Modern Biblical Names for Boys

When expecting a baby boy, one of the most exciting things to do is finding a name for your impending arrival, and if you're a Christian family, where better to take inspiration than from the Bible. If your taste in names veers towards the modern and cool, here's an extensive list of fresh Bible-inspired boys' names for the 21st century parent who wants to move beyond James and John. Happy naming!

1. Noah. One of the best-known Old Testament figures, and a chart-toppingly popular boys' name.
2. Elijah. A hugely popular prophet name.
3. Lucas. The Latin version of Luke.
4. Levi. Short on letters, but not on style.
5. Asher. An old scriptural name with a modern feel. In the Bible, this name belongs to the last of the two sons of Jacob and Zilpah.
6. Luke. Keeping a low profile for most of the last century, Luke broke onto the baby naming scene in a big way at the turn of the 21st century.
7. Ezra. Short, zippy and biblical, this Old Testament boy name commands attention.
8. Elias. Popular but not too popular, this variation of Elijah is bang on trend!
9. Josiah. A beloved iah-ending biblical boy name borrowed from an Old Testament king.
10. Ezekiel. An Old Testament prophet name that nods to the past but feels contemporary.
11. Eli. After being out of the spotlight for decades, Eli is back on trend.
12. Silas. A retro-cool comeback name that cracked the U.S. Top 100 in 2021. Its biblical claim to fame? The name Silas belonged to distinguished member of the early Christian community who accompanied the apostle Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.
13. Micah. Yet another prophet name with a stylish, modern sound, the name Micah belongs to one of the so-called Minor Prophets of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Micah.
14. Zion. This biblical place name has skyrocketed in popularity this century.
15. Jude. This name comes from the Epistle of Jude, the penultimate book of the New Testament. Outside the Bible, it calls to mind the talented British actor Jude Law.
16. Adriel. There's something about this Old Testament name borne by one of King Saul's son-in-laws that seems to appeal to 21st-century parents.
17. Messiah. Not too long ago, Messiah name was considered a no-go as a baby name. But fast forward to today, and a baby called Messiah is no longer a rarity.
18. Judah. Borne in the Bible by one of Jacob and Leah's sons, Judah has emerged as a cool baby name in a shockingly short time.
19. Felix. Though there's a man called Felix in the Bible, it's more likely Felix's nice sound, literary connotations, and appealing meaning ("happy" or "lucky") that are grabbing the attention of today's parents.
20. Abel. Belonging to Cain's ill-fated brother in the Bible, this name is challenging but intriguing.
21. Tobias. One of the key figures in The Book of Tobit, which is included in the Catholic and Orthodox canons, and placed in the Apocrypha by the Protestants.
22. Gideon. Belonging to one of the best known and most important leaders in the Old Testament, this biblical moniker has made a stirring comeback as a baby name.
23. Aziel. Music lovers, pay attention: this name belongs to a Levite musician in the Bible.
24. Cyrus. In the Bible, Cyrus is the name of the Persian ruler who allowed the Jewish captives in Babylon to return to their homeland.
25. Titus. This familiar but not overused name gets its biblical credentials from The Epistle to Titus, one of the three pastoral epistles of the New Testament.
26. Memphis. First and foremost a city in Tennessee, but did you know that there's also a mention of an ancient Egyptian city called Memphis in the Bible? As a baby name, Memphis has been used for both genders.
27. Matthias. In the Bible, this name is borne by the man chosen by the apostles to replace Judas Iscariot.
28. Augustus. Biblical, yes, but not particularly Christian, this name makes a brief appearance in the Bible at the beginning of the well-known Christmas story ("In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree...").
29. Asa. This name has a lot going for it: it is short and simple, it has biblical bona fides via King Asa of Judah, and it comes with literary overtones having appeared as a character in numerous works of fiction.
30. Eden. A modern biblical name with unisex appeal.
31. Moses. If you're looking for a biblical moniker that's instantly familiar but not popular with the masses, Moses may be just the ticket.
32. Jaziel. Another variation of Jaasiel.
33. Hezekiah. The name of a righteous Old Testament king that seems to appeal to a number of young parents.
34. Samson. A singular substitute for the classic Samuel. As for the biblical connection, Samson was one of the judges who ruled over Israel before the time of the kings.
35. Abdiel. Abdiel is only mentioned in passing in the Bible as the father of Ahi the Gadite. Outside the Bible, Abdiel is known as an angel who remains faithful to God in John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost".
