Hanan 1 m BiblicalMeans
"gracious" in Hebrew. This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Hank m EnglishOriginally a short form of
Hankin, which was a medieval diminutive of
John. Since the 17th century in the United States this name has also been used as a diminutive of
Henry, probably under the influence of the Dutch diminutive
Henk. A famous bearer is the American former baseball player Hank Aaron (1934-2021).
Hans m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishGerman short form of
Johannes, now used independently. This name has been very common in German-speaking areas of Europe since the late Middle Ages. From an early period it was transmitted to the Low Countries and Scandinavia. Two famous bearers were Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a German portrait painter, and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a Danish writer of fairy tales.
Hansel m LiteratureAnglicized form of
Hänsel. This is the name of a boy in a German fairy tale, recorded in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm with the title
Hänsel und Gretel. In the tale Hansel and his sister
Gretel are abandoned in the woods by their parents, then taken captive by a witch.
Harel m HebrewMeans
"altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible this word is applied to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem (
Ezekiel 43:15).
Hazael m BiblicalMeans
"God sees" in Hebrew. This is the name of a king of Aram in the Old Testament.
Heli 1 m Biblical, Biblical LatinLatin form of
Eli 1 used in the Old and New Testament. This form of the name is used in most English versions of the New Testament to refer to the father of
Joseph (husband of
Mary) in the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke.
Hezekiah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
חִזְקִיָהוּ (Chizqiyahu), which means
"Yahweh strengthens", from the roots
חָזַק (chazaq) meaning "to strength" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This name was borne by a powerful king of Judah who reigned in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Also in the Old Testament, this is the name of an ancestor of the prophet
Zephaniah.
Hillel m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewDerived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning
"praise". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament as the father of the judge Abdon. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder.
Hosea m BiblicalVariant English form of
Hoshea, though the name is spelled the same in the Hebrew text. Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Hosea. Written in the northern kingdom, it draws parallels between his relationship with his unfaithful wife and the relationship between God and his people.
Hoshea m Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshe'a) meaning
"salvation", from the root
יָשַׁע (yasha'). In the Old Testament at
Numbers 13:16,
Moses gives the spy Hoshea the new name
Yehoshu'a (see
Joshua), which has a related origin. This name was also borne by an 8th-century BC king of Israel, who was the last ruler of that state before it was conquered by Assyria.
Iacob m Romanian, Biblical LatinRomanian form of
Jacob (or
James). This is also the form of
Jacob found in the Latin Old Testament (and the New Testament when referring to the patriarch).
Iago m Welsh, Galician, PortugueseWelsh and Galician form of
Iacobus (see
James). This was the name of two early Welsh kings of Gwynedd. It is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's tragedy
Othello (1603).
Iakob m Biblical Greek, GeorgianForm of
Jacob used in the Greek Old Testament, as well as in the Greek New Testament when referring to the patriarch. This is also the Georgian form of the name (referring to the two apostles named James as well as the patriarch).
Ian m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Iain, itself from Latin
Iohannes (see
John). It became popular in the United Kingdom outside of Scotland in the first half of the 20th century, but did not begin catching on in America until the 1960s.
Ibragim m Chechen, Ossetian, KyrgyzChechen, Ossetian and Kyrgyz form of
Ibrahim. This is also a Russian form, used to Russify native versions of the name in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.
Ibrahim m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Pashto, Urdu, Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, Avar, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Hausa, SwahiliArabic form of
Abraham, also used in several other languages.
Ichabod m BiblicalMeans
"no glory" in Hebrew, from
אִי ('i) meaning "not" and
כָּבוֹד (kavod) meaning "glory". In the Old Testament this is the grandson of
Eli and the son of
Phinehas. He was named this because his mother despaired that "the glory has departed from Israel" (
1 Samuel 4:21).
... [more] Iddo m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
עִדּוֹ ('Iddo), possibly derived from
עָדָה ('adah) meaning "to pass, to continue". This is the name of a few characters in the Old Testament, including an obscure prophet who lived during the reign of
Solomon and the grandfather of the prophet
Zechariah.
Ieuan m WelshMedieval Welsh form of
Iohannes (see
John), revived in the 19th century.
Ifan m WelshModern form of
Ieuan, a medieval Welsh form of
Iohannes (see
John).
Ike m EnglishDiminutive of
Isaac. This was the nickname of the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), based on the initial sound of his surname.
