55+ Christian Baby Boy Names With Meanings From Scripture
Published on September 17, 2026
Christian baby boy names range from the ones you hear four times at every playground to ones almost nobody uses anymore. All 55 below come with their real meaning and their 2025 popularity from the Social Security Administration, so you know exactly how common your favorite is before you commit.
Levi and Elijah sit in America’s top 20. Other names on this list, carrying a whole book of the Bible, went to fewer than a hundred boys last year. Looking for unique Christian baby boy names with meaning? They are in here. So is every name with a rough story attached, flagged before you fall in love with it.
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If you are reading this with a name list in your notes app and a husband who keeps vetoing your favorites, you are in the right place. This collection is full of the most precious biblical boy names you have ever heard!
💕Don’t Leave Without Exploring These Fun Ideas!💕
New Testament Boy Names
Andrew
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: manly, masculine
- Popularity: #73 in 2025
Manly is the Greek meaning, from Andreas. The apostle Andrew carried it across the Christian world, and it became especially important in Scotland and Eastern Europe. It peaked at 5 in 1988 and has been falling since, down from 30 ten years ago. More than 1.3 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Barnabas
- Origin: Aramaic, via Greek
- Meaning: son of the prophet
- Popularity: #3,669 in 2025
Acts 4:36 reads this name as son of encouragement, though the underlying Aramaic bar navi probably means son of the prophet. In the New Testament it was the byname given to Joseph, a Jewish man from Cyprus who traveled with Paul. It entered English around the twelfth century and has stayed rare, with 30 boys getting it in 2025. Barnaby is the version Britain actually uses.
Bartholomew
- Origin: Aramaic, via Greek
- Meaning: son of Talmai
- Popularity: #3,093 in 2025
Talmai’s son is the literal Aramaic, by way of the Greek Bartholomaios. He was an apostle, possibly the same man as Nathanael, and tradition sends him to India and then Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. It peaked at 481 in 1885 and has climbed from 4,736 ten years ago. Bart is the only nickname and it has a cartoon problem.
John
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is gracious
- Popularity: #23 in 2025
Yahweh is gracious is the meaning, carried down from Hebrew. John the Baptist and the apostle John between them made it one of the most enduring Christian names there is. It peaked at 1 in 1880 and has barely moved in a decade, at 26 ten years ago. More than 5.1 million boys have carried it since 1880, more than any other name on this list.
Lazarus
- Origin: Hebrew, via Greek
- Meaning: God helps
- Popularity: #1,143 in 2025
Bethany is where Lazarus lived, brother to Mary and Martha, and the man Jesus restored to life. The name is the Latinized Greek Lazaros, from the Hebrew Eleazar, meaning God helps. It last ranked in the American top thousand in 1886 and has climbed back from 1,436 ten years ago. Behind the Name notes it is now used mainly in English-speaking African communities.
Mark
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: form of Marcus
- Popularity: #245 in 2025
Gospels: Saint Mark wrote the second one, and he is the patron saint of Venice. The name is a form of the Latin Marcus, and it also belongs to a Cornish king in the medieval Tristan and Iseult legend. It peaked at 6 in 1959 and has fallen since, down from 196 ten years ago. More than 1.3 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Matthew
- Origin: Hebrew, via Greek
- Meaning: gift of God
- Popularity: #32 in 2025
Gift of God is the meaning, from Hebrew by way of the New Testament. The apostle Matthew gave it lasting Christian weight, and it has been used in English since the Middle Ages. It peaked at 2 in 1995 and has eased back from 15 ten years ago. More than 7,000 boys got it in 2025.
Paul
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: small
- Popularity: #262 in 2025
Small is the meaning, from the Roman name Paulus, which is a striking thing to attach to one of the most influential leaders early Christianity had. It spread throughout the Christian world on his account. It peaked at 12 in 1916 and has fallen from 200 ten years ago. More than 1.3 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Peter
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: stone
- Popularity: #187 in 2025
Stone is the meaning, from a Greek name used in the New Testament to translate the Aramaic Cephas. Simon Peter’s prominence made it common across Christianity, and the modern spelling settled in England by the fifteenth century. It peaked at 31 in 1880 and has been steady, at 205 ten years ago. Nearly 2,000 boys got it in 2025.
