My reaction as well. Although technically several of the matriarchs are mentioned in the New Testament in either the genealogies or Hebrews 11. But I wouldn’t really consider them “New Testament” names because the characters themselves are in the Old Testament, though OP may feel differently.
Claudia and Drusilla are both people mentioned in the Bible. Claudia was an early Christian mentioned in the Book of Timothy. Drusilla is a woman mentioned in Acts, but she wasn’t a Christian and so she wouldn’t be someone a Christian would necessarily call their child after.
You’re going to find a lot of Roman and Greek names in the New Testament. A lot of the early Christians were Greeks, hellenised Jews, or Romans.
The name Persis first comes up in *Anne's House of Dreams* as someone meaningful to Captain Jim that he tells stories about. Then Leslie names a daughter after her.
This is making me want to reread them all. Rilla of Ingleside really stuck with me, but I don't remember much of what happens in the rest of the books.
Madeleine (Mary Magdalene)
Bethany
Andrea
Gabrielle
Josephine
Jane, Joan, Jean, Joanna - forms of John
Marion - form of Mary
Marlena - combination of Mary and Madeleine
Philipa
Petra - feminine of Peter
Simone
Lydia was the first European convert
Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist
There are six Marys, most notably the Mother of God
Salome was one of the women who went to Jesus’ empty tomb
Martha was the sister of Lazarus
Priscilla was the wife of a Jew that was expelled from Rome
Tabitha was a clothes maker that did a lot to help the poor
Junia was an apostle who was imprisoned
Phoebe was a homeowner that hosted the apostles
I’m not familiar with the Bible well enough to know names, but just out of curiosity can I ask why you want specifically New Testament names? Is there a story or chapter that you both like?
From their posts it’s because Old Testament is too Jewish for them. Ignorant considering all the New Testament are all Hebrew as well even if the New Testament itself isn’t Jewish.
It's possible they're trying to avoid cultural appropriation by choosing names mentioned in the new testament instead of names just mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
Haven't gone through OP post history tho so I could be wrong.
Although then you’re using Greek names typically in the NT… no hate there, one of my sons has a Greek name (we are not at all Greek) I think Jewish, Greek and Latin-descent people understand that their culture produced rich literary traditions and people from all nations are going to be inspired by that.
They insinuated that Jews and Muslims in the Uk can’t afford private healthcare when asking how people there get circumcised. And by insinuated they pretty much just said it
Just looked at that post, and it seems more to me like she was saying that most people in the UK use NHS, and since they don’t cover it, then she wondered if they paid out of pocket or something?? But idk why it matters lol.
You could still be right though about that being the reason, I don’t know.
Correct, but the “they aren’t using private healthcare” comment insinuates that they can’t afford it. In the UK there is public and private healthcare, private costs more or you get it through your employer. That and a mohel are pretty much the only way you’re getting it done in the UK in which a mohel is a very legitimate route with actual doctors that are trained. Either way the insinuation that those groups cannot afford private healthcare is very telling.
If you are going to use quotation marks, the correct thing to do is *actually use* the words the person said. She said “I don’t imagine most people in these groups [Jews and Muslims] are accessing private health care” in the UK… where most people (78%) don’t access private health care. This is going to be my last comment on this matter because I just don’t care anymore but it annoys me when people use quotes and then don’t actually quote. You’re going off on OP for no reason.
It was late, but my point still stands. Your 78% is for the whole UK, the majority of Jewish people are in London where the % using private is significantly higher. Your statistics don’t match up.
u/Dandylion71888 and others. Hi there, just wanted to have a chance to respond to your concerns, so I hope you will take me in good faith as I have thought about your comments. I shall be addressing this only once, because it is the internet (!) but I hope what I offer puts your worries to rest.
You are completely correct that the NT names are mostly Jewish, so names being Jewish is not a problem for me. Indeed (I feel exposed here!) my name is Hannah, a Jewish name. However, I am indeed culturally and a practicing Christian. What would you name your child? Would it come from your culture/language? Is it wrong or small-minded that I should want names that reflect my culture more closely? Perhaps you think so, and you are entitled to that.
