Hebrew Names
Updated Tue Feb 06 2024
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Hebrew names used widely in the modern world include Noah, Isabella, Elizabeth, Sarah, Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Leah, James, John, Michael, Mary, and Eva.
Along with Isabella, Hebrew names in the US Top 200 for girls include Ariel, Delilah, Eliana, Eva, Maya, and Naomi. For boys, Hebrew names in the US Top 100 include Asher, Elijah, Jacob, Levi, and Noah. In Israel, popular names include Tamar, Shira, Uri, and Noam.
Of course, Biblical names are some of the best-known as well as the most interesting Hebrew baby names today.
Bible names for girls often have Hebrew origins. Recommended choices include Delilah, Dinah, Keziah, Esther, and Susannah.
Bible names for boys include such appealing Hebrew boy names as Amos, Asher, Eli, Ezra, and Moses.
Hebrew is spoken in modern Israel, so it's both an ancient and a living language. Names popular in modern Israel include many Hebrew names but some modern Israeli names as well.
The top Hebrew names for girls in Israel include Abigail, Sarah, and Esther. Top Hebrew names for boys in Israel include David, Ariel, and Raphael.
If you’re searching for Hebrew names for your baby or simply want to survey all the options with roots in ancient languages and cultures, here is the full range of Hebrew name choices in our database, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Isabella
Origin:
Spanish and Italian variation of Elizabeth, HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Isabella has been a Top 10 name for girls in the US for two decades now. The Latinate form of Isabel, a variation of Elizabeth which originally derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, Isabella reigned as Number 1 in 2009 and 2010.
- Eliza
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Eliza is a name with a wonderful combination of streamlined zest and Eliza Doolittle charm and spunk. It's a classic that's popular right now -- but not too popular.
- Elizabeth
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Elizabeth is one of the most popular girls' names of all time, the female equivalent of James or William. Yet Elizabeth has so much going for it—rich history, broad appeal, and timeless style—that no matter how many little girls are named Lizzie, Eliza, and Beth, you can still make Elizabeth your own.
- Aria
Origin:
Italian and HebrewMeaning:
"air; song or melody; lion"Description:
Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
- Ayla
Origin:
Hebrew, or TurkishMeaning:
"oak tree, or halo, moonlight"Description:
Bright, fresh, and sunny, Ayla is a fashionable choice for girls. Reminiscent of other trending names such as Layla, Isla, and Ava, Ayla has recently found its place in the Top 100.
- Eden
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"place of pleasure, delight"Description:
Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the seventeenth century.
- Delilah
Origin:
Hebrew or ArabicMeaning:
"delicate"Description:
Melodic and lively, Delilah has cut itself (mostly) free from its treacherous past to become a contemporary favorite.
- Anna
Origin:
Variation of Hannah, HebrewMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne.
- Evie
Origin:
Diminutive of Eve or EvaMeaning:
"life"Description:
Evie was derived from Eve, which in turn comes from Chawwah, a Hebrew name related to the concept of life. Evie can be used as a nickname for any name that starts with Ev-, including Eva, Evelyn, and Evangeline, but also for names such as Genevieve and Maeve. Evie is typically pronounced with a long E sound, but a short E is also valid.
- Eva
Origin:
Latin form of Eve, HebrewMeaning:
"life"Description:
Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular sister Eve, Eva is one of the elite group of girl names that mean life.
- Eliana
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my God has answered"Description:
Eliana is a lilting, rhythmic choice, which has caught on in the US and other English-speaking countries, along with many other El-starting names.
- Abigail
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my father is joyful"Description:
Abigail has been in for so long -- the name has ranked in the US Top 100 since the late 1980s -- it's amazing that it isn't more out by now. But Abigail's biblical and historic roots make it a fashionable classic rather than a passing fad.
- Hannah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Hannah is one of the nation's top biblical girls' names—it surpassed Sarah in 1998, and ranks in the Top 50 along with Elizabeth, Abigail, Chloe, and Naomi. Hannah is a name with many sources of appeal: Old Testament roots, soft and gentle sound, and a homey yet aristocratic image.
- Keziah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"cassia tree"Description:
This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry — making it one to watch!
- Mara
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"bitter"Description:
Mara is the evocative ancient root of Mary, appearing in the Book of Ruth, in which Naomi, devastated after the death of her two sons, says "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara." It's one of the girl names starting with M that both fits in and stands out.
- Amalia
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"work"Description:
Amalia is a widely cross-cultural name, heard from Italy to Romania, Germany to Scandinavia. The current heir to the Dutch throne is Princess Catharina-Amalia of Orange. It can be pronounced ah-MAH-lee-a or ah-mah-LEE-a.
- Kayla
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"laurel, crown"Description:
Kayla is a modern invented name that emerged in the late 1950s. Despite its similarity to the name Michaela, Kayla most likely began as a combination of the then-popular name Kay and -la suffix. Alternatively, it may be a variation of the Yiddish name Kaila, which derived from the Hebrew name Kelila. Kayla can also be considered an Anglicization of the Gaelic surname MacCaollaidhe or MacCathail.
- Eve
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"life"Description:
Eve, the oldest name in the Book, is now coming back into style, having the virtues of simplicity and purity, yet with more strength and resonance than other single-syllable names like Ann. British actor Clive Owen chose Eve for his daughter, as did Jessica Capshaw.
- Rebecca
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"to tie, bind"Description:
Rebecca is a name representing beauty in the Bible, an Old Testament classic that reached the heights of revived popularity in the seventies but is still a well-used choice. It derives from the Hebrew name Rivkah, from the verb ribbqah, meaning "noose." The biblical Rebecca was the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob. Rebekah was a common spelling of the name in the Bible.
- Ariel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lion of God"Description:
Ariel is a male Biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest.