Biblical names that mean gift from God are names from Scripture, or from the Christian tradition around it, whose meaning points to a child God gave. They include Matthew, Matthias, Nathaniel and Hannah. In this post you’ll find 30 of them for boys and girls, with each name’s meaning, origin and the Bible story behind it.
In simple words, it’s a name whose meaning speaks of giving — a child given by God, or a prayer God answered. Some names say it directly, like Matthew and Nathaniel. Others carry it through the story of the person who bore the name.
Have you ever held your baby and felt that no word quite fits? You want a name that says what your heart already knows: this child is a gift. That’s why so many parents turn to the Bible.
By the end of this post, you’ll know 30 names for boys and girls, what each one really means, and the Bible story behind it. You’ll also learn how to choose and how to say the uncommon ones.
What “Gift from God” Names Have in Common
These names share more than a meaning. Most of them belong to people whose birth, or whose calling, came at a moment only God could arrange.
Many of these children arrived after waiting or prayer — Hannah prayed for Samuel, and Elizabeth had a son in old age. Some names were given by God Himself, like Jedidiah. And the names come from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic roots, so the same idea — “God has given” — sounds different in each language.
A blessing that fits a child with one of these names: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
16 Biblical Boy Names That Mean Gift from God
Here are 16 boy names, each with its meaning, origin and the Bible person behind it. You’ll find more ideas in our full list of biblical boy names.
1. Matthew — Meaning: “gift of Yahweh.” Origin: Hebrew, from Mattityahu. A tax collector Jesus called to follow, who became an apostle and wrote the first Gospel. “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)
2. Matthias — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek, the Greek form of Matthew. Chosen by lot to take Judas’s place among the apostles. “And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:26)
3. Nathaniel — Meaning: “gift of God” or “God has given.” Origin: Hebrew, from Netanel. Philip told him they had found the Messiah, and Jesus praised him as a man without deceit. Also called Bartholomew in some lists. “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45)
4. Nathan — Meaning: “he gave” or “gift.” Origin: Hebrew. The prophet who spoke hard truth to King David after his sin with Bathsheba, and carried God’s promise about David’s kingdom (2 Samuel 7).
5. Jonathan — Meaning: “Yahweh has given.” Origin: Hebrew. King Saul’s son and David’s closest friend, who loved David as his own soul and protected him from Saul’s anger. “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” (1 Samuel 18:1)
6. Theodore — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek, from Theodoros. Honest note: Theodore is not a Bible character and does not appear in Scripture. It became loved through Christian tradition for its meaning.
7. Jesse — Meaning: “gift.” Origin: Hebrew. Father of King David. God sent Samuel to Jesse’s house in Bethlehem to anoint a new king, and the youngest son, David, was the one chosen (1 Samuel 16).
8. Zebedee — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Aramaic. The father of James and John, who was repairing nets when Jesus called his sons. “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.” (Matthew 4:21)
9. Zebadiah — Meaning: “gift of the LORD.” Origin: Hebrew. He was one of Beriah’s sons in the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:15). A clearly biblical name, rarely heard today.
10. Elnathan — Meaning: “God has given.” Origin: Hebrew. One of the leaders Ezra sent to bring Levites for temple service (Ezra 8:16).
11. Jedidiah — Its meaning is “beloved of the LORD,” and it comes from Hebrew. Honest truth: this does not literally mean “gift.” God Himself sent Nathan to give this name to Solomon, David’s son, as a sign of His love. “And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:25)
12. Isaac — Meaning: “he will laugh.” Origin: Hebrew. The miracle child God promised Abraham and Sarah in old age — his name marks the laughter of joy after years of waiting. “And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.” (Genesis 21:3)
13. Samuel — It means “heard by God,” or “God has heard,” and its origin is Hebrew. The son Hannah prayed for, given back to the Lord’s service, who anointed Israel’s first two kings. “Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 1:20)
14. Abishai — Meaning: “my father is a gift.” Origin: Hebrew. One of David’s mighty men, loyal through danger, once going with him into Saul’s camp at night (1 Samuel 26:6).
15. Mattaniah — Meaning: “gift of Yahweh.” Origin: Hebrew. He was a Levite singer in Nehemiah’s time, leading the temple music (Nehemiah 11:17).
16. Nethaneel — Meaning: “God has given.” Origin: Hebrew, a variant of Nathaniel. Son of Jesse and one of David’s brothers (1 Chronicles 2:14). Rarer than Nathaniel, with the same meaning.
14 Biblical Girl Names That Mean Gift from God
Here are 14 girl names with meanings, origins and the Bible story or tradition behind each one. For more ideas, see our list of biblical girl names.
1. Dorothy — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek. Honest note: Dorothy is not a Bible character. It is a Greek name beloved in Christian tradition for what it means, with Dottie as a sweet short form.
2. Theodora — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek, the feminine form of Theodore. Like Theodore, it does not appear as a person in the Bible. It grew popular in the Christian world, carried by early queens and saints.
3. Theodosia — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek. Another Greek name with the same meaning, from Christian tradition rather than a Bible story. Rare today, so it stands out.
4. Thea — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek, a short form of Theodora or Dorothea. Not a Bible character, but it carries the same meaning in a short, bright form — lighter than Theodora.
