Biblical Boy Names
Biblical names are American naming's bedrock — half the historical top 10 comes from scripture. This list spans the familiar giants and the Old Testament deep cuts that modern parents are rediscovering.
| Save name | Name & connection | History 1926–2025, yearly counts; individually scaled | Babies 2025 · rank | 5-year rank movement | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The shepherd-king and psalmist. | 6,794#35 | Down 7 rank positions in five years | 1955 | ||
The dreamer with the many-colored coat. | 7,303#29 | Down 3 rank positions in five years | 1956 | ||
The doubter who demanded proof. | 6,917#34 | Up 11 rank positions in five years | 1952 | ||
Unharmed in the lions' den. | 8,085#22 | Down 8 rank positions in five years | 1985 | ||
The tax collector turned evangelist. | 7,003#32 | Down 2 rank positions in five years | 1983 | ||
The first-called apostle. | 4,497#73 | Down 21 rank positions in five years | 1987 | ||
Moses' successor, who felled Jericho's walls. | 4,773#66 | Down 13 rank positions in five years | 1989 | ||
The ladder-dreamer, father of the twelve tribes. | 6,152#43 | Down 28 rank positions in five years | 1998 | ||
David's truest friend. | 3,822#89 | Down 19 rank positions in five years | 1988 | ||
Jacob's beloved youngest. | 9,762#11 | Down 4 rank positions in five years | 1989 | ||
The boy who answered, 'Speak, for your servant hears.' | 8,334#18 | Up 7 rank positions in five years | 2001 | ||
Moses' brother, the first high priest. | 4,041#80 | Down 17 rank positions in five years | 1989 | ||
The prophet who told King David the truth. | 4,975#63 | Down 8 rank positions in five years | 2004 | ||
The first man. | 3,501#101 | Down 4 rank positions in five years | 1984 | ||
Builder of the ark. | 20,358#2 | Steady | 2024 | ||
The announcing archangel. | 6,569#37 | Up 1 rank positions in five years | 2008 | ||
The prophet taken up in a whirlwind. | 11,111#7 | Down 3 rank positions in five years | 2011 | ||
'He laughs' — Abraham's promised son. | 5,953#47 | Down 8 rank positions in five years | 2007 | ||
The scout who kept the faith. | 5,217#58 | Down 2 rank positions in five years | 2002 | ||
The physician-evangelist. | 6,948#33 | Down 2 rank positions in five years | 2014 | ||
'God has given' — the guileless apostle. | 2,565#140 | Down 15 rank positions in five years | 2002 | ||
The prophet of comfort. | 5,267#57 | Down 6 rank positions in five years | 2006 | ||
The weeping prophet. | 3,840#88 | Down 14 rank positions in five years | 2010 | ||
Founder of the priestly tribe. | 9,642#12 | Up 6 rank positions in five years | 2022 | ||
Adam's third son — the quiet line. | 505#581 | Down 149 rank positions in five years | 2000 | ||
The priest who raised Samuel. | 3,418#104 | Down 44 rank positions in five years | 2012 | ||
The boy-king who reformed a kingdom. | 5,509#54 | Down 5 rank positions in five years | 2017 | ||
Elijah, in its Greek form. | 8,837#13 | Up 41 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
The prophet asking only justice, mercy, humility. | 3,817#90 | Up 16 rank positions in five years | 2022 | ||
'Happy' — Jacob's fortunate son. | 7,456#28 | Up 4 rank positions in five years | 2022 | ||
The scribe who rebuilt Jerusalem's faith. | 8,126#20 | Up 24 rank positions in five years | 2024 | ||
Father of nations. | 1,664#209 | Down 8 rank positions in five years | 2016 | ||
'God with us'. | 2,035#179 | Down 28 rank positions in five years | 2008 | ||
Three days inside the great fish. | 2,828#128 | Steady | 2008 | ||
Prophet of the valley of dry bones. | 5,091#61 | Up 3 rank positions in five years | 2022 | ||
Paul's fellow traveler. | 4,639#71 | Up 29 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
Jacob's wrestling name: 'strives with God'. | 1,081#315 | Down 78 rank positions in five years | 2007 | ||
Peter, before the rename. | 1,529#230 | Up 19 rank positions in five years | 2015 | ||
The shepherd son of Adam and Eve. | 1,525#231 | Down 50 rank positions in five years | 2015 | ||
The Old Testament's final prophet. | 2,692#134 | Up 22 rank positions in five years | 2006 | ||
'Praised'; the one-chapter epistle. | 2,384#155 | Down 1 rank positions in five years | 2015 | ||
Drawn from the water; the lawgiver. | 583#515 | Down 21 rank positions in five years | 2016 | ||
The wise king. | 767#422 | Down 20 rank positions in five years | 2016 | ||
Jacob's firstborn. | 269#889 | Up 20 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
Companion of the archangel Raphael. | 1,201#283 | Down 20 rank positions in five years | 2016 | ||
The reluctant judge who routed an army with 300. | 993#337 | Down 16 rank positions in five years | 2017 | ||
Prophet, and father of John the Baptist. | 285#856 | Up 71 rank positions in five years | 2015 |
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Sources & methodology
Meaning summaries use Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and referenced name histories. Each name’s detail page includes its sources.
Membership on this list is editorial — we chose names that genuinely fit the theme. Every number is from official birth data: "—" means the name had fewer than 5 recorded uses in 2025, which makes it a genuinely rare pick today, not an invalid one. The dot marks whether the stats shown are for the girls' or boys' use of the name.