15 Biblical Girl Names Meaning Grace

Grace is one of the most beautiful meanings a name can carry. These 15 biblical girl names embody grace, faith, and beauty — some literally, some through the stories behind them.

· 8 min read

Grace is one of the central words of the Bible — undeserved favor, a gift given rather than earned. It shows up as a direct translation of several Hebrew and Greek names, and it also shows up indirectly, in the stories of women whose lives illustrated grace even though their names mean something else entirely.

This list includes both kinds. Hannah, Anna, and Grace itself carry the meaning literally in their root words. Ruth, Esther, and Naomi don't translate to "grace" — their names mean "friend" or "compassion," "star," and "pleasantness" — but their stories are so bound up with grace under difficult circumstances that they're commonly, and reasonably, included on lists like this one. We've noted which is which throughout.

1. Hannah

Pronunciation: HAN-uh

Origin: Hebrew, חַנָּה

Meaning: "Grace" or "favor"

This is the literal one — Hannah's name is built directly from the Hebrew root for grace, chen.

In 1 Samuel, Hannah is a woman who prayed fervently for a child after years of infertility and was granted Samuel, whom she then dedicated to the Lord's service. Her prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2 is one of the Bible's most quoted passages on gratitude.

Nicknames & variations: Han, Hana, Annie · Variations: Ana, Anna, Hanna

2. Anna

Pronunciation: AH-nuh

Origin: Greek form of the Hebrew Hannah

Meaning: "Grace" or "favor"

Anna carries the same literal meaning as Hannah, filtered through Greek into the New Testament.

Anna appears in Luke 2 as an elderly prophetess who recognized the infant Jesus at the temple and spoke of him to all who were awaiting redemption — a small but pointed role tied directly to grace being recognized and received.

Nicknames & variations: Annie, Ana · Variations: Anne, Anya, Anneliese

3. Grace

Pronunciation: GRAYSS

Origin: Latin, gratia, via Middle English

Meaning: "Grace" — the virtue itself

There's no ambiguity here: Grace is the English word for the theological concept, used directly as a given name.

Grace became popular as one of the Puritan virtue names in the 16th and 17th centuries, alongside Faith, Hope, and Charity, and has remained steadily popular ever since, unlike most of that group.

Nicknames & variations: Gracie · Variations: Gracia, Graziella

4. Ruth

Pronunciation: ROOTH

Origin: Hebrew, רוּת

Meaning: "Companion" or "friend"; some scholars connect it to a root meaning "compassion"

Ruth's name doesn't translate to grace, but her story — a Moabite widow who chose loyalty to her mother-in-law over her own security — is one of the Bible's clearest pictures of grace extended and received.

The Book of Ruth follows her from Moab to Bethlehem, where her devotion leads to marriage to Boaz and, eventually, to her being named an ancestor of King David in the Gospel genealogies.

Nicknames & variations: Ruthie · Variations: Rut, Routh

5. Esther

Pronunciation: ESS-ter

Origin: Persian, possibly from stara, "star"; also linked to the goddess Ishtar

Meaning: "Star"

Esther's literal meaning is astronomical, not spiritual, but she is remembered as a queen who used her position with grace and courage to save her people.

In the Book of Esther, a Jewish woman becomes queen of Persia and risks her life to intervene against a plot to destroy her people, a story still commemorated in the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Nicknames & variations: Essie, Star · Variations: Hadassah (her Hebrew name), Ester

6. Abigail

Pronunciation: AB-ih-gayl

Origin: Hebrew, אֲבִיגַיִל

Meaning: "My father's joy"

The literal meaning is about joy rather than grace, but Abigail's Biblical portrayal — calming a violent conflict with wisdom and diplomacy — has made her a byword for grace under pressure.

In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail intervenes to prevent David from taking revenge on her foolish husband Nabal, and after Nabal's death she becomes one of David's wives.

Nicknames & variations: Abby, Gail · Variations: Avigail, Abbigail

7. Lydia

Pronunciation: LID-ee-uh

Origin: Greek, referring to the region of Lydia in Asia Minor

Meaning: "From Lydia" — a geographic name rather than an abstract virtue

Lydia's name simply marks her origin, but she's remembered as the first recorded European convert to Christianity and a generous host — grace expressed through hospitality.

Acts 16 describes Lydia as a dealer in purple cloth, a luxury trade, who opened her home to Paul and his companions in Philippi.

Nicknames & variations: Liddy, Lyd · Variations: Lidia, Lydie

8. Naomi

Pronunciation: nay-OH-mee

Origin: Hebrew, נָעֳמִי

Meaning: "Pleasantness" or "my delight"

Naomi's name means pleasantness, not grace, but her arc — from grief and self-renaming as "Mara" (bitter) to restored joy — is one of the Bible's most human portraits of grace received after loss.