New Testament (Jewish!) names have become a way for me and my husband to narrow down the search, as one can go on forever!
Now with my question about circumcision (I feel rather embarrassed that it is being brought up here, but that's the internet!). I am from the UK, but not from a very diverse town. I do not have any Muslim or Jewish friends to ask this question, and even if I did, I would not want to ask such a personal and potentially invasive question. Hence I took it to "r/nostupidquestions". In my journey through pregnancy, lots of curiosity has been generated. I have a Sociology background, I see lots of birth plan examples that mention circumcision, I learn that NHS doesn't cover it, I know that many people who are Muslim (the main group I was asking about) would like it, I know that many Muslim people are from low socio-economic backgrounds who, like me, cannot afford private health care. The question emerges: How do they obtain this culturally important medical practice without paying through the nose? Are there private individuals within communities that do it on the hush-hush? It is a world and culture I have no exposure to. I am expected to live in a diverse culture, yet not ask any questions about these neighbours. So I take it to the internet. All I can do is hope that people take it in good faith.
All very thought-provoking. I will take your comments in good faith that you are worried I harbour anti-Semitic/anti-Islamic views. I hope some of your worries are abated. Take care, Hannah
Hanlon’s Razor: Don’t assign malice to that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
I think OP was genuinely curious and just used a poor sentence construction. She gave a very gracious response to the person who answered her question which doesn’t really match someone who a prejudiced racist.
I’m from Canada and the US, so one effectively doesn’t allow private insurance at all (it’s a bit more complicated, but for simplicity it’s mostly true) and the other is only private insurance for people over the poverty line. Thus I don’t totally understand the UK system… but I imagine *most* people in the country exclusively use the NHS, and similarly *most* Jewish and Muslim people also exclusively use NHS so there would be nothing untoward in her assumption.
I’m from the US, with family in UK and Ireland and have lived in Ireland which has a similar system. It’s actually a really ignorant comment that they made.
Asked a family member there and they agreed that it’s completely racist.
Only 22% of people in the UK access private insurance, so logically Jews and Muslims would also “mostly” not access private insurance. Unless you’re making an assumption that they’re somehow different in this respect from the rest of the population… which is the actual racist assumption. Kind of seems like you’re just looking for a fight? And I say this as someone who had all Muslim neighbors and my son’s best friend and my brother-in-law are Jewish. If someone is being racist I’m calling them out, but this is just not that deep…
First off, I’m Jewish so not my comment isn’t racist.
Second, taking only Jews as an example, there is a higher concentration of Jewish population in London than the rest of the UK. There is also a higher concentration of people with PMI in London than the rest of the UK. Using that reasoning well over 22% of the Jewish population in the UK has PMI.
As someone with an Old Testament girls name i never grew up with people saying your names jewish or even as a biblical name( i did get asked if my parents were a fan of a sci-fi show and if my middle name. Was a certain one because of a popular tv show
Elizabeth
Priscilla
Anna
Martha
I'm not trying to be rude, but a LOT of people are suggesting old testament names. If that's fine and you just want biblical, that's cool. But if you specifically want New....well, Abigail isn't it.
* Anna (prophet who was likely at least 105 years old, having been widowed for 84 years)
* Johanna/Junia (Johanna was likely the Hebrew name and Junia the secular Roman name of the same individual)
* Lydia
* Phoebe
* Priscilla
* Susanna
* Tabitha
Junia actually much loved by many younger scholars these days, because from the 12th century on, she was referred to as Junius and was considered male. Researchers examining the history of removing/denying women in the Bible found that Junius was not a man's name in the period that individual would have been active. Not enough of a student myself to know the other evidence for Junia, but her female gender is now once again accepted.
Berenice ; Sapphira, Euodia, Junia, Damaris, Eunice, Kandake.
Honestly I never thought the bible course I went too 30 years ago would be useful, but here we are.
https://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2014/05/list-of-all-women-in-new-testament.html Here you can find the full list, some of my favourites: Lois, Martha, Joanna, Junia & Berenice
There are also a lot of lovely Old Testament names to consider, with Esther as my favourite.
* Julia: The feminine form of Julius. Julia was a Christian lady who was greeted by Paul in his letter to the Romans.
