Browse Names - Behind the Name

Adi 1 עֲדִי f & m Hebrew
Means "jewel, ornament" in Hebrew.

Agam אֲגַם f & m Hebrew
Means "lake" in Hebrew.

Almog אַלְמוֹג m & f Hebrew
Means "coral" in Hebrew.

Amit 2 עָמִית m & f Hebrew
Means "friend" in Hebrew.

Anat 2 עַנָת f & m Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Anath 1. In modern times it is often used as a feminine name.

Ariel אֲרִיאֵל m & f Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Means "lion of God" in Hebrew, from אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film The Little Mermaid (1989).

Avia אֲבִיָה m & f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Abijah.

Avital אֲבִיטָל f & m Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Hebrew form of Abital, sometimes used as a masculine name in modern times.

Aviv אֲבִיב m & f Hebrew
Means "spring" in Hebrew.

Carmel כַּרְמֶל f & m English, Jewish
From the title of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel. כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics. As a Jewish name it is unisex.

Chen 2 חֵן m & f Hebrew
Means "grace, charm" in Hebrew.

Chesed חֶסֶד f & m Hebrew
Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.

Dar דַּר f & m Hebrew
Means "mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.

Dikla דִּקְלָה m & f Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Diklah. In modern Hebrew it is also used as a feminine name.

Dor דּוֹר m & f Hebrew
Means "generation" in Hebrew.

Eden עֵדֶן f & m Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.

Gal 1 גַּל f & m Hebrew
Means "wave" in Hebrew.

Gefen גֶּפֶן f & m Hebrew
Means "grape vine" in Hebrew.

Gili גִּילִי f & m Hebrew
Means "my joy" in Hebrew.

Hadar הָדָר f & m Hebrew
Means "splendour, glory" in Hebrew.

Hallel הָלֵּל f & m Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew הָלַל (halal) meaning "praise". This is the name of a Jewish prayer, consisting of several psalms. The more traditional name Hillel, which is typically only masculine, is spelled the same but is vocalized with a different vowel.

Hed הֵד m & f Hebrew
Means "echo" in Hebrew.

Jaffe יָפֶה m & f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew יָפֶה (see Yafe).

Keshet קֶשֶׁת m & f Hebrew
Means "rainbow" in Hebrew.

Li 2 לִי f & m Hebrew
Means "to me" in Hebrew.

Liel לִיאֵל f & m Hebrew
Means "my God" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אֵל (ʾel) "God".

Lior לִיאוֹר m & f Hebrew
Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר (ʾor) "light".

Liraz לִירָז m & f Hebrew
Means "my secret" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and רָז (raz) "secret".

Liron לִירוֹן m & f Hebrew
Means "my song, my joy" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and רֹן (ron) "joy, song".

Maayan מַעֲיָן f & m Hebrew
Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.

Mor מוֹר f & m Hebrew
Means "myrrh" in Hebrew.

Moran מוֹרָן f & m Hebrew
Means "viburnum shrub" in Hebrew.

Neta נֶטַע f & m Hebrew
Means "plant, shrub" in Hebrew.

Nitzan נִצָן m & f Hebrew
Means "flower bud" in Hebrew.

Niv נִיב m & f Hebrew
Means either "speech, expression" or "fang, tusk" in Hebrew.

Noam נוֹעַם m & f Hebrew, French
Means "pleasantness" in Hebrew. A famous bearer is Noam Chomsky (1928-), an American linguist and philosopher.

Noy נוֹי f & m Hebrew
Means "beauty" in Hebrew.

Ofir אוֹפִיר m & f Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Ophir. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name.

Ofri עֹפְרִי, עוֹפְרִי f & m Hebrew
Means "my fawn" in Hebrew.

Omer עוֹמֶר m & f Hebrew
Means "sheaf of wheat" in Hebrew.

Ophir אוֹפִיר m & f Biblical, Hebrew
From the Hebrew name אוֹפִיר (ʾOfir), meaning unknown. This is the name of a son of Joktan in the Old Testament (where it is also used as a place name).

Or אוֹר m & f Hebrew
Means "light" in Hebrew.

Ori אוֹרִי m & f Hebrew
Means "my light" in Hebrew.

Osher אוֹשֶׁר, אֹשֶׁר m & f Hebrew
Means "happiness" in Hebrew.

Paz 2 פָּז f & m Hebrew
Means "gold" in Hebrew.

Rani 2 רָנִּי m & f Hebrew
From Hebrew רַן (ran) meaning "to sing".

Ravid רָבִיד m & f Hebrew
Means "ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.

Raz רָז m & f Hebrew
Means "secret" in Hebrew.

Roni 1 רוֹנִי f & m Hebrew
Means "my joy" or "my song" in Hebrew.

Rotem רוֹתֶם m & f Hebrew
From the name of a desert plant (species Retama raetam), possibly related to Hebrew רָתַם (ratam) meaning "to harness, to bind".

Shachar שַׁחַר f & m Hebrew
Means "dawn" in Hebrew.

Shahar שַׁחַר f & m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew שַׁחַר (see Shachar).

Shai שַׁי m & f Hebrew
Either from Hebrew שַׁי (shai) meaning "gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of Isaiah.

Shaked שָׁקֵד f & m Hebrew
Means "almond" in Hebrew.

Shalev שָׁלֵו m & f Hebrew
Means "calm, tranquil" in Hebrew.

Shani 1 שָׁנִי f & m Hebrew
Means "red, scarlet" in Hebrew.

Sharon שׁרון f & m English, Hebrew
From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning "plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.... [more]

Shay 2 שַׁי m & f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew שַׁי (see Shai).

Simcha שִׂמְחָה f & m Hebrew
Means "happiness, joy" in Hebrew.

Stav סתָו, סתיו f & m Hebrew
Means "autumn" in Hebrew.

Tal טַל m & f Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew".

Tam 2 תָּם m & f Hebrew
Means "honest, innocent" in Hebrew.

Tom 2 תּוֹם, תָּם m & f Hebrew
Means "the end, innocence, simplicity" from Hebrew תּוֹם (tom). It can also be an alternate transcription of תָּם (see Tam 2).

Tovia טוֹבִיָּה m & f Hebrew
Hebrew form of Tobiah, also used as a feminine form.

Uria אוּרִיָה m & f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Uriah, also used as a feminine name.

Yafe יָפֶה m & f Hebrew
Variant and masculine form of Yafa.

Yaffe יָפֶה m & f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew יָפֶה (see Yafe).

Yarden יַרְדֵן m & f Hebrew
Hebrew form of Jordan.

Ziv זִיו m & f Hebrew
Means "bright, radiant" in Hebrew. This was the ancient name of the second month of the Jewish calendar.

Zohar זֹהַר m & f Hebrew
Means "light, brilliance" in Hebrew.

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