Who had more than one name in the Bible?
Some individuals have more than one name in the Bible. In some cases, their names were changed by God directly or through a prophet or an angel — Abraham, Sarah, Jedidiah, and Israel. Due to cultural, political, or religious reasons, others had more than one name. Here are individuals with more than one name:
| NO. | NAME | OTHER NAME(S) | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abram | Abraham, Ge 17:5 | God renamed him Abraham. |
| 2 | Sarai | Sarah, Ge 17:15 | God renamed Sarah. |
| 3 | Jacob | Israel, Ge 32:28; Ge 35:10 | An angel renamed him Israel. |
| 4 | Joseph | Zaphenath-Paneah, Ge 41:45 | Pharaoh changed his name to Zaphenath-Paneah. |
| 5 | Benjamin | Ben-Oni, Ge 35:18 | Rachel named him Ben-Oni. Jacob renamed him Benjamin. |
| 6 | Jethro | Reuel, Ex 2:18; Ex 3:1 | Reuel, father of Zipporah, also called Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. |
| 7 | Gideon | Jerubbaal, Jg 6:32 | The people of Ophrah called him Jerubbaal, meaning “Let Baal contend with him.” |
| 8 | Naomi | Mara, Ru 1:20 | Ruth renamed herself Mara. |
| 9 | Esther | Hadassah, Es 2:7 | She was the wife of King Xerxes. |
| 10 | Azariah | Abednego, Da 1:7 | Ashpenaz gave him the Babylonian name Abednego. |
| 11 | Hananiah | Shadrach, Da 1:7 | Ashpenaz gave him the Babylonian name Shadrach. |
| 12 | Mishael | Meshach, Da 1:7 | Ashpenaz gave him the Babylonian name Meshach. |
| 13 | Daniel | Belteshazzar, Da 1:7 | Ashpenaz gave him the Babylonian name Belteshazzar. |
| 14 | Mattaniah | Zedekiah, 2Ki 24:17 | Nebuchadnezzar renamed him Zedekiah |
| 15 | Eliakim | Jehoiakim, 2Ki 23:34; 2Ch 36:4 | Pharaoh Necho renamed him Jehoiakim. |
| 16 | Jehoiachin | Coniah, Jer 22:24 Jeconiah, 1Ch 3:16 | Son of King Jehoiakim. |
| 17 | Uzziah | Azariah, 2Ki 15:1-7; 2Ch 26:1-23 | The leper king of Judah. |
| 18 | Solomon | Jedidiah, 2Sa 12:24-25 | God, through Nathan, renamed him Jedidiah, meaning “Loved by the Lord.” |
| 19 | Simon | Peter, Mt 4:18. Cephas, John 1:42; Ga 2:9 | Jesus gave him the name Peter. |
| 20 | Matthew | Levi, Mr 2:14; Mt 9:9 | The tax collector and disciple of Jesus. |
| 21 | Lebbaeus | Thaddaeus, Mt 10:3. Judas son of James, Lu 6:16; John 14:22 | A disciple of Jesus |
| 22 | Bartholomew | Nathanael, John 1:45-49 | A disciple of Jesus |
| 23 | Paul | Saul, Ac 13:9 | The missionary |
| 24 | John Mark | John, Ac 12:12 Mark, Ac 12:25 | The writer of the Gospel of Mark. John was his Hebrew name, and Mark, his Latin name. |
| 25 | Simeon | Niger, Ac 13:1 | A Christian in Antioch |
| 26 | Joseph | Barsabbas, Ac 1:23 Justus, Ac 1:23 | He lost to Matthias in the election to replace Judas Iscariot. |
| 27 | Tabitha | Dorcas, Ac 9:36 | Tabitha (Aramaic) = Dorcas (Greek), meaning gazelle |
| 28 | Joseph/Joses | Barnabas, Ac 4:36 | Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement.” |
| 29 | Silas | Silvanus, 2Co 1:19, 1Th 1:1, 2Th 1:1, 1Pe 5:12 | Silvanus is the Latin form of Silas |
| 30 | Elymas | Bar-Jesus, Ac 13:6-8 | A Jewish sorcerer |
| 31 | Peter’s father | John, John 1:42 Jonah, Mt 16:17 | Called John in Greek and Jonah in Aramaic. |
| 32 | Ishbosheth | Eshbaal, 2Sa 2:8; 1Ch 8:33 | Ishbosheth is a ‘shame name’. His original name was Eshbaal. |
| 33 | Mephibosheth | Merib-Baal, 2Sa 4:4; 1Ch 8:34 | Son of Jonathan |
| 34 | Joash | Jehoash, 2Ki 11:21; 2Ki 12:1 | Two forms of the same name |
| 35 | Joram | Jehoram, 2Ki 8:16; 2Ki 8:23-24 | Two forms of the same name. |
| NO. | NAME | OTHER NAME(S) | DETAILS |