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Biblical names for girls span both testaments — some so familiar they’ve never left the naming charts, others tucked into a single verse and rarely used since. If you’re drawn to a name with scripture behind it, there’s a full range here: classic picks nearly everyone recognizes, rarer ones worth reviving, and plenty in between. This list moves through all of it, meaning included, so you can find the one that fits.
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Here’s what’s in store –
The Founding Mothers — Names from Genesis
Women Who Changed the Outcome — Exodus Through Judges
Names from the Royal Courts — Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
Names from Ruth, Esther, Job, and the Wisdom Books
Prophetesses and Women of Vision
The women of the Bible are often undersung. But their names survived, quietly, long after the politics and the battles and the dynasties faded. Deborah led an army. Rahab hid spies and saved her family with a scarlet cord. Lydia was the first European convert — a businesswoman who opened her home as a church. Phoebe carried Paul’s letter to Rome. These aren’t passive names. They come with context, with spine.
This list pulls from the full sweep of scripture — Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and deuterocanonical texts — with an honest look at origins and meanings. You’ll find the classics you expect (Hannah, Mary, Ruth) alongside names most people have never considered (Tirzah, Mahlah, Euodia, Apphia). Some are immediately wearable today; others are the kind of rare find that makes you feel like you’ve discovered something.
If you’re choosing a name with intention — something meaningful but not common, grounded but not dated — this is a good place to start.
The Founding Mothers — Names from Genesis
Genesis introduces us to women who negotiated, loved, fled, deceived, grieved, and built families under impossible circumstances. These are the original matriarchs, and their names have a particular depth because of it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: EEV · ˈiːv
- Meaning: life, living
- Popularity: #569 and rising (#599 → #569, 2024)
The first name given in Genesis, and still one of the most striking in its simplicity.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: SAIR-ah · ˈsɛrə
- Meaning: lady, princess
- Popularity: #95 and falling (#91 → #95, 2024)
Abraham’s wife who laughed at a divine promise — and got exactly what she was promised.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: ri-BEK-ah · rɪˈbɛkə
- Meaning: to bind or tie (variant spelling of Rebecca)
- Popularity: #877 and rising (#1,005 → #877, 2024)
Isaac’s wife, whose quick thinking at a well launched a dynasty.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: RAY-chul · ˈreɪtʃəl
- Meaning: ewe (female sheep)
- Popularity: #247 and rising (#254 → #247, 2024)
Jacob loved her for fourteen years; the name still carries that same romantic pull.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: LEE-ah · ˈliːə
- Meaning: uncertain; possibly linked to a Proto-Semitic root for ‘wild cow’; popularly read as ‘weary’
- Popularity: #53, holding steady (2024)
The overlooked sister whose sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical: Abraham’s second wife)
- Meaning: incense, fragrance
- Popularity: #3,460 and rising (#3,547 → #3,460, 2024)
Abraham’s second wife, mentioned quietly in Genesis 25; nearly unheard today and completely beautiful.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: stranger, sojourner
- Popularity: #14,444 as of 2018 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The enslaved woman who received a divine promise in the wilderness — her story is one of scripture’s most moving.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical)
- Pronunciation: DY-nah · ˈdaɪnə
- Meaning: judged or vindicated
- Popularity: #3,895 and falling (#3,782 → #3,895, 2024)
Jacob and Leah’s only named daughter; her story in Genesis 34 is complex and worth reading.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Pronunciation: TAY-mar · ˈteɪmɑːr
- Meaning: date palm / palm tree (from the date fruit)
- Popularity: #2,374 and rising (#2,550 → #2,374, 2024)
Name of two important biblical women; associated with dignity, endurance, and fierce self-determination.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: queen (from the Hebrew root for ‘to rule’)
- Popularity: #10,780 and rising (#10,877 → #10,780, 2024)
Nahor’s wife and grandmother of Rebekah; royal by name and lineage.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: uncertain; Hebrew root disputed
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Leah’s handmaid and mother of Gad and Asher; seldom heard but hauntingly soft.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: traditionally read as ‘timid’ or ‘troubled’ (biblical handmaid of Rachel)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Rachel’s handmaid and mother of Dan and Naphtali; rare and unexpectedly gentle.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: adornment, beauty
- Popularity: #2,049 and rising (#2,372 → #2,049, 2024)
Carried by two women in Genesis — Lamech’s wife and Esau’s — both lending it warmth.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: shade, shadow
- Popularity: #6,139 and rising (#8,978 → #6,139, 2024)
Lamech’s other wife in Genesis 4; the double-L gives it an almost lyrical sound.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: pleasant, lovely
- Popularity: #10,794 and rising (#13,046 → #10,794, 2024)
Lamech’s daughter and, in some rabbinic traditions, Noah’s wife; a name meaning pure delight.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: fragrance, spice
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Esau’s wife; the same aromatic root as the Hebrew word for perfume.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Allotted portion, restrained
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A Horite princess in Genesis 36; geographically anchored and very rare today.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Abundance, to go free
- Popularity: #7,510 and rising (#8,410 → #7,510, 2024)
Asher’s daughter, one of very few women named in the census lists — an unusual honor.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical)
- Meaning: One who looks forth, watchful
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: one who answers
- Popularity: #15,404 and falling (#8,060 → #15,404, 2024)
A Horite woman in Genesis 36, mother of Esau’s wife Oholibamah.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: tent of the high place
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of Esau’s wives; unwieldy in length, undeniably striking.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: favored by God
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Wife of Hadar, last king of Edom; carries a quiet theological confidence.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Pushing forward
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Mehetabel’s mother in Genesis 36; so rare it barely registers in any name database.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Exalted, elevated
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Nahor’s concubine mentioned in Genesis 22; four syllables of forgotten scripture.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: JOO-dith · ˈdʒuːdɪθ
- Meaning: woman from Judea (a Jewish woman)
- Popularity: #832 and rising (#905 → #832, 2024)
Esau’s Hittite wife in Genesis, and later the heroine of her own deuterocanonical book.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical name, precise root disputed)
- Meaning: Pressed, oppression
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Multiple women carry this name across Genesis and the histories; stark and unusual today.
Women Who Changed the Outcome — Exodus Through Judges
From the midwives who defied Pharaoh to the judge who led an army to the woman who drove a tent peg through an enemy general’s temple, this era of scripture is full of women whose names deserve to be remembered.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is glory
- Popularity: #9,183 and rising (#12,731 → #9,183, 2024)
Moses’s mother, who hid her infant son in a papyrus basket and trusted the river.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: MEER-ee-um · ˈmɪriəm
- Meaning: bitter (disputed, alt. ‘rebellion’)
- Popularity: #251 and falling (#248 → #251, 2024)
Moses’s sister, the first woman in the Torah called a prophet, who led the women in song at the Red Sea.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: possibly ‘splendid’ or ‘young woman’ (disputed)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of two Hebrew midwives who defied Pharaoh’s infanticide order and saved infant lives.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: beauty; pleasantness
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Puah’s co-conspirator; her name is as warm-sounding as her act was brave.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: bird
- Popularity: #2,916 and falling (#2,644 → #2,916, 2024)
Moses’s Midianite wife, daughter of a shepherd-priest, whose quick action at a roadside saved Moses’s life.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical, related root to Elizabeth)
- Meaning: Hebrew, generally read as ‘my God is an oath’; some scholars instead connect the second element to ‘abundance/seven’ rather than ‘oath’ — the exact reading is debated
- Popularity: #12,494 and rising (#12,502 → #12,494, 2024)
Aaron’s wife; later, in Greek form, this became Elizabeth.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Weakness, sickness
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Eldest daughter of Zelophehad, who petitioned Moses successfully for her father’s inheritance — a landmark legal moment in the Torah.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: NOH-ah · ˈnoʊə
- Meaning: rest, settle
- Popularity: #561 and rising (#642 → #561, 2024)
Second daughter of Zelophehad; shares a name with the famous patriarch but is entirely her own person.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: partridge
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Third daughter of Zelophehad; ornithological, earthy, and completely unheard on modern playgrounds.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: TUR-zah · ˈtɜːrzə
- Meaning: pleasant; delightful (biblical: daughter of Zelophehad)
- Popularity: #3,939 and rising (#3,974 → #3,939, 2024)
Fifth daughter of Zelophehad, who also lent her name to a beautiful city; soft and lilting.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Anklet, bangle
- Popularity: #10,249 and rising (#13,467 → #10,249, 2024)
Caleb’s daughter, who negotiated boldly for additional land as her bride-price — one of scripture’s underrated power moves.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: wide, spacious, or broad
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The Jericho innkeeper who hid Israelite spies and saved her whole family with a scarlet cord in the window.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: DEB-ur-ah · ˈdɛbərə
- Meaning: bee
- Popularity: #852 and rising (#968 → #852, 2024)
Israel’s only female judge, a prophet and military leader who commanded armies and wrote victory poetry.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: JAY-el · ˈdʒeɪəl
- Meaning: mountain goat, ibex
- Popularity: #1,470 and rising (#1,588 → #1,470, 2024)
The woman who ended a war by driving a tent peg through the enemy general’s temple; a name with extraordinary history.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical)
- Pronunciation: dih-LY-lah · dɪˈlaɪlə
- Meaning: Delicate, weak, or night
- Popularity: #50 and rising (#52 → #50, 2024)
Samson’s companion, whose name sounds as soft as it is storied.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: nape or back of the neck
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Ruth’s sister-in-law who returned to Moab; her name is almost never used, and it sounds genuinely lovely.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: ROOTH · ˈruːθ
- Meaning: possibly ‘companion’ (the Hebrew root is uncertain)
- Popularity: #172 and rising (#187 → #172, 2024)
The Moabite woman whose loyalty to Naomi is one of the great love stories of the Bible — not romantic, but bone-deep.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: nay-OH-mee · neɪˈoʊmi
- Meaning: pleasant, agreeable
- Popularity: #44, holding steady (2024)
Ruth’s mother-in-law, who renamed herself Mara (“bitter”) in grief; the name Naomi is having a gentle revival.