Philip
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: friend of horses
- Popularity: #528 in 2025
Horses: philos and hippos give Philip its meaning. Five kings of Macedon carried it, including the father of Alexander the Great, and the New Testament gives it to two saints. It declined in England after the seventeenth century, partly thanks to Spain’s Philip II, and revived in the nineteenth. It peaked at 52 in 1941 and has fallen from 433 ten years ago.
Stephen
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: crown, wreath
- Popularity: #383 in 2025
Crowns and wreaths are the Greek meaning. Saint Stephen is regarded as the first Christian martyr, which made this one of the most enduring Christian names in Europe. It peaked at 19 in 1949 and has fallen since, down from 246 ten years ago. Steven with a v is the other spelling, and it counts as a separate name in the data.
Timothy
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: honoring God
- Popularity: #203 in 2025
Honoring God is the Greek meaning. Saint Timothy traveled with the apostle Paul, and the biblical link brought the name into English use after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 11 in 1960 and has fallen from 147 ten years ago. More than 1 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Old Testament Boy Names
Abel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: breath
- Popularity: #231 in 2025
Breath is the Hebrew meaning, from Hevel. He was the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered out of envy by his brother Cain, which is a heavy story attached to a very soft name. It spread in medieval England and was especially common among Puritans. It peaked at 124 in 2015 and has eased back since.
Adam
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: man
- Popularity: #101 in 2025
Man is the meaning, as plain as a name gets, possibly with a root meaning to be red behind it. The first man gave it universal recognition and it has been an English Christian name since the Middle Ages. It peaked at 18 in 1983 and has fallen from 73 ten years ago. More than 580,000 boys have carried it since 1880.
Benjamin
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: son of the right hand
- Popularity: #11 in 2025
Son of the right hand, or son of the south, is how the Hebrew reads. He was the youngest son of Jacob, and the biblical link made it a lasting name in Jewish and Christian families both. It peaked at 6 in 2016 and has barely moved, at 10 ten years ago. Nearly 9,800 boys got it in 2025.
Boaz
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: swiftness
- Popularity: #891 in 2025
Ruth married Boaz, which is the story most people know. The Hebrew means swiftness, and Boaz was also the name of one of the two pillars outside Solomon’s Temple, the other being Jachin. It reached its highest rank ever in 2025, up from 1,308 ten years ago. Short, strong and still uncommon.
Enoch
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: dedicated
- Popularity: #746 in 2025
Dedicated is the Hebrew meaning. Genesis gives the name to a son of Cain and also to a son of Jared who fathered Methuselah, and he is the supposed author of the apocryphal Books of Enoch. It peaked at 202 in 1880 and has crept up from 785 ten years ago. Nearly 350 boys got it in 2025.
Ephraim
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: fruitful
- Popularity: #988 in 2025
Fruitful is the Hebrew meaning. He was a son of Joseph and Asenath who founded one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and a fourth-century Syrian theologian carried it too. It peaked at 407 in 1880 and has slipped from 925 ten years ago. England and Wales rank it 968, almost exactly where America has it.
Israel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God contends
- Popularity: #315 in 2025
Contending with God is the traditional reading, sometimes given as one who struggles with God. Jacob was renamed Israel in the Old Testament, and the name passed to his descendants and then to the nation. It peaked at 202 in 2006 and has fallen from 240 ten years ago. More than 1,000 boys got it in 2025.
Jacob
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: heel holder; supplanter
- Popularity: #43 in 2025
Heel holder is the traditional explanation, or supplanter, though another theory reads it as may God protect. The patriarch fathered the twelve tribal ancestors of Israel, which makes this one of the load-bearing names of the whole Bible. It peaked at 1 in 1999 and has fallen a long way from 4 ten years ago. Nearly a million boys have carried it since 1880.
