250 Spiritual Names For Girl & Boys With Meanings

In Greece and Romania, a child named after a saint gets a second celebration each year: a name day on that saint’s feast. I have hand-picked 250 spiritual names and their meanings, from Sanskrit, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Irish and Tibetan, boys first and girls after.

List Of Spiritual Names For Boys And Their Meanings:

Avyakta

Sanskrit for the unmanifest or invisible. In Samkhya philosophy, Avyakta is the technical term for primordial matter.

Pascal

It comes from Pascha, Easter.

Ignatius

Ignatius (“fiery”) of Loyola founded the Jesuits.

Ganesh

“Lord of hosts.”

Yeshurun

Yeshurun means ”beloved one” in Hebrew from the root yashar. It is a poetic name for Israel used in the Bible.

Isaac

“He will laugh,” after Sarah laughed at news of his birth.

Gabriel

“God is my strength.”

Nishkam

Nishkam is composed of nish (”without”) and kama (”action”). The third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita talks about nishkama karma, that is an action performed without any expectation.

Amadeus

“Love of God.”

Malachi

“My messenger.”

Ojas

“Vital energy,” and is also from Sanskrit. Ayurveda defines Ojas as ‘vigour’ and is both a mental and physical factor.

Stavros

Cross.

Anargyros

“Without silver.” Anargyros is also a title for saints who healed for free.

Nkosi

“Lord,” and the first word of the hymn Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

Yedidiah

Hebrew for beloved of the Lord. 2 Samuel 12:25 writes: ”… because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.”

Basir

Al-Basir is one of the 99 names of God. It means “the one who sees clearly” in Arabic.

Beathan

Scottish Gaelic, from beatha, life.

Chrysanthos

Chrysos (”gold”) and anthos (”flower”). Martyr Chrysanthus has a feast day of 25 October with Daria.

Agathon

Greek for good or noble. Agathon was an Athenian tragic poet and a friend of Euripides.

Anselm

“Divine protection.”

Sanctus

It is Latin for consecrated. In 177 AD, during persecution in Lyon, a deacon called Sanctus died.

Tashi

Auspicious.

Obadiah

“Servant of God.” Obadiah is also the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible.

Moses

“Drawn out” in Hebrew, “son” in Egyptian.

Isaiah

“Yahweh is salvation.”

Svetoslav

Svetoslav is made of the Slavic elements svet and slav and is symbolizing “bright glory”. Save

Sorush

“Bringer of good news.”

Kiyoshi

Japanese for pure or clear, written 清.

Yazdan

The form is grammatically plural. Persian for God and has roots in yazata that is meaning ”worthy of worship.”

Zenko

”Virtuous action.” Zenkō-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Nagano and enshrines images of the Amida Buddha.

Ezekiel

God strengthens.

Ariel

“Lion of God,” and a spirit in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Jigme

Tibetan for fearless. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the 4th king of Bhutan, introduced the Gross National Happiness.

Sattvik

Sattva is one of the three gunas, three modes of existence. Indian cooking categorizes food by the gunas’ qualities.

Thupten

It comes from Tibetan thubten, teaching of the Buddha.

Shalom

“Peace,” “wholeness,” “completeness” and “welfare.”

Angelo

Messenger.

Columba

“Dove.” Columba was a saint who founded a monastery on Iona.

Norbu

”Jewel” in Tibetan. Norbulingka was the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas in Lhasa.

Satoru

“Awakening,” written 悟 like satori in Zen.

Levi

“Joined.”

Clement

Merciful.

Dorje

The Tibetan word for vajra, a ritual scepter used in tantric practices and a symbol for sunyata.

Hormoz

It has origins in Ahura Mazda, “wise lord.”

Siddharth

“One who has reached his goal.”

Sanatan

Eternal, without beginning, in Sanskrit. Sanatana Dharma or absolute set of duties and the oldest known code of conduct for human beings. Save

Makarios

Makarios has Greek origins and is meaning ”blessed.” It opens every line of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

Idris

“Studious.”

Jude

“Praised.” Jude is a patron saint of lost causes.

Basil

Royal.

Gregory

Pope Gregory (“watchful”) XIII reformed our calendar.

Arjun

“White/bright.”

Panagiotis

“All-holy.”

