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Shem Tov · Hebrew names

Hebrew and Israeli baby names, in English

Look up an Israeli name to see how it is written in Hebrew, how to say it, what it means and how many people in Israel have it. Every number comes from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, 9,752,887 people born 1949–2024.

Try:NoaYosefTamarEitanAvigailAriel

The most popular names in Israel, 2024

Babies born in 2024 who carry the name, all population groups together (CBS).

Girls

  1. 1Avigailאביגיל1,437
  2. 2Ayalaאיילה1,370
  3. 3Miriamמרים1,296
  4. 4Sarahשרה1,254
  5. 5Mayaמאיה1,111
  6. 6Tamarתמר1,090
  7. 7Estherאסתר1,022
  8. 8Yaelיעל958
  9. 9Noaנועה948
  10. 10Libiליבי947
  11. 11Hannahחנה856
  12. 12Liyaליה806
  13. 13Ellaאלה769
  14. 14Adeleאדל755
  15. 15Chayaחיה755
  16. 16Rebeccaרבקה727
  17. 17Rachelרחל697
  18. 18Almaעלמה671
  19. 19Taliaטליה664
  20. 20Nayaנאיה631

Boys

  1. 1Muhammadמוחמד2,257
  2. 2Yosefיוסף1,987
  3. 3Davidדוד1,842
  4. 4Laviלביא1,518
  5. 5Arielאריאל1,479
  6. 6Refaelרפאל1,352
  7. 7Uriאורי1,320
  8. 8Adamאדם1,299
  9. 9Ariארי1,264
  10. 10Mosheמשה1,196
  11. 11Yehudaיהודה1,141
  12. 12Omerעומר1,067
  13. 13Avrahamאברהם1,048
  14. 14Eliyaאליה1,033
  15. 15Yisraelישראל1,016
  16. 16Eitanאיתן1,013
  17. 17Noamנועם990
  18. 18Michaelמיכאל892
  19. 19Danielדניאל888
  20. 20Yehonatanיהונתן863

The list skips names without a recorded Latin spelling, so the numbering is ours. The full Hebrew list: השמות הפופולריים 2024.

Reading a Hebrew name

  • Hebrew is written right to left, mostly without vowels. The small dots and dashes (niqqud) that show vowels appear in children's books and prayer books, rarely on documents.
  • ח and כ are a throaty "ch" as in Scottish "loch". English spellings write them as ch, kh or h, which is why Chana, Hana and Hannah are the same name.
  • Most Israeli names are stressed on the last syllable: no-A, ta-MAR, ei-TAN. Wiktionary romanizations on our pages mark the stress with an accent.
  • In Israel the Hebrew spelling is the official one. The Latin spelling in a passport is chosen by the family, so friends may meet more than one.

Questions

Where do the numbers come from?

From one table published by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS): the current first names of people born in Israel from 1949 to 2024, by year of birth, sex and population group. We add ranks and trends; the counts are the CBS's own. Years with fewer than 5 people are hidden by the CBS and are never shown as numbers here.

Why do Hebrew names have several English spellings?

Hebrew is written without most vowels and has sounds English lacks, such as the guttural ח (ch/kh). So חנה can be Hannah, Chana or Hana, and יעל is Yael or Jael. Each page shows the spelling recorded by Wikidata, Wiktionary or our own review, and the Hebrew letters, which are what matters in Israel.

Which names get an English page?

Names with at least 30 people in Israel and a recorded Latin spelling. Pages for common names, or names with a dictionary entry, are open to search engines; the rest are available but kept out of the index.

Is the site free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and nothing to install. The main site is in Hebrew; this English section explains Israeli names for family and friends abroad.

About the data

Israel: Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), "Current first names of people born in 1949–2024, by sex, population group and year of birth", processed 2026-09-27. CBS publications. Meanings and romanizations quoted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Name statistics abroad

Counts are copied as published. We only merged accented spellings (Zoë = Zoe) and computed ranks and rates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia and the Open Government Licence – Alberta.