5. Hannah — Meaning: “grace” or “favour.” Origin: Hebrew. Her literal meaning is grace, not gift — but her story is the story of a gift. After years of praying, she promised God her son, and Samuel was born. “For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:” (1 Samuel 1:27)
6. Anna — Meaning: “grace” or “favour.” Origin: Hebrew, in Greek form. A prophetess who served in the temple day and night, and was there when Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus. She recognised Him at once. “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;” (Luke 2:36)
7. Elizabeth — Meaning: “God is my oath.” Origin: Hebrew, in Greek form. She was Zechariah’s wife and the mother of John the Baptist, a son given to her when she was old. Note: in the King James Version, her name is spelled Elisabeth. “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.” (Luke 1:5)
8. Natania — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Hebrew, the feminine form of Nathaniel. A feminine form on the same Hebrew root as Nathaniel, sharing its meaning and Bible connection.
9. Shana — Meaning: “beautiful, God’s gift.” Origin: Hebrew. A Hebrew name tied to beauty and to what God gives. Short and rarely used, it feels both biblical and fresh.
10. Dorothea — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: Greek. The fuller form of Dorothy, with the same honest note: a Christian-tradition name, not a Bible character. Dottie or Thea are natural nicknames.
11. Joanna — Meaning: “God is gracious.” Origin: Hebrew, in Greek form. One of the women who followed Jesus and supported His ministry, and among the first to find the empty tomb (Luke 8:3).
12. Miriam — Meaning: “wished-for child.” Origin: Hebrew. Moses’ sister, who led the women of Israel in song after God parted the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20). Her name means a longed-for child.
13. Bithiah — Meaning: “daughter of Yahweh.” Origin: Hebrew. Pharaoh’s daughter, who found baby Moses in the river and raised him as her own son. “And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.” (1 Chronicles 4:18)
14. Dottie — Meaning: “gift of God.” Origin: English nickname of Dorothy, now used as a name in its own right. It carries Dorothy’s meaning in a cheerful, old-fashioned form.
Names Close in Meaning: God Has Heard, God Is Gracious
Some names don’t literally say “gift,” but they tell the same story from another angle — a prayer God heard, or grace shown.
John is the best example. It means “God is gracious,” and it belongs to John the Baptist, the child given to Elizabeth and Zechariah in old age, and to John the apostle. If your child feels like grace you didn’t earn, John says it plainly.
Samuel and Isaac, both in the boys’ list above, belong here too. Samuel means “God has heard” — the answer to Hannah’s prayer. Isaac means “he will laugh” — the child God gave Abraham and Sarah when hope seemed gone.
The same is true of the grace names in the girls’ list: Hannah, Anna, Elizabeth and Joanna. Their literal meanings are grace, favour or oath, but each woman’s story is about a child God gave.
How to Choose the Right Name for Your Baby
Choosing from 30 good names can feel harder than choosing from three. These steps will help.
- Start with the story, not the sound. Read the passage behind each name on your shortlist. The story is the part you will one day tell your child.
- Say it out loud with your last name. A name can look lovely on paper and sound clumsy spoken.
- Check the meaning honestly. Some names here literally mean “gift of God.” Others mean grace or “God has heard.” Both are beautiful — just know which one you’re choosing.
- Think about nicknames. Nathaniel becomes Nate, Theodora becomes Thea, Dorothy becomes Dottie. Make sure you like the short form.
- Pray about it and give it time. Live with your top two or three names for a week or two. The right one usually starts to feel like it belongs.
For more ideas, browse our guide to biblical names and meanings.
How to Pronounce These Names
Most are easy to say, but a few trip people up. Here’s a simple guide.
- Nathaniel — nuh-THAN-yul
- Matthias — muh-THY-us
- Zebedee — ZEB-uh-dee
- Zebadiah — zeb-uh-DY-uh
- Elnathan — el-NAY-thun
- Jedidiah — jed-ih-DY-uh
- Mattaniah — mat-uh-NY-uh
- Nethaneel — nuh-THAN-ee-el
- Abishai — uh-BISH-ay
- Theodosia — thee-uh-DOH-see-uh
- Dorothea — dor-uh-THEE-uh
- Bithiah — bih-THY-uh
- Natania — nuh-TAH-nee-uh
Say it slowly and stress the part in capitals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of the name Matthew in the Bible?
Matthew comes from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, which means “gift of Yahweh”. In Scripture, Matthew was a tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him; he later became one of the twelve apostles and wrote the first Gospel. His story shows God giving a new life to an unlikely person.
What biblical girl name means gift from God?
Dorothy is the most familiar girl name that means “gift of God” in the literal sense, and Theodora and Dorothea carry the same meaning. If you want a name tied to a woman in the Bible itself, Hannah is a strong choice. Her literal meaning is “grace,” and Samuel was the child God gave her after prayer.
Is Theodore actually in the Bible?
No, Theodore does not appear as a person in the Bible. It is a Greek name, Theodoros, that means “gift of God,” and it became popular through Christian tradition rather than a Bible story. Many families still choose it because its meaning is clear.
What boy name means “God has given” in the Bible?
Nathaniel and Nethaneel both mean “God has given,” and Jonathan means “Yahweh has given.” Nathaniel was one of Jesus’ first followers, praised as a man without deceit. Jonathan was King Saul’s son and David’s closest friend. Any of the three is a strong choice.
How do I choose between two names I love?
Say both names out loud with your last name, then test them for a few days. Check the meaning and the Bible story behind each one, and ask which story you would love to tell your child one day. If you still cannot decide, pick the one that feels natural to say as a parent.
Conclusion
In simple terms, biblical names that mean gift from God point back to a child God gave — through prayer answered, a promise kept, or a life changed. Whether the literal meaning is “gift,” “grace” or “God has heard,” each name here carries a story worth telling.
Now you have a clear picture of 30 names, their meanings and the people behind them. Take your time, say your favourites out loud, and trust the name that feels like it belongs to your child.
I’m Emma, an AI content writer with 4 years of experience creating heartfelt prayers, Bible-based messages, blessings, and inspiring faith-filled content.