Christian Boy Names (from the New Testament)

Looking for a Christian boy name for your little blessing? Currently popular Christian boy names include James, Lucas, Alexander, Mateo, Michael, John and Joseph, but no one says you have to stick to the conventional options (right, baby Canaan?).

Below, you'll find a broad selection of Christian boy names covering all shades of the popularity spectrum, from popular picks to unusual options. The names listed here have been culled from the New Testament, but we also have a list with Old Testament boy names in case you want to check it out later.

Popular Christian Boy Names

1. James. A New Testament name borne by not one but two of the Twelve Apostles.
2. Lucas. The Latin equivalent of the English Luke.
3. Alexander. This name has been borne by several popes, numerous saints, and a bunch of biblical figures (though not all of them were good guys).
4. Mateo. The name of the apostle Matthew in Spanish.
5. Michael. An impeccable biblical classic with cross-generational appeal.
6. John. A biblical classic with incredible staying power and plenty of secular appeal as well. Also borne by several popes.
7. Joseph. An august biblical classic made more baby-friendly by the easy-going nicknames Joe and Joey.
8. Luke. This solid New Testament name was hiding in the shadows for most of the 20th century, but has been welcomed back into the fold by 21st-century parents.
9. Matthew. A biblical classic that doesn't sound overly religious.
10. Gabriel. The name of the archangel who appears to Daniel to explain his visions has been bounding up the charts. What do you think of it?
11. Thomas. If you pick this one, your child will have a ton of inspiring namesakes to look up to when he's older: Thomas the Apostle, Saint Thomas, president Thomas Jefferson, inventor Thomas Edison—the list goes on.
12. Andrew. A biblical classic built to last.
13. Santiago. The Spanish equivalent of James.
14. Jordan. The name of the river where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
15. Silas. A retro-cool comeback name borrowed from a leading member of the early Christian community mentioned several times in the New Testament.
16. Nicholas. The modern English version of the biblical/saintly Nicolas.
17. Giovanni. The Italian form of John.
18. Jason. A 1970s' baby name hit with Christian cred via Jason of Thessalonica, a faithful follower of Jesus featured prominently in the New Testament.
19. Nathaniel. A modern take on Nathanael, the name of one of Jesus's disciples.
20. Jude. This name comes from the Epistle of Jude, the penultimate book of the New Testament. Outside the Bible, it calls to mind the British actor Jude Law.