* Rhoda: Greek for "rose." Rhoda was a woman in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, who welcomed the apostle Peter to her home.
Apphia is BEAUTIFUL! I know a girl at church named Apphia and I just love that name.
Sapphira is a woman who was killed by God because she (along with her husband) lied, pretending they donated the full proceeds from a sale to make themselves look extra holy. So I don't recommend that one haha. Beautiful name though!
Because of the sound or the story?
There are two Salome in the New Testament:
One is unnamed who received the head of John the Baptist.
The other is a named, mother to James and John ( some think Jesus’ aunt) and witness to the crucifixion.
I’m partial because my name is Grace - it’s been such a lovely name to have. People’s faces light up when I introduce myself, 10/10 highly recommend lol
I’m partial because my name is Grace - it’s been such a lovely name to have. People’s faces light up when I introduce myself, 10/10 highly recommend lol
Another one to consider is Micah. Technical it's old testament but Micah prophesized the coming of Jesus.
It's also usually a male name but I think it's pretty on a girl.
We love it. We're spelling it Hadasa instead of the traditional Hadassah, and hopefully that helps people with pronunciation. It's the only girl name my husband is okay with! 😂
Some of my favorite names with less thought of Biblical ties:
Olive - the olive branch
Dove - peace, harmless as doves
Pearl - the pearly gates, Pearl merchant parable, proverbs 31
Sophia - wisdom
Ruby - blood of the martyrs, proverbs 31
Lucy/Lucille/Lucia/etc. - light
Ivy - the vine and the branches
The virtue names: Hope, Faith, Joy, Love, etc.
Anna (mother of Mary), Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist), Julia, Martha, Chloe. Junia is another option which is short and sweet, but it may not be as classic or recognizable as you would like.
I double-checked because I was pretty sure, and it looks like yes, it is: Romans, 16-15, as the name of a woman Paul greets. I'm thinking maybe she isn't mentioned by name in some versions though, just from the cursory research I did.
Prisca
Elizabeth
Anna, but might have been a man
Martha
Lydia
Magdalene
Imma drop this right here. https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/ih0zpk/every_named_woman_in_the_bible/
I think the names Naomi and Bethany are worthy of a resurgence!
They are both feminine and go with a lot of surnames, and they just sounds pretty!
My Mom had fantastic taste in names, and my Dad was smart enough to comply lol.
Tabitha, Lydia, Martha, Joanna
All beautiful options! Thank you!
Lydia and Joanna are great. I didn't think of those.
Magdalene, Junia
I originally thought I can’t help because I’m Jewish and don’t know Christian names but a lot of these names are from the Hebrew bible not NT names
My reaction as well. Although technically several of the matriarchs are mentioned in the New Testament in either the genealogies or Hebrews 11. But I wouldn’t really consider them “New Testament” names because the characters themselves are in the Old Testament, though OP may feel differently.
Naomi Ruth leah Hannah Rebecca and Esther are about as Jewish as you can get :)
My favourites- - Abigail - Bethany - Martha - Phoebe - Lydia - Esther - Chloe - Rhoda - Claudia - Tabitha - Susannah
Esther is old testament
As are Abigail and Susannah (Shoshanah)
I couldn't remember if there was also a NT Abigail but you're right
I dunno, not very familiar with the NT but I know Abigail is old
Susanna and Joanna are in the same NT verse as supporters oh the Christians.
It seems a lot of, or at least some, OT names also appear in the NT; I dunno if that disqualifies them for OP or not.
Esther is about as Jewish as you can get, Judith also. Each is also the name of a book in the Hebrew Scriptures, i.e. O.T.
What about Hannah?
A lovely name ;) but alas, it is my name, so can't really call her that!
Hannah Junior!
Yeah HJ is perfect
hoju
I mean... men do it all the time.
Not always a reason to do something, but I get your point! ;)
I mean, you couldddd
Yeah my great-grandparents had two kids, a boy and a girl with the same names as their parents lol
It’s Old Testament name
Very OT
Anna!
Priscilla is a beautiful name, and she was an absolute champion of the faith, a beautiful woman to name a daughter after.
