Bible names for Women

The Bible is largely a book of men, and so the number of names for women is relatively limited.  Two of the most popular women’s names have historically been Mary and Elizabeth, which are of course the names of Jesus’s Mother and the Mother of his cousin John the Baptist.  

Mostly the names in the bible are Hebrew and have “meanings” which are usually related to God, or Yahweh as the Hebrews called him.  In the New Testament, however some names are Greek…. as the church began to spread through the Roman Empire many of its converts were Greek or Roman.  

Abigail is a name that has become increasingly popular, as has the abbreviated form of Gail.  It means “Father rejoices” and was common in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  However Queen Anne of England had a “favourite” lady, Abigail Masham.. who was not much liked by the public and as a result the name began to go out of fashion. Because the biblical Abigail, (one of King David’s wives) referred to herself as a “handmaid”, “abigail” became a term for a lady’s maid or servant in the 18^th Century.

Bethany is another girl’s name which has become popular in the later 20^th century…the word Beth means house and Bethany is a place name in Israel. 

Chloe is another Biblical name briefly mentioned in the New Testament.  It was also well known among Puritans into the 17^th century… It is a Greek name which means green... and for a time it was one of the most popular names in the UK.

Dinah was the name of Jacob’s daughter and the mane means “Vindicated.”  It was used for a time but is rarely used now... and tends to be confused with “Diana” which is a different name.

Deborah is another name that has survived into the 20^th and 21^st Centuries… and means “bee”.  Deborah was a leader of the Israelites….

Jemima has also gone out of fashion but at one time was a very popular name.  It was one of the names of one of Charles II’s illegitimate daughters... and was sometime considered as a female version of James.  The name means “dove” and was the name of one of the 3 daughters of Job… It was very much used from the 17^th century to the 19^th.  

Keziah was another daughter of Job, the name means “Cassia tree”. And it has become more popular in recent years.

Another bible name that does not seem to have become well known is Keturah... it was the name of the second wife of Abraham, and means “incense” and while it was used by Puritans, it has not survived as a popular name.

Another almost forgotten name is Jerusha the name of the wife of King Uzziah… the name means “possessed”.     more to come!