Unusual and Unique Options

• Abiud. The name Abiud appears in Matthew's account of the genealogy of Christ (through Joseph, his legal father).
• Achaicus. According to the New Testament, Achaicus was one of three men who carried a letter from the Corinthians to Paul.
• Achim. The name Achim makes a brief appearance in the Gospel of Matthew as an ancestor of Joseph, Jesus' earthly father.
• Aeneas. The name of a paralyzed New Testament character who was healed by the apostle Peter. The name also has mythological significance, appearing as a Trojan hero in Greco-Roman mythology.
• Agabus. A prophet name from the New Testament, Agabus is completely yours for the taking!
• Alpheus. (or Alphaeus) Borne in the Bible by the father of Matthew and one of the two apostles named James, this New Testament name rarely pops up on birth certificates. Consider that a challenge!
• Ananias. For some Christians, this name brings to mind the cunning husband of Sapphira from Acts. For others, it's the name a Jewish high priest who presided during the trials of Paul. But let's not forget that the New Testament also features a third, more likeable Ananias: the disciple Ananias from Damascus.
• Andreas. Andrew in German and a number of other languages.
• Apollos. The mythological Apollo has already come of age as a baby name. The biblical Apollos, borne by a colleague and contemporary of apostle Paul, could be next.
• Aquila. One half of the early Christian missionary duo "Priscilla and Aquila".
• Artemas. The mythological Artemis has already emerged as a modern baby name. Will lookalike Artemas follow suit? As for its biblical connection, Artemas is the name an early Chrtistian man mentioned in the Epistle to Titus.
• Augustus. Although not a very meaningful name for Christian families per se, this name appears in the Bible once, at the beginning of the well-known Christmas story recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
• Azor. In the New Testament, this name belongs to an ancestor of Joseph.
• Barnabas. A dusty, fusty name with an equally old-fashioned nickname (Barney).
• Bartholomew. Only for the most daring baby namer with a serious craving for individualism...
• Cainan. The name Cainan shows up in Luke's account of the genealogy of Jesus.
• Caius. A variation of Gaius.
• Canaan. There's no denying that this biblical place name would make a cool, attention-grabbing baby name.
• Cephas. Of Aramaic origin, this biblical name means "rock".
• Claudius. Though there are two men named Claudius in the Bible, most Christians will (hopefully) associate this name with Claudius Lysias, a military tribune who rescued the apostle Paul from a group of hostile Jewish men in Jerusalem.
• Clement. The name of several saints and more than a dozen popes, this biblical boy's name does not lack spirituality.
• Cleopas. Cleopas makes a brief but impressive appearance in the New Testament as one of two men who met the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Can also be spelled Cleophas.
• Cleophas. See Cleopas.
• Cornelius. Despite its solid New Testament pedigree, the name Cornelius is currently far from popular in the U.S.
• Crescens. In the Bible, Crescens is an early follower of Jesus briefly mentioned by name in the Second Epistle to Timothy.
• Crispus. In the Bible, this is the name of a Christian convert baptized by Paul.
• Demas. One of the apostle Paul's coworkers mentioned a few times in the New Testament.
• Demetrius. For some readers of the Bible, this name may evoke images of a rabble-rousing silversmith. Forget him, and let your son know his name was inspired by the other biblical Demetrius, the well-respected Christian man mentioned in 3 John 1:12.
• Dionysius. Perhaps a bit too out there for most of us, but Dionysius does have quite an important biblical representative: Dionysius the Areopagite was one of Paul's converts and is today venerated as a saint by several Christian denominations.
• Eliud. Yet another name mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Christ.
• Emmanuel. A variation of Immanuel.
• Emmaus. Taken from a biblical village close to Jerusalem, the name Emmaus might appeal to parents in search of a distinctive Latinate name with a subtle biblical reference.
• Erastus. Erastus is mentioned three times in the New Testament, but there is some debate over whether all three passages refer to the same Christian man.
• Felix. Though the name Felix also appears in the Bible, it's more likely Felix's appealing sound, literary credentials, and wonderful meaning ("happy" or "lucky") that are attracting parents to this ancient name.
• Festus. Famously associated with Porcius Festus, a somewhat controversial biblical character appearing in the Acts of the Apostles.
• Gaius. For many, the first association is Gaius Julius Caesar, but there are also a couple of Christian men named Gaius in the New Testament, making this short but substantial a possibility for Christian families, too.
• Gamaliel. This name is borne in the New Testament by a well-respected Jewish rabbi and teacher with a biblically-important student: Saul of Tarsus, who later became the apostle Paul.
• Hermas. In the Bible, Hermas is an early Christian briefly mentioned by name in the Pauline epistle to the Romans. Not to be confused with Hermes, which also appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans.
• Hermes. For some people, this name evokes Greek mythology; for others, Hermes is first and foremost a French luxury design house. But Hermes is also a biblical name, mentioned briefly in the Epistle to the Romans.
• Immanuel. A faith-filled scriptural name with many spelling variations, including Emmanuel which is the most common version in the U.S.
• Jairus. In the Bible, Jairus is the father of a young girl resurrected by Jesus.
• Jericho. This ancient biblically-referenced city has surfaced as an interesting baby name possibility.
• Jerusalem. If you find place names appealing, here's a unisex option with a sterling biblical pedigree.
• Johannes. The name of the apostle John in a number of languages, including German, Dutch and Swedish.
• Jonam. This name appears in Luke's genealogy of Jesus.
• Jonan. A variation of Jonam.
• Jonas. The father of the apostles Peter and Andrew has sometimes been called Jonas, though in most versions of the Bible he's called John.
• Jorim. Yet another name that shows up in Luke's genealogy of Christ.
