If you’re thinking about names to give your baby, the Bible is a great place to find inspiration. Names play an important role in the Bible. Some names declare the greatness of God while others denote lineage, emphasizing the importance of the child.
Changing someone’s name is often done to signify an individual’s conversion – figuratively, he has become an entirely different person!
Here are some Bible-inspired names to help you find the perfect name for your own child. They come from names of people, places, virtues, and even important objects in the Holy Book.
Following some of the names are derivatives or alternatives that you might prefer.
A
Aaron: high mountain; Aaron was the older brother of Moses and the first High Priest of the Israelites
Abel: breath; second son of Adam and Eve who became a shepherd; his offering was accepted by God (alternative names: Avel, Avelino)
Abigail: my father is joy; a wife of King David
Abraham: father of many; the patriarch of the Israelites to whom God gave the Promised Land
Adam: man; the first man created by God
Ahab: uncle; a king of Israel
Amos: carried; a minor prophet
Angel: Messenger of God (alternative names: Angela, Angeline, Angelina, Angelo)
Andrew: man; one of the first disciples of Jesus
Anna: grace; a prophetess who recognized Jesus when He was presented at the Temple (alternative names: Ann, Anne)
B
Barnabas: son of encouragement; a companion of Paul
Bartholomew: son of Talmai; one of the apostles, also known as Nathaniel
Benjamin: son of the right hand; youngest son of Jacob
Bethany: house of figs; where Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived
Boaz: quickness or strength; husband of Ruth
C
Caleb: wholeheartedly or dog; one of the 12 Israelite spies who were sent to assess the Promised Land
Charity: generous love for God and others; the greatest of the three Christian virtues
Chris: Follower of Christ (alternative names: Christian, Christina, Christine, Christopher, Kristin, Kristina, Kristof, Kristoffer)
D
Dan: he judged; one of the sons of Jacob
Daniel: God is my judge; the hero of the Book of Daniel who was thrown inside a lions’ den but was protected by an angel (alternative names: Danielle)
David: beloved; a great king of Israel who slayed the giant Goliath
Deborah: bee; a woman who led the Isrealites to victory against the Canaanites; also, Rebecca’s nurse
Delilah: delicate; the seductress who learned the secret of Samson’s strength
Dinah: judged; a daughter of Jacob and Leah
Dove: as in the bird; symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit
E
Ebenezer: stone of help; the name of the monument erected by Samuel
Eden: place of delight; name of the garden or paradise where Adam and Eve first stayed
Eleazar: God has helped; a son of Aaron
Elijah: my God is Yahweh/Jehovah; an important prophet of God who performed great miracles; a chariot and horses of fire brought him to heaven
Elisabeth: my God is an oath; mother of John the Baptist (alternative names: Beth, Elizabeth, Isabel, Isabela, Lizbeth)
Emmanuel: God is with us; the Old Testament’s name for the coming Messiah (alternative names: Manuel, Manny)
Esther: star; a Persian king’s Jewish wife who courageously saved her people
Ethan: solid or enduring; the author of Psalm 89 who is regarded as a wise man
Evangeline: bringer of good news (alternative names: Evangelica, Evangelico, Evangelyn)
Eve: to breathe or to live; the first woman created by God to be Adam’s suitable companion (alternative names: Eva, Evelyn)
Ezekiel: God strengthens; a major prophet who predicted Isreal’s restoration
F
Faith: confidence or belief in God; one of the three Christian virtues
G
Gabriel: God is my strong man; the angel who visited Zechariah and Mary to announce the births of John the Baptist and Jesus respectively (alternative names: Gabriela, Gabrielle)
Gad: fortune; first son of Jacob
Galatia: white or the color of milk; the community whom St. Paul addressed in the Book of Galatians
Galilee: wheel; where Jesus had his ministry
Genesis: birth or beginning; the first book of the Bible
Gideon: destroyer or a person who cuts wood or stone; hero who led the Israelites against the Midianites
