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Mazal Tov, eema-to-be!
If you’re looking for a long list of Hebrew baby names to honor your Jewish heritage, you’ve found it.
Here we share the most popular, beautiful, and unique Hebrew names.
An ancient language that all but disappeared around 400 AD, Hebrew was revived towards the end of the 19th century.
Today, it’s the official language of Israel and spoken fluently by its 8 million-plus residents, while it also crops up in communities around the world, from Warsaw to New York and far beyond.
Because of its historical origins, many popular Hebrew names are prominent throughout the Old Testament.
If choosing a Biblical baby name is important to you or your family, our list of Hebrew names and meanings is here to guide and inspire you.
In this article: 📝
- Popular Hebrew names
- Gender-neutral Hebrew names
- Hebrew Israelite names
- Cool Hebrew names
- Unique Hebrew names
- Hebrew names for rainbow babies
- What is the best Hebrew name?
Popular Hebrew names
First up, the most popular Hebrew names that you may not know have such an illustrious history.
You’d be surprised how popular these Hebrew baby names actually are!
What are Hebrew female names?
Hebrew names for girls are pretty popular around the world ‒ you may know different variations of each of these beautiful monikers:
- Abigail: The 4th most popular girl’s name in Israel in 2019, Abigail is a wonderful choice if only for its meaning: “source of joy”. Notable Abigails include First Lady, Abigail Adams, and Little Miss Sunshine actress, Abigail Breslin.
- Elizabeth: Elizabeth, or the Hebrew variation, Elisheva, is a regular top 100 name in Israel, in addition to being a pretty popular name in general. Versatile (she could go by Liz or Beth), this classic name means “my God is an oath” and has been shared by queens of the royal and silver screen variety.
- Esther: Your little lady will almost certainly be the center of attention, so Esther could be the perfect option. Why? Because the 10th most popular girl’s name in Israel means “star”. Of the show? You bet.
- Hannah: Hannah, and variations Hanna, Hana, Hanah, and Chana, was pipped to the top 10 by Esther in 2019, but remains a firm favorite in Israel and beyond. It means “favor” or “grace” and is the first name of the actress Hannah Dakota Fanning.
- Sarah: Every mama’s little girl is her princess, but when you name her Sarah, you’ll mean it. In Hebrew, the name means “woman of high rank” which is often translated to, you guessed it, “princess”. Famous Sarahs include actresses Sarah Hyland and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
➡️ Don’t miss our full list of Hebrew baby girl names
What are Hebrew male names?
And now for the boys!
Popular Hebrew names for boys can be found around the world, but here are the most common:
- Aaron: Sneaking into the top 20 most popular boy’s names in Israel at #19, Aaron (alternatively Aron or Aharon) can mean “mountain of strength” or “inspired”. Famous Aarons include Vice President, Aaron Burr (hello, Hamilton fans) and writer/director, Aaron Sorkin.
- Daniel: A common name in Israel and beyond, Daniel derives from the Hebrew name Daniyyel, which means “God is my judge”. It’s the 12th most popular name in the US over the past 100 years and is shared by the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Danny DeVito, and Dan Aykroyd.
- Gabriel: Meaning “God’s bravest man”, Gabriel is a name with clear religious connections, not just in Judaism, but in Christianity and Islam, too. Notable Gabriels include actors Gabriel Byrne and Gabriel Macht.
- Isaac: Banking on a smiley, happy baby? Aren’t we all. Well, nudge him in the right direction and name him Isaac. Meaning “he laughs”, Isaac (also Isak or Yitzchak) was the 20th most popular boy’s name in Israel in 2019.
- Noah: The second most popular name in the USA (after Liam), Noah is thought to mean “rest comfortably” — which is every mama’s wish with a new baby! Most commonly associated with Noah’s Ark, other famous Noahs include actor Noah Wyle and director Noah Baumbach.
➡️ Don’t miss our full list of Hebrew baby boy names
Gender-neutral Hebrew names
Did you know that most Hebrew baby names are actually unisex?
That’s right ‒ gender-neutral Hebrew names are in the dozens, plenty for you to choose from:
- Achava: Meaning “brotherhood”.
- Addi: Meaning “jewel”.
- Amiel: Meaning “people of God”.
- Areli: Meaning “lion of God”.
- Ari: Meaning “lion”.
- Arien: Meaning “enchanted”.
- Arion: Meaning “melodious”.
- Asa: Meaning “healer”.
- Avi: Meaning “father”.
- Beres: Meaning “birch”.
- Coby: Meaning “supplanter”.
- Dagan: Meaning “grain”.
- Elan: Meaning “tree”.
