Names by Origin
Hebrew Names
Names with roots in the Hebrew tradition, many shared across Jewish communities worldwide.
Aaron
exalted
Abel
breath
Abraham
father of multitudes
Adam
earth
Adi
ornament
Adina
gentle
Amos
carried
Anna
grace
Ari
lion
Ariel
lion of God
Asa
physician
Asher
happy, blessed
Avi
my father
Avigail
my father’s joy
Ayala
doe
Azariah
helped by God
Boaz
Bracha
blessing
Caleb
devotion
Calev
Carmel
garden, orchard
Danya
God is my judge
David
beloved
Eden
place of pleasure
Biblical and modern Hebrew
Hebrew names come out of a very long tradition that stretches from the Hebrew Bible into modern Israeli usage. Some names here are ancient biblical forms, others are modern Hebrew coinings, and many have travelled with Jewish communities across the world and taken on local pronunciations and spellings. A name appearing in this collection signals a Hebrew association, not that every bearer is Israeli or that the name is currently common in Israel.
Meanings and transliteration
Where a meaning is shown it reflects a widely accepted Hebrew derivation, such as roots for light, song, or blessing. Hebrew is written in its own script, so the Latin spellings here are transliterations and can vary. Several well-known names have etymologies that are genuinely uncertain or disputed; for those we show the name without a meaning rather than present a guess as fact.
Meanings are included where reliable information is available. These names reflect a naming tradition, not current popularity in any country.