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Name at a glance

Uriel

Uriel is a Hebrew name meaning 'God is my light' or 'flame of God.'

Ranked #446 in US baby names in 2025, stable over the past 5 years.

Uriel is the angelic interpreter of 2 Esdras and one of four archangels named in 1 Enoch, honored in Orthodox tradition as one of the seven archangels who stand before God.

Browse namesRead Uriel's story
OriginHebrew
GenderBoy
FeelAngelic
PronunciationYOOR-ee-el

Is Uriel biblical?

Yes

Biblical status Direct biblical person

Uriel is borne by a named Levite in 1 Chronicles (6:24; 15:5), a canonical Old Testament figure; the more prominent archangel Uriel appears only in 2 Esdras and 1 Enoch, outside the common canon.

Is Uriel a Christian name?

Yes, in specific traditions

Christian tradition Tradition-specific

Uriel has sustained naming use in Orthodox communities (particularly Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox) and among Latin American Catholic families, though it is excluded from the modern Roman calendar.

TraditionsOrthodox, Catholic

Plain answer

Uriel is borne by a canonical Old Testament Levite and, more prominently, by an archangel in books outside the common canon, and it is a Christian name mainly in Orthodox and Latin American Catholic tradition.

Confidence Moderate Last reviewed July 19, 2026 How this works

Meaning

The meaning of Uriel

Uriel comes from the Hebrew Uri-El, combining uri ('my light' or 'my flame') with El ('God'). Traditional English renderings are 'God is my light' or 'flame of God'; both are attested. The name appears in the Old Testament as a Levite of the Kohathite line (1 Chronicles 6:24; 15:5), distinct from the archangel Uriel who is named in 2 Esdras (also called 4 Ezra) and 1 Enoch.

Sound

How to pronounce Uriel

Phonetic
YOOR-ee-el
IPA
/ˈjʊɹiəl/

3 syllables · stress: YOOR-ee-el · ends in a consonant

Forms

Variants and nicknames

Alternate spellings

  • Uri
  • Yuriel
  • Oriel

Short forms and nicknames

  • Uri

Languages

Uriel in other languages

Hebrew
אוּרִיאֵלUri'elThe Hebrew form combines uri ("my light" or "my flame") with El ("God"). The name attests in the Old Testament as a Levitical figure (1 Chronicles 6:24, 15:5) distinct from the archangel Uriel of 2 Esdras and 1 Enoch.
Greek
ΟὐριήλOuriēl
Latin
Uriel
Spanish
Uriel
Portuguese
Uriel
Italian
Uriel

Christian background

Christian and biblical background

Uriel is the angelic interpreter of 2 Esdras and one of four archangels named in 1 Enoch, alongside Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. His canonical attribution runs through 2 Esdras (Slavonic Bible and some Eastern Orthodox traditions) and 1 Enoch (Ethiopian Orthodox scripture); Catholic and Protestant canons since the Reformation exclude both books. Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox traditions honor Uriel as one of the seven archangels who stand before God. The modern Roman Catholic calendar recognizes only Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael as the three named archangels for liturgical purposes since the 1969 reform; Uriel retains devotional presence in some Catholic families, particularly in Latin American contexts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel together form the four-archangel tradition attested across most branches of Eastern Christianity; the biblical angel names column reads the archangels together across canonical traditions.

Scripture

The biblical figure

Uriel is the angelic interpreter who answers Ezra's questions about God's justice and the end of days in 2 Esdras, and one of four archangels overseeing creation in 1 Enoch.

Read the full story of Uriel in the Bible

Bearers

Notable people named Uriel

  • biblical

    Uriel the ArchangelAngelic interpreter of 2 Esdras and one of four archangels named in 1 Enoch; honored in Orthodox tradition

  • biblical

    Uriel the LeviteOld Testament Levite of the sons of Kohath, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:24 and 15:5 as a distinct figure from the archangel Uriel

Naming history

Naming tradition and history

Uriel has sustained naming presence in Orthodox Christian communities and, particularly since the mid-twentieth century, in Latin American Catholic families. In the 2025 SSA data Uriel ranks #446, inside the Top 500 and above several better-known biblical figures, with much of the modern American use concentrated in Spanish-speaking Catholic families despite Uriel's exclusion from the modern Roman calendar. The name's rising trajectory tracks the broader Hebrew-name revival in American naming since the 2000s.

Recent US use

Uriel in recent US use

Rank in 2025
#446
Peak rank
#386 in 2008
Recent trend
stable over the last 5 years
Years in the SSA records
94 (since 1913)

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880-2025.

For families

For families looking at Uriel

For a Christian family, Uriel carries the angelic register of divine light, the interpreter role from 2 Esdras, and cross-tradition Orthodox and Latin American Catholic naming tradition. Ranked #446 in US baby names in 2025, inside the Top 500 with modest but sustained current use.

Common questions

What does Uriel mean?

Uriel is a Hebrew name meaning 'God is my light' or 'flame of God.' The etymology combines uri ('my light' or 'my flame') with El ('God').

Is Uriel a biblical name?

Uriel appears in the Old Testament as a Levite of the Kohathite line (1 Chronicles 6:24; 15:5). The angel Uriel is named in 2 Esdras (also called 4 Ezra) and 1 Enoch. 2 Esdras sits in the Slavonic Bible and some Eastern Orthodox traditions; 1 Enoch is scripture in the Ethiopian Orthodox canon. Catholic and Protestant canons exclude both books.

Is Uriel a Christian name?

Yes. Uriel has sustained naming tradition in Orthodox Christian communities (particularly Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox) and in Latin American Catholic families. The name is not gated by the strict canonical scope of the archangel's scriptural attribution.

How popular is the name Uriel?

Uriel ranked #446 in US baby names in 2025, inside the Top 500. Much of the modern American use is concentrated in Spanish-speaking Catholic families, with steady sustained presence since the 1990s.

Sources

Sources for Uriel

  • A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brown, Driver, and BriggsSupports: Hebrew etymology (Uri-El); meaning 'God is my light' or 'flame of God'.
  • The First Book of Chronicles, King James Version (KJV 1769)Supports: biblical figure, the Levite of the Kohathite line (1 Chronicles 6:24; 15:5).
  • National baby names data, US Social Security Administration (2025 release)Supports: US popularity.

Last reviewed July 19, 2026. See our methodology, or report an error on the corrections page.

Read next

Related names

MichaelThe named archangel-protector of Israel in Daniel and Revelation. Uriel and Michael appear together in 1 Enoch as two of the four archangels overseeing creation; Orthodox tradition honors both among the seven archangels standing before God.GabrielThe messenger archangel of Daniel and Luke. Uriel and Gabriel appear together in 1 Enoch as two of the four archangels; both are named angelic figures with distinct roles in the wider biblical tradition.RaphaelThe healing archangel of the Book of Tobit. Both Uriel and Raphael appear in Christian scriptures outside the Protestant canon: Raphael in Tobit (Catholic and Orthodox); Uriel in 2 Esdras (Slavonic and Eastern Orthodox) and 1 Enoch (Ethiopian Orthodox).EmmanuelBoth are Hebrew theophoric names ending in El ('God'). Uriel ('God is my light') and Emmanuel ('God with us') both name a divine attribute directly through the name itself.