Abraham אַבְרָהָם m English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Dutch, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Swedish, Biblical Norwegian, Biblical Danish, Biblical Latin [1] From the Hebrew name
אַבְרָהָם (ʾAvraham), which may be viewed either as meaning
"father of many" or else as a contraction of
Abram 1 and
הָמוֹן (hamon) meaning "many, multitude"
[2] [3] . The biblical patriarch Abraham was originally named Abram but God changed his name (see
Genesis 17:5). With his father
Terah, he led his wife
Sarah, his nephew
Lot and their other followers from Ur into Canaan. He is regarded by Jews as being the founder of the Hebrews through his son
Isaac and by Muslims as being the founder of the Arabs through his son
Ishmael.
... [more] Adam אָדָם m English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Dhivehi, Biblical, Biblical Latin [1] , Biblical Greek [2] , Biblical Hebrew [3] , Quranic This is the Hebrew word for
"man" [3] [4] . It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם (ʾaḏam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make" [5] .
... [more] Adi 1 עֲדִי f & m Hebrew Means
"jewel, ornament" in Hebrew.
Adir אַדִּיר m Hebrew Means
"strong, mighty" in Hebrew. This word is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe God.
Adva אַדְוָה f Hebrew Means
"small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.
Akiva עֲקִיבָא m Hebrew From an Aramaic form of
Yaakov. Akiva (or Akiba) ben Joseph was a prominent 1st-century rabbi.
Aliya 2 עֲלִיָּה f Hebrew Means
"ascent" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend, to climb". This is also a Hebrew word referring to immigration to Israel.
Ami 4 עַמִי m Hebrew Means
"my people" or
"my nation" in Hebrew.
Amos עָמוֹס m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin [1] , Biblical Greek [2] , Biblical Hebrew [3] From Hebrew
עָמַס (ʿamas) meaning
"load, burden" [4] . Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Amos, which speaks against greed, corruption and oppression of the poor. Written about the 8th century BC, it is among the oldest of the prophetic books. As an English name,
Amos has been used since the Protestant Reformation, and was popular among the Puritans.
Arbel אַרְבֵּל f & m Hebrew From the name of a mountain in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee.
Arieh אַרְיֵה m Biblical, Hebrew Derived from Hebrew
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning
"lion", an animal particularly associated with the tribe of
Judah (see
Genesis 49:9). This is the name of an officer of King Pekahiah in the Old Testament.
Ariel אֲרִיאֵל m & f Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
Aviv אֲבִיב m & f Hebrew Means
"spring" in Hebrew.
Ayal אַיָּל m Hebrew Means
"stag, male deer" in Hebrew.
Ayala אַיָּלָה f Hebrew Means
"doe, female deer" in Hebrew.
Ayelet אַיֶלֶת f Hebrew Means
"doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase
אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר (ʾayeleṯ hashaḥar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.
Bar בַּר m & f Hebrew In some cases it is from Hebrew
בַּר (bar) meaning
"son", a word of Aramaic origin
[1] . It also means
"grain" or
"pure, clean" in Hebrew, derivatives of the root
בָּרַר (barar) [2] [3] [4] .
Baruch בָּרוּך m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Hebrew From the Hebrew name
בָּרוּך (Baruḵ) meaning
"blessed". In the Old Testament this is the name of a companion of the prophet Jeremiah, acting as his scribe and assistant. The deuterocanonical Book of Baruch was supposedly written by him. A famous bearer was Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), a Dutch-Jewish rationalist philosopher.
Batel בַּת־אֵל f Hebrew Means
"daughter of God" in Hebrew.
Chaim חַיִּים m Hebrew Derived from the Hebrew word
חַיִּים (chayim) meaning
"life". It has been used since medieval times.
Chesed חֶסֶד f & m Hebrew Means
"kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.
Dafna דַּפְנָה f Hebrew Means
"laurel" in Hebrew, of Greek origin.
Daniel דָּנִיֵּאל m English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1] From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge" [2] , from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God"
[3] [4] . Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
... [more] Daniela דניאלה f Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, English Feminine form of
Daniel.
Danya 1 דַּנְיָה f Hebrew Feminine form of
Dan 1. It can also be considered a compound meaning
"judgement from God", using the element
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Dar דַּר f & m Hebrew Means
"mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.
David דָּוִד m English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin [1] From the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawiḏ) [2] , which was derived from
דּוֹד (doḏ) meaning
"beloved" or
"uncle" [3] . David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
... [more] Dina 1 דִּינָה f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1] , Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin Form of
Dinah in several languages, as well as the form in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Dor דּוֹר m & f Hebrew Means
"generation" in Hebrew.
Dori דּוֹרִי m Hebrew Means
"my generation" in Hebrew.
Dror דְּרוֹר m Hebrew Means
"freedom" or
"sparrow" in Hebrew.
Eden עֵדֶן f & m Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern) From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight"
[1] , or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Edna עֶדְנָה f English, Hebrew, Biblical Means
"pleasure" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָדַן (ʿaḏan) meaning "to delight". This name appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha, for instance in the Book of Tobit belonging to the wife of
Raguel. It was borne by the American poet Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923). It did not become popular until the second half of the 19th century, after it was used for the heroine in the successful 1866 novel
St. Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans
[1] . It peaked around the turn of the century and has declined steadily since then, falling off the American top 1000 list in 1992.
Ehud אֵהוּד m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1] Meaning unknown, possibly related to Hebrew
אָחַד (ʾaḥaḏ) meaning
"to unite" or
הוֹד (hoḏ) meaning
"glory". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the biblical judges. He killed Eglon, the king of Moab, and freed the city of Jericho from Moabite rule.
Eli 1 עֵלִי m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1] , Biblical Hebrew [2] Means
"ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
... [more] Eli 2 אֵלִי m Hebrew, English Means
"my God" in Hebrew, also a short form of names such as
Elijah that begin with this element.
Elijah אֱלִיָּהוּ m English, Hebrew, Biblical From the Hebrew name
אֱלִיָּהוּ (ʾEliyyahu) meaning
"my God is Yahweh" [1] , derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) and
יָהּ (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God
[2] [3] . Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King
Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen
Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god
Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by
Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and
Moses appear next to
Jesus when he is transfigured.
... [more] Elior אֱלִיאוֹר m Hebrew Means
"my God is my light" in Hebrew.
Elroi אֵלרוֹאִי m Hebrew Means
"God who sees me" in Hebrew, from
אֵל (ʾel) "God" and
רָאָה (raʾa) "to see". In the Old Testament
Hagar calls God by this name after she receives a prophecy from an angel (see
Genesis 16:13).
Ephraim אֶפְרָיִם m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek From the Hebrew name
אֶפְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) meaning
"fruitful". In the Old Testament Ephraim is a son of
Joseph and
Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.
Ester אֶסְתֵר f Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Hebrew Form of
Esther used in several languages.
Evron עֶבְרוֹן m Hebrew (Rare) From a biblical place name, also called
עַבְדּוֹן (ʿAvdon) meaning "servile", for which it may be a clerical error.
Eyal אֱיָל m Hebrew Means
"might, strength" in Hebrew.
Ezra עֶזְרָא m English, Hebrew, Biblical Means
"help" in Hebrew
[1] [2] . Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.
Gai גַּיְא m Hebrew Means
"valley, ravine" in Hebrew.
Galia גַּלְיָה f Hebrew Elaboration of
Gal 1. It could also be considered a compound meaning
"wave from God", using the element
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Gefen גֶּפֶן f & m Hebrew Means
"grape vine" in Hebrew.
Gideon גִּדְעוֹן m Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1] . Gideon is a hero and judge of the Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans.
Gili גִּילִי f & m Hebrew Means
"my joy" in Hebrew.
Guy 2 גַּיְא m Hebrew Alternate transcription of Hebrew
גַּיְא (see
Gai). This is the more common transcription.
Hadar הָדָר f & m Hebrew Means
"splendour, glory" in Hebrew.
Hagar הָגָר f Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Hebrew [1] , Hebrew, Arabic Possibly means
"flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. According to the Old Testament she was the second wife of
Abraham and the mother of
Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's first wife
Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.
... [more] Haim חַיִּים m Hebrew Alternate transcription of Hebrew
חַיִּים (see
Chaim). This seems to be the most common transcription for Israeli Jews.
Hallel הָלֵּל f & m Hebrew Derived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning
"praise". This is the name of a Jewish prayer, consisting of several psalms. The more traditional name
Hillel , which is typically only masculine, is spelled the same but is vocalized with a different vowel.
Hanna 1 חַנָּה f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew Form of
Ḥanna (see
Hannah) in several languages.
Harel הַרְאֵל m Hebrew Means
"altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible this word is applied to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem (
Ezekiel 43:15).
Hila הִילָה f Hebrew Means
"halo, aura" in Hebrew, from the root
הָלַל (halal) meaning "to praise, to shine".
Hillel הִלֵּל m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1] Derived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning
"praise". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament as the father of the judge Abdon. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder.
Inbal עִנְבָּל f Hebrew Means
"tongue of a bell" in Hebrew.
Inbar עִנְבָּר, עִינְבָּר f Hebrew Means
"amber" in Hebrew.
Ira 1 עִירָא m English, Hebrew, Biblical Means
"watchful" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of King
David's priest. As an English Christian given name,
Ira began to be used after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the Puritans brought it to America, where remained moderately common into the 20th century.
Irit עִירִית f Hebrew Means
"asphodel (flower)" in Hebrew.
Kelila כְּלִילָה f Hebrew From Hebrew
כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning
"crown, wreath, garland" or
"complete, perfect".
Keren קֶרֶן f Hebrew Means
"horn" or
"ray of light" in Hebrew.
Kineret כִּנֶּרֶת f Hebrew From the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew
כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp"
[1] because of its shape.
Lea לֵאָה f Hebrew, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew [1] Form of
Leah used in several languages.
Leah לֵאָה f English, Hebrew, Biblical From the Hebrew name
לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word
לָאָה (laʾa) meaning
"weary, grieved" [1] [2] [3] . Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian
littu meaning
"cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of
Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister
Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid
Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.
... [more] Levi לֵוִי m Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin Possibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew
[1] . As told in the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
... [more] Liat לִיאַת f Hebrew Means
"you are mine" in Hebrew.
Lihi לִיהִי, לִיהִיא f Hebrew Means
"she is mine" in Hebrew.
Liron לִירוֹן m & f Hebrew Means
"my song, my joy" in Hebrew, from
לִי (li) "for me" and
רֹן (ron) "joy, song".
Maayan מַעֲיָן f & m Hebrew Means
"spring of water" in Hebrew.
Malachi מַלְאָכִי m Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin [1] From the Hebrew name
מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning
"my messenger" or
"my angel", derived from a possessive form of
מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. The name only occurs once at the start of the book; it is possible that it is not a name at all but simply the words "my angel".
... [more] Marganita מַרְגָנִיתָה f Hebrew From the name of a type of flowering plant common in Israel, called the scarlet pimpernel in English.
Meir מֵאִיר m Hebrew, Yiddish Means
"giving light" in Hebrew. This name was borne by a notable 2nd-century Jewish sage known as Rabbi Meir.
Menahem מְנַחֵם m Biblical, Hebrew From the Hebrew name
מְנַחֵם (Menaḥem) meaning
"comforter", a derivative of
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort". This was the name of a king of Israel, appearing in the Old Testament. His reign was noted for its brutality.
Meyer מֵאִיר m Hebrew Alternate transcription of Hebrew
מֵאִיר (see
Meir). It also coincides with a German surname meaning "mayor, leader".
Michael מִיכָאֵל m English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin [1] , Biblical Greek [2] From the Hebrew name
מִיכָאֵל (Miḵaʾel) meaning
"who is like God?" [3] [4] , derived from the interrogative pronoun
מִי (mi) combined with
ךְּ (ke) meaning "like" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God"
[5] [6] . This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Michael is one of the archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament he is named as a protector of Israel (see
Daniel 12:1). In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies in the war against Satan, and is thus considered the patron saint of soldiers in Christianity.
... [more] Michal 2 מִיכַל f Biblical, Hebrew Possibly means
"brook" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of
Saul. She was married to
David, but after David fled from Saul he remarried her to someone else. Later, when David became king, he ordered her returned to him.
Miriam מִרְיָם f Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Biblical Form of
Mary used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of
Moses and
Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside
Mary) since the Protestant Reformation.
Miron 2 מִירוֹן m Hebrew From the name of the highest mountain in Israel, Mount Meron. It is also the name of a village on its slopes, thought to be on the same site as the ancient Canaanite city of Merom.
Mor מוֹר f & m Hebrew Means
"myrrh" in Hebrew.
Moran מוֹרָן f & m Hebrew Means
"viburnum shrub" in Hebrew.
Mordecai מָרְדֳּכַי m Biblical, Hebrew Means
"servant of Marduk" in Persian. In the Old Testament Mordecai is the cousin and foster father of
Esther. He thwarted a plot to kill the Persian king, though he made an enemy of the king's chief advisor
Haman.
Nachman נַחְמָן m Hebrew Means
"comforter" in Hebrew, from the root
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort, to console". This name was borne by a notable 4th-century Babylonian rabbi.