Biblical girl names offer varieties that many may not expect. The Holy Bible has always served as a source of inspiration for naming babies, even adults. Baby girls are precious, often favourites to their parents. Therefore, picking a biblical girl name for them is always a pleasure and a window to knowing how their parents feel.
Without wasting more time, let us dive into the meaning and the top 20 biblical girl names.
What are biblical girl names?
Biblical girl names are names inspired by women in the Holy Bible. These women are often the heroines of events recorded in the Bible. Therefore, they serve as inspiration to parents who want to name their daughters based on their beautiful meanings and associations.
Also, biblical girl names are inspired by places in the Old and New Testaments, some of which exist today.
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20 most popular biblical girl names
- Abigail – means “joy of the father”. She is King David’s wife and widow of Nabal of southern Judah.
- Bethany – means ” house of welcome”. It was the home of Mary and Martha and their brother, Lazarus.
- Cilicia – means “that which overturns”. It is the ancient Roman name for the southeastern region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Cilicia was also the birthplace of Saint Paul.
- Claudia – means ” lame”. She is Pontius Pilate’s wife and was the only person who declared the innocence of Jesus in the Gospel account of Matthew.
- Deborah – means “bee”. She was a prophetess who led the Israelites, alongside their military leader, Barak, to defeat the Canaanites after 20 years of oppression.
- Eden – means “place of delight or pleasure”. This name was inspired by the Garden of Eden, a biblical earthly paradise inhabited by the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, before they were expelled for disobeying God’s commands.
- Elizabeth – means ” oath of God” or “God is bountiful”. She was the mother of John the Baptist, the wife of Zechariah and the maternal aunt of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
- Esther – a Persian name that means “bride or star”. Esther was a young Jewish woman living in the Persian diaspora who found favour in the eyes of the king. She became his wife and saved the Israelites from destruction by the vengeful Haman.
- Eve – means “living”. She is the world’s first woman created by God to be a wife to Adam.
- Hannah – means “grace” or “favour”. She was the barren wife of Elkanah, who later gave birth to Samuel the prophet, who would anoint Israel’s first king, Saul, and Israel’s greatest king, David.
- Jemimah or Jemima – means “dove”. She was the oldest of the three beautiful daughters of Job. Job had her after God restored his fortunes.
- Jordan – means “to flow down” or “one who descends”. Jordan is a river in the Bible.
- Judith – means “woman of Judea”. In the Bible, Judith was a Jewish widow who used her beauty and charm to kill an Assyrian general who had besieged her city, Bethulia. As a result, she saved Jerusalem from destruction.
- Lydia – named after her place of origin, Thyatira in the province of Lydia (now Turkey). She was Paul’s first convert.
- Martha – means “lady”. She was the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany.
- Mary – means “rebellion”, “bitter” or “wished-for child”. However, the name is popular because she was the Jewish wife of Joseph of Nazareth and the mother of Jesus Christ.
- Naomi – means “pleasantness”. She was the Israeli woman who went back to Bethlehem from Moab after she lost her husband and two sons.
- Rachel – means “female sheep” or “ewe. She was Jacob’s second wife and his favourite. Rachel had two sons – Joseph, who became the Prime Minister of Egypt during the famine, and Benjamin.
- Rebecca – means “to tie firmly”. She was the wife of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob.
- Ruth – means “friend” or “companion”. She was the Moabite widow of one of Naomi’s sons who followed her back to Bethlehem. Ruth later married a wealthy merchant, Boaz and through her bloodline, King David was born.
Other popular biblical girl names include Miriam, Priscilla, Rhoda, Sapphirah, Sarah, Susannah and Tabitha.
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