– **Acsah** — alternate spelling of Achsah; see above.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical place name, occasionally used as a given name)
- Meaning: Actually a place. **Cozbi** — My lie, deceit
- Popularity: #9,379 and falling (#8,841 → #9,379, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: peace; peaceful one
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Name carried by several women in the Hebrew Bible; calm and underused.
– **Naamah** (daughter of Lamech) — same root, different woman; sometimes distinguished as the Genesis Naamah.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my father is strength
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Name of several women in the Hebrew Bible; carries a quiet authority.
– **Elisheba** — See above; worth noting that this Hebrew form predates and produces Elizabeth.
Names from the Royal Courts — Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
The women of the royal eras were navigating politics, grief, power plays, and dynastic survival. Their names reflect a world where beauty and danger were never far apart.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: HAN-ah · ˈhænə
- Meaning: favor or grace, from a root meaning ‘to be gracious’
- Popularity: #52 and falling (#48 → #52, 2024)
The barren woman who prayed so fervently the priest thought she was drunk, and whose son Samuel changed Israel’s history.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: coral or pearl
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Hannah’s rival wife; her name is precious-sounding, whatever one thinks of her story.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical name, a distinct spelling from Michael)
- Pronunciation: mee-KAHL · miˈkɑːl
- Meaning: Who is like God?
- Popularity: #3,612 and rising (#3,686 → #3,612, 2024)
Saul’s daughter and David’s first wife; she loved David fiercely and paid a high price for it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: growth or abundance (from a Hebrew root meaning ‘many/great’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Michal’s older sister, Saul’s daughter; the name has a compressed, strong sound.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: AB-ih-gayl · ˈæbɪɡeɪl
- Meaning: my father’s joy
- Popularity: #32 and falling (#31 → #32, 2024)
The quick-thinking Carmelite woman who intercepted David’s rage with bread and wine; later became his wife.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my brother is pleasant (a Hebrew compound of ‘brother’ and ‘pleasantness’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my father is dew
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: young cow, heifer
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Listed as David’s sixth wife in 2 Samuel 3; unusual and very rare today.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: festive one, from the root for feast or celebration
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Mother of Adonijah; the name carries an almost joyful energy despite its obscurity.
– **Maacah** (daughter of Talmai) — Pressed, oppression (Hebrew). David’s wife and Absalom’s mother; same name as the Genesis character, borne by multiple women across the history books.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: daughter of the oath (by wordplay on ‘sheva, ‘ also read as ‘daughter of seven’)
- Popularity: #13,700 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The woman whose roof-garden bath set a catastrophic royal tragedy in motion; and the mother of Solomon.
– **Tamar** (daughter of David) — Palm tree (Hebrew). David’s daughter, whose story in 2 Samuel 13 is harrowing; the name itself is beautiful, whatever the weight it carries.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical)
- Meaning: Hot coal, glowing coal
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Saul’s concubine who kept vigil over her sons’ bodies for months; one of the most quietly devastating figures in the Hebrew Bible.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: uncertain; possibly related to a Hebrew word for balm/resin
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
David’s sister and mother of Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; a rare and striking name.
