List of Biblical names
Encyclopedia
This page introduces a list of about 2,600 proper names with their meanings from the Bible
, mainly compiled from the 19th century public domain resources of Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary as part of Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible written by Roswell Dwight Hitchcock
and Dictionary of the Bible by William R. Smith. Most of the male and female names and their definitions can also be found in Herbert Lockyer's reference books All the Men of the Bible and All the Women of the Bible. Most of the divine names and their definitions can also be found in Lockyer's All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible.
Many of the biblical names can also be found in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary, Nave's Topical Bible
and Torrey's New Topical Textbook. Others can be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia
and the new Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
(Dictionary edition). The biblical names pertaining just to the Old Testament can all be found in Joan Comay's reference book titled Who's Who in the Old Testament. Other Biblical name definitions of places, cities, countries, angels, gods, mountains and Hebrew names can be found in Nancy M. Tischler's encyclopedia All Things in the Bible: an Encyclopedia of the Biblical World.
means "senseless and fool", and Abigail
indicated that this is what her husband amounted to . Sometimes names pointed to occupations, sometimes to a symbolic or a prophetic feature. Sometimes place names have become personal names (e.g. the name Eden
, from the Garden of Eden
). Sometimes names were given to show family relationships (e.g. uncle, father). Names sometimes had a special meaning (e.g. praise, additional, rebellion, bitterness). Sometimes names were of a type of plant or had charactistics of natural phenomenon (i.e. thunder, lightning, rain). Sometimes names were related to animals or their characteristics.
Before the Protestant Reformation
the most common names were Adam, Benjamin, Elias, Daniel, David, Joseph, Samson, and Solomon. After the Reformation names like Aaron, Elijah, Joshua, Moses, and Nathaniel were added to mainstream popularity. Saint names associated with the Roman Catholic Church were used less after the Reformation. Maher-shalal-hash-baz
is the longest name in the Bible, and was much used as a given name. Mary and John are the most used of the Christian names.
, which may be: people, places, cities, countries, angels, gods, mountains, etc. Meanings of the names are not always definite or clear, but a possible meaning has been provided in every case. Most of the meanings come from Hebrew, while the others come from Greek, Aramaic, or Latin.
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – Y – Z
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, mainly compiled from the 19th century public domain resources of Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary as part of Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible written by Roswell Dwight Hitchcock
Roswell Dwight Hitchcock
Roswell Dwight Hitchcock , American divine, was born at East Machias, Maine.He graduated at Amherst College in 1836, and later studied at Andover Theological Seminary, Mass...
and Dictionary of the Bible by William R. Smith. Most of the male and female names and their definitions can also be found in Herbert Lockyer's reference books All the Men of the Bible and All the Women of the Bible. Most of the divine names and their definitions can also be found in Lockyer's All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible.
Many of the biblical names can also be found in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary, Nave's Topical Bible
Nave's Topical Bible
Nave's Topical Bible is a book written by Orville James Nave and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nave was a chaplain in the United States Army and referred to his work as "the result of fourteen years of delight and untiring study of the Word of God." It is a topical concordance of the...
and Torrey's New Topical Textbook. Others can be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
and the new Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
The Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge is a religious encyclopedia. It is based on an earlier German encyclopedia, the Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche. Like the Realencyklopädie, it focuses on Christianity from a primarily Protestant point of...
(Dictionary edition). The biblical names pertaining just to the Old Testament can all be found in Joan Comay's reference book titled Who's Who in the Old Testament. Other Biblical name definitions of places, cities, countries, angels, gods, mountains and Hebrew names can be found in Nancy M. Tischler's encyclopedia All Things in the Bible: an Encyclopedia of the Biblical World.
