Christian names, explained
The meaning behind every biblical and Christian name.
Where each name comes from, what it means in Hebrew, Greek or Latin, and the biblical or saint's story behind it. 114 names, researched one at a time.
New in the column Biblical name vs Christian name: two separate questions ›
Where these names stand in 2025
Every name on the site carries its official US ranking. These are the ones people are using right now.
Rankings from the US Social Security Administration, 2025 release. Updated every May.
Recently added
The names we researched and published most recently.
Agnes
Agnes is a Greek name meaning "pure" or "chaste."
Ambrose
Ambrose is a Greek name meaning "immortal" or "belonging to the immortals."
Anselm
Anselm is a Germanic name meaning 'protected by God' or 'divine helmet.'
Augustine
Augustine is a Latin-rooted name meaning great, venerable, or majestic.
Open any name and you can save it. Your shortlist stays on this device, ready when you come back. See your saved names
The people behind the names
What actually happens in their stories, and why the names lasted.
David was Israel's famous shepherd king. The Bible remembers him as a musician, warrior, ruler, sinner, and penitent. His story is central to the Old Testament and deeply important in Christian readings of Jesus as the son of David.
Ruththe MoabiteRuth was a Moabite woman who chose to stay with her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi after loss and uncertainty. Her loyalty brings her to Bethlehem, where she becomes part of Israel's story. The book of Ruth ends by connecting her family to King David.
Estherthe queenEsther was a Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and acted to protect her people from destruction. Her story is full of court politics, danger, timing, and courage. The book of Esther is unusual because God is not named directly, even though readers often discuss providence throughout the story.
Gabrielthe archangelGabriel is one of only two angels named in canonical Christian scripture. He appears in Daniel as the interpreter of apocalyptic visions and in Luke's infancy narratives as the messenger who announces the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.
Mosesthe lawgiverMoses was the Exodus leader who brought Israel out of Egypt, received the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and mediated the covenant that shaped Israel's identity as God's people. Christian tradition treats him as the foundational Old Testament figure whose life anticipates and prepares the way for the New Testament revelation of Jesus.
Paulthe apostlePaul was the Gentile-mission apostle whose Damascus Road conversion from persecutor of the church to its most prolific missionary shaped the New Testament and Christian theology across two millennia. Thirteen letters attributed to him make up roughly half of the New Testament canon.
From the column
Longer pieces on how Christian naming actually works.
Biblical name vs Christian name: two separate questions
Is a name biblical, or is it a Christian name? These are two different questions with four possible answers. Here is how the two axes work, with examples.
July 19, 2026Christian virtue names: Faith, Grace, Prudence, and the naming of virtues
Christian virtue names are drawn from a virtue or doctrine rather than a person. Their history from 1 Corinthians 13 to the Puritan naming tradition, explained.
July 19, 2026Deuterocanonical and Apocryphal names: when a name's biblical status depends on the canon
Some names are biblical in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testament but not the Protestant one. What canon-dependent means, with Raphael as the example.