– **Naamah** (wife of Solomon, mother of Rehoboam) — Pleasant, lovely (Hebrew). An Ammonite woman who carried Israel’s next king; distinct from the Genesis Naamahs.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is exalted (exact derivation disputed)
- Popularity: #2,657 and rising (#4,755 → #2,657, 2024)
The only woman to rule Judah as queen, for six years; the name is long and has a dramatic weight.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: the LORD is her oath
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The princess who hid infant Joash from Athaliah’s purge, preserving the Davidic line.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: weasel (or mole)
- Popularity: #14,059 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A prophet consulted by King Josiah — one of the very few women in the Hebrew Bible called a prophetess by title.
– **Basemath** (Solomon’s daughter) — Spice/fragrance (Hebrew). Solomon’s daughter married to one of his governors; same evocative name as Esau’s wife.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: uncertain: a stringed instrument, or sickness
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Rehoboam’s wife; the musical instrument meaning lends it an unexpected softness.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: fame; renown; report
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Mother of one of King Joash’s assassins; rare and stark.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh delights
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Mother of King Amaziah of Judah; a name of quiet theological joy.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: crown
- Popularity: #2,794 and rising (#2,854 → #2,794, 2024)
Wife of Jerahmeel in 1 Chronicles; regal in the most literal sense.
– **Abihail** (wife of Abishur) — My father is strength (Hebrew). Distinct from the Abihail in other passages; the name appears multiple times across the histories.
- Origin: Hebrew (rare biblical name)
- Meaning: Necklace, rust
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of Ashhur’s wives in 1 Chronicles 4; obscure, with an appealing sound.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: young woman, maiden
- Popularity: #13,018 and falling (#10,096 → #13,018, 2024)
Ashhur’s other wife in 1 Chronicles 4; younger-feeling in meaning than most on this list.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: daughter of Yahweh
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The Egyptian princess who drew baby Moses from the Nile, and who tradition says converted to Hebrew faith.
- Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
- Meaning: afflicted, leprous (from a disputed ancient Hebrew root)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Mother of Jeroboam I; a solemn name with a striking sound.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my delight is in her
- Popularity: #11,445 and falling (#9,855 → #11,445, 2024)
Mother of King Manasseh; also used poetically in Isaiah as a name for restored Jerusalem — deeply meaningful.
Names from Ruth, Esther, Job, and the Wisdom Books
These books carry some of the most beloved names in the biblical tradition, alongside a handful of hidden ones most readers skip past.
- Origin: Hebrew (Biblical), root disputed
- Pronunciation: ES-ter · ˈɛstər
- Meaning: star
- Popularity: #131 and rising (#138 → #131, 2024)
The Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and saved her people from genocide; still a great name with undeniable presence.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: huh-DASS-ah · həˈdæsə
- Meaning: myrtle (tree)
- Popularity: #532 and rising (#612 → #532, 2024)
Esther’s Hebrew name; a fragrant flowering shrub with deep symbolism in the Hebrew prophets.
- Origin: Persian (biblical, via Hebrew)
- Pronunciation: VASH-ty · ˈvæʃtaɪ
- Meaning: beautiful
- Popularity: #11,006 and falling (#7,609 → #11,006, 2024)
The queen who refused the king’s command and was deposed for it; a name associated with dignity and defiance.
- Origin: Hebrew (variant spelling of Jemima)
- Meaning: dove
- Popularity: #4,693 and rising (#5,303 → #4,693, 2024)
Job’s eldest daughter after his restoration; used by English Puritans and carried quietly into modern times.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: kuh-ZY-uh · kəˈzaɪə
- Meaning: cassia (a fragrant spice tree)
- Popularity: #865 and rising (#1,052 → #865, 2024)
Job’s second restored daughter; a spice name, warm and uncommon.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: horn of eye-paint (a cosmetic vessel)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Job’s third daughter, whose name literally refers to cosmetics; unusual but beautifully layered in meaning.
– **Naomi** — See above; worth noting that Ruth’s Naomi is the book’s emotional center.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Greek Sousanna), ultimately an Egyptian word for the lotus flower
- Pronunciation: soo-ZAN-ah · suːˈzænə
- Meaning: lily (traditional gloss); root ultimately denotes the lotus flower
- Popularity: #1,360 and falling (#1,291 → #1,360, 2024)
From the deuterocanonical addition to Daniel; Susanna is falsely accused and vindicated — a story of courage and justice.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: woman from the town of Shulem
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The beloved in the Song of Solomon; the name carries all the sensory richness of that poetic book.
