Are you looking for a Bible-inspired name for your soon-to-arrive baby girl or baby boy? Not only biblical figures but also biblical places can inspire baby names, and best of all, many of the popular baby names borrowed from biblical places work for both girls and boys (Ariel, Jordan, Eden, Zion, Memphis—and the list goes on).
Here's our selection of biblical place names for babies:
| Name | Gender | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan | Unisex | This gender-neutral name evokes different things for different people. For devout Christians, the Jordan River holds special importance as the place where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. |
| Zion | Unisex | A unisex choice embraced by 21st-century parents. |
| Eden | Girl | An evocative E-name and currently one of the most popular biblical girl names ending in -n. Can also be used for boys. |
| Ariel | Unisex | The symbolic name of Jerusalem is also a unisex baby name, as well as one of the most popular el-ending biblical names for girls. |
| Shiloh | Girl | This smashing name made an astonishingly quick leap from obscurity to popularity. Its most famous contemporary bearer: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. |
| Memphis | Unisex | Whenever people hear this unisex name, they probably immediately think of the city in Tennessee. But guess what! Memphis is actually borrowed from the name of an ancient Egyptian city mentioned several times in the Old Testament. |
| Salem | Unisex | A biblical place name with a unisex vibe. Also various towns and cities in North America and Europe have been named after the biblical Salem. |
| Alexandria | Girl | A Mediterranean port city mentioned indirectly in the Bible through references to "Alexandrians" and "Alexandrian ships". As a baby name, Alexandria was in the Top 100 throughout the 1990s. |
| Myra | Girl | An ancient city in Asia Minor with connections to the apostle Paul. |
| Bethany | Girl | A biblical place name that works beautifully as a given name. |
| Jericho | Boy | This ancient biblically-referenced city has lent its name to numerous modern-day places, movies, TV series and songs, but as a baby name, it has yet to realize its full potential. |
| Luz | Girl | In the Old Testament, Luz is another name for the biblically important town of Bethel. Outside the Bible, it's a Spanish and Portuguese word for "light". |
| Canaan | Boy | A Bible-inspired boy's name that sounds more possible now than ever. |
| Elon | Boy | An Old Testament place name and personal name made famous by Mr Musk. |
| Rhodes | Boy | The gorgeous Greek island of Rhodes, which may or may not have a link to the Ancient Greek word rhodon ("rose"), is also briefly mentioned in the Bible. Actress Emma Roberts has a son called Rhodes. |
| Nazareth | Unisex | Or, how about the name of Jesus's home town? Works for both girls and boys. |
| Elam | Boy | A succinct, no-nonsense boy's name that appears in the Old Testament as both a place name and a personal name. |
| Eder | Boy | A biblical place name and masculine given name. Add an accent mark to the first E, and you've got a contemporary Brazilian given name! |
| Samaria | Girl | A singular Bible-inspired girl's name dripping with potential. |
| Aram | Boy | The name of one place and several minor figures in the Bible. As a baby name, Aram has yet to realize its potential. |
| Abilene | Girl | An old, biblical place name with a modern sensibility. |
| Bethel | Girl | This name gained some popularity as a girl's name in the late 1910s and early 1920s, but has never appealed to the masses. Appearing frequently as a place name in the Old Testament, the biblical meaning of Bethel is "House of God". |
| Salim | Boy | The site of John's last baptisms has occasionally been used as a boy's name. |
| Sinai | Girl | The name of the mountain where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. |
| Ebenezer | Boy | This biblical place has lent its name to numerous modern-day places, but as a baby name, it hasn't been seen much after the 1800s. |
| Tirzah | Girl | In the Old Testament, this is the name of both a city and a daughter of Zelophehad. |
| Zorah | Girl | A zippy change of pace from Sarah. In biblical tradition, Zorah is the birthplace of Samson, the legendary Israelite warrior and judge. |
| Galilee | Girl | A place-inspired girl's name with impeccable biblical credentials. |
| Elim | Unisex | Just one letter off from Elam we have Elim, known to readers of the Bible as a place where the Israelites emcamped on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. |
| Bela | Girl | A male name and a place name in the Bible, but a heavily feminine-leaning baby name in the contemporary U.S. |
| Ophel | Girl | If you're crushed that the popular girl name Ophelia is not in the Bible, this biblical place name borrowed from the Old Testament might suit. |
