Aramaic Name Generator
Recorded Aramaic names from inscriptions to Syriac
Browse 500 Aramaic names from three thousand years of records: Old Aramaic kings such as Hazael and Bar-Hadad, names from the Elephantine papyri, Palmyra and Petra, Talmudic and Syriac names such as Abbaye and Aphrem, and patronymic forms such as Mibtahiah bat Mahseiah.
About Aramaic names
Aramaic has been written for about three thousand years, so an Aramaic name belongs to a period as much as to the language. The list follows six layers. The oldest are kings and officials of the Aramean states of Syria, known from stone inscriptions: Hazael, Zakkur, Panamuwa, and Bar-Hadad, son of Hadad the storm god. Next come the papyri of Elephantine in Egypt, where a Jewish garrison of the fifth century BCE left the family papers of Mibtahiah and Ananiah.
Two caravan peoples carved Aramaic on their tombs. Palmyra gives Odainat, Zabdibol and Bat-Zabbai, the queen the Romans called Zenobia. The Nabataeans of Petra give Haretat, Obodat and Shaqilat, names that are Arabic in shape. Jewish Aramaic of the Second Temple period and the Talmud adds Abba (father), Marta (lady), Tabitha (gazelle), Kepha (rock) and sages such as Abbaye and Huna. Classical Syriac, the language of the churches of Edessa and Mesopotamia, adds Aphrem, Narsai and names built on Isho, Jesus, such as Abdisho, servant of Jesus.
A person was identified by the father's name: bar is son of, and bat, written brt, is daughter of, as in Mibtahiah bat Mahseiah. All spellings are transliterations from scripts that write few vowels, and they vary from book to book.
How to choose Aramaic names
- Stay inside one layer. A Palmyrene merchant can be Yarhai bar Bariki, and a Syriac monk Babai bar Hnanisho, but a name that mixes the two never existed.
- Use bar or bat with the father's name where a modern character would have a surname. Family names in the modern sense were not in use in any of these periods.
- A god's name inside a name dates it. Hadad, Bol, Bel and Allat belong to the older layers, names ending in -iah such as Yedaniah carry the name of the God of Israel, and Isho marks a Syriac Christian name.
- Pick one spelling and keep it. Odainat is Odaenathus in Latin books, Haretat is Aretas in Greek ones, and Aphrem is the Syriac form of Ephrem.
- Aramaic is still spoken by Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, Mandaean and Jewish communities. For a character living today, use the names those communities use now and not a name from a tomb of the second century.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real Aramaic names?
The single names are those of people on record in inscriptions, papyri, the Talmud and Syriac literature, such as Hazael, Mibtahiah, Odainat and Aphrem. Some patronymic entries are recorded persons too, such as Aidu bar Kuhailu from a tomb at Hegra, while others, such as Zakkai bar Halfai, pair two names of one layer to show the form. The list has not been compared with the scholarly publications of the texts, so confirm a spelling there before you rely on it.
What do bar and bat mean in an Aramaic name?
Bar means son of and bat means daughter of, so Pilti bar Ananiah is Pilti, the son of Ananiah. Hebrew uses ben where Aramaic uses bar. Some names are patronymics that stuck, such as Bar-Talmai, the name behind Bartholomew.
Is Aramaic the same as Hebrew or Syriac?
Aramaic and Hebrew are related Semitic languages, but they are separate. Syriac is one form of Aramaic: the dialect of Edessa, which became the written language of many Eastern churches. That is why names such as Yaqub, Shmuni and Sabrisho stand in the same list as Zakkur and Hazael.
Why are there so few meanings on this page?
A meaning is given only where it is well established: Abba is father, Marta is lady, Tabitha is gazelle, Kepha is rock, Toma is twin, and Wahballat is gift of Allat. For many ancient names the reading or the meaning is still debated, so the list leaves them as names.
