common than John or James. Second, international forms are crossing over: Mateo, Matteo, Santiago (Saint James), Thiago and Joaquin are used well beyond Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking homes.

For girls, Hannah, Abigail, Leah and Naomi are long-running favourites, Eliana is increasingly common in the US and Israel, and Phoebe, Lydia and Chloe bring the New Testament's Greek names into fashion. Selah, a word from the Psalms of uncertain meaning, has become a modern favourite among American Christian families, while Ruth and Esther are enjoying a modest revival.

Choosing a biblical name: practical tips

• Read the story, not just the meaning. Absalom means "father of peace" but rebelled against his father David; Nimrod is remembered as a mighty hunter, but the word has become an insult in American slang.
• Check debated meanings. Names such as Mary, Miriam, Ruth and Aaron have uncertain etymologies.
• Choose your spelling and language. Elijah or Elias, Jonah or Jonas, Zachary or Zechariah, Rebecca or Rivka: the choice can signal family heritage, whether English, Greek, Spanish or Hebrew.
• Think about nicknames. Elizabeth gives Eliza, Beth, Betty, Elsa and Lisa; Ezekiel gives Zeke; Abraham gives Abe and Bram.
• Browse alphabetically: try our boy names A to Z and girl names A to Z.

Frequently asked questions

What biblical names mean "gift of God"?

Matthew and its forms Mateo, Matteo and Matthias mean gift of God, as does Nathaniel. Jonathan means "God has given" and Nathan simply "he gave". Theodore has the same meaning in Greek, though it is not a biblical name.

Which biblical names end in -el or -iah?

Names ending in -el include Daniel, Gabriel, Michael, Samuel, Ezekiel, Nathaniel and Raphael. Names ending in -iah include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Zechariah, Nehemiah and Uriah. Both endings refer to God.

What are some strong Old Testament boy names?

Popular choices include Caleb, Gideon, Boaz, Ezra, Judah, Asher, Levi, Malachi and Enoch. David and Solomon are the great royal names.

What are uncommon biblical girl names?

Look at Tabitha, Jemima, Zipporah, Shifra, Tamar, Dinah, Lois, Rhoda and Hadassah.

Is Mary a Hebrew name?

Yes. Mary and Maria come through Greek and Latin from the Hebrew Miryam, the name of Moses' sister Miriam. Its meaning is debated: it has been linked to "bitter", to an Egyptian word for "beloved", and to the later title "star of the sea".

Are saints' names biblical names?

Some are, such as Peter, Paul, Stephen and Mary. Many others, like Francis, Patrick, Clare and Teresa, come from saints who lived after the Bible was written. They are Christian names rather than biblical ones.