| Havilah | Girl | The name of a several biblical people and places, including an area near the Garden of Eden that was watered by the river Pison and that was famous for its gold. |
| Jeshua | Boy | In the Bible, this name belongs to both a city and several men. |
| Ahava | Girl | A girl's name taken from the name of the Babylonian river on the banks of which Ezra gathered together the Jewish exiles before returning to Jerusalem. |
| Jerusalem | Unisex | A big mantle for a small child, softened by the cute nickname Ru. |
| Nain | Boy | In the Bible, Nain is the site of one of Jesus' miracles. Outside the Bible, Nain is perhaps best known as a place in Iran, but it has also been used as a boy's name. |
| Pau | Boy | A mini moniker that packs a punch: it's the Catalan equivalent of Paul as well as a Catalan word meaning "peace", in addition to which it's the name of numerous modern-day places as well as the name of an ancient Edomite city mentioned in the Bible. |
| Sela | Girl | A modern girl's name borrowed from a biblical place, and if you make it Selah (with an "h"), it becomes a biblical given name listed in the ancestral line from Noah to Abraham. |
| Carmel | Girl(Unisex) | Perhaps a bit too close to the word "caramel" for our taste, but if you like it, go for it! As for its biblical connection, Carmel is the name of a mountainous ridge mentioned several times in the Old Testament. |
| Emmaus | Boy | A village close to ancient Jerusalem... and an unexpected but portable baby name choice. |
| Cana | Girl | This unusual girl's name gets its biblical cred from being the site of Jesus's first public miracle. |
| Beulah | Girl | A severely dated girl's name best left in the past, or an underappreciated Bible-inspired name loaded with retro charm? You decide. |
| Hali | Girl | A biblical place name and an unusual but sweet girl's name. |
| Neah | Girl | A biblical place name and an unusual girl's name that looks like a smoosh of Nia and Leah. |
| Peniel | Unisex | (also spelled Penuel). A biblical place name that also serves as a gender-neutral baby name. |
| Bethlehem | Girl | The birth place of Jesus makes an interesting baby name possibility and comes with built-in nickname Beth. |
| Amana | Girl | The name of an ancient mountain mentioned in the Old Testament. |
| Giah | Girl | A variation of the sleek Italian name Gia—or a Bible-inspired choice borrowed from the name of a place briefly mentioned in the Old Testament. |
| Gilead | Boy | First and foremost a biblical place situated east of the Jordan River, but Gilead was also the name of a great-grandson of Joseph. |
| Hermon | Boy | A rare boys' name with biblical place name credentials via Mount Hermon. |
| Janoah | Boy | The biblical town of Janoah, located on the border of Ephraim, makes for an unusual but not completely unheard-of boy's name. |
| Tekoa | Unisex | This biblical place has lent its name to numerous modern-day places—as well as a small number of babies. What do you think of it? |
| Tabor | Boy | A male-leaning unisex baby name with biblical place name appeal via Mount Tabor. |
| Bethsaida | Girl | Another path to the nickname Beth, this rarely-encountered girl's name derives its biblical significance from being the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip. |
| Cyrene | Girl | A biblical place name, famously associated with Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus' cross out of Jerusalem. The name Cyrene also has a mythological connection via one of Apollo's lovers, Cyrene the nymph. |
| Nineveh | Girl | A biblical place name that looks a lot like the 21st-century name creation Neveah. |
| Ashan | Boy | In the Bible, the name Ashan belongs to a city in the lowlands of Judah, which was first assigned to the tribe of Simeon, and later given to the sons of Aaron. |
| Melita | Girl | The name Melita is used in some versions of the Bible to refer to the island of Malta. |
| Zelah | Girl | A rare given name that also crops up in the Bible as the name of a city. A notable bearer is British actress Zelah Clarke. |
| Anab | Girl | In the Bible, Anab was one of the cities in the mountains of Judah from which Joshua expelled the Anakim. |
| Attalia | Girl | An ancient city which Paul and Barnabas visited on their way to Antioch during their first missionary journey. Not to be confused with Athalia, the evil queen. |
| Dannah | Girl | Take the biblical favorite Hannah, swap out the first letter, and you arrive at Dannah, an uncommon but accessible girl's name borrowed from a biblical city. |
| Edrei | Boy | An ancient city located in modern-day Syria, known to us from Old Testament. As a baby name, Edrei has largely escaped American parents' notice. |
| Enam | Boy | Enam is only mentioned in passing in the Bible as the name of a city located in the lowlands of Judah. |
| Goshen | Boy | This biblical place name is also a modern place name, a Jewish surname, and—why not—a baby name. |
| Jazer | Boy | An ancient city located east of the Jordan River. As a baby name, Jazer remains a rarity in America. |