Grace: God’s favor; Mary, the mother of Jesus, was addressed by the angel Gabriel as being full of grace (alternative names: Gracie, Graciella, Graciello)
Gomer: complete; a grandson of Noah; also, the wife of Hosea
H
Hannah: favor or grace; mother of the prophet Samuel (alternative names: Anita)
Hazael: God sees; a king of Aram
Hiram: exalted brother; a king of Tyre
Hope: anticipating or expecting something sure; one of the three Christian virtues
Hosea: salvation; a prophet who stayed faithful to his unfaithful wife
I
Isaac: he laughs; the son that Abraham was ordered to sacrifice; the father of Esau and Jacob
Isaiah: God is salvation; a major prophet
Israel: God wrestled; Jacob’s new name after he wrestled with an angel; the ancient and modern state of Israel is named after him
J
Jacob: replacer or overthrower; Isaac’s second son who received the blessing meant for the firstborn; father of the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel
Jael: mountain goat; a woman who made Israel victorious by killing a Canaanite captain
James: Greek form of the Hebrew name Jacob; name of two Apostles – James the Greater and James the Just (alternative names: Diego, Iago, Jaime, Santiago)
Jemima: dove; Job’s eldest daughter (alternative names: Jem, Jemma)
Jeremiah: God uplifts; a major prophet who wrote the Book of Jeremiah and possibly the Book of Lamentations as well; he saw the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (alternative names: Jeremy)
Jericho: moon or fragrant; a city in Israel
Jesse: gift; father of King David (alternative names: Jessie)
Jethro: abundance; father of Moses’ wife
Joanna: God is gracious; a woman who supported Jesus’ ministry
Job: persecuted; a man tested by God
Joel: Yahweh is God; a minor prophet who wrote the Book of Joel
John: God is gracious; John the Baptist is the cousin of Jesus who prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah; also, the apostle who wrote the fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelations (alternative names: Joan, Joanna, Jon, Juan)
Jonah: dove; a minor prophet who was swallowed by a whale but was released after 3 days when he agreed to obey God’s orders (alternative names: Jonas)
Jonathan: God has given; eldest son of King Saul and friend of King David
Jordan: descend or flow down; the river where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist
Joseph: he will add; eleventh and favorite son of Jacob who was sold to Egyptians by his jealous brothers; he ventually saved the Israelites and his family from famine; also, the husband of Mary (alternative names: Jose)
Joshua: God is salvation; leader of the Isrealites who succeeded Moses; the name “Jesus” is the Greek form of Joshua (alternative names: Josh)
Josiah: God supports; a king of Judah who made religious reforms that pleased God
Judah: praised; one of the twelve sons of Jacob (alternative names: Jude)
Judith: woman from Judea; one of the wives of Esau
K
Keziah: cinnamon (from the spice tree); a daughter of Job
L
Lazarus: my God has helped; brother of Mary and Martha; Jesus’ friend whom he brought back to life
Leah: weary; the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children (alternative names: Lea, Lia)
Lemuel: belonging to God; a king in the Book of Proverbs
Levi: attached; Jacob’s third son, whose tribe becomes the tribe of the priests of the Israelites
Lois: more desirable or better; grandmother of Timothy
Luke: from Lucania (Southern Italy); a doctor who travelled with Saint Paul; author of the third Gospel and the Book of Acts (alternative names: Lucas)
Lydia: from Lydia (west coast of Turkey); a woman whom St. Paul converted to Christianity
M
Magdalena: of Magdala (a village along the Sea of Galilee); a woman named Mary came from this village; a follower of Jesus after he cast demons out of her; the first person to see Jesus after the Resurrection (alternative names: Magda)
Mark: war-like; author of the second Gospel (alternative names: Marc, Marco, Marcos, Marcus, Martin)
Martha: lady or mistress; sister of Mary and Lazarus
Mary: rebelliousness or wished-for child or beloved; mother of Jesus; also, sister of Martha and Lazarus (alternative names: Maria, Marianne, Marie)
Matthew: gift of God; a tax collector who was one of the twelve Apostles (alternative names: Matteo)
