Popular Hebrew Names And Their Meaning

Mazal Tov! When you are expecting a baby, every moment you spend becomes special, starting at the beginning when you tell your family, until the moment when you find out if you are having a baby boy or a baby girl. Every single step on this path deserves a Mazal Tov! But the biggest one comes when you start to choose this new little person’s name.

Picking your baby’s name is one of the most important decisions of your and his or her life, you are sealing their fate and, somehow, molding his personality from the very beginning. So you need to choose wisely!

A person’s name is part of their identity and character. It is the one thing that is going to be with them for the rest of their lives, unless they go to court and change it. (Fun fact: Did you know that in Israel you can change your name once every 7 years, for free?)

Besides that, their name will help them define some characteristics of their personal lives. It is important to choose the correct one for a number reasons, if we start mentioning them all, we just won’t finish.

Knowing or learning Hebrew enables us to choose from a wide variety of old, wise, meaningful Hebrew names. Either the classic ones from the Torah, or simple and nice ones inspired in things we have in our daily life – always following our heritage and passing along our traditions. Generation by generation, name by name.

Even though the Hebrew name you pick for your new baby needs to sound good, and also needs to fit your little baby’s face, it would be nice to know the meaning of the one you choose. Read the following ones and choose the one you like most. But promise us that at some point you’ll send us a picture of that sheine meidaleh or ingaleh!

Hebrew names for Boys:

The list below has both traditional and common Hebrew names for you to choose if you are having a beautiful baby boy.

Traditional names for boys:

Aaron: It means “mountain of strengths” or “enlightened”, perfect for your healthy big boy. Climbing a mountain and going through life should be easier for all the Aarons out there.

Abraham: Our oldest patriarch, father of many nations. What could better for your son than receiving the name of our father. If you pick this name, leadership will, most likely, guide him throughout his life.

Adam: Wow! What an old and fantastic name. Actually, for those of you who don’t know, Adam is the name of the first person of our world, the first one in mankind, one of God’s first creations. Wouldn’t you give it to your first baby?

Amir: It means “Prince”… do you really need anything else?

Benjamin: Besides being the name of our current Prime Minister, Benjamin means “right hand’s son”. Giving this Hebrew name to your little one is certainly meaningful.

Gabriel: Yup! What a holy name! Gabriel means “God’s bravest man”. We’re sure your little boy will become the bravest kid in kindergarten after you bless him with this honorable name.

These names are some of the typical Jewish Hebrew names, both in Israel and in the entire world. Choosing one of them is ideal if you want your kids to be connected with their religious roots, or if you just want them to have a meaningful, historical, honorable, holy name.

Since we don’t want you to leave only with the Biblical options, allow us to show you some modern, cute, new-ish Hebrew names for boys.

Modern and Common Hebrew Names for Boys:

Ilan: The exact translation for the name is “oak tree”. If you want your baby to grow with strong roots, a healthy body and a natural spirit, this might be the name you are looking for (in English, it is pronounced Eeh-Lan).

Arie, Ariyeh, Arieh: The lion. The king of the jungle. The leader of the pride. Even though in Israel this is a name which is more common in retirements homes, giving it to your kid will allow him to lead and rule both in school and life; always with the spirit of the lion.

Tzvi: What a fast little kid! Tzvi means “gazelle”. Imagine the good side of a little gazelle in the woods. Your baby will be just as beautiful and cute and we hope he will be as fast and gracious as a gazelle in every aspect of his life. Amen!

Ronen: What a beautiful meaning! Ronen means “song” or “joy”. A happy name for a happy baby, who’s born into a happy family. When you get to present yourself in any kind of situation, the first thing you say is your name. What better than to start with joy, right?

Oren: The meaning of the name is “pine tree”, yup, we are talking about trees once again. Your kid will have a strong and natural personality, just like a pine, and if not, he might smell nice.

These name above are simple and fresh. As we mentioned, they are based on common objects in our daily life, but with an unavoidable deep and meaningful sense. These Hebrew names will enhance your child’s personality, and pride.