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All 500 Aramaic names
A: 65 names
- Aailami
- Aba
- Abba
- Abbaye
- Abdalga
- Abdharetat
- Abdisho
- Abdisho bar Brikha
- Abdmalku
- Abdobodat
- Abgar
- Abi-salamu
- Abihi
- Abihi bat Hoshaiah
- Abshlama
- Adda
- Addai
- Adon
- Aftah
- Aftah bar Abdobodat
- Aggai
- Aha
- Aha bat Zabdila
- Ahadboi
- Ahai
- Ahio
- Ahiqar
- Ahudemmeh
- Ahuni
- Aidu
- Aidu bar Kuhailu
- Aitalaha
A, continued
- Aksenaya
- Ala
- Ala bat Yarhai
- Ali'u
- Amatallat
- Amatallat bat Bariki
- Ammi
- Anahid
- Anani
- Anani bar Haggai
- Ananiah
- Ananiah bar Azariah
- Aphrahat
- Aphrem
- Aqaq
- Aqmat
- Aqmat bat Hagegu
- Arame
- Ashi
- Aslah
- Aslah bar Aslah
- Assi
- Ateaqab
- Atenatan
- Atenatan bar Kohailu
- Atenuri
- Attarhamek
- Attarsamak
- Aushallahi
- Aushu
- Avdimi
- Avimi
- Avin
B: 47 names
- Ba'altega
- Ba'altega bat Belshuri
- Babai
- Babai bar Hnanisho
- Babatha
- Babatha bat Shim'on
- Babowai
- Bagrat
- Bakos
- Balai
- Banitsar
- Bar'ateh
- Bar-Abba
- Bar-Gayah
- Bar-Gush
- Bar-Hadad
- Bar-Hadad bar Hazael
- Bar-Rakib
- Bar-Rakib bar Panamuwa
- Bar-Sabba
- Bar-Sur
- Bar-Talmai
- Bar-Timai
- Bar-Yona
- Barbashmin
- Bardaisan
- Barhadbshabba
- Bariki
- Barsahde
- Barsamya
- Barsauma
- Bat-Zabbai
- Batmalku
- Batmalku bat Zabda
- Behnam
- Belaqab
- Belshuri
- Beltihan
- Berechiah
- Bethelnathan
- Bethuel
- Bibi
- Bokhtisho
- Bolha
- Bonne
- Borrefa
- Brikha
D: 7 names
- Dadisho
- Daniel bar Maryam
- Daniel bar Tubanitha
- Delaiah
- Denha
- Denha bar Sabrisho
- Dimi
E: 10 names
- Elahbel
- Elahbel bar Wahballat
- Elazar
- Elazar bar Hitta
- Eliya
- Eliya bar Shinaya
- Eni-il
- Enosh
- Eshor
- Eshor bar Seha
F: 2 names
- Fihru
- Fihru bar Shullai
G: 16 names
- Gabbar
- Gaddarsu
- Gaddul
- Gadimat
- Gamilat
- Gamilat bat Malku
- Garmallahi
- Gemariah
- Gemariah bar Mahseiah
- Geniva
- Geniva bar Ilfa
- Giammu
- Giddel
- Giddel bar Qattina
- Gurya
- Gusi
H: 54 names
- Habba
- Habba bat Male
- Habib
- Habibi
- Hadad-yith'i
- Hadad-yith'i bar Shamash-nuri
- Hadadezer
- Hadadnuri
- Haddudan
- Hadianu
- Hadira
- Hadira bat Zabdibol
- Hagaru
- Hagaru bat Haretat
- Hagegu
- Haggai bar Shemaiah
- Hairan
- Hairan bar Odainat
- Halafallahi
- Halafu
- Halfai
- Haliphat
- Hama
- Hamnuna
- Hanan
- Hani'u
- Hanina
- Haretat
- Hayya
- Hazael
- Hennibel
- Heremnathan
- Herta
- Herta bat Ogga
- Hezion
- Hillel bar Garis
- Hinat
- Hinat bat Wahbu
- Hisda
- Hiyya
- Hnana
- Hnanisho
- Hodaviah
- Homa
- Homa bat Isi
- Hormizd
- Hoshaiah
- Hoshaya
- Huldu
- Huna
- Hunainu
- Huru
- Hushabu
- Hushabu bar Nafiyu
I: 11 names
- Idi
- Ilfa
- Imma Shalom
- Ishaq
- Isho bar Ali
- Isho bar Khayrun
- Isho bar Shushan
- Isho'dad
- Isho'dnah
- Isho'yahb
- Ishobarnun
K: 19 names
- Ka'abu
- Kahana
- Kahilu
- Kamkam
- Kamkam bat Wa'ilat
- Kapara
- Kapara bar Hadianu
- Kappara
- Kepha
- Khamis bar Qardahe
- Kitot
- Kitot bar Taimarsu
- Konaiah
- Konaiah bar Zadok
- Kosiba
- Kuhailu
- Kulaibat
- Kulaibat bat Kamkam
- Kuttamuwa
L: 4 names
- La'zar
- Laban
- Lishamsh
- Luqa
M: 48 names
- Ma'nai
- Ma'nallahi
- Ma'nu
- Mahseiah
- Mahseiah bar Yedaniah
- Makkibanit
- Makkikha
- Male
- Male bar Yarhai
- Maliku