Ioannikios m Late GreekCombination of
Ioannes and Greek
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was borne by Ioannikios (or Joannicius) the Great, a 9th-century Byzantine saint.
Ioseb m GeorgianGeorgian form of
Joseph. This was the birth name of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin (1878-1953).
Ira 1 m Biblical, English, HebrewMeans
"watchful" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of King
David's priest. As an English Christian given name,
Ira began to be used after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the Puritans brought it to America, where remained moderately common into the 20th century.
Isa 1 m Arabic, Persian, Albanian, BosnianArabic form of
Jesus. This form is found in the Quran and is used as a given name by Muslims. Arabic-speaking Christians instead use
يسوع (Yasu') to refer to Jesus Christ.
Isaac m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
יִצְחָק (Yitzchaq) meaning
"he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from
צָחַק (tzachaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that
Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife
Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see
Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see
Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of
Esau and
Jacob with his wife
Rebecca.
... [more] Isaiah m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yesha'yahu) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יָשַׁע (yasha') meaning "to save" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, supposedly the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC, at a time when Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Judah. As an English Christian name,
Isaiah was first used after the Protestant Reformation.
Ishmael m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishma'el) meaning
"God will hear", from the roots
שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Abraham. He is the traditional ancestor of the Arab people. Also in the Old Testament, it is borne by a man who assassinates
Gedaliah the governor of Judah. The author Herman Melville later used this name for the narrator in his novel
Moby-Dick (1851).
Ishmerai m BiblicalMeans
"he guards me" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
Issachar m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly means
"man of hire" or
"there is reward", from Hebrew
שָׁכַר (shakhar) meaning "hire, wage, reward". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve sons of
Jacob (by
Leah) and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. A justification for the name's meaning is given in
Genesis 30:18.
Ittai m BiblicalFrom a Hebrew name spelled variously
אִתַּי ('Ittai) or
אִיתַי ('Itai) meaning
"with me". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of King
David's mighty men.
Ivan m Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, EstonianNewer form of the Old Church Slavic name
Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek
Ioannes (see
John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote
Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Iwan m Welsh, PolishModern Welsh form of
Ieuan, a medieval Welsh form of
Iohannes (see
John). It is also a Polish form of
Ivan.
Jachin m BiblicalMeans
"he establishes" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of
Simeon in the Old Testament. It was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple,
Boaz being the other.
Jack m EnglishDerived from
Jackin (earlier
Jankin), a medieval diminutive of
John. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name
Jacques. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms
jack-o'-lantern,
jack-in-the-box,
lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as
Jack and the Beanstalk,
Jack and Jill,
Little Jack Horner, and
Jack Sprat.
... [more] Jackie m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Jack or
Jacqueline. A notable bearer was baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.
Jackson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Jack". A famous bearer of the surname was American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845).
Jacob m English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, BiblicalFrom the Latin
Iacob, which was from the Greek
Ἰακώβ (Iakob), which was from the Hebrew name
יַעֲקֹב (Ya'aqov). In the Old Testament Jacob (later called
Israel) is the son of
Isaac and
Rebecca and the father of the twelve founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born holding his twin brother
Esau's heel, and his name is explained as meaning
"holder of the heel" or
"supplanter", because he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son (see
Genesis 27:36). Other theories claim that it is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like
יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Ya'aqov'el) meaning
"may God protect".
... [more] Jacobo m SpanishSpanish form of
Iacobus, the New Testament Latin form of
James. The apostles are also commonly denoted
Santiago in Spanish.
Jaden m & f English (Modern)An invented name, using the popular
den suffix sound found in such names as
Braden,
Hayden and
Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling
Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name
Jadon.
Jadon m BiblicalPossibly means either
"thankful" or
"he will judge" in Hebrew. This name is borne by a minor character in the Old Testament.
Jahleel m BiblicalMeans
"God waits" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
Jairus m BiblicalFrom
Ἰάϊρος (Iairos), the Greek form of
Jair used in the New Testament, where it belongs to the father of a young girl brought back to life by
Jesus.
Jakub m Polish, Czech, SlovakPolish, Czech and Slovak form of
Jacob (or
James). In Polish and Slovak this refers to both the Old Testament patriarch and the New Testament apostles, while in Czech this is used only for the apostles (with
Jákob for the patriarch).
James m English, BiblicalEnglish form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Ya'aqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
... [more] Jamie m & f Scottish, EnglishOriginally a Lowland Scots diminutive of
James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.
Jamin m BiblicalMeans
"right hand" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Simeon.