Michael: who is like God? (rhetorical question); the archangel who leads the armies of heaven (alternative names: Michelle)
Miriam: original Hebrew form of Mary; elder sister of Moses and Aaron
Moriah: seen by God; place where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice Isaac and where Solomon built his temple (alternative names: Morris, Mory)
Moses: to draw/pull out (of water) or son; the leader who freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments
N
Naomi: pleasantness; mother-in-law of Ruth
Nathan: he gave; name of a son of King David; also, name of a prophet
Nathanael: God has given; an apostle also known as Bartholomew (alternative names: Nathaniel)
Noah: rest, comfort; godly man who built the ark and was spared from the great flood
O
Olive: peace; after the great flood, a dove brought an olive branch to show Noah and his family that the water has subsided (alternative names: Oliver, Olivia)
P
Paul: small or humble; new name of Saul after he converted to Christianity; became a leader of the early Christian church who wrote most of the epistles (letters) of the New Testament (alternative names: Pablo, Paula, Pauline, Paulo)
Peter: stone or rock; new name of the Apostle Simon when Jesus ordained him; regarded as the first pope (alternative names: Pedro)
Philip: friend of horses; one of the twelve Apostles (alternative names: Felipe, Phil)
Phoebe: bright, pure; female minister of a Christian church
R
Rachel: ewe; favorite wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin (alternative names: Rachelle)
Raphael: God has healed; one of the seven archangels (alternative names: Rafael)
Rebekah: snare; wife of Isaac, mother of Esau and Jacob (alternative names: Becca, Rebecca)
Reuben: behold, a son; eldest son of Jacob and Leah
Ruth: friend; central character of the Book of Ruth, an ancestor of King David
S
Salome: peace; one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered the empty tomb
Samuel: name of God or God has heard; last of the judges who ruled Israel; annointed Saul and then David to be king of Israel
Samson: sun; a man to whom God gives super strength
Sarah: lady, princess or noblewoman; new name of Abraham’s wife, became the mom of Isaac at the age of 90 (alternative names: Sara)
Saul: asked for or prayed for; name of the first king of Israel; also, the original name of Saint Paul before his conversion
Seraphina: fiery ones; an order of angels.
Simeon: he has heard; second son of Jacob; also, a man who blessed baby Jesus
Simon: he has heard; the Apostle who was later given the name of Peter; also, the man who helped Jesus carry the cross
Solomon: peace; king of Israel after his father King David, known for his wisdom (alternative names: Mon)
Stephen: crown; the first Christian martyr (alternative names: Stephan, Stephanie, Steve, Steven)
Susanna: lily; a woman who supported Jesus’ ministry (alternative names: Susan)
T
Tabitha: gazelle; a woman brought back to life by Saint Peter
Talitha: little girl; from “little girl arise,” the words Jesus said to bring a girl back to life
Thomas: twin; the Apostle who initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus (alternative names: Tom)
Timothy: honoring God; a companion of Saint Paul (alternative names: Tim, Timoteo)
Tobias: God is good; the hero of the Book of Tobit (apocryphal) who, together with the archangel Raphael, drove away a demon plaguing a woman Sarah
U
Uriel: God is my light; one of the seven archangels (apocrypha only)
Z
Zacchaeus: pure; a tax collector of Jericho who repents and donates half of his possessions to charity (alternative names: Zach, Zack)
Zacharias: God remembers; father of John the Baptist; also, a minor prophet who wrote the Book of Zechariah (alternative names: Zach, Zachariah, Zachary, Zack, Zechariah)
Zebedee: God has bestowed; father of the apostles James and John
Zephaniah: God has hidden; a minor prophet who wrote the Book of Zephaniah (alternative names: Zefanias, Zephanie)
Zion: castle or dry land; the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
READ: 10 beautiful children’s names in the Philippine language
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