Biblical Names

Names borne by someone in the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Being in the text is not the same as being a hero of it — several popular biblical names belong to minor, ambiguous or badly behaved figures.

Rankings for

145 names, most popular first in United States

Very Rare Rare Uncommon

Girls Boys Unisex

Emanuel Emanuel began as a sign rather than a name — Isaiah tells Ahaz that a child will be called God with us as proof of a prophecy, and the phrase became a personal name only afterward.
Hebrew #574 in US
Seth Seth is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "appointed" or "placed," given to Adam and Eve's third son after Cain killed Abel.
Hebrew #581 in US
Jonas Jonas means dove, and the prophet's story turns on it — a man named for the bird sent out to find land is himself sent overseas, refuses, and is carried there inside a fish instead.
Hebrew #599 in US
Danny Danny is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge," a diminutive of Daniel.
Hebrew #628 in US
Nathanael Nathanael is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given," and it is the same name as Nathaniel with the spelling closer to the Greek.
Hebrew #633 in US
Sam Sam is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has heard," a short form of Samuel.
Hebrew #647 in US
Tomas Tomas is a boy's name of Aramaic origin meaning "twin," a form of Thomas used across Ireland, Scandinavia and the Hispanic world.
Irish #691 in US
Mathéo Mathéo is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God," a French form built from Matthieu on the Italian pattern.
French #750 in US
Noé Noé is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "rest" or "comfort," the French and Spanish form of Noah.
French #755 in US
Benny Benny means son of the right hand, and Jacob overruled the name at the deathbed — Rachel called the child son of my sorrow as she died, and his father renamed him on the spot.
Hebrew #842 in US
Ben Ben is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "son," used both as a short form of Benjamin and as a name in its own right.
Hebrew #845 in US
Reuben Reuben is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "behold, a son."
Hebrew #885 in US
Mathew Mathew drops a t from Matthew, and the doubled t was never in the Hebrew — it entered through the Greek and Latin spellings, so the shorter form is arguably closer to the original.
English #974 in US
Joe Joe is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add," a short form of Joseph that has become the English word for an ordinary person.
Hebrew #995 in US
Ismail Ismail is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will hear," the Arabic form of Ishmael, counted in Islam as the ancestor of the Arab peoples.
Arabic #1,065 in US
Tiago Tiago is a boy's name of Portuguese origin meaning "supplanter," a form of James created by a misdivision of Santiago.
Portuguese #1,115 in US
Pierre Pierre is a boy's name, the French form of Peter, from the Greek for rock.
French #1,253 in US
Micheal Micheal is a boy's name of Hebrew origin whose full form is a rhetorical question — who is like God?
Irish #1,404 in US
Zack Zack is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord has remembered," a short form of Zachary.
Hebrew #1,428 in US
Jonathon Jonathon respells Jonathan, and the original names a gift — Yahweh has given, borne in scripture by the friend whose bond with David the text describes in terms it uses nowhere else.
English #1,487 in US
Zakaria Zakaria is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord has remembered," the Arabic form of Zechariah, who is named in the Quran as the guardian of Maryam.
Arabic #1,527 in US
Youssef Youssef is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will increase," the Arabic form of Joseph.
Arabic #1,556 in US
Josh Josh is a boy's name, the short form of Joshua, from a Hebrew name meaning the Lord is salvation.
Hebrew #1,704 in US
Sammy Sammy means God has heard, or possibly name of God — the Hebrew admits both readings, and the Bible's own explanation of Samuel uses a pun on asking that fits neither.
Hebrew #1,864 in US
Dan Dan means he judged, and it is a full Hebrew name in its own right before it is short for Daniel — one of Jacob's twelve sons, and the tribe that gave its name to the northern border of Israel.
Hebrew #1,972 in US
Younes Younes is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "dove," the Arabic form of Jonah, who is named in the Quran and given a sura of his own.
Arabic #2,140 in US
Ayoub Ayoub is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, the Arabic form of Job, and the name is a byword for endurance in both traditions.
Arabic #2,241 in US
Eliott Eliott is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord is my God," a French spelling of Elliot that descends from Elijah.
French #2,314 in US
Zach Zach is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord has remembered," a short form of Zachary that has become a full name in its own right.
Hebrew #2,502 in US
Yanis Yanis is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious," a French spelling of the Greek Yannis and so a form of John.
French #2,565 in US
Eoin Eoin is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious," the older of Irish's two forms of John, taken directly from Latin rather than through Norman French.
Irish #2,804 in US
Moussa Moussa is a boy's name meaning "drawn out of the water," the Arabic form of Moses, who is named more often in the Quran than any other prophet.
Arabic #3,117 in US
Zac Zac is a boy's name, the short form of Zachary, from a Hebrew name meaning the Lord has remembered.
Hebrew #3,187 in US
Mathis Mathis is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God," a French form of Matthias.
French #3,318 in US
Elie Elie means my God is the Lord, and it is a declaration aimed at a rival — the prophet's whole career is a contest against Baal, and his name states the winning side before he opens his mouth.
French #3,566 in US
Timothée Timothée is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "honoring God," the French form of Timothy.
French #3,768 in US
Mattia Mattia is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God," the Italian form of Matthias.
Italian #4,358 in US
Adem Adem is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "earth" or "man," the Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian form of Adam.
Turkish #4,491 in US
Haroun Haroun is a boy's name whose meaning has never been settled, the Arabic form of Aaron, brother of Moses.
Arabic #4,707 in US
Souleymane Souleymane is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "peace," the West African form of Solomon, and it ranks 142nd in France.
Arabic #4,865 in US
Ilyan Ilyan is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, a French spelling of the Arabic and Russian forms of Elijah.
French #5,493 in US
Djibril Djibril is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my strength," the West African form of Gabriel — the angel who brought the Quran to Muhammad.
Arabic #6,532 in US
Gaspard Gaspard is a boy's name meaning "treasurer," the French form of Caspar, traditionally one of the three Magi.
French #9,016 in US
Barnaby Barnaby is a boy's name of Aramaic origin meaning "son of consolation."
Aramaic #12,472 in US
Baptiste Baptiste is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "one who immerses," taken from the title of John the Baptist rather than from a name.
French 108,549 births
Jean-Baptiste Jean-Baptiste means John the dipper, and the second half is a job description — baptizein is the ordinary Greek for dipping something in liquid, so the title says plainly what he did in the river.
French 49,373 births
Yoann Yoann is a French respelling of one of the most widely borne names in history — John, whose forms include Ian, Sean, Juan, Ivan, Giovanni, Jens and Hans, all from one Hebrew sentence.
French 43,069 births
Ilyes Ilyes is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, the Arabic form of Elijah, who is named in the Quran as a prophet who called his people away from Baal.
Arabic 25,028 births

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A style is our reading of a name. A decade is the register — the names children were actually given, in order, with the counts.

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