Matthias

“Gift of Yahweh.” Matthias is an apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas.

Ihsan

”Excellence” or ”doing beautiful things.”

Symeon

It is the Greek form of Shimon, ”he has heard.” Symeon the Stylite was a Syrian Christian ascetic who spent 36 years on a pillar and is commemorated as a saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Oswald

It combines os, god, and weald, rule.

Aodh

Pronounced as AY. “Fire.” Surnames McHugh and McCoy come from it.

Anwar

Anwar is symbolizing”luminous” or ”brighter.”

Chidiebere

It is pronounced as chee-dee-EH-beh-reh and means ”God is merciful” in Igbo, the language of the people living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria.

Asher

“Happy.”

Zechariah

“Yahweh remembers”.

Theophilus

“Friend of God,” and the man Luke addresses in his Gospel.

Elior

“My God is light” in Hebrew.

Oluwaseun

Yoruba, thanks be to God.

Turiya

The fourth, in Sanskrit. In Hinduism, turiya is the true self (atman) as well as the autonomous realization of the non-causal Brahman according to Adi Shankara.

Sonam

“Merit” or “fortunate one.”

Azariah

“Yahweh has helped,” and Abednego’s Hebrew name in the fiery furnace story.

Kieran

Little dark one.

Gurdeep

“Lamp of the guru.”

Chukwuemeka

Igbo for “God has done great things.”

Mikoto

Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto is the goddess of humor and is used in Japanese anime names. It means ”life.”

Barnabas

From Aramaic, explained in Acts as “son of encouragement.”

Augustine

Venerable.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah (“Yahweh comforts”) rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days.

Amos

“Carried by God.”

”Amos answered Amaziah, I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd,…” Amos 7:14

Raphael

Raphael (“God heals”) is the archangel who guides Tobias in the Book of Tobit.

Yogesh

“Lord of yoga.”

Ishaan

Ishaan is an epithet of Shiva, ”the ruler.”

Declan

It comes from the Irish Deaglán, ”man of prayer” or “full of goodness”. Declán of Ardmore converted the Déisi to Christianity in the late 5th century.

Advait

Non-duality.

Brendan

Brendan (“prince”) the Navigator sailed west in search of an Isle of the Blessed.

Karim

Generous, or noble.

Ananda

”Bliss” in Sanskrit and Pali. Ananda served Gautama Buddha as his attendant for 31 years.

Dhyan

“Meditation” in Sanskrit.

Christian

“Follower of Christ.”

Ambrose

“Immortal,” and patron saint of beekeepers.

Tenzin

“Holder of Buddha Dharma” in Tibetan. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rashid

Rightly guided.

Pius

“Devout.”

Bogdan

”Given by God” in Slavic, and is an early calque from Greek Theódoros.

Rahim

In Arabic, Rahim is ”kind” or ”merciful.” The root r-h-m also produces rahm, the womb.

Ansgar

It combines ans, god, and gar, spear.

Elijah

My God is Yahweh.

Gideon

“Hewer”. The Huguenots used the surrogate variation Gédéon.

Satya

Truth.

Jeremiah

“Yahweh uplifts” or ”Yahweh will exalt”. The English jeremiad comes from the Lamentations and the prophet.

Tobias

God is good.

Haile

Haile (“might”) Selassie reigned in Ethiopia under a name meaning “might of the Trinity.”

Immanuel

God with us, from Isaiah 7:14, ”The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Josiah

“Yahweh supports,” as well as a king at age eight.

Uriel

“God is my light”, or “flame of God.”

Rishi

“Seer.”

Pranav

A Sanskrit name for Om, sacred syllable of Hindu prayer.

Samael

”Venom of God.” As per the Book of Enoch, Samael is an archangel who collects the soul at death, which works as many dark fantasy character names.

Tahir

“Pure”.

Baldur

“Lord,” as well as a Norse god slain by a dart of mistletoe.

Krishna

“Dark” or “black.”

Daniel

It is symbolizing ”God is my judge.”

Bodhi

”Awakening” or “understanding of true nature” in Pali. The original Bodhi Tree (the sacred fig tree under which Siddhartha attained enlightenment) is in Bodh Gaya, India.

Vedant

From Vedanta, end of the Vedas.

Michael

“Who is like God?”