Job
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: persecuted, hated
- Popularity: #2,659 in 2025
Persecuted or hated is the Hebrew meaning, which tells you what the Book of Job is about before you open it. He is the righteous man tested by God, enduring one tragedy after another while struggling to keep faith. It peaked at 908 in 1891 and has fallen to 49 boys in 2025. A hard name to hand a child, and an unforgettable one.
Joseph
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: he will add
- Popularity: #29 in 2025
Increase is the idea: the Hebrew means he will add. Jacob’s son Joseph and Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, between them carried it across Jewish and Christian communities everywhere. It peaked at 5 in 1912 and has been steady, at 21 ten years ago. More than 2.6 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Joshua
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is salvation
- Popularity: #66 in 2025
Salvation is the promise: the Hebrew reads Yahweh is salvation. He succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites. It peaked at 3 in 2002 and has fallen since, down from 33 ten years ago. More than 1.2 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Seth
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: placed, set
- Popularity: #581 in 2025
Placed or set is the Hebrew meaning. He was the third named son of Adam and Eve and the ancestor of Noah and of all humankind, which is a great deal of weight for one syllable. It came into regular English use after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 63 in 2000 and has fallen from 270 ten years ago.
Prophet Names for Boys
Elijah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my God is Yahweh
- Popularity: #7 in 2025
Prophets do not come bigger than Elijah, whose Hebrew name means my God is Yahweh. It peaked at 4 in 2020 and has been steady, at 11 ten years ago. More than 11,000 boys got it in 2025, second only to Noah on this list. If you want the meaning without the crowd, Elias is the next entry.
Elias
- Origin: Hebrew, via Greek
- Meaning: my God is Yahweh
- Popularity: #13 in 2025
Greek gave us Elias, the form of Elijah used in the New Testament and across many European languages. Elijah was the prophet who confronted the priests of Baal and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. English speakers have used Elias since the Middle Ages. It reached its highest rank ever in 2025, having climbed from 100 ten years ago.
Elisha
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my God is salvation
- Popularity: #789 in 2025
Succession is the story here: Elisha attended the prophet Elijah and took over after his ascension to heaven. The Hebrew is a contracted form of Elishua, meaning my God is salvation. It peaked at 255 in 1883 and has been flat, at 776 ten years ago. Behind the Name has a separate feminine entry, so expect the occasional mix-up.
Ezekiel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God will strengthen
- Popularity: #61 in 2025
Strength is the promise: the Hebrew means God will strengthen. The Old Testament prophet gave the name its weight, and English speakers took it up after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 48 in 2022 and has climbed hard from 146 ten years ago. Zeke is the nickname and it changes the register entirely.
Isaiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is salvation
- Popularity: #57 in 2025
Another name meaning Yahweh is salvation, sitting alongside Joshua earlier on this list. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah carried it, and it entered English Christian use after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 39 in 2006 and has been steady, at 49 ten years ago. More than 5,200 boys got it in 2025.
Jeremiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh will exalt
- Popularity: #88 in 2025
Exaltation is the promise in Jeremiah, whose Hebrew means Yahweh will exalt. The Old Testament prophet gave it its religious weight, and the full form became more common in England after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 49 in 2011 and has fallen since, down from 54 ten years ago. More than 3,800 boys got it in 2025.
Malachi
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: my messenger
- Popularity: #134 in 2025
Messenger is the meaning, since the Hebrew expression reads my messenger or my angel. It is traditionally treated as the name of the prophet behind the Book of Malachi. It reached its highest rank ever in 2025, up from 160 ten years ago. The hard ending is what keeps it from sounding soft.
Micah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: who is like Yahweh?