| Mashal | Girl | Also known as Mishal, Mashal is a town mentioned in the Bible. As a baby name, it's mostly used in Muslim communities. |
| Mishal | Girl | This feminine-leaning name claims different meanings depending on which part of the world you call home. As for its biblical background, Mishal appears in the Old Testament as a place name. |
| Tiberias | Boy | An intriguing baby name possibility that takes its inspiration from the Sea of Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee. Not to be confused with Tiberius, the name of the Roman emperor who reigned during Jesus' public ministry and crucifixion. |
| Abdon | Boy | A doubly biblical name appearing in the Bible as both a place name and the personal name of several minor characters, including the eleventh Judge of Israel. |
| Achaia | Girl | A biblical region located in the southern part of modern-day Greece. |
| Aijalon | Unisex | An interesting place name possibility from the Old Testament. Can also be spelled Ajalon. |
| Almon | Boy | This biblical place name is also a modern place name, a surname, and a masculine given name with a somewhat retro feel. |
| Alvah | Boy | Still occasionally bestowed on baby boys at the beginning of the 20th century, this biblical place and tribal name has since faded into the dust. |
| Ananiah | Girl | Ananiah appears as a male name and a place name in the Bible, but as a contemporary baby name, it has a feminine feel. |
| Arad | Boy | A biblical place and a Jewish surname, and a rarely-heard boy's name. There's also a place called Arad in Romania. |
| Arnon | Boy | Arnold with a biblical twist. In the Bible, Arnon is the name of a river mentioned several times in the Old Testament. |
| Berea | Girl | An ancient town mentioned in the Bible in connection to the apostle Paul's evangelistic journeys. |
| Calah | Girl | An ancient Assyrian city mentioned a few times in the Bible. |
| Cilicia | Girl | Kind of like Cecilia, but with a biblical twist: in the Bible, Cilicia is the birth place of the apostle Paul. |
| Corinth | Girl | Despite its deep biblical roots, Corinth has been slow to catch on a baby name. |
| Dedan | Boy | In the Old Testament, this is the name of both a city and a couple of minor figures. |
| Ekron | Boy | Located in present-day Israel, the biblical Ekron was one of the Philistine cities where the Ark of the Covenant was placed before it was returned to the Israelites. |
| Elishah | Boy | This one appears in the Old Testament as both as a place name and a masculine given name. Not to be confused with Elisha (the name of the prophet). |
| Ephron | Boy | A biblical place and person, today best known as a Jewish surname. |
| Etham | Boy | No, this is not Ethan with a typo, but a perfectly legit Old Testament name belonging to a biblical place. |
| Galatia | Girl | An ancient region in the highlands of central Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) with connections to the apostle Paul—and an attention-grabbing baby name possibility for a girl. |
| Hebron | Boy | A biblical place and person, today perhaps best known as a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank. As a baby name, Hebron has yet to take off. |
| Jagur | Boy | A biblical city the southern border of Judah; rarely used as a baby name. |
| Kamon | Boy | Perhaps best known as a Japanese surname and given name, Kamon also makes a brief appearance in the Bible as a place name. |
| Kishon | Boy | Described as a river or torrent in the Bible; rarely used as a baby name in the U.S. |
| Lycia | Girl | A geopolitical region in ancient Anatolia mentioned in the Bible in connection to the apostle Paul's travels. |
| Nimrah | Girl | In reference to Beth-Nimrah, an ancient city mentioned a few times in the Bible. As a girl's name, it's mostly encountered in Muslim countries. |
| Ophir | Boy | In the Bible, this is the name of both a person and a region: the man is identified as a son of Joktan; the place is featured prominently throughout the Old Testament and is famous for its gold. |
| Philadelphia | Girl | A big, bold baby name possibility for a girl, with connections to the biblical city of Philadelphia and the modern city in Pennsylvania. |
| Seba | Girl | A place name and a male name in the Bible, but to the modern ear, Seba sounds pretty feminine. |
| Shalisha | Girl | A seldom-heard girl's name borrowed from the name of a little-known biblical place mentioned in the Old Testament. Can also be spelled Shalishah. |
| Sheba | Girl | A biblical place name, featured in the story of the Queen of Sheba, who travels to Jerusalem to experience the wisdom of King Solomon. As a baby name, Sheba has yet to catch on. |
| Timnah | Girl | The name of a biblical town (or towns) that might appeal to parents looking for a distinctive T-name with a biblical connection. |
| Zared | Boy | Another spelling of the biblical brook Zered. |