Significance of names
Many names describe nations, people, and ancient history. Some describe expressions of hopes, revelations of divine purposes, and prophecies of the future. Some are part of genealogical histories, as it was common in Jewish customs to keep a family history. Sometimes names indicated certain circumstances with their birth or family line. Characteristics and traits of people were an important aspect of names in ancient Israel. For example the name NabalNabal
According to the 1st Book of Samuel Chapter 25, Nabal , was a rich Calebite who was also described as being harsh and surly. David and his band of men who had been outlawed by King Saul were living off the Wilderness of Paran and providing voluntary protection to the shepherds in the area.The...
means "senseless and fool", and Abigail
Abigail
Abigail was the wife of Nabal; she became a wife of David after Nabal's death .In the passage, Nabal demonstrates ingratitude towards David, and Abigail attempts to placate David in order to stop him taking revenge...
indicated that this is what her husband amounted to . Sometimes names pointed to occupations, sometimes to a symbolic or a prophetic feature. Sometimes place names have become personal names (e.g. the name Eden
Eden (name)
Eden as a given name, has several derivations, from the Biblical Garden of Eden, meaning 'place of pleasure'; It is traditionally considered to be a feminine baby name...
, from the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
). Sometimes names were given to show family relationships (e.g. uncle, father). Names sometimes had a special meaning (e.g. praise, additional, rebellion, bitterness). Sometimes names were of a type of plant or had charactistics of natural phenomenon (i.e. thunder, lightning, rain). Sometimes names were related to animals or their characteristics.
Before the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
the most common names were Adam, Benjamin, Elias, Daniel, David, Joseph, Samson, and Solomon. After the Reformation names like Aaron, Elijah, Joshua, Moses, and Nathaniel were added to mainstream popularity. Saint names associated with the Roman Catholic Church were used less after the Reformation. Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Maher-shalal-hash-baz - "Hurry to spoil!" or "He has made haste to the plunder!" - was the second mentioned son of the prophet Isaiah. The name is a reference to the impending plunder of Samaria and Damascus by the king of Assyria. Maher-shalal-hash-baz is mentioned in the Bible in , which section...
is the longest name in the Bible, and was much used as a given name. Mary and John are the most used of the Christian names.
List of biblical names
Note that "names" refers to any nounNoun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
, which may be: people, places, cities, countries, angels, gods, mountains, etc. Meanings of the names are not always definite or clear, but a possible meaning has been provided in every case. Most of the meanings come from Hebrew, while the others come from Greek, Aramaic, or Latin.
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – Y – Z
- List of biblical names starting with A
- List of biblical names starting with B
- List of biblical names starting with C
- List of biblical names starting with D
- List of biblical names starting with E
- List of biblical names starting with F
- List of biblical names starting with G
- List of biblical names starting with H
- List of biblical names starting with I
- List of biblical names starting with J
- List of biblical names starting with K
- List of biblical names starting with L
- List of biblical names starting with M
- List of biblical names starting with N
- List of biblical names starting with O
- List of biblical names starting with P
- List of biblical names starting with Q
- List of biblical names starting with R
- List of biblical names starting with S
- List of biblical names starting with T
- List of biblical names starting with U
- List of biblical names starting with V
- List of biblical names starting with Y
- List of biblical names starting with Z
See also
- Genealogy of the BibleGenealogy of the BibleThere are various genealogies described in the Bible.-Genesis:The book of Genesis records the descendants of Adam and Eve. The enumerated genealogy in chapters 4, 5 and 11 reports the lineal male descent to Abraham, including the age at which each patriarch fathered his named son and the number of...
- List of major biblical figures
- List of minor biblical figures
- List of names for the biblical nameless
- Modern name for Biblical place namesModern name for Biblical place namesWhile the main Biblical place names like Jerusalem, Athens, Damascus, Alexandria, and Rome have been used for centuries, some have changed through the years....
Further reading
- Bible Study Tools
- Nave's Topical Bible
- Smith's Bible Dictionary
- Easton's Bible Dictionary
- Catholic Encyclopedia 1917
- Torrey's New Topical Textbook
- Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
- New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (Dictionary edition)