Revisiting my boy's list - Biblical names

Boy Names
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! I like Biblical boys names as a general rule, and usually pair them with family middles. I’m feeling a bit meh about some of my picks recently, so I’m revitalising the list! Would love some opinions.

My current 4 favourites, in order, are:
[name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] “[name_m]Jed[/name_m]” or “[name_m]Jedi[/name_m]”
[name_m]Malachi[/name_m] [name_m]Robert[/name_m] “[name_u]Mal[/name_u]” or “[name_m]Mac[/name_m]”
[name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] “Cub”
[name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_m]Alan[/name_m] “[name_m]Tom[/name_m]”

All Biblical firsts, all honour middles. Some others I have on my list are:
[name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] “[name_m]Zeke[/name_m]” or “[name_f]Zee[/name_f]”
[name_m]Jairus[/name_m] “[name_u]Jai[/name_u]”
[name_m]Moses[/name_m] “[name_u]Mo[/name_u]”
[name_m]Zaccheus[/name_m] “[name_m]Zac[/name_m]”

But recently, I’ve been considering [name_m]Jethro[/name_m] “[name_u]Jet[/name_u]”, [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_u]Micah[/name_u] “[name_m]Mike[/name_m]”, [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m], [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] “[name_m]Solly[/name_m]”, [name_m]Levi[/name_m] & [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] “[name_m]Eli[/name_m]”. I need nicknames though as it’s part of my culture, and I can’t think of anything for [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u], [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] or [name_m]Levi[/name_m].

I’m not sure if I can use [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] AND [name_u]Micah[/name_u] - are they too similar? And same with [name_m]Jethro[/name_m] “[name_u]Jet[/name_u]” and [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] “[name_m]Jed[/name_m]”. Also, [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] “[name_m]Eli[/name_m]” is very similar to my top girls name, [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] “[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]” so not sure about that. [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]'s non-negotiable, that’s my absolute favourite and a double-honour name that means more to me than any of the other honours here. I also feel it would be weird to use [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] and [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] as [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] was the name given to [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] by God.

I would love some more ideas! Nicknames, new Biblical names, opinions on which names are best, whatever! Please think about whether they will go with the family middle names listed above too - If I have boys, they [name_m]WILL[/name_m] be given those middle names, in that order. (So _____ [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] will be my eldest son, if I have one)

Thanks in advance!

2

I really like [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] with the nickname Cub - I never thought of the nickname Cub before so cute. Other nickname/names I like on your list are the nickname [name_m]Mac[/name_m] for [name_m]Malachi[/name_m], the nickname [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] for [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], the nickname [name_m]Zeke[/name_m] for [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] and the nickname [name_u]Mo[/name_u] for [name_m]Moses[/name_m].

Some of my favourite biblical boy names are:
[name_m]Boaz[/name_m] - Nickname [name_u]Bo[/name_u] or [name_m]Bowie[/name_m]
[name_m]Uriah[/name_m] - Nickname [name_m]Ry[/name_m] (like [name_u]Ryan[/name_u])
[name_m]Abram[/name_m] - Nickname [name_m]Bram[/name_m].

3

I agree, Cub is a cute nickname for [name_m]Caleb[/name_m]! Of your top 4, [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] is my favorite. I also wouldn’t recommend using [name_u]Micah[/name_u] and [name_m]Malachi[/name_m], as they are pretty similar. [name_u]Noah[/name_u] is also extremely popular in the US (#1 in 2015 according to Social Security), so that might not be the best choice either.

I really like [name_m]Solomon[/name_m], and I wouldn’t worry too much about using [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] and [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] together- the whole “same name” thing isn’t nearly as well-known for them as it is for [name_m]Israel[/name_m] and [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], for example.

Honestly, I like almost all of these names (not a huge fan of naming someone [name_m]Zaccheus[/name_m] or [name_m]Jairus[/name_m], though). I would maybe stray from using [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] if you think it’s too similar to [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. It might not be, but if you had three children- [name_m]Elijah[/name_m], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], and [name_m]Malachi[/name_m]- then people might think the final name doesn’t go with the others.

Other Bible names I like are [name_m]Silas[/name_m], [name_m]Simeon[/name_m], and [name_m]Gideon[/name_m].

Sorry for all of the random thoughts. Good luck!

4

Thanks @findingbriar - [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] [name_m]Robert[/name_m] “[name_m]Mac[/name_m]” & [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] “Cub” are actually sticking out to me as the better ones in my top 4, and I especially love [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] - but [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] is pretty bad! I really like [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] as a pair too so don’t want to break that one up. [name_u]Love[/name_u] your suggestion of [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] “[name_u]Bo[/name_u]” - do you think [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] works? Or [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] [name_m]Alan[/name_m]?

Thanks also @jlstrk - I think [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] is my current favourite too, but [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] is putting me off! I think [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] will have to stay where it is in number 2 position. I actually had [name_m]Silas[/name_m] on my list a while ago but dropped it because it just didn’t feel right, but you’ve definitely hit on the sort of names I like! I might have to add [name_m]Simeon[/name_m] & [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] to my lists though, they’re great! [name_m]Simeon[/name_m] “[name_m]Sim[/name_m]”? And how would you nickname [name_m]Gideon[/name_m]?

5

I love Biblical names and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the nickname Cub for [name_m]Caleb[/name_m]. So cute! I never thought of that before. Of your choices, [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] is my favorite.

Here are some more options:

[name_m]Josiah[/name_m]
[name_u]Seth[/name_u]
[name_u]Azariah[/name_u]
[name_m]Daniel[/name_m]
[name_m]Peter[/name_m]

I think [name_u]Seth[/name_u] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] is nice. [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] also.

6

Thanks @addie88 - I do like [name_m]Josiah[/name_m], but unfortunately we can’t use [name_u]Jo[/name_u]- beginning names, as [name_m]Joe[/name_m] is my husband’s nickname! [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] & [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] are out for the same reason. [name_m]Daniel[/name_m]'s good too but is the name of a good friend, although not close enough that we’d name a son after him! I’d feel a bit weird using his name but being like ‘oh it’s not for [name_m]Dan[/name_m] though’… Unfortunate, because it is a great name. And [name_u]Seth[/name_u] looks pretty nickname proof, which a lot of people love, but I’m the opposite!

I do love [name_m]Peter[/name_m]. I know a lot of older [name_m]Peter[/name_m]'s but it’s kind of unexpected on little ones, so that’s pretty cool. Maybe that one’s going on the list too!

7

Bumping… more opinions please?

8

I love all your current combos, and I’ve always loved [name_m]Zaccheus[/name_m]. I can’t think of a nickname for [name_u]Noah[/name_u], but I like Ez for [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], and I knew an [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] whose nickname was Zay. [name_m]Levi[/name_m] could be called [name_u]Lee[/name_u].

[name_u]Micah[/name_u] and [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] would be too similar for my taste, but they’re not as bad as [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] and [name_m]Jebediah[/name_m] or something like that. I would personally only use one [name_f]El[/name_f]- name too.

I don’t think [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m] and [name_m]Solomon[/name_m] would be a problem. I know they’re the same person, and it still didn’t occur to me until you pointed it out.

[name_m]Abel[/name_m] “[name_m]Abe[/name_m]”
[name_m]Abraham[/name_m] “[name_m]Abe[/name_m]”
[name_m]Amos[/name_m] “Amo” (I know that’s a weird nickname, but my grandfather had a friend called Amo, and I always thought it was cool)
[name_u]Asa[/name_u] “[name_m]Ace[/name_m]”
[name_m]Asher[/name_m] “[name_u]Ash[/name_u]”
[name_m]Benaiah[/name_m] “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]”
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]” “[name_m]Benji[/name_m]”
[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] “[name_m]Gabe[/name_m]”
[name_m]Isaac[/name_m] “[name_m]Ike[/name_m]”
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m] “[name_m]Jake[/name_m]”
[name_u]James[/name_u] “[name_u]Jamie[/name_u]” “[name_u]Jay[/name_u]”
[name_u]Jesse[/name_u] “[name_u]Jess[/name_u]”
[name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] “[name_m]Jon[/name_m]” “[name_m]Jonny[/name_m]” “[name_m]Nate[/name_m]” “[name_m]Nathan[/name_m]”
[name_m]Judah[/name_m] “[name_u]Jude[/name_u]”
[name_m]Lucas[/name_m] “[name_m]Luke[/name_m]” ([name_m]Lucas[/name_m] is used twice instead of [name_m]Luke[/name_m] in the KJV, 2 [name_m]Cor[/name_m]. 13:14 and Philem. 1:24)
[name_m]Mordecai[/name_m] “[name_u]Cai[/name_u]”
[name_m]Nathan[/name_m] “[name_m]Nate[/name_m]”
[name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] “[name_m]Nate[/name_m]” “[name_m]Nathan[/name_m]”
[name_m]Nicodemus[/name_m] “[name_u]Nico[/name_u]”
[name_m]Philip[/name_m] “[name_m]Pip[/name_m]”
[name_m]Phineas[/name_m] “[name_u]Finn[/name_u]”
[name_m]Samuel[/name_m] “[name_u]Sam[/name_u]”
[name_m]Samson[/name_m] “[name_u]Sam[/name_u]”
[name_m]Simon[/name_m] “[name_u]Si[/name_u]”
[name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m] “[name_m]Thad[/name_m]” “[name_m]Tad[/name_m]”
[name_m]Timothy[/name_m] “[name_m]Tim[/name_m]”
[name_m]Titus[/name_m] “[name_m]Ty[/name_m]”
[name_m]Tobiah[/name_m] “[name_u]Toby[/name_u]”
[name_m]Tobias[/name_m] “[name_u]Toby[/name_u]”

