Biblical Baby Names for Ella and Brody's Brother.

Hi,
I am due in April with our third child who is a boy. We have a 4 year old girl named Ella Lee (Lee after my mother) and a 15 month old boy named Brody Louis (Louis after my husbands middle name).
Our last name is F*****man. We had a very hard time with our first son's name and are having an even harder time with this one. I want a name that is not too common or too trendy, and does not end in -on, -en, -in.
Names I like are Brooks, Bennett (Ben), and Decon. I love Cade, but it's too popular now. We also both like Cole but have a friend with a son Cole. My husband doesn't like any of my names and wants a name that is strong and not so different that he hasn't heard it before. He likes Joel and Eli.
We both like Joel but his mother's side of the family is Hispanic and will most likely (even just to annoy me) pronounce the name Joe-el which will drive me crazy. We thought about using a different spelling like Jole but are afraid that it would be pronounced Jo-lee. I also thought about Johl, but am not sure if it looks too odd and one of the reasons we like Joel in the first place was because it was a biblical name.
Eli is too close to Ella. I am thinking that we will be using Robert, Allen or Taylor for a middle name after family members. We are stuck and have no names on our list so any suggestions would be great! Thanks for your help!
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Congratulations! It must not be long to go for you. If your still waiting that is.

Sorry about our late reply. I have suggested more names than we normally would to make up for this. Most of them are biblical as you said you were attracted to that quality. But I have broken the rule a number of times and suggested non-biblical names. I have tried to combine the Biblical factor with the breezy light "prep" feel of names you like like Brooks and Bennett.

I really hope you both like them. My favourite is Fletcher (on my very very long list).

Seth - The 3rd son of Adam and Eve and derived from the Hebrew sheth which means appointed. Seth maybe the compromise between obscurity and familiarity you are looking for. He peaked in popularity at 81 in 2003 due to his exposure as one of the main characters in the OC released in the same year.

Gabe - The short form of Gabriel. Gabriel is derived from the Hebrew gavrīēl meaning God is my strength. Gabriel was one of the seven archangels and was chosen by God to tell the virgin Mary she would mother God's son. Another unpopular yet familiar sounding name. He hasn't been in the top 1000 since the 1890's.

Silas - He has always been in the top 1000 in the US and has been making a steady comeback since the 1960's. His current ranking is 346. Derived from the Aramaic sh'īlā meaning asked for. In the bible he was one of the first members of the church of Jerusalem. as far as modernly used biblical names he rates as one of my favourites.

Nate - The short form of the greatly popular of the Nathaniel which means Gift of God. One of the disciples of Jesus who appeared after the Resurrection. I love Nate. I especially love Nathaniel. I would use him if I hadn't married a Nathan. I guess I will just have to be content for other people to use him.

Fletcher - I did stray from you biblical rule here but I think its worth it. Surname names are big however this one is currently not ranked very high. At 976 in 2007 I think he is a much preferred choice to Avery or Campbell. He reached as high as 315 in the 1890s but still remains a relatively obscure choice. I think he has the same sort of vibe as Bennett and Brooks. He is probably around number 4 on my boys list!

Griffin - I broke the biblical and -in rule with this one. Here is a name that I predict will shoot into the top 100 within the next 2 years. Griffin is from obscure origins. Some believe him to be the Welsh form of Rufus while other believe him to originate from the Old Welsh Grippiud meaning prince. With the darling nickname Finn, I doubt your partners relatives would manage to get his pronunciation wrong.

Asher - I love the meaning of this name; Happy and Blessed. In the bible he is the eighth son of Jacob. He first entered the US rankings in the 90's and has risen steadily upwards since then. I love him paired with the names of your other children; Brody, Ella and Asher!

Axel - The middle name of Tiger Woods new son, Charlie Axel and currently ranked 287. This is a little far in style and sound from your other listed names, but he is incredibly up and coming. Axel is a cognate of the biblical Absalom, which is derived from the Hebrew ‘abshālōm meaning the father is peace.

Mitchell - A variant of the biblical name Michael which is derived from the Hebrew mīkhā’ē‘l meaning Who is like God. In the bible Michael is the closest archangel to God and is responsible for carrying out God's Judgements. Mitchell's popularity has been quite inconsistent but since the 90's he has become less and less popular till his current position at 304.

Declan - Declan's deviations are uncertain. There is an Irish saint who was canonised St. Deaglán. Declan has been quite popular in Australia for a while now but he hasn't quite cracked into the top 100 in the US yet. He sits at 349.

Benji - The short form of the timeless Benjamin. Whilst Benji has never ranked Benjamin had never been outside of the top 200 in the US. Benjamin is derived from the Hebrew binyāmīn meaning son of the right hand. In the bible he is the son of Jacob.

Cain - You said strong and not too popular were you prerequisites so I think Cain meets both of these. Cain also shares a similar sound to Cade and Cole yet despite the popularity of these types of names he has never ranked in the top 1000 in the US. Cain is also biblical. He is the first son of Adam and Eve. It could also be spelt Cane.

Zeke - The short form of the dorky Ezekiel. Ezekiel Derived from the Greek Iezekiēl, a name derived from the Hebrew yehezq'ēl meaning God strengthens. This short happy fun name goes nicely with your chosen middle names. Ezekiel also has his own book in the Bible. Ella, Brody and Zeke - perfect!

Tate - And finally Tate. From an English surname which was derived from the Old English given name Tata. I love the meaning of this name; Cheerful. Tate is another name that has risen to popularity after no appearances in the top 1000 until the 1970s. He sits comfortably at number 406. I know a little Tate and he is the most darling little boy. I like the combination Tate Taylor.


Normally I would say to go ahead and use Joel regardless of what your family will pronounce it like. But I can understand what it is like to have to put up with mispronunciations. We spelt Noel like Nole for that very reason. But if you really love Joel and want to use it I would suggest using the traditional spelling. Johl may be pronounced right by your partners family but to the rest of the world it should be spelt Joel. And the rest of the world has more people in it than your partners family.

Hope all goes well with your delivery and name! Be sure to check in and tell us what you think.