• Joses. If you can't decide between Joseph and Moses, try Joses, a separate biblical name belonging to a brother of Jesus.
• Judas. Uncommon—for good reason!
• Judea. Another biblical place name with unisex appeal.
• Justus. An alternative to Justin lifted from the New Testament.
• Lazarus. This name has earned a spot on this list in two ways: first, the Gospel of John features a Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, and second, there's a beggar called Lazarus in one of Jesus' parables described in the Gospel of Luke.
• Linus. Most commonly associated with the fictional Linus from the Peanuts, or the Nobel Prize winning chemist Linus Pauling, but yes, Linus is also a biblical name borne by an early follower of Jesus mentioned briefly in the Second Epistle to Timothy.
• Lucius. This biblical name, belonging to a Christian teacher at Antioch in the New Testament, has also been used by a number of popes.
• Matthan. Most notably associated with the grandfather of Joseph, listed in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.
• Mattheus. Matthew in Latin.
• Matthias. The name of the man who replaced Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus.
• Melchi. The name of two separate biblical figures, both appearing in Luke's genealogy of Christ.
• Messiah. Once a no-go as a baby name, Messiah has become a regular on the American popularity charts in the 21st century. Who would've thought?
• Nahshon. Belonging to an ancestor of Jesus Christ (and of King David in the Old Testament), this under-the-radar baby name has a solid biblical background. Naasson is an alternate spelling.
• Nain. A biblical place name: In Luke 7, Jesus raises the son of a widow from the dead near the gate of a Galilean town called Nain.
• Nathanael. Belonging to one of Jesus's disciples in the Gospel of John, the name Nathanael is not mentioned in the other Gospels, but many scholars believe Nathanael and Bartholomew were one and the same.
• Nazareth. The home town of Jesus doubles as a gender-neutral baby name possibility. Major draw: the built-in nickname Naz.
• Neri. Looking for an unusual name that means "light" and that has a biblical link, too? Try Neri, which has its roots in the Hebrew word ner, meaning "candle" (or basically any source of light). As for the biblical tie-in, Neri appears in Luke's account of the genealogy of Jesus.
• Nicanor. This name belongs to one of the Seven Deacons chosen by the apostles to serve the early Christian community in Jerusalem.
• Nicodemus. In the biblical narrative, Nicodemus is an early Christian convert and one of the two men who took down and embalmed the body of Jesus after his crucifixion.
• Nicolaus. The Latin, German and Greek version of the English given name Nicolas/Nicholas. In the Bible, Nicolaus is one of the leaders of the early Christian church (aka the Seven Deacons).
• Obed. This name appears in both Matthew and Luke's accounts of the genealogy of Jesus.
• Onesimus. In the Bible, Onesimus is a runaway slave who becomes the apostle Paul's spiritual son.
• Paulus. Paulus is the Latin version of Paul, but it's also a biblical name in its own right, found in the modern English versions of the Bible in the context of Sergius Paulus, a Roman official who was converted to Christianity by Paul and Barnabas.
• Phanuel. Described in the Bible as the father of the prophetess Anna.
• Philemon. Despite its deep biblical roots and beautiful meaning ("loving"), Philemon remains a rare choice.
• Pierre. Peter à la française. Like the Greek original, Pierre literally means "rock" in French.
• Rhodes. The gorgeous Greek island of Rhodes, which some believe is linked to the Ancient Greek word rhodon ("rose"), is also briefly mentioned in the Bible. As a baby name, Rhodes has seen quite an uptick in recent years, though it would still be considered an uncommon choice.
• Rufus. Believe it or not, Rufus was once a perfectly reasonable choice for a son. Is this old biblical boy name, borne by an early Christian man mentioned in the New Testament, ever going to find favor again? Only time will tell.
• Salem. A biblical city believed to be same as Jerusalem, the name of several American towns and cities—and an appealing but not overly popular baby name.
• Salim. Take Salem, trade the E for a I, and you arrive at Salim, a place name with connections to John the Baptist.
• Sidon. A biblical city mentioned several times in the New Testament (and the Old Testament, too).
• Silvanus. In the New Testament, Silvanus is a prominent member of the early Christian community and a companion and contemporary of Paul the Apostle. In the baby name world, it's a rarely heard name that might appeal to parents who are interested in ancient Latin names.
• Simeon. A variation of Simon (see below).
• Simon. The New Testament is full of characters called Simon, or Simeon, giving this name plenty of biblical cred.
• Stephan. A variation of Stephen; well-established in German-speaking countries.
• Tadeo. The Spanish form of Thaddeus.
• Tertius. This name traces its biblical origins to the Epistle to the Romans, where a man called Tertius appears as the scribe to whom Paul dictated the Epistle.
• Thaddeus. The name of one of the original twelve apostles.
• Theophilus. This name comes from the Ancient Greek elements theos, meaning God, and philo, meaning 'loving'. In the Bible, Theophilus is the addressee of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
• Tiberias. A big, biblical place name inspired by the Sea of Galilee, which is sometimes called Tiberias. Not to be confused with Tiberius, the name of the reigning Roman emperor during Jesus' public ministry and his execution.
• Tiberius. The name of an emperor mentioned in the New Testament.
• Timon. Though Timon is mentioned only once in Scripture, he had an important role in the early Christian church as one of the Seven Deacons.
• Timotheus. Another name for Timothy.
• Titus. The biblical roots of this name go back to The Epistle to Titus, one of the three pastoral epistles of the New Testament.
• Tychicus. An early follower of Christ mentioned in the New Testament.
• Zacchaeus. A Latinate name rarely encountered outside of the New Testament. Can also be spelled Zaccheus.
• Zaccheus. See Zacchaeus.
• Zebedee. An overlooked biblical choice borne in the Bible by the father of the apostles James and John.
• Zenas. In the New Testament, Zenas is a follower of Jesus known to us from the Epistle to Titus.
• Zidon. A variation of Sidon.