– **Tirzah** (the city as a name) — Pleasantness/delight (Hebrew). Also praised in the Song of Solomon alongside Jerusalem; a name that appears in poetry and law.
Prophetesses and Women of Vision
The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament each name their female prophets specifically, and those names deserve particular attention. These women spoke for God, interpreted scripture for kings, and led communities of faith.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Latin/Greek)
- Pronunciation: AN-ah · ˈænə
- Meaning: grace
- Popularity: #94 and falling (#79 → #94, 2024)
The 84-year-old prophetess in Luke 2 who recognized the infant Jesus in the Temple and told everyone she met; the Greek form of Hannah.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: meeting or assembly with Yahweh
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A prophetess who opposed Nehemiah’s rebuilding project — a dissenting voice with a remarkable name.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: ih-LIZ-uh-beth · ɪˈlɪzəbəθ
- Meaning: my God is an oath
- Popularity: #17 and falling (#15 → #17, 2024)
John the Baptist’s mother, filled with the Holy Spirit at Mary’s greeting; the Greek form of Elisheba.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Old French, Middle English)
- Pronunciation: MAIR-ee · ˈmɛri
- Meaning: Beloved, or drop of the sea, or bitter
- Popularity: #132 and rising (#133 → #132, 2024)
Borne by at least six women in the New Testament; the name carries extraordinary weight.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: good victory
- Popularity: #1,967 and rising (#2,197 → #1,967, 2024)
Timothy’s mother and Lois’s daughter; Paul credits her with raising a man of deep faith.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Meaning: More desirable, agreeable
- Popularity: #1,698 and falling (#1,591 → #1,698, 2024)
Timothy’s grandmother, named in 2 Timothy 1 as a woman of genuine faith — one of very few grandmothers explicitly honored in the New Testament.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: joh-AN-ah · dʒoʊˈænə
- Meaning: God is gracious (feminine form of John/Yehochanan)
- Popularity: #329 and rising (#339 → #329, 2024)
One of the women who funded Jesus’s ministry and who witnessed the resurrection; the female form of John.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Aramaic/Greek Magdala)
- Meaning: woman from Magdala (a town whose name means ‘tower’)
- Popularity: #1,419 and rising (#1,530 → #1,419, 2024)
Mary Magdalene’s identifier, not technically a name — but parents use it, and it has a powerful resonance.
Women of the Gospels
The Gospels introduce us to women who appear at the margins of the main narrative but anchor its most significant moments — they are present at the birth, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.
- Origin: Aramaic
- Pronunciation: MAR-thuh · ˈmɑːrθə
- Meaning: lady, mistress
- Popularity: #667 and rising (#674 → #667, 2024)
Mary of Bethany’s sister, whose name is practical and grounded and undergoing a deserved modern comeback.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Greek)
- Pronunciation: suh-LOH-mee · səˈloʊmi
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #952 and rising (#1,113 → #952, 2024)
Present at the crucifixion and the empty tomb; the name is calm and lovely, unfairly overshadowed by the Herodian dancing-girl association.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Mary of Magdala (‘the tower town’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The first to see the risen Jesus, first to announce the resurrection; arguably the most important witness in the Gospel narratives.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: of the house of Herod
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
John the Baptist’s nemesis; the name is dramatic, rare, and carries complicated associations.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Miriam/Mary)
- Meaning: Beloved
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The sister who sat at Jesus’s feet when Martha was working; who anointed his feet with perfume. The contemplative one.
- Origin: Latin (Roman clan name)
- Meaning: lame, limping (as with the Roman gens Claudia/Claudius)
- Popularity: #1,090 and falling (#1,080 → #1,090, 2024)
Mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21; she was likely a member of the Roman aristocracy and early Christian community.
- Origin: Greek (via Latin)
- Pronunciation: vur-ON-ik-ah · vəˈrɑːnɪkə
- Meaning: bringer of victory (from Berenice/Pherenike)
- Popularity: #392 and rising (#411 → #392, 2024)
Not named in the canonical Gospels but in tradition; the woman who wiped Jesus’s face on the way to Golgotha.
