If you’re pregnant and looking for some baby name inspiration, or simply love crafting names for imaginary babies that live inside your head (not that we would know about that), take some tips from the Holy Land. The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics’s recently released their list of the most popular Israeli baby names of 2012 (yes, it’s currently 2014, but who are we to complain?).
While these names are obviously common in Israel, they can be unique and meaningful for a kid growing up in the United States. OK, maybe not Sarah and David, but you get the point.
Without further ado, here they are.
Top 15 Israeli girl names:
1. Noa (meaning “pleasantness”)
2. Shira (meaning “song”)
3. Tamar (meaning “date”)
4. Talia (meaning “dew from God”)
5. Maya (meaning “water”)
6. Yael (meaning “mountain goat”)
7. Sarah (meaning “noble, princess”)
8. Adele (meaning “God is eternal”)
9. Ayalah (meaning “deer”)
10. Michal (meaning “who is like God”)
11. Avigail (Hebrew form of “Abigail” meaning “gracious”)
12. Chana (Hebrew variant of “Hannah”)
13. Ella (meaning “goddess”)
14. Noya (meaning “divine beauty”)
15, Roni (meaning “my song/joy”)
Top 15 Israeli boy names:
1. Noam (Biblical, meaning “pleasantness”)
2. Uri (meaning “my light”)
3. Itai (Biblical, also meaning “with me”)
4. Yoseph (Hebrew for of “Joseph”)
5. David (Biblical king)
6. Yohonatan (Hebrew for “Jonathan”)
7. Daniel (Biblical, also means “God is my judge”)
8. Ariel (means “lion of god”)
9. Moshe (means “drawn out [of the water]”)
10. Eitan (meaning “strong”)
11. Ido (Biblical)
12. Itamar (Biblical, meaning “palm island”)
13. Avraham (Biblical, meaning “father of many”)
14. Yehuda (Biblical, meaning “praised”)
15. Yair (meaning “to reveal, enlighten”)
So, whaddya like? Let us know which names are your favorites in the comments below. And if you’re hungry for more, be sure to check out our Jewish Baby Name Finder for both English and Hebrew names.
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