- Popularity: #90 in 2025
Who is like Yahweh is the question folded into Micah, a shortened form of Micaiah. The Old Testament prophet gave it its standing, and it became more common in English near the end of the twentieth century. It peaked at 86 in 2024 and has been steady, at 105 ten years ago. Two syllables and no nickname needed.
Nehemiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh comforts
- Popularity: #429 in 2025
Comfort is the promise: the Hebrew means Yahweh comforts. He helped rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, which is about as concrete a legacy as a biblical figure gets. It peaked at 336 in 2010 and has eased back from 362 ten years ago. Four syllables, so it wants a short surname behind it.
Obadiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: servant of Yahweh
- Popularity: #1,630 in 2025
Servant of Yahweh is the meaning, built from Hebrew elements for serving or worshiping and the name of God. He is one of the twelve minor prophets and the author of the Book of Obadiah, which predicts the downfall of Edom. It peaked at 1,414 in 2024 and has crept up from 1,689 ten years ago. Only 104 boys got it in 2025.
Zachariah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh remembers
- Popularity: #538 in 2025
Remembering is the idea: the Hebrew joins zakar, to remember, with the name of God. This spelling appears in the King James Version for one of the kings of Israel, where other translations use Zechariah. It peaked at 305 in 1992 and has fallen from 417 ten years ago. Zach is the nickname, obviously.
Zephaniah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh has hidden
- Popularity: #1,458 in 2025
Hidden is the surprise: the Hebrew means Yahweh has hidden, from tsafan, to hide, joined to a form of the name of God. He is one of the twelve minor prophets and the author of the Book of Zephaniah. It peaked at 1,143 in 2019 and has eased back from 1,415 ten years ago. Only 123 boys got it in 2025.
Christian Boy Names That Name God
Emmanuel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is with us
- Popularity: #179 in 2025
God is with us is the meaning, and it appears as a prophetic name in the Old Testament. It has been used as a Christian first name in Europe since at least the sixteenth century. It peaked at 144 in 2009 and has fallen from 151 ten years ago. Manny is the nickname and it takes the formality right off.
Gabriel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is my strong man
- Popularity: #37 in 2025
Archangels: Gabriel appears as a divine messenger in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, which is why the name travels so far. The Hebrew means God is my strong man. It peaked at 21 in 2010 and has been steady, at 22 ten years ago. More than 6,500 boys got it in 2025.
Hezekiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh strengthens
- Popularity: #485 in 2025
Kings of Judah are thin on the ground in modern nurseries, but Hezekiah was a powerful one, and the Hebrew means Yahweh strengthens. It peaked at 435 in 1891 and is climbing again, up from 673 ten years ago. More than 600 boys got it in 2025. Four syllables and a hard k, a rarer combination than it sounds.
Jonathan
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh has given
- Popularity: #89 in 2025
Given is the meaning, since the Hebrew reads Yahweh has given. He was the son of King Saul and the close friend of David, which gives the name one of the warmest stories in the Old Testament. It peaked at 15 in 1988 and has fallen since, down from 48 ten years ago. More than 870,000 boys have carried it since 1880.
Josiah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh supports
- Popularity: #54 in 2025
Support is the meaning, generally read as Yahweh supports or Yahweh heals. King Josiah of Judah appears in the Old Testament, and the name entered English Christian use after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 45 in 2019 and has been steady, at 57 ten years ago. More than 5,500 boys got it in 2025.
Michael
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: who is like God?
- Popularity: #21 in 2025
Questions rarely make good names, but Michael is one: the Hebrew asks who is like God. The archangel Michael carried it across Jewish and Christian tradition and made it one of the most widespread masculine names in Europe. It peaked at 1 in 1954 and has eased back from 9 ten years ago. More than 4.4 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Nathan
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: he gave
- Popularity: #63 in 2025
Giving is the whole of it: the Hebrew means he gave. It turns up several times in the Old Testament, including as the name of a prophet during King David’s reign. It peaked at 20 in 2004 and has been steady, at 38 ten years ago. More than 587,000 boys have carried it since 1880.