- Eliada: Meaning “knowledge of God”.
- Ezra: meaning “help”.
- Ira: Meaning “watchful”.
- Jada: Meaning “He knows”.
- James: Meaning “of the heel”.
- Jesse: Meaning “God’s gift”.
- Jorah: Meaning “first rain”.
- Jordan: Meaning “below”.
- Katriel: Meaning “my crown is God”.
- Lael: Meaning “my God”.
- Lavi: Meaning “lion”.
- Marion: Meaning “bitter”.
- Mayim: Meaning “water”.
- Noam: Meaning “pleasantness”.
- Ori: Meaning “my light”.
- Orly: Meaning “you are my light”.
- Rotem: Meaning “desert plant”.
- Salem: Meaning “peaceful”.
- Shachar: Meaning “dawn”.
- Shai: Meaning “gift”.
- Shalom: Meaning “peace”.
- Shiloh: Meaning “peace”.
- Simcha: Meaning “joy”.
- Solal: Meaning “sweet”.
- Tabor: Meaning “choice”.
- Teva: Meaning “nature”.
- Yarden: Meaning “flow downward”.
- Yoad: Meaning “God is my witness”.
- Yonah: Meaning “dove”.
- Yuval: Meaning “stream”.
- Zion: Meaning “highest point”.
- Ziv: Meaning “radiance”.
- Zuriel: Meaning “God is my rock”.
Hebrew Israelite names
If you’re from Israel, or if you or your partner have Israeli heritage, you might want to reflect that in the naming of your child.
Traditionally, choosing Hebrew Israelite names would see meaning given equal importance to spelling, sound, and pronunciation.
There are also certain Jewish naming practices to be aware of, but these are usually observed as guidelines, rather than hard and fast rules.
For instance, some Jewish communities don’t name babies after living relatives, while others do.
Hebrew Israelite names for girls
Here are some beautiful Hebrew Israelite names for girls, with sweet and powerful meanings:
- Amariah: Meaning “God has said”.
- Alma: Meaning “young woman”.
- Astera: After the aster flower.
- Azaria: Meaning “God has helped”.
- Davita: Meaning “beloved”.
- Elisha: Meaning “My God is salvation”.
- Gal: Meaning “wave”.
- Hira: Meaning “power”.
- Kizzy: Meaning “cinnamon”.
- Medina: Meaning “country”.
- Merkaba: Meaning “chariot”.
- Naphtali: Meaning “struggling”.
- Nariah: Meaning “lamp of God”.
- Natania: Meaning “God has given”.
- Neta: Meaning “seedling”.
- Rashka: Meaning “one with purity”.
- Rimona: Meaning “pomegranate”.
- Shira: Meaning “poetry”.
Hebrew Israelite names for boys
And some Hebrew Israelite names for boys, perfect for your little one:
- Adiel: Meaning “ornament of God”.
- Adriel: Meaning “God’s flock”.
- Alef: Meaning “chief”.
- Armin: Meaning “high place”.
- Avidan: Meaning “God is just”.
- Avinoam: Meaning “my father is pleasant”.
- Baram: Meaning “son of the nation”.
- Canaan: Meaning “merchant”.
- Davi: Meaning “cherished”.
- Elon: Meaning “oak tree”.
- Herman: Meaning “shepherd”.
- Jadiel: Meaning “One who will judge”.
- Matan: Meaning “gift”.
- Peniel: Meaning “vision of God”.
- Rahm: Meaning “high”.
- Sagi: Meaning “great”.
- Zebediah: Meaning “gift of God”.
Unisex Hebrew Israelite names
Interestingly, however, many of the most popular modern Hebrew Israelite names are short, contain only two syllables, and are typically unisex.
Here are some Hebrew Israelite names you can use for girls or boys ‒ simply add an “it” at the end for a traditional Hebrew Israelite name for girls:
- Adin or Adinit: Meaning “delicate”.
- Bar or Barit: Meaning “open field” or “pure”.
- Dani or Danit: Meaning “God is my judge”.
- Lior or Liorit: Meaning “my light”.
- Mor or Morit: Meaning “myrrh”.
- Paz or Pazit: Meaning “golden”.
- Stav or Stavit: Meaning “praised” or “fall”.
Cool Hebrew names
Some Hebrew baby names are just plain cool.
Here are the coolest Hebrew names in our book, from meanings to sounds.