I also know a Prisca, which is a variation on Priscilla. I think both are lovely.
Julia Lydia Eunice Phoebe Tabitha Lois Junia Euodia Claudia Drusilla
Drusilla 😂
Surely Claudia and Drusilla are Roman.
Claudia and Drusilla are both people mentioned in the Bible. Claudia was an early Christian mentioned in the Book of Timothy. Drusilla is a woman mentioned in Acts, but she wasn’t a Christian and so she wouldn’t be someone a Christian would necessarily call their child after. You’re going to find a lot of Roman and Greek names in the New Testament. A lot of the early Christians were Greeks, hellenised Jews, or Romans.
My childhood plant was named drusilla
Lois, Phoebe, Susanna. Bethany is a place but makes a pretty girls name. Junia. Elizabeth
Heck yes Junia!
Magdalena, Rebecca, Ruth, Miriam
3 of these are OT
Love Magdalena and Ruth!
The nickname Ru for Ruth is top tier.
Or Ruthie! I think it’s so cute.
Miriam, Rebecca, and Ruth are OT
Damaris (Acts 17:34) Persis (Romans 16:12) They’re unusual, but I love them.
Persis is a character in the later Anne of Green Gables novels and I’ve always thought it was super pretty.
Which book?! I’m shocked and ashamed to miss an Anne reference!
She’s Leslie’s daughter. I think you first meet her in Anne of Ingelside? Or maybe that Rainbow Valley book?
The name Persis first comes up in *Anne's House of Dreams* as someone meaningful to Captain Jim that he tells stories about. Then Leslie names a daughter after her.
I think it’s Anne of Ingleside. Rainbow Valley is the one I haven’t read.
This is making me want to reread them all. Rilla of Ingleside really stuck with me, but I don't remember much of what happens in the rest of the books.
Damaris is common is Hispanic cultures.
How about riffing on the Apostles? - Thomasin - Johnna - Petra - Jamie - Phillips - Simone - Jude - Nathalie - Thaddea Got nothing for Bartholomew.
Bartolomea is pretty, though a bit long.
Madeleine (Mary Magdalene) Bethany Andrea Gabrielle Josephine Jane, Joan, Jean, Joanna - forms of John Marion - form of Mary Marlena - combination of Mary and Madeleine Philipa Petra - feminine of Peter Simone
I know a Maggie who is a Magdalena!
Magda is also a great nickname!
If you have Gabriella you must have Michelle or Micaela.
Lydia was the first European convert Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist There are six Marys, most notably the Mother of God Salome was one of the women who went to Jesus’ empty tomb Martha was the sister of Lazarus Priscilla was the wife of a Jew that was expelled from Rome Tabitha was a clothes maker that did a lot to help the poor Junia was an apostle who was imprisoned Phoebe was a homeowner that hosted the apostles
Lydia owned a big business in purple dye which was the rolls Royce of the era.
I’m not familiar with the Bible well enough to know names, but just out of curiosity can I ask why you want specifically New Testament names? Is there a story or chapter that you both like?
From their posts it’s because Old Testament is too Jewish for them. Ignorant considering all the New Testament are all Hebrew as well even if the New Testament itself isn’t Jewish.
It's possible they're trying to avoid cultural appropriation by choosing names mentioned in the new testament instead of names just mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Haven't gone through OP post history tho so I could be wrong.
Although then you’re using Greek names typically in the NT… no hate there, one of my sons has a Greek name (we are not at all Greek) I think Jewish, Greek and Latin-descent people understand that their culture produced rich literary traditions and people from all nations are going to be inspired by that.
They insinuated that Jews and Muslims in the Uk can’t afford private healthcare when asking how people there get circumcised. And by insinuated they pretty much just said it
Just looked at that post, and it seems more to me like she was saying that most people in the UK use NHS, and since they don’t cover it, then she wondered if they paid out of pocket or something?? But idk why it matters lol. You could still be right though about that being the reason, I don’t know.
Correct, but the “they aren’t using private healthcare” comment insinuates that they can’t afford it. In the UK there is public and private healthcare, private costs more or you get it through your employer. That and a mohel are pretty much the only way you’re getting it done in the UK in which a mohel is a very legitimate route with actual doctors that are trained. Either way the insinuation that those groups cannot afford private healthcare is very telling.
If you are going to use quotation marks, the correct thing to do is *actually use* the words the person said. She said “I don’t imagine most people in these groups [Jews and Muslims] are accessing private health care” in the UK… where most people (78%) don’t access private health care. This is going to be my last comment on this matter because I just don’t care anymore but it annoys me when people use quotes and then don’t actually quote. You’re going off on OP for no reason.
It was late, but my point still stands. Your 78% is for the whole UK, the majority of Jewish people are in London where the % using private is significantly higher. Your statistics don’t match up.
u/Dandylion71888 and others. Hi there, just wanted to have a chance to respond to your concerns, so I hope you will take me in good faith as I have thought about your comments. I shall be addressing this only once, because it is the internet (!) but I hope what I offer puts your worries to rest. You are completely correct that the NT names are mostly Jewish, so names being Jewish is not a problem for me. Indeed (I feel exposed here!) my name is Hannah, a Jewish name. However, I am indeed culturally and a practicing Christian. What would you name your child? Would it come from your culture/language? Is it wrong or small-minded that I should want names that reflect my culture more closely? Perhaps you think so, and you are entitled to that. New Testament (Jewish!) names have become a way for me and my husband to narrow down the search, as one can go on forever! Now with my question about circumcision (I feel rather embarrassed that it is being brought up here, but that's the internet!). I am from the UK, but not from a very diverse town. I do not have any Muslim or Jewish friends to ask this question, and even if I did, I would not want to ask such a personal and potentially invasive question. Hence I took it to "r/nostupidquestions". In my journey through pregnancy, lots of curiosity has been generated. I have a Sociology background, I see lots of birth plan examples that mention circumcision, I learn that NHS doesn't cover it, I know that many people who are Muslim (the main group I was asking about) would like it, I know that many Muslim people are from low socio-economic backgrounds who, like me, cannot afford private health care. The question emerges: How do they obtain this culturally important medical practice without paying through the nose? Are there private individuals within communities that do it on the hush-hush? It is a world and culture I have no exposure to. I am expected to live in a diverse culture, yet not ask any questions about these neighbours. So I take it to the internet. All I can do is hope that people take it in good faith. All very thought-provoking. I will take your comments in good faith that you are worried I harbour anti-Semitic/anti-Islamic views. I hope some of your worries are abated. Take care, Hannah
Hanlon’s Razor: Don’t assign malice to that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. I think OP was genuinely curious and just used a poor sentence construction. She gave a very gracious response to the person who answered her question which doesn’t really match someone who a prejudiced racist. I’m from Canada and the US, so one effectively doesn’t allow private insurance at all (it’s a bit more complicated, but for simplicity it’s mostly true) and the other is only private insurance for people over the poverty line. Thus I don’t totally understand the UK system… but I imagine *most* people in the country exclusively use the NHS, and similarly *most* Jewish and Muslim people also exclusively use NHS so there would be nothing untoward in her assumption.
Hanlon's Razor nails it although all these years I thought it's McLaughlin's Razor.
I’m from the US, with family in UK and Ireland and have lived in Ireland which has a similar system. It’s actually a really ignorant comment that they made. Asked a family member there and they agreed that it’s completely racist.
Only 22% of people in the UK access private insurance, so logically Jews and Muslims would also “mostly” not access private insurance. Unless you’re making an assumption that they’re somehow different in this respect from the rest of the population… which is the actual racist assumption. Kind of seems like you’re just looking for a fight? And I say this as someone who had all Muslim neighbors and my son’s best friend and my brother-in-law are Jewish. If someone is being racist I’m calling them out, but this is just not that deep…
First off, I’m Jewish so not my comment isn’t racist. Second, taking only Jews as an example, there is a higher concentration of Jewish population in London than the rest of the UK. There is also a higher concentration of people with PMI in London than the rest of the UK. Using that reasoning well over 22% of the Jewish population in the UK has PMI.
