Vashti f BiblicalPossibly means
"thread" in Hebrew, but it is most likely of Persian origin. In the Old Testament this is the name of the first wife of King
Ahasuerus of Persia before he marries Esther.
Ximeno m Medieval SpanishMedieval Spanish or Basque name of uncertain meaning. It is possibly a form of
Simon 1, though it may in fact derive from Basque
seme meaning "son".
Yaara f HebrewMeans
"honeycomb" and
"honeysuckle" in Hebrew.
Yago m SpanishSpanish form of
Iacobus (see
James). The form
Santiago refers more specifically to the New Testament apostles.
Yam m Semitic MythologyMeans
"sea" in Ugaritic. Yam was the Ugaritic god of the sea, also associated with chaos, storms and destruction. He was a son of the chief god
El.
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.
Yared m Biblical Hebrew, EthiopianHebrew form of
Jared. This form is also used in Ethiopia. It was borne by a semi-legendary 6th-century Ethiopian musician who is considered a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
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.
Yvelise f FrenchFeminine form of
Yves (or an elaboration using
Élise). It was (first?) borne by the title character in the Italian novel
Yvelise (1923) by Guido da Verona. It later appeared in the photonovel
Yvelise devant l'amour published in the French magazine
Nous Deux in 1950.
Zabel f ArmenianArmenian form of
Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.
Zaccai m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
זַכָּי (Zakkai) meaning
"pure". This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
Zacchaeus m BiblicalFrom
Ζακχαῖος (Zakchaios), the Greek form of
Zaccai. According to the New Testament, Zacchaeus was a tax collector who climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of
Jesus, then gave half of his possessions to charity.
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.
Zebidah f BiblicalDerived from Hebrew
זָבַד (zavad) meaning "to give". In the Old Testament she is a wife of King
Josiah of Judah and the mother of
Jehoiakim. Her name is spelled as
Zebudah in some translations.
Zebudah f BiblicalVariant of
Zebidah found in some versions of the Old Testament (including the King James Version).
Zebulun m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
זְבוּל (zevul) meaning
"exalted house". In the Old Testament Zebulun is the tenth son of
Jacob (his sixth son by
Leah) and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Genesis 30:20 connects the name to the related verb
זָבַל (zaval), translated as "exalt, honour" or "dwell with" in different versions of the Bible, when Leah says
my husband will exalt/dwell with me.
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.
Zephaniah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
צְפַנְיָה (Tzefanyah) meaning
"Yahweh has hidden", derived from
צָפַן (tzafan) meaning "to hide" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
Zerah m BiblicalMeans
"dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Judah and the twin of
Perez in the Old Testament.
Ziba 2 m BiblicalMeans
"station" in Hebrew. This was the name of a servant of Saul in the Old Testament.
Zibiah f BiblicalMeans
"gazelle" or
"doe" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother of King Joash of Judah.
Zion m Jewish, BiblicalFrom the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.
Zuriel m BiblicalMeans
"my rock is God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.