Christian baby names and their meanings
The Old and New Testaments are rich sources of traditional and creative Christian baby names. They come with a rich background that can be wonderful to share with your kid. If you care about giving your child a name with significance, you should research the origins of potential candidates.
You can find anything from the most common names to completely original ones. Names from the Bible or the Christian faith might be beautiful options for a child born into a religious home.
Christian Baby Names from Biblical Figures
These names for boys and girls originate in the Bible and honor some of the book’s most memorable characters.
Names taken from the Bible are timeless and meaningful. Many biblical names, including Noah and Jacob for boys and Abigail and Hannah for girls, remain popular far into the 21st century.
Let’s look at the meanings and histories of some of the most common, and uncommon, Biblical girl baby names:
Adah
- Meaning: Noble, happy
- According to Very Well Family, Adah was a popular baby name in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The 2000s saw a revival; by 2020, it had risen to position 184.
Benjamin
- Meaning: “Son of my right hand”
- Benjamin is the name of Jacob’s last son. It is a classical baby boy name.
Bethel
- Meaning: “House of God”
- Bethel can be a name for a boy or a girl. If you are looking for “purity,” Bethel is the best name.
Delilah
- Meaning: Delicate
- Delilah is a villain from the Book of Judges. She tricks the great Samson into telling her his power comes from his hair. Next, she gives him to the Philistines after having his hair cut.
Elizabeth
- Meaning: “My God is an Oath”
- The Gospel of Luke mentions a woman named Elizabeth. Names like Elizabeth tend to produce hardy, resourceful people.
Eve
- Meaning: “Giver of Life”
- The Bible’s oldest name, Eve, is making a comeback because of its virtues as a simple, pure name that nevertheless stands out from the crowd more than other one-syllable names like Ann.
Esau
- Meaning: “He that acts or finishes”
- Because Esau is Jacob’s older twin brother in the Bible, he makes an excellent choice for a boy or girl expecting twins.
Genesis
- Meaning: origin or birth
- Genesis, which has Hebrew and Greek roots, is a lovely choice for a boy or a girl as it celebrates the beginning of a new life. According to The Bump, the name is derived from the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.
Gabriel
- Meaning: “God is my strength,” “Hero of God”
- Gabriel is a name fit for an angel. This is because Gabriel is the name of a renowned Archangel in Christianity and Islam.
Isaac
- Meaning: “One who laughs or rejoices”
- Isaac is Abraham’s firstborn son in the Old Testament. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all hold him in high esteem because of his role in the Bible.
Isaiah
- Meaning: “God saves,” “Salvation of the Lord”
- Since the 1990s, Isaiah has been one of America’s most widely used baby names. Men with the name Isaiah tend to be wise and sympathetic. They are also incredibly caring and encouraging.
James
- Meaning: supplanter, replacer
- The name James has ancient and sacred roots in the Bible.
- She Knows says that it comes from the Latin name Jacomus, which means “may God protect.” These days, James does not identify with any gender.
Kallai
- Meaning: “Light, resting by fire, my voice”
- One of the people who returned with Zerubbabel is a priest named Kallai. He spoke for the Sallai clan. Kallai has recently become popular among boys.
Leah
- Meaning: Weary, delicate
- Leah is a lovely option for a girl’s name because of her soft tone and kind demeanor, making her ideal for a young child. Jacob’s first wife, Leah, gave birth to seven children. Despite her cute, childlike voice, Leah is an important biblical mother figure.
Michael
- Meaning: “Gift from God”
- As an archangel, Michael is mentioned in the Bible.
- According to Baby Names, Michael has been a popular choice for boys in Western Europe and the rest of the world since the Middle Ages. Many different spellings and pronunciations of the name are in use across the globe.
Nehemiah
- Meaning: “God Comforts”
- The name’s origin is the Hebrew verb “nacham,” which means “to comfort,” and it finds its definitive embodiment in the Jewish leader Nehemiah.
After the Jews returned from Babylonian exile, this legendary biblical character was credited with rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.
Paul
- Meaning: small, humble
- Christians often choose the name Paul because he was a beloved disciple and apostle.
- Per The Bump, he had a pivotal role in conveying Jesus’ teachings and spreading the gospel in the Bible.
Shiloh
- Meaning: tranquil, abundance, “His gift”
- The Hebrew was given the name Shiloh means “tranquil” and is used for both boys and girls.
Willow
- Meaning: “Willow tree,” which symbolizes rebirth and vitality
- As a surname, it may have originally referred to someone who settled in a region with many willow trees.
- As with other plant-based names like Rose, Flora, and Hazel, Willow likely gained popularity as a given name in England in the latter half of the 19th century.
