Messiah m Theology, English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"saviour", ultimately from Hebrew
מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) meaning "anointed". The word appears in the Old Testament referring to a future king of the Jewish people. In the New Testament it is translated as
Christ and is used as a title of
Jesus.
Micah m Biblical, EnglishContracted form of
Micaiah. Micah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Micah, which alternates between prophesies of doom and prophesies of restoration. This is also the name of a separate person in the Book of Judges, the keeper of an idol. It was occasionally used as an English given name by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation, but it did not become common until the end of the 20th century.
Micaiah m & f BiblicalMeans
"who is like Yahweh?" in Hebrew. This name occurs in the Old Testament in a variety of Hebrew spellings, belonging to both males and females. It is the full name of
Micah, both the prophet and the man from the Book of Judges. As a feminine name it belongs to the mother of King
Abijah (at
2 Chronicles 13:2), though her name is listed as
Maacah in other passages.
Moriah f English (Modern)From Hebrew
מֹרִיָה (Moriyah) possibly meaning "seen by
Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where
Abraham is to sacrifice
Isaac and the mountain upon which
Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.
Nehemiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (nacham) meaning "to comfort" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
Nena f EnglishVariant of
Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word
nena meaning
"baby girl".
Nethaniah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has given" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of
Ishmael (the assassin of Gedaliah), as well as other minor characters.
Nina 1 f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, BelarusianShort form of names that end in
nina, such as
Antonina or
Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word
niña meaning
"little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).
... [more] Obadiah m BiblicalMeans
"servant of Yahweh" in Hebrew, derived from
עָבַד ('avad) meaning "to serve, to worship" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets, the author of the Book of Obadiah, which predicts the downfall of the nation of Edom. This is also the name of several other biblical characters.
Seán m IrishIrish form of
John, derived via the Old French form
Jehan.
Sean m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This name name, along with variants
Shawn and
Shaun, began to be be used in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland around the middle of the 20th century.
Shai m & f HebrewEither from Hebrew
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of
Isaiah.
Shane m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
Shaun m EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This is the more common spelling in the United Kingdom and Australia, while
Shawn is preferred in the United States and Canada (though it got a boost in America after the singer Shaun Cassidy released his debut album in 1976).
Shawn m & f EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán, occasionally used as a feminine form. This is the most common spelling of this name in the United States and Canada, with
Shaun being more typical in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Sheena f Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Sìne. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).
Shemaiah m BiblicalMeans
"heard by Yahweh" in Hebrew. This name is borne by many characters in the Old Testament including a prophet in the reign of
Rehoboam.
Shona f ScottishAnglicized form of
Seonag or
Seònaid. Though unconnected, this is also the name of an ethnic group who live in Southern Africa, mainly Zimbabwe.
Tevye m Yiddish (Rare)Yiddish form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the central character in stories written by the Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem in the late 19th century, as well as the later musical adaptation
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Tiana f EnglishShort form of
Tatiana or
Christiana. It was rare in the United States until it jumped in popularity in 1975, perhaps due to the Vietnamese-American actress Tiana Alexandra (1956-), who had some exposure at that time. It was used as the name of the princess in the Disney movie
The Princess and the Frog (2009).
Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, GeorgianShort form of
Christina,
Martina and other names ending in
tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of
Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of
Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of
Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tobiah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
טוֹבִיָּה (Toviyyah) meaning
"Yahweh is good", from the elements
טוֹב (tov) meaning "good" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This was the name of an Ammonite in the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
Tobias m Biblical, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekGreek form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which appears in many English versions of the Old Testament. It relates how
Tobit's son Tobias, with the help of the angel
Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has plagued Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation.
Tobin m EnglishFrom an English surname that was itself derived from the given name
Tobias.
Toby m & f EnglishMedieval form of
Tobias. It was sometimes used as a feminine name in the 1930s and 40s due to the influence of American actress Toby Wing (1915-2001).
Uria m & f HebrewModern Hebrew form of
Uriah, also used as a feminine name.
Uriah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה ('Uriyah) meaning
"Yahweh is my light", from the roots
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
Urijah m BiblicalForm of
Uriah used in some English versions of the Old Testament (for a character in the Book of Jeremiah).
Uzziah m BiblicalMeans
"my power is Yahweh" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז ('oz) meaning "strength, power" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters including a king of Judah.
Yahweh m TheologyA name of the Hebrew God, represented in Hebrew by the Tetragrammaton ("four letters")
יהוה (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which was transliterated into Roman script as
Y H W H. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God, it was only written and never spoken, which resulted in the original pronunciation becoming lost. The name may have originally been derived from the old Semitic root
הוה (hawah) meaning
"to be" or
"to become".
Yancy m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname
Jansen meaning
"Jan 1's son".
Yanni m Greek (Expatriate)Diminutive of
Yiannis. A famous bearer is the Greek-American musician Yiannis Chryssomallis (1954-), who goes by the single name Yanni.
Yeshua m Biblical Hebrew, Ancient AramaicContracted form of
Yehoshu'a (see
Joshua) used in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible. The form was also used in Aramaic, and was most likely the name represented by Greek
Iesous (see
Jesus) in the New Testament. This means it was probably the real name of Jesus.
Zachariah m English, BiblicalVariant of
Zechariah. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).
Zachary m English, BiblicalUsual English form of
Zacharias, used in some English versions of the New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).
Zadkiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic LegendMeans
"God is my righteousness" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel associated with mercy in Jewish and Christian tradition, sometimes said to be the angel who stops
Abraham from sacrificing his son
Isaac.
Zebadiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has bestowed" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
Zebedee m BiblicalFrom
Ζεβεδαῖος (Zebedaios), the Greek form of
Zebadiah used in the New Testament, where it refers to the father of the apostles James and John.
Zechariah m Biblical, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning
"Yahweh remembers", from
זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation.