religious/biblical name for baby girl due in march?

Girl Names
1

'ello. [name]Long[/name] time lurker here!

Our baby, a little girl (!!!), is due in [name]March[/name]. We’ve agreed on a few names, but are not fired up about any of them. We have two sons, [name]Bishop[/name] [name]James[/name] and [name]Ulysses[/name] [name]George[/name], and our last name is a single syllable. Let’s say…[name]Smith[/name]?

Our stipulations are pretty tight. The name should be either Biblical or have a religious and/or mythological component/history (especially Greek/[name]Roman[/name]), and nothing crazy popular (although this is not a hard and fast rule). Abstract noun names are fine ([name]Grace[/name], [name]Hope[/name], etc). I personally don’t prefer girl names that end in ‘A’.

Here are some contenders, just so you’ve got a sense of what we like! We’re all over the place, really.

[name]Calliope[/name]
[name]Mary[/name]
[name]Dolores[/name]
[name]Moira[/name] (do you, personally, pronounce this MORE uh, or MOY ruh? I prefer the first pronunciation, but S.O. pointed out people might pronounce it the second way. It’s the only name ending in ‘A’ I wouldn’t mind)
[name]Bethany[/name]
[name]Magdalene[/name]

Actually, I take it back, names that end in “A” are okay, as long as the front is quite heavy-loaded? [name]Octavia[/name], [name]Demetria[/name], etc.

Oh, middle is pretty certainly [name]Aster[/name].

Honestly, if we had it our way, we’d name her Defiance [name]Rose[/name]. We like double barrel firsts. Maybe [name]Aster[/name] [name]Fae[/name]…? Now I’m just blathering on.

2

Here are a few thoughts:
[name]Charis[/name] (many other spellings and forms)- means grace
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Therese[/name]
[name]Elizabeth[/name]
[name]Rebekah[/name]
[name]Sarah[/name]

I would pronouce [name]Moira[/name] as MOY ruh and [name]Maura[/name] as MORE uh

3

[name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name]
[name]Zippora[/name]
[name]Delilah[/name]
[name]Trinity[/name]
[name]Junia[/name]
[name]Genesis[/name]
[name]Esther[/name]
[name]Deborah[/name]

Some “a” names in there, but I knew a girl named [name]Zipora[/name] (with one P) and thought her name was really nice, [name]Junia[/name] is the only female apostle mentioned in the Bible, and [name]Deborah[/name] was a female [name]Judge[/name].

4

Biblical names:

[name]Abigail[/name], [name]Deborah[/name], [name]Esther[/name], [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Jael[/name], [name]Leah[/name], [name]Naomi[/name], [name]Rachel[/name], [name]Ruth[/name], [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Tamar[/name], Zeresh, [name]Zipporah[/name], [name]Persis[/name], [name]Mahala[/name], [name]Junia[/name], [name]Keziah[/name], [name]Dinah[/name], [name]Sela[/name], [name]Tabitha[/name], [name]Atara[/name], [name]Susannah[/name], [name]Salome[/name], [name]Keturah[/name], [name]Phoebe[/name], [name]Lydia[/name], [name]Talitha[/name].

I’d also add: [name]Alethea[/name], since it means truth. Other virtue / word names: [name]Jubilee[/name], [name]Reverie[/name], [name]Prudence[/name], [name]Fidelity[/name], [name]Temperance[/name], Lucidity, [name]Harmony[/name], [name]Credence[/name], [name]Constance[/name], etc.

5

Biblical
[name]Yael[/name] (yah-el, not 1 syllable yale)
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Kezia[/name]
[name]Dinah[/name]

6

From your list, I like [name]Dolores[/name], [name]Moira[/name] (Moy-ruh), and [name]Magdalene[/name] best with [name]Bishop[/name] and [name]Ulysses[/name], but I don’t think the names ending in A sound very good with [name]Aster[/name] as a mn (so I’d probably skip [name]Moira[/name] due to this).

Some other suggestions:

[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Agnes[/name]/[name]Inez[/name]
[name]Aislinn[/name]
[name]Andrea[/name]
[name]Artemis[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Bernadette[/name]
[name]Cassandra[/name]
[name]Christiane[/name]
[name]Christobel[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Cleopatra[/name]
[name]Comfort[/name]
[name]Constance[/name]
[name]Dorothy[/name]/[name]Dorothea[/name]
[name]Edith[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Erica[/name]
[name]Esperanza[/name]
[name]Esther[/name]
[name]Evangeline[/name]/[name]Eve[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Frances[/name]
[name]Galatea[/name]
[name]Gertrude[/name]
[name]Godiva[/name]
[name]Helen[/name]
[name]Hermione[/name]
[name]Honor[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Irene[/name]
[name]Isolde[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]/[name]Joan[/name]
[name]Judith[/name]
[name]Justice[/name]
Lovejoy
[name]Lucy[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
Makepeace
[name]Marianne[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Mercy[/name]
Merit
[name]Miranda[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name]
[name]Natalie[/name]
[name]Persephone[/name]
[name]Persis[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
[name]Raine[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Ruth[/name]
Solace
[name]Susannah[/name]
[name]Sybil[/name]
[name]Thais[/name]
[name]Theodora[/name]/[name]Theodosia[/name]
[name]True[/name]
[name]Truth[/name]
Tyche
[name]Unity[/name]
[name]Valentine[/name]
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
Vibia
[name]Vida[/name]/[name]Vita[/name]
[name]Viveca[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Zara[/name]
[name]Zoe[/name]

7

From your list I like [name]Moira[/name] (MORE uh) and [name]Bethany[/name] (especially nn [name]Beth[/name]).

Suggestions:
[name]Eve[/name]
[name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Amity[/name]

Most of my favs end in ‘A’ so I’m not much help.

8

I like the names you’ve selected. I see that most of my suggestions have already been posted, so I’ll just add a couple more.

[name]Helen[/name]: Has connotations of both [name]Helen[/name] of [name]Troy[/name], and (St.) [name]Helen[/name] the mother of [name]Constantine[/name] who converted the Empire to Christianity and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to seek out the [name]Cross[/name] of [name]Christ[/name].

[name]Ariadne[/name]: A mythological figure and an early martyr.

[name]Timea[/name]: I know you said you don’t like most -a names, but this one, probably related to [name]Timaeus[/name], is [name]Christian[/name], means “honor,” and is nice with [name]Aster[/name]. Sort of like [name]Thomasine[/name] for [name]Thomas[/name], I guess.

[name]Phoebe[/name]: A Corinthian woman, mentioned in the epistle to the Romans.

[name]Lucy[/name]: Virtuous sort of meaning, a pretty cool saint actually.

9

Oh wow what wonderful suggestions, thank you so much.

@rook476 - I especially appreciate the explanations. [name]Timea[/name] is really pretty. I wonder if people would pronounce it [name]TIM[/name]-i-a, or [name]Ti[/name]-[name]MAY[/name]-a. [name]Helen[/name] is also gorgeous. I also like [name]Helena[/name], but only pronounce [name]Helen[/name]-a, not he [name]LAY[/name] na.

@nelliedellie - [name]Amity[/name] is really sweet, soft, and feminine, but also strong sounding. A definite contender. Thank you.

@davisellu - So many names! Thank you! [name]Isolde[/name] is one I hadn’t thought of, but I adore, especially as a middle.

@scarlettrobin - [name]Tabitha[/name]! What a gem! I guess there are a lot of names ending in ‘A’ that I like!

@esswei - Wonderful suggestions. I like [name]Zipora[/name] with one p and w/o the h at the end. Feels less chalky.

@maripal - [name]Mary[/name] [name]Rose[/name], a very pretty double that I haven’t heard before.

10

Well, the woman I knew named [name]Timea[/name] (who went by [name]Timmie[/name]) pronounced it [name]TIM[/name]-ea. I remembered that I also suggested it because the alternate explanation of its origin is that it was a variation of Euthymia, meaning “good feeling” or “joy.”

And I forgot to write down [name]Minerva[/name], [name]Roman[/name] goddess of wisdom and thus I suppose a virtue name like [name]Sophia[/name].

I see someone did put down [name]Irene[/name], Greek for “peace,” also a saint and the first Byzantine empress.

And finally, [name]Clio[/name] is another one that is Greek, not a goddess but a [name]Muse[/name], and also a saint. I could probably think of more, but I promise I’ll stop :slight_smile:

11

Biblical ones:
[name]Miriam[/name]/Mariamne
[name]Kezia[/name] - I snuck this -a ending one in because I think the z makes it pop.
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name]
[name]Yael[/name]
[name]Judith[/name]
Bethlehem - I have actually known a woman named this. I thought it rather striking, like a lot of Biblical place names, [name]Moriah[/name], [name]Shiloh[/name], etc.

Religious but not Biblical
[name]Eliora[/name]
[name]Eliana[/name] - I know Nameberry has it listed as Hebrew for “sun” but I think what they’ve done is, as its an international name, spliced the meaning of one language and then that it’s also a Hebrew name? In Hebrew it means “my G-d has answered.”
[name]Seraphine[/name]
[name]Celeste[/name]/[name]Celestia[/name]/[name]Celestine[/name]
[name]Angelique[/name], or [name]Angelica[/name] if you can stomach the -a.

If [name]Christian[/name]: [name]Evangeline[/name], [name]Christabel[/name]? [name]Christiana[/name] is a bit flowery maybe but dramatic.

Mythological names that [name]DON[/name]'T end in A, which cut my list by half.
[name]Xanthe[/name] - an Amazon, an unrelated Oceanid, and a couple other bit parts in mythological references. Means “gold” and I really like it, with its cheerful zan-thee sound but classical roots.
[name]Sibyl[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Juno[/name]
[name]Ione[/name]/[name]Iole[/name]
[name]Demeter[/name] (or [name]Demetria[/name])
[name]Phoebe[/name]
Hesper (or Hesperia)
[name]Amaryllis[/name]
[name]Selene[/name]
[name]Ianthe[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Iris[/name] - [name]Rainbow[/name] messenger goddess. Wikipedia says: “She is also known as one of the goddesses of the sea and the sky. [name]Iris[/name] links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.” Which I thought gave it a bit more gravitas than the average flower name.

12

@stripedsocks - I do adore city names. Bethlehem is gorgeous to me, because I have a soft spot for “th” (almost named [name]Bishop[/name] [name]Bartholome[/name] or [name]Theophilus[/name]) and that interesting “em” ending, but I believe when I was looking into it before, I found it to mean House of Meat. [name]Bethel[/name] is really nice though, I think. [name]Jericho[/name], Jerusalem, [name]Canaan[/name], those are all ones I thought of, though I wonder if they’re too strange? I do like namey sounding names. [name]Xanthe[/name], I adore it. Adding it to the list! A lot of very striking names. Thank you.

@rook476 - LOL. Suggest all the names you like! I like [name]Irene[/name]. Very simple and sweet, but one I haven’t heard too much of. As far as goddess names, I’ve always been fond of [name]Artemis[/name], but wonder that it’s a little out there on an actual little girl.

13

Off the top of my head…

[name]Petra[/name]
[name]Galilee[/name]
[name]Keturah[/name]
[name]Sheba[/name]
[name]Shiloh[/name]

14

[name]Vesper[/name]
[name]Amory[/name]
[name]Honoria[/name]/[name]Honor[/name]
[name]Thessaly[/name]
Verily
[name]Moriah[/name]

15

Since when is defiance a godly name?! I like verity or eden

16

Hmm… (and apologies in advance for repeats)

[name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]. It has the potential to be really great in a double name. Think [name_m]Paul[/name_m] Bettany and [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_u]Connelly[/name_u]'s little girl [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f]. [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] has strong religious ties and was extremely popular in [name_m]Christian[/name_m] Europe during the Middle Ages. The etymology is Greek. Other ideas:

[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]
[name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_f]Keziah[/name_f]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Amity[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f] (not religious or mythological, but seems to fit with your style)
[name_f]Isabeau[/name_f]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
[name_f]Talitha[/name_f]