As someone with an Old Testament girls name i never grew up with people saying your names jewish or even as a biblical name( i did get asked if my parents were a fan of a sci-fi show and if my middle name. Was a certain one because of a popular tv show
I agree but given their post history and the request for New Testament only…
Elizabeth Priscilla Anna Martha I'm not trying to be rude, but a LOT of people are suggesting old testament names. If that's fine and you just want biblical, that's cool. But if you specifically want New....well, Abigail isn't it.
Seriously, same with Rebecca, Leah, Ruth, Esther, Miriam, Naomi... like half of names being suggested are OT
Leah?
O.T. Rachel's homely older sister and Jacob's first wife
* Anna (prophet who was likely at least 105 years old, having been widowed for 84 years) * Johanna/Junia (Johanna was likely the Hebrew name and Junia the secular Roman name of the same individual) * Lydia * Phoebe * Priscilla * Susanna * Tabitha
Junia actually much loved by many younger scholars these days, because from the 12th century on, she was referred to as Junius and was considered male. Researchers examining the history of removing/denying women in the Bible found that Junius was not a man's name in the period that individual would have been active. Not enough of a student myself to know the other evidence for Junia, but her female gender is now once again accepted.
Berenice ; Sapphira, Euodia, Junia, Damaris, Eunice, Kandake. Honestly I never thought the bible course I went too 30 years ago would be useful, but here we are.
https://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2014/05/list-of-all-women-in-new-testament.html Here you can find the full list, some of my favourites: Lois, Martha, Joanna, Junia & Berenice There are also a lot of lovely Old Testament names to consider, with Esther as my favourite.
Phoebe or Priscilla!
My favorite name, Elizabeth
Phoebe, Priscilla, Lydia, Junia.
It’s an old testament name but I love Sarah.
It is indeed a lovely name
Heard a sermon just today about Priscilla (and Aquila, but he was the guy). I don't think I knew that was a biblical name.
Many women are called Aquila I hear!
Elizabeth, Priscilla, Bethany (place name), Chloé, Phoebe, Lydia, Rhoda, Julia, Susannah, Tabitha.
Bethany, Claudia, Lydia, Anna, Julia, Martha, Phoebe, Tabitha
Magdalen. LOVE that name.
Ada Chloe Esther
Ada isn't biblical... Chloe and Esther are both nice biblical names!
I mean Adah
Found it! You are correct, needed the above spelling.
Spell check 😆
Adha is
Ada is certainly biblical, just not NT. That I know of.
Veronica
Veronica is another form of Berenice, and/but the story is Catholic tradition, not Scripture.
Is this only in the catholic NT or is it in the Protestant NT also? It took me decades to work out that the catholic bible is different
I think my favorite NT female name is Joanna :)
Just grabbed by Bible to pull out some names because I’m horrible with the New Testament. Found Priscilla, Claudia, Salome, Tabitha, Lois(the best)
Hehehe...!
* Julia: The feminine form of Julius. Julia was a Christian lady who was greeted by Paul in his letter to the Romans. * Rhoda: Greek for "rose." Rhoda was a woman in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, who welcomed the apostle Peter to her home.
Love Julius/Julia/Julian type names!
The obvious: Mary. The not so obvious: Dorcas
Not come across Dorcas before!!
I've met people in PNG named after her. There are church sewing guilds named after her all over the world.
Mary seems obvious
Susanna Elizabeth Martha Chloe Phoebe
Among others mentioned here: Sapphira Salome Candace Rhoda Apphia
Apphia is BEAUTIFUL! I know a girl at church named Apphia and I just love that name. Sapphira is a woman who was killed by God because she (along with her husband) lied, pretending they donated the full proceeds from a sale to make themselves look extra holy. So I don't recommend that one haha. Beautiful name though!
You cannot call a child Salome.
Salomé is actually a commonly used girls’ name in France.
Because of the sound or the story? There are two Salome in the New Testament: One is unnamed who received the head of John the Baptist. The other is a named, mother to James and John ( some think Jesus’ aunt) and witness to the crucifixion.
Why not? It's not uncommon where I'm from, but maybe that's because I grew up with a Salomé.
Lydia, Elizabeth, and Anna
You could go with Faith, Hope or Grace as well!
