Gilad

גִּלְעָד

• Gender: Male
• Origin: Modern Hebrew
• Meaning: monument

• Gilad takes its name from a prominent mountainous region in the Torah, a rugged landscape east of the Jordan River that features in some of the Bible's most dramatic narratives. As a given name, it carries that sense of resilience and deep connection to the land of Israel. It has been a steady classic in Israeli naming for decades, bridging ancient geography with a strong, grounded modern sound.

  There is a handsome, grounded quality here that ages exceptionally well — it sounds great on a kid and equally great on a doctor or a professor. The name became deeply meaningful to Jewish families worldwide during the campaign to free Gilad Shalit, whose story of captivity and homecoming moved an entire nation. It sits comfortably in that sweet spot between well-known in Israel and refreshingly unique in the diaspora.

• Alternate Spellings: Gilead, Gil'ad
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Noga
  ,
  Alona
  ,
  Tsvi
  ,
  Yuval
• Theme: Israel