Raphael
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God heals
- Popularity: #394 in 2025
Healing is the meaning, since the Hebrew reads God heals. Raphael is an archangel in Jewish tradition, and his appearance in the Book of Tobit spread the name through Christian Europe. It reached its highest rank ever in 2025, up from 537 ten years ago. More than 800 boys got it last year.
Uriah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is my light
- Popularity: #650 in 2025
Light and flame are the Hebrew roots, joined to the name of God, so the whole reads Yahweh is my light. Uriah the Hittite served in King David’s army and was the first husband of Bathsheba, and David had him killed, which is worth knowing before you use it. It peaked at 505 in 2014 and has fallen from 577 ten years ago. Beautiful meaning, difficult story.
Uriel
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is my light
- Popularity: #446 in 2025
Swap the ending on Uriah and you get Uriel, whose Hebrew means God is my light and whose story is a great deal easier. He is an archangel in Jewish tradition and appears in the Book of Enoch, which is also a name on this list. It peaked at 386 in 2008 and has climbed from 573 ten years ago. More than 700 boys got it in 2025.
Saint Names for Boys
Augustine
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: exalted, venerable
- Popularity: #545 in 2025
Hippo and Canterbury each gave the church an Augustine, one a fifth-century theologian and Doctor of the Church, the other a sixth-century monk sent to convert the Anglo-Saxons. The name comes from the Roman Augustinus, built on Augustus, meaning exalted or venerable. It peaked at 474 in 1906 and has climbed from 815 ten years ago. Augie and Gus are both hiding in it.
Benedict
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: blessed
- Popularity: #814 in 2025
Blessed is the Latin meaning, from benedico, to speak well of. Saint Benedict founded the Benedictines in the sixth century, and sixteen popes have carried the name. It did not become common in England until the twelfth century, and then it took off. It peaked at 447 in 1914 and has climbed hard from 1,205 ten years ago.
Christopher
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: bearing Christ
- Popularity: #68 in 2025
Bearing Christ is the literal meaning of this Late Greek name. Early Christians used it for someone who carried Christ in the heart, and medieval legends about Saint Christopher made it widespread. It peaked at 2 in 1972 and has fallen a long way from 32 ten years ago. More than 2 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Clement
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: merciful, gentle
- Popularity: #2,262 in 2025
Mercy is the meaning, since the Roman Clemens meant merciful or gentle. Fourteen popes carried it, including Saint Clement I, the third pope, as did Clement of Alexandria, who worked to blend Christian and Platonic thought. It fell away in England after the Protestant Reformation and revived in the nineteenth century. It peaked at 267 in 1912 and has climbed from 2,728 ten years ago.
Constantine
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: constant, steadfast
- Popularity: #1,573 in 2025
Steadfast is the meaning, from the Latin Constans. Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to adopt Christianity, and he moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. It last ranked in the American top thousand in 1970 and has crept up from 1,705 ten years ago. Four syllables of history, with Con as the escape hatch.
Gregory
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: watchful, alert
- Popularity: #593 in 2025
Watchful or alert is the Greek meaning, from a verb meaning to awaken. Saint Gregory the Great, the sixth-century pope and Doctor of the Church, and fifteen later popes carried it. It peaked at 21 in 1962 and has fallen since, down from 346 ten years ago. It has been common in England since at least the twelfth century.
Ignatius
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: uncertain, later tied to fire
- Popularity: #1,664 in 2025
Fire got attached to this one later: the Roman family name Egnatius had Etruscan roots and an uncertain meaning, and the spelling was bent toward the Latin ignis. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, born Inigo, founded the Jesuits and fixed the name in use. It peaked at 555 in 1906 and has climbed from 2,242 ten years ago. Iggy is the nickname, and it is a great deal of fun.