9

Thanks @ameliab! I like your nickname suggestions. [name_f]May[/name_f] I ask, are you in a place that pronounces [name_m]Isaiah[/name_m] as Eye-ZAY-ah? I’m wondering if the Zay nickname would still work in Australia, where we say Eye-ZYE-ah. Maybe [name_f]Sai[/name_f], pronounced Zye.

What a great long list of suggestions! I have to take off [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m], [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m], [name_m]Judah[/name_m], [name_m]Nathan[/name_m], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] & [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] unfortunately as they’re all names of family members or friends - but not close enough that I would want to honour them. It’s just awkward. Probably have to take off [name_m]Samson[/name_m] too as it’s too close to [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] (my brother).

Unfortunately [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] has a very negative association for me. Why do terrible people have great names?

I like [name_m]Abel[/name_m], [name_m]Amos[/name_m], [name_u]Asa[/name_u], [name_m]Asher[/name_m], [name_m]Philip[/name_m] & [name_m]Tobias[/name_m]. Thankyou!

10

I’m not fond of [name_m]Jairus[/name_m], but I like all of the others. I don’t think [name_m]Malachi[/name_m] and [name_u]Micah[/name_u] are too similar, but [name_u]Jet[/name_u] and [name_m]Jeb[/name_m] definitely would be. I don’t see a problem with [name_m]Eli[/name_m] and [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], but I also pronounce [name_m]Eli[/name_m] like E-lie, while [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] is more like L-E. So, if you pronounce [name_m]Eli[/name_m] more like L-I, I think it would be too close to [name_f]Ellie[/name_f].

One of my favorites: [name_m]Ozias[/name_m] (I think it comes from [name_m]Uzziah[/name_m]); for nicknames I like [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] and Zi/Zye, but I’m not sure how [name_m]Ozzy[/name_m] would work in Australia since I think it may be close to how you say Aussie?

Other suggestions (I’m not religious anymore, so I don’t remember the stories and which characters are positive or negative so keep that in mind):
[name_m]Abner[/name_m] “[name_m]Ab[/name_m]”
[name_m]Amos[/name_m] “[name_u]Mo[/name_u]”
Amram “[name_m]Ram[/name_m]”
[name_m]Boaz[/name_m] “[name_u]Bo[/name_u]”
[name_m]Cyrus[/name_m] “[name_m]Cy[/name_m]”
[name_m]Enoch[/name_m] “Noch”
[name_m]Erastus[/name_m]
[name_m]Lazarus[/name_m] “Laz, Zar”
[name_m]Rafael[/name_m]/[name_m]Raphael[/name_m] “Raf, [name_m]Raffi[/name_m]”
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] “Reu, [name_m]Ben[/name_m]”
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] “Shi”
[name_m]Simeon[/name_m] “[name_u]Si[/name_u], [name_m]Sim[/name_m]”
[name_m]Zebulun[/name_m] “[name_m]Zeb[/name_m]”
[name_u]Zion[/name_u] “Zi”

11

Thanks @ottertails - I’ve got [name_m]Amos[/name_m], [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] & [name_m]Simeon[/name_m] from the previous posters, I like them! But oohhh [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], [name_m]Enoch[/name_m] & [name_u]Zion[/name_u]!