Hebrew Boy Names and Meanings for Jewish Babies
There are a couple of reasons why you might be looking to choose a Hebrew boy name for your baby. You might like his given name to be a Hebrew name. If so, there are some beautiful Hebrew boy names and meaning below to consider. Or, you might be choosing a Jewish baby name in preparation for your boy’s bris.
The bris (brit milah in Hebrew) takes place on the eighth day after a baby boy is born. Depending on which movement you belong to — reform, conservative, orthodox, or reconstructionist — the bris typically occurs in a synagogue during the morning service (orthodox) or at the home of the baby’s parents or grandparents during the daytime.
During the bris, a mohel typically performs the circumcision with the child held by the grandparent or other honored guest. The mohel then says the blessing over the wine and gives the baby boy his Hebrew name. Oftentimes, the baby boy’s parents will explain how they chose their child’s Hebrew name. It is usually quite an emotional moment as it is common for Jewish parent’s to name their children after someone special who has died. The parent’s tend to speak about the person and what qualities that person had that they hope their son will grow to embody.
Psst: If you are looking for Hebrew names for girls, I got you covered with another long list of names and meanings.
Hebrew Names for Boys
Below are a variety of boys Hebrew names categorized by their first letter.
A
| Adi | Meaning: jewel, ornament | עדִי |
| Adir | Meaning: great, mighty, powerful | אַדִיר |
| Aharon | Meaning: light, enlightening | אַהֲרֹן |
| Almog | Meaning: coral | אַלְמוֹג |
| Alon | Meaning: oak tree | אַלּוֹן |
| Ami | Meaning: my nation | עָמִי |
| Amiel | Meaning: God of my people | עַמִּיאֵל |
| Amir | Meaning: treetop | אָמִיר |
| Amit | Meaning: friend | עָמִית |
| Ari/Ariel | Meaning: lion | אֲרִי |
| Arik/Ariel | Meaning: lion of God | אָרִיק/אֲרִיאֵל |
| Asaf | Meaning: gather | אָסַף |
| Avi/Aviad | Meaning: my father | אֲבִי/אֲבִיעַד |
| Aviv | Meaning: spring | אֲבִיב |
| Ayal | Meaning: deer, stag, strength, might | אַיָּל |
B
| Bar | Meaning: grain, corn | בַּר |
| Barak | Meaning: lightning | בָּרָק |
| Ben/Benjamin/Benny | Meaning: son | בִּנְיָמִין |
| Boaz | Meaning: swift, strength | בֹּעַז |
C
| Chayim (Haim) | Meaning: life | חַיִּים |
| Chen (Hen) | Meaning: beauty, charm, grace | חֵן |
D
| Dan/Daniel | Meaning: judgement | דָּן |
| Dor/Doron | Meaning: gift | דּוֹרוֹן |
| Dov | Meaning: bear | דֹב |
| Dror | Meaning: freedom | דְּרוֹר |
| Dvir | Meaning: sanctuary | דְּבִיר |
E
| Efraim (Effi) | Meaning: fruitful | אֶפְרָיִם |
| Eilon | Meaning: oak tree | אֵילוֹן |
| Eitan | Meaning: strong | אֵיתָן |
| Elad | Meaning: God is eternal | אֶלְעָד |
| Eli | Meaning: my God | אֵלִי |
| Eran | Meaning: vigilant | עֵירָן |
| Erez | Meaning: cedar | אֶרֶז |
| Eshed | Meaning: waterfall | אֶשֶׁד |
| Etgar | Meaning: challenge | אֶתְגָּר |
| Evyatar | Meaning: God is great | אֶבְיָתָר |
| Eyal | Meaning: deer, stag, strength, might | אֱיָל |
| Ezra | Meaning: help | עֶזְרָא |
G
| Gad | Meaning: fortune | גָּד |
| Gal | Meaning: wave | גַּל |
| Gideon/Gidon | Meaning: mighty warrior | גִּדְעוֹן |
| Gil | Meaning: joy | גִּיל |
| Gilad/Gilead | Meaning: hill of testimony | גִּלְעָד |
| Guy | Meaning: valley | גַּיְא |