- Malkiah
- Malkiah bar Yashobiah
- Malku
- Maqqai
- Mari
- Mari'
- Marta
- Marta bat Pusai
- Marta bat Zakkai
- Marti
- Marti bat Hennibel
- Marutha
- Maryam bat Shim'on
- Masabala
- Masabala bar Shim'on
- Mati'el
- Mati'el bar Attarsamak
- Matiyu
- Mattan
- Mattanai
- Mattena
- Mauziah
- Mauziah bar Nathan
- Menahem bar Shallum
- Menahemeth
- Mesharshiya
- Meshullam
- Meshullam bar Zakkur
- Meshullemeth
- Meshullemeth bat Gemariah
- Mibtahiah
- Mibtahiah bat Gemariah
- Mibtahiah bat Mahseiah
- Miles
- Moqimu
- Mun'at
- Mun'at bat Zaidu
- Mushe bar Kepha
N: 10 names
- Naaman
- Nabukudurri
- Nadin
- Nahman
- Nanaihem
- Narsai
- Nasor
- Nebuzabad
- Nesa
- Nurbel
O: 5 names
- Obodat
- Odainat
- Odainat bar Hairan
- Ogeilu
- Ogga
P: 16 names
- Palut
- Panamuwa
- Panamuwa bar Qarli
- Papa bar Aggai
- Papi
- Pappa
- Pedat
- Pelatiah
- Penuliah
- Pethion
- Pethion bar Hormizd
- Phasael
- Phasael bat Haretat
- Pilti
- Pilti bar Ananiah
- Pusai
Q: 10 names
- Qainu
- Qardagh
- Qarli
- Qasiu
- Qattina
- Qayafa
- Qayyoma
- Qona
- Qurillona
- Quryaqos
R: 13 names
- Rabba
- Rabbel
- Rabbel bar Malku
- Rabbula
- Rami
- Rava
- Ravin
- Ravina
- Refabol
- Rehum
- Rehumi
- Rezin
- Rezon
S: 59 names
- Sa'dallahi
- Sa'du
- Sabrisho
- Safra
- Sahdona
- Salibi
- Sallua
- Sallua bat Konaiah
- Sama
- Sanballat
- Sargis
- Sha'il
- Sha'udat
- Sha'udat bat Haretat
- Shabbethai
- Shahdost
- Shalamallat
- Shalamallat bar Malku
- Shalman
- Shalmat
- Shalmat bat Maliku
- Shamash-nuri
- Shamshigeram
- Shappira
- Shappira bat Hanan
- Shaqilat
- Sharbel
- Shegel
- Shegel bat Moqimu
- Shelamzion
- Shelamzion bat Yehuda
- Shelemiah
- Shelomam
- Shelomam bar Azariah
- Shem'un
- Shem'un bar Sabba'e
- Shemaiah
- Sheshet
- Shillem
- Shim'on
- Shim'on bar Kosiba
- Shimi
- Shimshai
- Shirin
- Shirin bat Hormizd
- Shlemon
- Shmona
- Shmuni
- Shmuni bat Addai
- Shoadu
- Shoadu bar Bolyada
- Shubaitu
- Shubaitu bar Ali'u
- Shubhalmaran
- Shullai
- Shushan
- Shushan bat Balai
- Si'-gabbar
- Slibazkha
T: 29 names
- Tab'el
- Tab-Rimmon
- Tabitha
- Tabitha bat Yannai
- Taddai
- Taddai bar Toma
- Tadmor
- Tadmor bat Taimai
- Tahlifa
- Taimai
- Taimallahi
- Taimarsu
- Taime
- Taimu
- Talmai
- Tamet
- Tamma
- Tamma bat Shamshigeram
- Tanhum
- Taqla
- Tarbo
- Tarbo bat Aggai
- Tarsu
- Tarsu bar Taimu
- Tavi
- Tavyomi
- Theodoros bar Koni
- Tobi
- Toma
U: 4 names
- Ukva
- Ulla
- Ummabi
- Ummabi bat Maqqai
W: 11 names
- Wa'ilat
- Wa'ilat bat Halafu
- Wa'ilu
- Wahba
- Wahballahi
- Wahballahi bar Abdobodat
- Wahballat
- Wahbu
- Worod
- Wushuh
- Wushuh bat Bagrat
Y: 41 names
- Yahballaha
- Yalta
- Yamliku
- Yamliku bar Moqimu
- Yannai
- Yannai bar Tobi
- Yaqub
- Yaqub bar Salibi
- Yarhai
- Yarhai bar Bariki
- Yarhibola
- Yawsep
- Yedaniah
- Yedaniah bar Gemariah
- Yedibel
- Yehohanan
- Yehohen
- Yehohen bat Yigdal
- Yehonatan bar Ba'ayan
- Yehoshama
- Yehoyishma
- Yehoyishma bat Ananiah
- Yehuda
- Yehuda bar Elazar
- Yeiva
- Yemar
- Yemar bar Tavyomi
- Yeshua
- Yeshua bar Galgula
- Yezaniah
- Yezaniah bar Uriah
- Yigdal
- Yislah
- Yohana
- Yohana bat Elazar
- Yohanan
- Yohannan bar Penkaye
- Yohannan bar Zo'bi
- Yose
- Yuhanon
- Yuhanon bar Ma'dani