Asher is a unisex name of biblical origin that has been embraced by both Christian and Jewish parents. Asher makes its first appearance in the Bible in Genesis 30:13, after which the name pops up multiple times in the Old Testament and a few times in the New Testament. Given that Asher was one of Jacob's sons, and thus a progenitor of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Genesis 49), it is not surprising that his name appears so many times in Scripture.
Though many of the biblical references to Asher are in relation to his role as the progenitor of the Tribe of Asher, there are also passages that give us a bit more background on this biblical character.
If you're thinking about using this stylish biblical name for your baby boy (or girl), you might be particularly interested in verse 13 of Genesis 30, which gives us clues about the biblical meaning of the name Asher:
Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.
—The Holy Bible, The New International Version (NIV)
In the Bible, you'll find numerous examples like the one above where a biblical person was named, or re-named, to reflect specific circumstances or character traits. In the case of baby Asher, Leah felt her husband Jacob and her servant Zilpah's son should be given a name that means "happiness" because she was so happy when Asher was born. At the time of Asher's birth, Leah wasn't able to bear children, so she had given her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife to bear more children on her behalf.
Of course, the English version of Genesis 30:13 doesn't sound that logical because Asher sounds nothing like the English word "happiness", but if you read the original Hebrew version, it makes perfect sense.
It's worth noting though that while the biblical meaning of Asher is commonly given as "happiness" or "happy" (Hitchcock, 1869; Easton, 1894; Arthur, 1875), translating is not an exact science, and Asher has also been said to mean "blessed" or "fortunate", among other things (Arthur, 1875; Jones, 1856).
However, regardless of whether you go with "happy", "blessed" or "lucky", Asher is a charming biblical unisex name that's rich with meaning, history and potential for the contemporary baby namer.
Are you expecting and planning to name your little boy or girl Asher? Whether it's the biblical origins, appealing meaning or on-trend sound of Asher that won you over, we've got a little gift for you: a personalized nursery printable featuring a hand-painted letter "A", adorned with an olive branch drenched in Christian symbolism. This Names and Nursery exclusive is available free of charge for parents of baby boys or girls called Asher. If you also want others to benefit from this opportunity, you are more than welcome to share a link to this page, but you are not allowed to redistribute the printable itself, digitally or otherwise.