H
| Herschel | Meaning: little deer | הֶערשֶׁעל |
| Haggai | Meaning: festive | חַגַּי |
| Hezekiah (Hezy) | Meaning: God strengthens | חזקיה |
I
| Idan (Ido) | Meaning: era | עִדָּן |
| Ilan | Meaning: tree | אִילָן |
| Itamar | Meaning: palm island | אִיתָמָר |
| Itai/Itay | Meaning: friendly | אִיתַי |
| Itzik | Meaning: laughter | אִיצִיק |
K
| Kfir | Meaning: young lion | כְּפִיר |
| Kobi/Kobe | Variant of Jacob | קובי |
L
| Lev | Meaning: heart | לֵב |
| Leedor (Lidor) | Meaning: my generation | לִידוֹר |
| Lior | Meaning: my light | לִיאוֹר |
| Liran/Liron | Meaning: my song, my joy | לִירוֹן |
| Lotem | Meaning: bush of golden flowers | לֹטֶם |
M
| Maor | Meaning: light, luminary | מָאוֹר |
| Matan | Meaning: gift | מַתָּן |
| Meir | Meaning: the one who illuminates | מֵאִיר |
| Menachem | Meaning: comfort | מְנַחֵם |
| Miki/Mika/Micha | Meaning: Who is like God | מִיכָה |
| Moshe/Moishe/Moses | Meaning: drawn out of water | מֹיישָׁע |
N
| Nachum | Meaning: comforter | נַחוּם |
| Nadav | Meaning: generous, noble | נָדָב |
| Naphtali | Meaning: wrestling | נַפְתָלִי |
| Natan (Nathan) | Meaning: give | נָתָן |
| Nechemiah | Meaning: comforted by God | נְחֶמְיָה |
| Nir | Meaning: plowed field | נִיר |
| Niv | Meaning: expression | נִיב |
| Noach (Noah) | Meaning: comfort | נֹחַ |
| Noam | Meaning: pleasantness | נוֹעַם |
| Noy | Meaning: grace | נוֹי |
O
| Oded | Meaning: restore | עֹדֵד |
| Ofek | Meaning: horizon | אֹפֶק |
| Ofir/Ophir | Meaning: gold | אוֹפִיר |
| Omri | Meaning: sheaf of grain | עָמְרִי |
| Or | Meaning: light | אוֹר |
| Oren | Meaning: pine tree | אֹרֶן |
| Ori | Meaning: my light | אוֹרִי |
R
| Ran (Ron) | Meaning: joyful, filled with song | רַן |
| Roi (Roy) | Meaning: my watcher | רוֹעִי |
| Ronen | Meaning: song, prayer | רוֹנֵן |
| Rotem | Meaning: desert plant | רֹתֶם |
S
| Sagi | Meaning: enough, great | סַגִּי |
| Sam/Samuel/Shmuel | Meaning: God has heard | שְׁמוּאֵל |
| Saul (Shaul) | Meaning: asked for | שָׁאוּל |
SH
| Shachar/Shahar | Meaning: dawn | שַׁחַר |
| Shai | Meaning: gift, present | שַׁי |
| Shiran | Meaning: joyous song | שִׁירָן |
| Shlomo/Shlomi | Meaning: peace | שְׁלוֹמִי |
T
| Tal | Meaning: dew | טַל |
| Tom | Meaning: innocence, honesty | תּוֹם |
| Tomer | Meaning: palm tree | תּוֹמֶר |
TZ
| Tzuriel | Meaning: God is my rock | צוּרִיאֵל |
| Tzvi | Meaning: deer | צְבִי |
U
| Uri/Uriel | Meaning: my light | אוּרִי |
Y
| Yahav | Meaning: hope | יָהַב |
| Yahel | Meaning: to shine | יָהֵל |
| Yair | Meaning: reveal, enlighten | יָאִיר |
| Yaniv | Meaning: to yield, produce | יָנִיב |
| Yehonatan (Jonathan) | Meaning: God has given | יְהוֹנָתָן |
| Yehuda (Judah) | Meaning: praised | יְהוּדָה |
| Yoav | Meaning: God is the father | יוֹאָב |
| Yonatan (Yoni) | Meaning: God has given | יוֹנָתָן |
| Yonah (Yona) | Meaning: dove | יוֹנָה |
| Yosef (Joseph)/Yossi | Meaning: increase | יוֹסֵף |
| Yotam | Meaning: God is perfect | יוֹתָם |
| Yuval | Meaning: stream | יוּבָל |
Z
| Ziv | Meaning: light, glow | זִיו |
| Zohar | Meaning: light, radiance | זֹהַר |
Did you find any Hebrew boy names that resonated with you? Do you have a favorite name that I have not included that you think should be added to the list? Please let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out our post with a full list of Hebrew Girl Names as well!