Fiachra

Saint Fiachra (“raven”) is patron of gardeners and Paris cab drivers.

Elisha

”God is salvation.” Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of his spirit in 2 Kings 2:9.

Lobsang

Lobsang (“noble mind”) Rampa was a pen moniker used by a plumber’s son from Devon.

Hadi

Guide.

Ezra

“Help” in Hebrew.

Theodore

Gift of God, in Greek. In 668 Theodore of Tarsus was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. Nicknames that I like are Theo and Teddy.

Seraphim

“Fiery ones”. Seraphim was a Russian monk who greeted every visitor with “my joy.”

Joel

“Yahweh is God.”

Nirvan

From nirvana, “blowing out,” as of a flame.

Abraham

“Father of many”.

Dewi

Pronounced as DEH-wee. “Beloved.” Dewi Sant is the patron saint of Wales.

Wali

“Friend” or “guardian”, a Sufi word for a saint.

Noel

From Latin natalis, birthday.

Spiritual Names for Girls:

Gita

“Song.”

Clare

“Clear,” as well as the patron saint of television.

Anahata

“Unstruck”, in Sanskrit. The heart chakra is called Anahata and is located in the centre of the chest. Save

Redempta

”Redeemed” in Latin and it comes comes from the verb redimere, “to buy back.”

Zikra

Arabic for remembrance or recollection.

Photini

“Full of light,” the Orthodox name for the Samaritan woman at the well.

Moksha

“Release/freedom.”

Irene

Peace.

Bethel

“House of God,” where Jacob dreamed of a ladder.

Ruth

“Friend” or “companion.”

Aarti

From aratrika, “that which removes darkness.”

Gloria

Glory.

Lucia

Lucia (“light”) has a crown of candles in Swedish December parades.

Zahra

“Radiant.”

Kyriaki

”Of the Lord” in Greek and is pronounced as kee-ree-ah-KEE. Saint Kyriaki was martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Prana

“Breath,” “life,” “energy” and “spirit.”

Deborah

“Bee,” and the only woman among the judges of Israel.

Patience

From patior, to suffer.

Epiphany

“Manifestation.”

Saraswati

She who flows.

Taqwa

Arabic for God-consciousness.

Naomi

Pleasantness.

Innocentia

Harmlessness, from nocere, to injure.

Celeste

Celeste is symbolizing ”heavenly.”

Assunta

Italian for “assumed,” and is after Mary’s Assumption.

Leilani

A Hawaiian name I love, “heavenly flower.”

Shekinah

“Dwelling.”

Muirgen

Born of the sea, in Irish. In the tale of Lí Ban Muirgen survives 300 years underwater as a half-fish. It means ” born of the sea” in Irish.

Elisheva

“My God is an oath,” and wife of Aaron in Exodus.

Maya

Illusion.

Rabia

“Spring” or “fourth.”

Aditi

“Boundless.” Aditi is the mother of the gods in the Rigveda.

Nirmala

Spotless.

Myoko

Myoko 妙子 means ”beautiful harbor” or ”wonderful child.”

Lasair

Irish for flame.

Naomh

Naomh is the Irish word for holy as well is also used for a saint.

Choden

Tibetan for devout, one who holds the dharma. Save

Prajna

”The highest and purest form of wisdom.” The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra is the best-known Mahayana sutra.

Oluchi

God’s work.

Neema

Swahili for grace.

Inaya

Inaya has Arabic roots, with a meaning I like: “care.”

Paraskevi

“Preparation,” and the Greek word for Friday.

Shraddha

“Faith/trust.”

Metta

Pali for loving-kindness.

Durga

Invincible.

Pilar

“Pillar,” after Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza.

Ayat

Ayat is symbolizing “signs” or “verses.”

Idun

Idun (“ever young”) tends the apples of youth in Norse myth.

Vidya

“Knowledge.”

Zoe

“Life,” and Eve’s name in the Greek Septuagint.

Perpetua

Latin for continuous, unbroken.

Bhavani

Bhavani is a title of Parvati, the life-giver.

Evangelia

Good news, in Greek, plural of evangelion.

Ratri

Sanskrit for night, so Ratri is good for the list of names that mean darkness and night.

Abigail

“My father is joy.”

Dharma

“Law,” “duty,” “order” and “right conduct.”