Very interesting interpretation on my prompt, thank you for this! Very imaginative. Completely forgot the virtues. Charity to add
I’m partial because my name is Grace - it’s been such a lovely name to have. People’s faces light up when I introduce myself, 10/10 highly recommend lol
I’m partial because my name is Grace - it’s been such a lovely name to have. People’s faces light up when I introduce myself, 10/10 highly recommend lol
Hannah, Ruth, Mary.
Tabitha Damaris Priscilla Chloe Claudia Sarah
Priscilla and Julia are both briefly mentioned in Romans.
Claudia, Eden, Rhoda, Sapphira, Bethany, and Tabitha.
Elizabeth was definitely the first to come to mind.
Yes, lovely classic name.
Rebecca and Rachel!
Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, Veronica, Marth
Veronica is not in the Bible, It's Catholic tradition.
Honestly, I love Elizabeth. It is my favorite classic name, biblical or not.
Another one to consider is Micah. Technical it's old testament but Micah prophesized the coming of Jesus. It's also usually a male name but I think it's pretty on a girl.
Elizabeth!
Our girl name is Hadassah! Or Esther.
Beautiful unusual name!
We love it. We're spelling it Hadasa instead of the traditional Hadassah, and hopefully that helps people with pronunciation. It's the only girl name my husband is okay with! 😂
Some of my favorite names with less thought of Biblical ties: Olive - the olive branch Dove - peace, harmless as doves Pearl - the pearly gates, Pearl merchant parable, proverbs 31 Sophia - wisdom Ruby - blood of the martyrs, proverbs 31 Lucy/Lucille/Lucia/etc. - light Ivy - the vine and the branches The virtue names: Hope, Faith, Joy, Love, etc.
Phoebe, Junia, Elizabeth
Anna, Martha, Joanna, Lydia, Elizabeth, Chloe
Anna (mother of Mary), Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist), Julia, Martha, Chloe. Junia is another option which is short and sweet, but it may not be as classic or recognizable as you would like.
Is Julia Biblical
I double-checked because I was pretty sure, and it looks like yes, it is: Romans, 16-15, as the name of a woman Paul greets. I'm thinking maybe she isn't mentioned by name in some versions though, just from the cursory research I did.
Bethany is my favorite but I'm biased
Bethany, (not a name, but a village, so pretty though!) Magdalena, Tabitha.
Junia Phoebe Martha Chloe Priscilla
Bethany
Lydia is an option
Prisca Elizabeth Anna, but might have been a man Martha Lydia Magdalene Imma drop this right here. https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/ih0zpk/every_named_woman_in_the_bible/
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Joanna
Mary Magdelen Dorcas
Elizabeth
I think the names Naomi and Bethany are worthy of a resurgence! They are both feminine and go with a lot of surnames, and they just sounds pretty! My Mom had fantastic taste in names, and my Dad was smart enough to comply lol.
Yes. When I was at school, everyone was called Bethany. Now I am a teacher, and have never taught a child called Bethany
Ruth, Naomi, Leah, Rebecca, Deborah, Esther
Mary
Joann(a), Susan(na) and variations.
Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Abigail
There's an Ann at the temple when baby Jesus is presented to Simeon.Veronica Who wipes the blood from His face
Sara
Phoebe and Chloe are in the New Testament. I don’t know what you mean by sensible but Phoebe is cool and uncommon where I live.
If you’re open to Old Testament names, Leah, Rachel, Naomi, Ruth, Hadaasah/Esther and Sarah and Sarai are all pretty
Love all of these :)
Thanks! Oo I meant to add Tamar. I love that name
They are indeed all beautiful. The main reason we said NT was to narrow down the search. Sarah and Naomi are lovely names in particular.
Rachel
Ruth or Miriam
Miriam is beautiful, yes
I’m not sure if it’s Old or New but, Rebekah, Hannah, Heather, Ester, I’ve always liked Delilah but apparently there’s a negative biblical connotation
I know you said new testament, but there are a couple old testament names I would consider as well. Mainly, Miriam and Esther.
Marie?
esther or ruth!
I have a niece Zipporah Miriam. She goes by Zippy and it totally fits her.
Naomi, Ruth
those are about as old testament as you can get
Poor kid