Religious Baby Names: Spiritual Names for Your Children

Religion provides meaning to life, and that's why it's an ideal source for baby names. Unlike names that are derived from occupations or personal characteristics, religious names have ancient, sacred origins. Giving your baby a religious name is like connecting him to something transcendental or something that lasts forever.

Keep Your Baby on the Correct Path of Life

As a parent, you want your baby to follow a righteous path in life. The most effective way to do this is to make him a follower of a particular religion. Giving your baby a religious name is a good way to start his religious journey. It also reminds everyone of your good intentions for your child.

As your child grows up and as he learns about his religion, he'll come to appreciate his name more. The name itself can shape his mind and affect his decisions in life. He'll be reminded of all the moral religious teachings when he hears and speaks his name. It's also comforting to give your baby a religious name because it's like you're asking for a greater power to guide him through life.

Worshiping Through Names

Many religious names are a form of worship. For example, a common way to create a Muslim name is to take the prefix Abd- and combine it with a Muslim name for God. “Abd-” means “servant of,” so names with this prefix often mean being a servant of God. Abdalleem means “servant of the Omniscient” and Abdullah means “submissive to God.” Abdul, meanwhile, simply means “servant of the,” so it's not a full name by itself.

Hebrew names, which are used in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, also worship God in different ways. The suffixes -el and -iah are often added to names to show religious adoration. Names of this kind include: Michael (like the Lord), Gabriel (God is my strength), Samuel (asked of God), Tobias (God is good), and Jeremiah (appointed by God). For girls, names that exalt God include: Adalia (God is my refuge), Adiel (ornament of God), Ariella (God's lioness), Beth (the house of God), and Raphaella (healed by God or divine healer).

Religious names can also mean certain spiritual values. Muslim parents like to give their baby boys names with moral meanings, such as: Rabar (loving and caring), Lutfi (kind and gentle), Fahim (understanding, clever, wise), Laiq (deserving), and Faakhir (excellent).

Names from Scriptures

Sacred Names of Gods

Aside from names of worship, religious names are also commonly taken from scriptures, which are sacred texts of a particular religion. Jewish families often take baby names from the Torah, Muslims from the Qur'an, and Christians from the Old and New Testaments. Hindus take from several sacred writings including the Vedas.

Perhaps because of the desire to make children blessed, naming babies after gods is very common. Hindu parents usually name their children after gods and goddesses. For baby boys, such names include: Deva, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, Murugan, Hanuman, Indra, and Surya. For girls, the major deities whose names are typically used include: Devi, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Dakshayani, Parvati, Durga, Shakti, Kali, Gayatri, Sita, Radha, and Mahavidya.

Christians commonly name their baby boys after Jesus, the prophet and son of God. The name “Jesus” has many variants, including: Joshua, Hesus, and Emmanuel (God is with us). Muslims also name their children after Allah through his 99 attributes. Names like Atif, Azim, Aziz, Hakeem, Hamid, Kadir, Qadir, Rahim and Wahib all pertain to the “beautiful” attributes of Allah.

Saints, Prophets, and Other Scriptural Figures

Parents can name their children after scriptural figures such as saints, prophets and angels. Hindus name their baby boys after gurus like Osho, Ramanuja, Sai Babi, Upasni, Paramhans, Mahiri, and Gurudev. Girls are named after gurus such as Aurobindo, Gurumayi, Malati, Meera, Sarada, and Shree Maa.

A lot of Christians and non-Christians around the world name their children after biblical figures such as the Twelve Apostles, Joseph, Mary, and John the Baptist. Angels like Michael and Gabriel are also very popular names for newborns. It's well known that Muslims love to name their baby boys after the prophet, Muhammad. The name Muhammad has many variants which include: Mahmood (who is praised), Tahir (pure), Kaamil (perfect), Naseer (who helps), Hudaa (guide), Kareem (noble), Ameen (trustworthy) and Muneer (bright).

It's best to consult your local place of worship first before giving your child a religious name. Your religious leader may also give you some advice as to what a particular religious name really means.