Early Church Women — Acts and the Epistles
These women built the church. They hosted it in their homes, funded it, carried letters across the empire, led congregations, and are explicitly called apostles, deacons, and ministers in the Pauline letters. Their names are often Greek, reflecting the cosmopolitan world of the first-century Mediterranean.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Pronunciation: LID-ee-ah · ˈlɪdiə
- Meaning: originally ‘woman from Lydia’ (a region in Asia Minor); the underlying Greek word also carries a sense of ‘beautiful, noble’
- Popularity: #97 and falling (#95 → #97, 2024)
A dealer in purple cloth who was the first European convert, baptized in a river outside Philippi, and opened her home as the first European church.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: prih-SIL-uh · prɪˈsɪlə
- Meaning: ancient, venerable
- Popularity: #615 and rising (#652 → #615, 2024)
With her husband Aquila, she taught the brilliant Apollos the fuller version of the faith; Paul calls her a co-worker.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Pronunciation: FEE-bee · ˈfiːbi
- Meaning: bright, shining
- Popularity: #183 and rising (#190 → #183, 2024)
A deacon of the church at Cenchreae who carried Paul’s letter to the Romans — arguably the most important postal delivery in Christian history.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: youthful (traditional gloss, exact root debated)
- Popularity: #2,442 and falling (#2,298 → #2,442, 2024)
Called “outstanding among the apostles” by Paul in Romans 16:7; the only woman in the New Testament explicitly called an apostle.
- Origin: Greek (biblical)
- Meaning: gazelle
- Popularity: #5,982 and falling (#5,598 → #5,982, 2024)
A disciple in Joppa known for making garments for widows; raised from the dead by Peter in Acts 9.
- Origin: Aramaic
- Meaning: gazelle
- Popularity: #1,519 and falling (#1,504 → #1,519, 2024)
The Aramaic form of Dorcas, used interchangeably in Acts; slightly softer-sounding in English.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Meaning: either ‘woman from Rhodes’ (the Greek island) or ‘rose’ — both are attested ancient roots
- Popularity: #2,870 and rising (#3,369 → #2,870, 2024)
The servant girl in Acts 12 who answered the door when Peter knocked after his miraculous prison escape, then ran to tell everyone instead of opening it.
- Origin: Ancient Greek (biblical)
- Meaning: calf, heifer (uncertain/disputed root)
- Popularity: #1,435 and rising (#1,569 → #1,435, 2024)
An Athenian woman converted by Paul’s speech at the Areopagus; named specifically in Acts 17 as one of his first Athenian converts.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Meaning: bringer of victory (biblical form of Berenice, from Greek ‘to bring’ + ‘victory’)
- Popularity: #3,821 and rising (#4,059 → #3,821, 2024)
King Agrippa’s sister, before whom Paul made his famous speech in Acts 26; her name is as powerful-sounding as her position.
- Origin: Latin (from the Roman cognomen Drusus)
- Meaning: From the Roman family Drusus
- Popularity: #12,475 and falling (#11,461 → #12,475, 2024)
Felix’s Jewish wife, before whom Paul also gave a defense; a Roman aristocratic name with biblical standing.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: JOOL-yah · ˈdʒuːljə
- Meaning: feminine form of the Roman family name Julius; traditionally glossed ‘youthful’ or ‘downy-bearded’
- Popularity: #116 and rising (#121 → #116, 2024)
Greeted by Paul in Romans 16; she was likely a member of the imperial household or Roman church leadership.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Persian woman / from Persia
- Popularity: #15,148 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Named in Romans 16:12 as one who “worked hard in the Lord”; her name marks her as someone from Persia, a long way from Rome.
- Origin: Ancient Greek (biblical)
- Meaning: delicate, dainty
- Popularity: #18,661 as of 2016 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Named with her companion Tryphosa in Romans 16 as women who “worked hard in the Lord.”
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: delicate, given to a soft or luxurious life
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Tryphena’s companion in ministry; the names are almost rhyming twins.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: sweet fragrance, or a prosperous journey
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A leader in the Philippian church whose conflict with Syntyche Paul addresses directly — meaning she was prominent enough to name.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Meaning: fortunate, lucky
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Euodia’s counterpart; Paul asks these two women to reconcile, calling them both his co-workers in the gospel.
- Origin: uncertain (New Testament name, possibly Phrygian)
- Meaning: Dear one
- Popularity: #4,766 and rising (#11,273 → #4,766, 2024)
Addressed in Paul’s letter to Philemon; she was likely a leader in the Colossian house church.
- Origin: Greek (New Testament name)
- Meaning: young woman, bride (also the root of ‘nymph’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A church met in her house, according to Colossians 4:15; she was an independent woman hosting a congregation.
