The Old Testament (also called the Hebrew Bible) contains the legends, histories, laws and prophecies of the ancient Hebrews. It was written between the 12th and 2nd centuries BC. The original language of the Old Testament was Classical Hebrew, but it was later translated into Greek (the Septuagint), Latin (the Vulgate) and other languages.

Names from the Old Testament are almost all derived from Hebrew. Common name elements are el (for example in Elijah) and jeho-, jo-, -jah, -iah (in Isaiah), which refer to the Hebrew God. Most Old Testament names were not regularly used by Christians until relatively recent times, after the Protestant Reformation. Common English names that originate from the Old Testament include:

• Masculine: Adam, Daniel, David, Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, Jonathan, Joseph, Michael, Noah
• Feminine: Eve, Leah, Miriam, Rachel, Rebecca, Ruth, Sarah, Sharon

List of Biblical names and meanings
Complete list of Biblical names

See also New Testament.