36. Azariah. A long but not overwrought name belonging to several Old Testament characters.
37. Salem. If you can gloss over the witchy associations, this name has a lot to offer: a fetching sound, biblical place name credentials, and roots in the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace".
38. Eliam. An Old Testament name that could built on the popularity of names like Eli and Elias.
39. Enoch. The name of the antediluvian patriarch suddenly feels fresh again, after flying under the radar for more than a century.
40. Jedidiah. In the Bible, this is the "blessing" name God bestowed, through the prophet Nathan, on David and Bathsheba's son Solomon.
41. Thaddeus. The biblical Thaddeus is an early follower of Jesus and one of the original twelve apostles.
42. Eliel. An Old Testament name that could built on the popularity of other -iel names.
43. Jericho. An handsome O-ender with biblical place name credentials.
44. Jesiah. One of the more wearable versions of the Old Testament name Isshiah.
45. Zechariah. Another Minor Prophet with his own Book.
46. Canaan. A biblical place that has morphed into a modern baby name.
47. Ephraim. The name Ephraim appears in Genesis as a son of Joseph, one of the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
48. Abner. After a long period of silence, this Old Testament name seems baby-friendly again.
49. Boaz. In the biblical narrative, Boaz is the wealthy second husband of Ruth, the great grandfather of King David, and an ancestor of Jesus. As a baby name, Boaz has yet to capture widespread notice.
50. Ozias. A variation of Uzziah, the name of the tenth king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah.
51. Adiel. The name of several minor biblical figures.
52. Simeon. A variation of Simon.
53. Lazarus. This is the name of two New Testament characters, the first being a man whom Jesus raised from the dead, and the second being a beggar in one of Jesus' parables described in the Gospel of Luke. As a baby name, Lazarus has yet to hit the mainstream.
54. Eleazar. Rarely heard today, the name Eleazar belongs to several biblical figures, including the prophet Aaron's son, Eleazar the High Priest.
55. Benaiah. Benaiah was presumably a common name in biblical times, and several Benaiahs pop up in Scripture, the most notable of whom is the heroic figure who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.
56. Asaiah. This name belongs to several biblical figures, including a servant of King Josiah of Judah and a prince of the tribe of Simeon.
57. Jasiel. A modern version of the Old Testament name Jaasiel.
58. Caius. A variant of Gaius.
59. Lucius. A charming biblical comeback name with a bright meaning ("light") and a solid biblical namesake (Lucius of Cyrene).
60. Kenan. The name Kenan appears in the Book of Genesis as a great-grandson of Adam and Eve.
61. Zephaniah. The Bible features several men bearing this name, but the prophet Zephaniah, who authored the Book of Zephaniah, is the most famous of the pack.
62. Gadiel. A variation of Gaddiel.
63. Jeriah. This modern unisex name makes an appearance in 1 Chronicles as Hebron's eldest son.
64. Obadiah. One of the so-called Minor Prophets of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Obadiah.
65. Esdras. A Greco-Latin variation of the Hebrew name Ezra.
66. Eliab. Several men in the Old Testament don the name Eliab, so it definitely checks the biblical box. What do you think of it?
67. Zaccai. In the Bible, this is the name of a man whose descendants returned to their homeland following their release from captivity in Babylon.
68. Ebenezer. A biblical (and contemporary) place name that was deemed a perfectly fine baby name back in the 1700s and 1800s—and that we could imagine making a comeback.
69. Nazareth. Nazareth may be the hometown of Jesus, but it's a legit baby name too, made more accessible by the zippy nickname Naz.
70. Exodus. Only for the most daring biblical baby namer...
71. Abiel. Equipped with the old-timey nickname Abe, the name of King Saul's grandfather sounds more possible now than ever.
72. Amaziah. A name borne by several Old Testament characters, including the somewhat controversial King Amaziah.
73. Sion. A variation of Zion.
74. Zedekiah. Meaning "the Lord is just", this name is borne by several biblical characters, the most famous of whom—King Zedekiah—met an unhappy end. Major attraction: the cool nickname Zed.
75. Azel. Clocking in at just two syllables and four letters, this name gets right to the point. As for the biblical link, Azel is a descendant of King Saul, as well as a biblical place.
76. Elim. This gender-neutral biblical baby name is borrowed from that of an oasis where the Israelites encamped following their Exodus from Egypt.
77. Jasher. Jasher traces its biblical origins to the Book of Jasher, also known as the Book of Jashar, which is mentioned in the Old Testament but left out of the canon of Scripture.
78. Eliakim. This name belongs to several men in the Bible, the most famous being the son of Hilkiah.