Justin
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: just, upright
- Popularity: #233 in 2025
Just, lawful and upright is the Latin, from Justus by way of Iustinus. Justin Martyr was a second-century Christian philosopher beheaded in Rome, and two Byzantine emperors carried it too. It was used occasionally from the late Middle Ages but only spread widely in the second half of the twentieth century. It peaked at 7 in 1988 and has fallen from 110 ten years ago.
Linus
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: flax
- Popularity: #1,913 in 2025
Flax is the Greek meaning, from linon. In myth Linus was a son of Apollo, killed by him by accident, and another Linus taught music to Heracles. The second pope carried it, and so does a boy with a blanket in Peanuts. It peaked at 625 in 1882 and has fallen from 1,155 ten years ago.
Sebastian
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: from Sebaste; venerable
- Popularity: #16 in 2025
Sebaste was a city whose name came from a Greek word meaning venerable, and the Latin Sebastianus means from Sebaste. Saint Sebastian’s popularity established it across Christian Europe. It peaked at 13 in 2022 and has climbed from 35 ten years ago. More than 8,600 boys got it in 2025.
Strong Christian Boy Names
Aaron
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: meaning uncertain
- Popularity: #80 in 2025
Uncertain, even after all this time: the origin is most likely Egyptian and the meaning has never been settled, though high mountain and exalted have both been proposed. Aaron was the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites. It peaked at 28 in 1994 and has fallen since, down from 52 ten years ago. More than 614,000 boys have carried it since 1880.
Christian
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: a Christian
- Popularity: #96 in 2025
Literally the word, from the medieval Latin Christianus meaning a Christian. It was used in England in the Middle Ages and became much more common from the seventeenth century, with Scandinavian royalty helping establish it across Europe. It peaked at 21 in 2006 and has fallen from 43 ten years ago. The most direct name on this list, which is either the appeal or the problem.
David
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: beloved
- Popularity: #35 in 2025
Beloved is the probable Hebrew meaning, though uncle is another literal possibility for the root. King David made it one of the most enduring biblical names there is, and Britain has used it since the Middle Ages. It peaked at 1 in 1960 and has been steady, at 18 ten years ago. More than 3.6 million boys have carried it since 1880.
Gideon
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: feller, hewer
- Popularity: #337 in 2025
Feller or hewer is the Hebrew meaning, which is a working man’s word for a judge and military leader. English speakers took it up after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 304 in 2017 and has been steady, at 327 ten years ago. Nearly 1,000 boys got it in 2025.
Isaac
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: he will laugh
- Popularity: #47 in 2025
Laughter is the meaning: the Hebrew reads he will laugh, or he will rejoice. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, and the name carries lasting weight in Jewish and Christian tradition both. It peaked at 28 in 2013 and has been steady, at 31 ten years ago. Nearly 6,000 boys got it in 2025.
Noah
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: rest, repose
- Popularity: #2 in 2025
Rest and repose are the Hebrew meaning, which is a quiet thing to name the man who built the Ark. It entered English Christian use after the Protestant Reformation. It peaked at 1 in 2013 and has barely moved, sitting at 1 ten years ago. More than 20,000 boys got it in 2025, by far the most on this list.
Phineas
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: a variant of Phinehas
- Popularity: #1,616 in 2025
Phinehas is the older spelling, from the ancient Hebrew Pinchas, and Phineas is the version some English Bibles use. It peaked at 1,030 in 1880 and has crept up from 1,664 ten years ago. Only 105 boys got it in 2025. Behind the Name gives no separate meaning for it, so treat any list that offers one with suspicion.
Theophilus
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: friend of God
- Popularity: #2,417 in 2025
Luke addressed both his gospel and the Book of Acts to a man named Theophilus, which is why the name survives at all. The Greek means friend of God, from theos and philos. It peaked at 1,048 in 1901 and has climbed hard from 3,358 ten years ago. Only 57 boys got it in 2025, and Theo is right there waiting.
Sixty-four names is a lot of scripture to hold at once, so pick the section that fits how you want the name to read and shortlist three from it. A meaning your son can grow into matters more than a rank.