Anahita

Anahita (“immaculate”) is a Persian goddess of waters.

Bhakti

“Devotion.”

Charity

It comes from caritas, dearness.

Ahimsa

It combines a, not, and himsa, harm.

Keziah

“Cassia,” and a daughter of Job.

Jannah

Garden.

Selah

“Pause,” and appears 71 times in Psalms and 3 more times in Habakkuk.

Miroslava

”Peace and glory” in Slavic.

Chiamaka

Igbo for “God is beautiful.”

Hosanna

“Save, please,” a cry of Palm Sunday crowds.

Serenity

Calm.

Bozena

Bozena Nemcova published Babicka in 1855 and it is now the foundational work of modern Czech literature. Bozena is meaning ”divine.”

Destiny

Fate.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon (“great queen”) rides a white horse in the Mabinogion.

Megumi

“Blessing.”

Damaris

Greek, possibly from damalis, heifer. Acts 17:34 explains: ”Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

Dorothea

Gift of God, with the elements reversed from Theodora.

Tabitha

Aramaic for gazelle.

Sophronia

Sophronia comes from ”sophrosyne” and means ”self-command,” one of the four cardinal virtues in Greek ethics.

Benedicta

”Well-spoken” or ”blessed.”

Devika

Little goddess in Sanskrit.

Anjali

Anjali is an offering held in both cupped hands.

Kalyani

Kalyani (”auspicious” or ”fortunate”) is the 65th melakarta ragam under the Katapayadi sankhya.

Kawthar

“Abundance,” and a river of paradise in the Quran.

Sadhana

“Spiritual practice.”

Agapi

From agape, Greek for love.

Padma

”Lotus”, purity that rises from the mud.

Brigid

”Exalted one.” Brigid is an Irish goddess and a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She is a patroness of dairy workers and blacksmiths.

Michiko

”Child of the path.”

Kiyomi

In Japanese, it symbolizing ”pure beauty.” Actress Kiyomi Asai portrayed Mayuko Asano in Great Teacher Onizuka.

Dechen

“Great bliss.”

Tara

“Star” or “saviour”.

Agnes

Agnes comes from hagnos, chaste.

Iman

Arabic for faith or belief. It is also spelled as Imane or Eman.

Eden

The Garden of Eden is the biblical paradise and the very first home God created for humanity. It was part of God’s good creation as described in Genesis 2-3.

Anastasia

Resurrection in Greek.

Sita

“Furrow.” Sita is a princess found in a ploughed field.

Radha

Prosperity.

Harmony

Harmony is derived from the Greek harmonia and variants that I found interesting are Harmonii and Harmonee.

Svetlana

”Light” in Slavic.

Dolores

Sorrows.

Shanti

“Peace,” chanted three times to close Hindu prayers.

Jyoti

Flame.

Nevaeh

Heaven reversed.

Beatrice

Beatrice (“she who makes happy”) guides Dante through Paradise.

Karuna

“Compassion.”

Amara

“Grace” in Igbo, “immortal” in Sanskrit.

Amina

Amina bint Wahb was the mother of Muhammad and her tribe were descendants of Abraham. ”Safe one” is the meaning.

Vera

”Sincere” or ”truth.”

Mercy

Mercy has origins in the Latin merces and is meaning kindness. Puritan families used it a lot in the 1600s.

Blessing

”A state of happiness and prosperity”.

Lyubov

“Love.” Lyubov was a martyr sister of Vera and Nadezhda.

Arpita

Dedicated.

Magdalene

“Of Magdala,” and source of the English word maudlin.

Rosario

“Rosary.”

Esther

“Star.” Esther was a queen whose story is read aloud at Purim.

Aine

Brightness.

Cecilia

“Blind,” and patron saint of music.

Tulsi

Holy basil, planted in many Hindu courtyards.

Leela

“Divine play.”

Lakshmi

“Good fortune.” Lakshmi is a goddess welcomed with lamps at Diwali.

Rei

“Spirit” or “gratitude.”

Genesis

Origin.

Asha

“Truth” or “right order.”

Aisling

Pronounced as ASH-ling. “Vision.” In an aisling poem, Ireland appears as a woman.

Freya

“Lady.”

Zipporah

Bird.

Thecla

“Glory of God.”

Grace

From Latin gratia, favour.