- Abel: Meaning “breath”. ♂️
- Adele: Meaning “noble”. ♀️
- Amos: Meaning “borne by God”. ♂️
- Ariel: Meaning “lion of God”. ♀️ ♂️
- Aviva: Meaning “springlike”. ♀️
- Barak: Meaning “lightning”. ♂️
- Bart: Meaning “son of the earth”. ♂️
- Ben: Meaning “son”. ♂️
- Caleb: Meaning “faithful”. ♂️
- Danielle: Meaning “God is my judge”. ♀️
- David: Meaning “beloved”. ♂️
- Davina: Meaning “beloved”. ♀️
- Eden: After the Garden of Eden. ♀️
- Efrem: Meaning “fruitful”. ♂️
- Elijah: Meaning “Jehovah is my God”. ♂️
- Eliya: Meaning “Jehovah is my God”. ♀️
- Emma: Meaning “universal”. ♀️
- Hiram: Meaning “high-born”. ♂️
- Jacob: Meaning “supplanter”. ♂️
- Jane: Meaning “God is gracious”. ♀️
- Jacqueline: Meaning “supplanter”. ♀️
- Jared: Meaning “descent”. ♂️
- Josiah: Meaning “God supports and heals”. ♂️
- Leah: Meaning “delicate”. ♀️
- Levi: Meaning “joined”. ♂️
- Madelaine: Meaning “from the tower”. ♀️
- Maya: Meaning “water”. ♀️
- Micah: Meaning “who is like God”. ♂️
- Miriam: Meaning “beloved”. ♀️
- Naomi: Meaning “pleasantness”. ♀️
- Nathan: Meaning “gift of God”. ♂️
- Noa: Meaning “motion”. ♀️ ♂️
- Oren: Meaning “pine”. ♂️
- Rachael: Meaning “one with purity”. ♀️
- Rebecca: Meaning “to tie”. ♀️
- Romi: Meaning “my height”. ♀️ ♂️
- Ruth: Meaning “friend”. ♀️
- Sharon: Meaning “fertile plain”. ♀️
- Simon: Meaning “listen”. ♂️
- Solomon: Meaning “man of peace”. ♂️
- Tamar: Meaning “date palm”. ♀️ ♂️
- Zachery: Meaning “God remembers”. ♂️
What is a beautiful Hebrew name?
We think the most beautiful Hebrew name is simply:
- Nava: Meaning “beautiful”.
What name means strong in Hebrew?
After a powerful Hebrew name that means strong?
We’ve got you covered:
- Ahmik: Meaning “strength of God’s flock”. ♂️
- Arashel: Meaning “strong”. ♂️
- Eitan: Meaning “strong”. ♂️
- Ezekiel: Meaning “strength of God”. ♂️
- Gabriella: Meaning “God is my strength”. ♀️
- Oz: Meaning “strength and courage”. ♂️
- Yesmina: Meaning “strong right hand”. ♀️
Unique Hebrew names
Some Hebrew baby names, like Abigail and James, are popular ‒ regular occurrences in the playground.
But if you want a unique Hebrew name that no other baby will have, with an unusual meaning, you can pretty much guarantee your baby will be the only one with that name among their friends.
Here are our favorite unique Hebrew names:
- Breindel: Meaning “blessing”.
- Dror: Meaning “freedom”.
- Gefen: Meaning “grapevine”.
- Hadar: Meaning “splendor”.
- Leor: Meaning “my light”.
- Libe: Meaning “beloved”.
- Liron: Meaning “my song”.
- Lotem: Meaning “bush of golden flowers”.
- Nitzan: Meaning “flower bud”.
- Nogah: Meaning “brightness”.
- Nuri: Meaning “my fire”.
- Raz: Meaning “God’s secret”.
- Tal: Meaning “dew”.
- Terah: Meaning “breathe”.
- Zorea: Meaning “farmer”.
Hebrew names for rainbow babies
A rainbow baby is the name given to a baby conceived after a loss
And naming your rainbow baby can be a challenging, emotional task.
But this is where Hebrew name meanings could offer some inspiration:
- Alisa: Meaning “great happiness”. ♀️
- Asher: Meaning “blessed”. ♂️
- Eve: Meaning “life”. ♀️
- Gil: Meaning “happiness”. ♂️
- Keshet: Meaning “rainbow”. ♀️
- Saul: Meaning “prayed for”. ♂️
- Tair: Meaning “will light up. ♀️
- Yadon: Meaning “thankful”. ♂️
What is the best Hebrew name?
Perhaps the loveliest thing about choosing a Hebrew name for your little one is the story attached.
These Hebrew baby names are rich in history and meaning, with many spanning thousands of years — and you get to share that with your baby and your family.
Want a second opinion on these Hebrew baby names? Feel free to ask our mamas on Peanut ‒ they’ll be happy to help!