- Origin: Greek
- Pronunciation: KLOH-ee · ˈkloʊi
- Meaning: green/young plant shoot, an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter
- Popularity: #20 and rising (#26 → #20, 2024)
Her household members reported problems in the Corinthian church to Paul; a name of fresh, living things.
- Origin: Ancient Greek (from an Aramaic/Semitic root for ‘sapphire’)
- Pronunciation: suh-FY-ruh · səˈfaɪrə
- Meaning: a precious blue gemstone, sapphire
- Popularity: #4,264 and falling (#3,574 → #4,264, 2024)
Half of the couple in Acts 5 who lied to the early church; the name itself is lovely, whatever the story.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Heavenly
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
More Names We Love
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: el-ee-AH-nah · ˌɛliˈɑːnə
- Meaning: God has answered
- Popularity: #18 and rising (#34 → #18, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (boys’ use sometimes from an unrelated English surname)
- Pronunciation: EE-den · ˈiːdən
- Meaning: traditionally glossed ‘delight,’ referencing the biblical Garden of Eden; some scholars trace the underlying word to a Sumerian term for ‘steppe/plain’ instead
- Popularity: #72 and rising (#77 → #72, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (via Latin)
- Pronunciation: muh-REE-uh · məˈriːə
- Meaning: of disputed root; possibly ‘bitter’ or ‘rebellious’ (Hebrew), or ‘beloved’ (Egyptian)
- Popularity: #74 and rising (#82 → #74, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: ruh-BEK-uh · rəˈbɛkə
- Meaning: to bind or tie firmly
- Popularity: #342 and falling (#315 → #342, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (via Italian/Spanish, form of Naomi)
- Pronunciation: noh-EH-mee · noʊˈɛmi
- Meaning: pleasantness
- Popularity: #585 and falling (#576 → #585, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (via Spanish, also used as the Portuguese form of Rachel)
- Pronunciation: rah-KEL · rɑːˈkɛl
- Meaning: ewe (female sheep)
- Popularity: #1,071 and falling (#908 → #1,071, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew (ultimately from Egyptian)
- Meaning: lily flower, via a Hebrew name traced back to an Egyptian word for lotus
- Popularity: #1,136 and falling (#1,104 → #1,136, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: a plain/flatland (the biblical coastal plain in Israel)
- Popularity: #1,232 and rising (#1,316 → #1,232, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Hebrew word for ‘lily’ (sometimes read as ‘rose’), the same root as the name Susan/Susannah
- Popularity: #1,796 and falling (#1,665 → #1,796, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: daughter of the oath (by wordplay on ‘sheva, ‘ also read as ‘daughter of seven’)
- Popularity: #2,097 and rising (#2,176 → #2,097, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: ray of light (from the Hebrew word for ‘horn’)
- Popularity: #2,174 and falling (#1,972 → #2,174, 2024)
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 28 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 28 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
42 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 22 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
Mentioned in Romans 16:15 as one of the saints; rare enough that most readers have never heard it.
– **Mary** (of Rome) — Beloved (Hebrew). A different Mary from the Gospel figures, listed in Romans 16:6 as one who “worked very hard” for the Roman church.
The Hidden Gems — Rare and Underused Biblical Names
This final section collects the names that deserve a second look — the ones buried in genealogies, census lists, and brief mentions that most readers skip past. These are the ones that will make a Hebrew Bible scholar blink with recognition when they hear them on a playground.
How These Names Are Trending
55 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 30 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
The princess who hid baby Joash and saved a dynasty; protective, determined, named.
How to Choose a Name From This List
Start with sound before meaning. Read the name aloud several times — with your last name, as a shout across a yard, as a whisper at 2am. If it survives all three, it’s a contender. Many parents find they fall for a name before they’ve even looked up what it means, and that’s not wrong.
Then look at what the name carries. A name like Ruth comes with a whole theology of loyalty. Phoebe comes with a specific woman who did something remarkable. Tirzah comes with beauty imagery from the Song of Solomon and a legal precedent from Numbers. These aren’t just sounds — they’re stories. Deciding which story you want woven into your daughter’s name is worth taking seriously.
Consider the wearability range. Some names on this list, like Hannah and Abigail and Lydia, are comfortable in any context. Others — Oholibamah, Keren-happuch, Zeruiah — will require explaining at every preschool drop-off for at least a decade, and the parents who choose them are choosing that particular experience deliberately. Neither approach is wrong.
