This list includes both familiar and lesser-known names from the Old and New Testaments, covering a wide range of characters, including prophets, kings, priests, warriors, disciples, and other significant figures who played pivotal roles in biblical narratives. From popular names like David, Moses, and Mary to more obscure names like Nehushta, Serug,
Do you want to name your child something that reflects your values? Are you looking for something substantial, timeless, and profoundly meaningful? For inspiration, we’ve put together a list of biblical baby names, regardless of your reasons. There are several names in the Bible that are still in use today. Not only the well-known ones like Sarah, Matthew, and Noah. We’re talking about well-known favorites that you might not even be aware were named after biblical figures!
And then there are plenty of others that have fallen out of fashion but whose spirituality runs deep. We’ve selected some of the most common, beautiful, and rare – all the better for capturing this profound milestone. So let’s dive into all the names in the Bible – brace yourself, there are a lot.
List Of Names In The Bible
Biblical Names (with Meanings and Popularity)
Biblical names have been in style for babies since the 1960s, when parents started to revive such Bible names for boys as Samuel and Joshua, Aaron and Adam. Over the decades, biblical names for both boys and girls have become popular. Noah and Jacob have both held the top spot for Bible boy names in recent years.
Along with Noah and Jacob, other biblical baby names among the Top 100 names in the US include Luke, Esther, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Levi, Elijah, Hannah, and Chloe. Bible names that start with A, such as Asher and Abel and Abigail, have been particularly popular in recent years. The Bible is full of historic hidden gems, such as Tirzah, Jethro, Zilla, and Boaz.
Biblical names, like the Bible itself, can be divided into Old Testament names and New Testament names. Old Testament Biblical names of prophets like Abraham and Moses, long thought too antiquated for babies, have been resurrected in recent years. Parents look deeper and deeper into the Bible in search of more unique bible names, with recent stylish Biblical names including Phoebe and Felix, Ada and Ezra, which is increasing in use for girls as well as boys.
New Testament names include many Biblical names long in use by Christians, including Mary and James, Elizabeth and Matthew. International variations of those New Testament names, such as Maria and Seamus, Eliza and Mateo are also popular religious names around the world.
Lately, names from the Bible once considered off-limits because they’re associated with sinful or evil figures are being resurrected. These include Delilah, Jezebel, Lilith, and, yes, even Lucifer.
Here is the full list of biblical names in use today, ordered by their current popularity with Nameberry visitors.
- Silas
- Origin: Aramaic, Latin, Greek
- Meaning: “of the forest; or prayed for”
- Description: Silas is both a mythological and Biblical name, hitting its highest popularity point ever in the US last year. Now ranking firmly in the Top 100, Silas is a longstanding favorite with Nameberry visitors.
- Felix
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: “happy, fortunate”
- Description: Felix is one of those ancient but nontraditional names for boys that have come into favor over the past few decades, a favorite of parents who want a masculine name with history and heft that breaks ranks with the standard Franks and Freds. Felix is also an international darling, ranking in the Top 100 in several European and English-speaking countries.
- Ethan
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: “strong, firm”
- Description: Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive.Ethan, which was given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible film series, is still popular but dipping a bit, peaking at Number 2 in 2009 and 2010.
- Jude
- Origin: Latin diminutive of Judah
- Meaning: “praised”
- Description: Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity — but not TOO much popularity — for more than a decade now. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song “Hey Jude”, double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
- Phoebe
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: “radiant, shining one”
- Description: Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from phoibos, meaning “bright.” In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting. The masculine version of Phoebe is Phoebus.
- Cyrus
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: “sun”
- Description: Cyrus is one of those surprising names that have always ranked among the Top 1000 boy names in the US. On an upward trend since the mid-90s, Cyrus now sits in that comfortable place between too popular and too unusual.
- Ezra
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: “help”
- Description: Ezra is potentially an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase Azaryahu, meaning “Yah helps.” In the Bible, Ezra led a group of fifteen hundred Israelites out of slavery in Babylon and back to Jerusalem. The Latin name Esdras derives from Ezra.
- Caleb
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: “devotion to God”
- Description: Caleb has two potential derivations, the first being from the Hebrew kelev, meaning “dog,” and the second from the Hebrew components kal and lev, together meaning “whole heart.” In the Old Testament Caleb is one of only two ancient Israelites (Joshua was the other) who set out from Egypt to finally enter the promised land.