Hebrew Names for Girls:

Are you ready to receive your little princess? Everything you need for her room is waiting for her to arrive? Have you picked her Hebrew name already? Take a look at the options we have for you here if you want to give your little girl a Hebrew name.

Traditional Hebrew names for Girls:

Hannah: My personal favorite. It means “gracious”. Your daughter will be delighted when she knows the meaning of her beautiful name. She will conquer the world, so be ready!

Chaya: Remember when we discussed the meaning of the number 18? Chaya comes from the word “Chai”, and it means “full of life”. What a better gift than being called “full of life”. She will complete yours, and you will never miss anything when you walk with her side by side.

Leah: It means “delicate women”. Your baby girl will be delicate, pretty, and feminine with a name like Leah. Are you ready to be the parents of such a feminine lady?

Tamar: We know, it sounds delicious. Tamar means “dates” and “palm tree”. We are sure your baby girl will be nice and lean as a palm tree and also as sweet as a date.

Vered: The old good “rose”. Fresh as a flower, strong as a thorn. A traditional, timeless name that will always be relevant.

Myriam: Myriam was Moses’ sister. She was faithful, strong, determined and full of love to give. Your baby might have these beautiful characteristics and more if you decide to honor her with this phenomenal, meaningful name.

These names are inspired by our history and heritage. They are used not only to commemorate our past, but also for luck, light, love and wellness. Did you know there was so much meaning in a Hebrew name for your newborn?

Modern and Common Hebrew Names for Girls:

Are you ready to see some cool, fresh and new-ish Hebrew and Israeli names for girls? Let us show you this list where you could find the name for the new girl you’re about to welcome into your life.

Inbal: It is literally the “tongue of a bell”, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl who will be as light as the sound of a bell.

Linoy: It means “my beauty”. She will not only be your baby. She might also be the most beautiful one around, and by having a name like this one, she most likely will make you happy, for the rest of your life.

Shira: Remember when we talked about Yehuda Amichai? Well, Shira means “poetry”. Nice, romantic and perfect. A feminine, genuine, creative name for every kind of girl.

Shir: It means “song” or “poem”. A modern, original and cute name. Be ready for a potential writer to be born. Maybe you’ll be the father of the next winner of the literature Nobel prize. Are you ready to encourage the creative side of your little one?

Anat: Anat means “a singer”. With a name like this one, she might have a nice voice that will flood your house every day. Are you ready to have a singer around?

Liat: Definitely a beautiful name, with a beautiful meaning: This Hebrew name means “you are mine”. A cute and romantic identity for your very own baby girl.

Hebrew Names that work both for boys and girls:

Israel is a very modern country. In the Land of Milk and Honey, many names are used for both boys and girls. Here are some of the Hebrew names that can be used regardless of gender:

Shachar: One of our favorites, Shachar means “dawn”. There is nothing more beautiful than waking up in the morning to watch the dawn, don’t you think? We truly think that the name of your baby should be as beautiful as this experience. Don’t you?

Or: Simple and extremely meaningful. Or is “light”. Your baby will be the light of your eyes, so can you think of a better option than “Or” as his or her name?

Stav: Personally my favorite season of the year. The most colorful, beautiful, cool weather. Stav means “autumn”.

Adi: Your kid is unique. He or she will be some sort of diamond for you. Adi means “jewel” or “ornament”. A precious name for your precious girl or boy.

Ziv: Ziv means “shining”, and no, we are not talking about Jack Nicholson’s movie. By choosing this name, your kid might shine in every area of his or her life, and might also bring the light everywhere he or she goes.

Whatever name you decide to choose, just be sure to know the meaning of it. A name will be the very first gift you give your baby, so pick wisely, carefully and with an open heart.

More possibilities to pick the ideal Hebrew name for your child

A great way to explore more options of Hebrew names is joining one of our online Hebrew courses. Participating in one of our courses won’t only help you pick the right Hebrew name for your little one, but it will also allow you to learn nice, cute stories to read for him or her at bedtime, or gorgeous Hebrew songs to sing along with your little one when it is time to play. Don’t wait any longer, join one of our online Hebrew courses today.