Think about the nickname question. Hannah is already short; she’ll go by Hannah. Abigail becomes Abby easily. Priscilla becomes Cilla or Pris. Jemimah becomes Mimi. But Tirzah? Rizpah? There’s no obvious shortening — which, for some parents, is exactly the point.
Finally, pay attention to the names you keep coming back to. After reading 250+ names, two or three will stick. That’s not accident. Make a short list and sit with those for a week before deciding.
Name Art for Your Favorite
Love a name from this list? MinimalistMama offers custom Name Art prints — personalized, minimalist nursery art with the name you choose, designed to match your aesthetic. A perfect gift for baby showers or to hang above the crib.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular biblical baby girl name?
Mary and Hannah consistently rank among the most popular biblical girl names in the United States. Mary held the number one spot for most of the twentieth century; Hannah has remained a top-50 name for the past two decades. Abigail, Elizabeth, and Naomi have all seen strong revivals in recent years. Internationally, biblical names like Miriam, Ruth, and Deborah remain popular in Jewish communities and English-speaking Christian communities alike.
What are some rare biblical girl names that still sound modern?
Tirzah, Kezia, Naamah, and Vashti are all genuinely rare — you’re unlikely to meet another one — while still sounding like names a child could carry into adulthood without constant spelling lessons. Damaris, Apphia, and Euodia are rare in the English-speaking world but have the easy phonetics of names like Amara or Lydia. Orpah and Anah are almost entirely unused and have a clean, contemporary feel.
What biblical girl names have the most meaningful stories behind them?
Rahab is a former Jericho innkeeper who hid Israelite spies and negotiated a survival deal for her whole family — then ended up in the lineage of Jesus. Jael drove a tent peg through an enemy general’s temple and ended a war. Phoebe carried Paul’s letter to Rome. Junia was called an apostle. Deborah led an army. Huldah’s prophetic interpretation shaped which books entered the biblical canon. Any of these names comes with a story worth telling a daughter when she’s old enough to hear it.
Are there any biblical girl names that mean “strong” or “courageous”?
Several carry meanings related to strength. Abigail means “my father is joy” but her actual story is one of extraordinary courage. Abihail means “my father is strength.” Bernice means “bringing victory.” Deborah’s association with bees connects her to ancient symbols of industriousness and communal power. Jael and Judith are associated with military victory rather than carrying strength in their literal meanings. Merab means “increase/abundance,” and Zeruiah connects to the balm plant — healing rather than strength, but carried by one of the toughest women in the Hebrew Bible.
What New Testament girl names are most underused?
Damaris, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Apphia, Nympha, Olympas, Euodia, Syntyche, and Persis are all mentioned specifically in the New Testament and virtually never used as baby names today. Junia is slightly more used but still rare. Rhoda and Chloe have both had revivals in the past decade but remain firmly in the uncommon category. Dorcas and Tabitha (the same woman, different language) are rarely chosen but have a clarity to them that makes them more wearable than they might seem.
Can I use a biblical name even if I’m not religious?
Absolutely. Names like Ruth, Naomi, Miriam, Lydia, Phoebe, and Deborah have long since crossed into secular usage and carry literary and historical weight that stands entirely on its own. Many people choose biblical names because they love the sound, the history, or the specific woman behind the name — not because of faith affiliation. The name belongs to the person who bears it.
Are there biblical girl names connected to nature?
Many of them. Tamar means “palm tree.” Keturah means “incense/fragrance.” Basemath means “spice/balsam.” Jemimah means “dove.” Hoglah means “partridge.” Zipporah means “bird/sparrow.” Chloe means “green shoot.” Rhoda means “rose.” Susanna means “lily.” Tirzah is associated with a place name meaning “pleasant” and connected to the fertile countryside imagery of the Song of Solomon. If you want a nature connection with deep roots, biblical names are a rich source.
📊 Curious how popular a name actually is? Look it up in our Baby Name Popularity Checker — pulls live SSA data to show ranking trends.
Final Thoughts
The women of the Bible were midwives, queens, prophets, widows, merchants, mothers, refugees, and warriors. Their names survived because their stories were worth keeping. Naming a daughter after any one of them — whether it’s the beloved classic of Hannah or the near-forgotten legal champion Mahlah — is a small act of remembrance: this woman existed, this woman mattered, and now someone else carries her name forward.
Read next;
🎀 185+ Unique Baby Girl Names for 2026 (Rare & *Beautiful*)
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🎀 85+ *Beautiful* Rare Baby Names for Girls
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