Naomi is Ruth's mother-in-law in the Book of Ruth, and the two women's loyalty to each other is central to the narrative.

Nicknames & variations: Nomi, Omi · Variations: Noemi, Naomie

9. Sarah

Pronunciation: SAIR-uh

Origin: Hebrew, שָׂרָה

Meaning: "Princess" or "noblewoman"

Sarah's meaning is about status, not grace, but her decades of waiting for the promised birth of Isaac are often read as a long lesson in receiving grace on God's timeline rather than her own.

Sarah was originally named Sarai; her name was changed by God in Genesis 17 alongside her husband Abraham's, as part of the covenant promise.

Nicknames & variations: Sadie, Sara · Variations: Sara, Zahra (Arabic form)

10. Rebekah

Pronunciation: reh-BEK-uh

Origin: Hebrew, רִבְקָה

Meaning: "To bind" or "captivating"

The literal meaning is about binding or captivation rather than grace, but Rebekah's hospitality to a stranger at the well in Genesis 24 is often cited as an example of grace extended to someone unknown.

Rebekah became Isaac's wife after this encounter and later mother to Jacob and Esau, playing a decisive role in the family's future through her own initiative.

Nicknames & variations: Becca, Reba · Variations: Rebecca, Rivka

11. Miriam

Pronunciation: MEER-ee-um

Origin: Hebrew, possibly "wished-for child" or related to an Egyptian root meaning "beloved"

Meaning: Disputed — commonly rendered "wished-for child" or "bitter"

Miriam's meaning is uncertain and not tied to grace directly, but as a prophetess who led the Israelite women in song after the crossing of the Red Sea, she represents grace expressed through worship.

Miriam is Moses and Aaron's sister, and her leadership in Exodus 15 is one of the earliest recorded instances of a woman leading public worship in Scripture.

Nicknames & variations: Mimi, Mira · Variations: Mary, Maryam, Miryam

12. Leah

Pronunciation: LEE-uh

Origin: Hebrew, לֵאָה

Meaning: "Weary" — though some scholars argue for "gazelle" via an Akkadian root

Leah's meaning is not flattering on its face, but her story of being overlooked in favor of her sister Rachel, and eventually honored as an ancestor of both Judah and Levi, is often read as grace found in an unexpected place.

Leah appears in Genesis as Jacob's first wife, married to him through her father's deception, and becomes the mother of six of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Nicknames & variations: Lee, Lia · Variations: Lea, Leia

13. Susanna

Pronunciation: soo-ZAN-uh

Origin: Hebrew, שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshanna)

Meaning: "Lily" or "rose"

The literal meaning is botanical, but Susanna is named in Luke 8 among the women who supported Jesus's ministry "out of their own means" — grace expressed as generosity.

Beyond the New Testament Susanna, the name is also borne by a heroine in the apocryphal Book of Susanna, falsely accused and vindicated — a story about grace under false judgment.

Nicknames & variations: Susie, Sue, Anna · Variations: Susan, Shoshana, Susannah

14. Martha

Pronunciation: MAR-thuh

Origin: Aramaic, מַרְתָּא

Meaning: "Lady" or "mistress of the house"

Martha's name signals authority within a household rather than grace, but her friendship with Jesus and her declaration of faith in John 11 place her among the New Testament's most direct examples of devotion.

Martha is best known for the episode in Luke 10 where she is contrasted with her sister Mary for being distracted by household tasks — a story often used to discuss the balance between service and presence.

Nicknames & variations: Martie, Mattie · Variations: Marta, Martina

15. Joanna

Pronunciation: joh-AN-uh

Origin: Hebrew, via Greek Ioanna, from Yochanan

Meaning: "God is gracious"

This is another literal one — Joanna is a direct feminine form of John, and its meaning names grace outright as a quality of God rather than the child.

Joanna is named in Luke 8 as one of the women who supported Jesus's ministry financially, and in Luke 24 as one of the women who discovered the empty tomb.

Nicknames & variations: Jo, Joanie · Variations: Joan, Johanna, Giovanna

If you want the meaning to be unambiguous when you explain it later, lean toward Hannah, Anna, Grace, or Joanna — each one means grace or favor outright. If you're drawn more to a story than a translation, Ruth, Esther, or Naomi carry grace through the life of the woman who bore the name, which is its own kind of meaningful inheritance. Either path is a legitimate way to choose.

How We Chose These Names

We separated names that literally translate to "grace" or "favor" (Hannah, Anna, Grace itself) from names whose connection to grace comes through the character's story rather than the word's etymology (Ruth, Esther, Naomi). Both kinds of names appear on this list because both are meaningful traditions in how families have named daughters — we just tell you plainly which is which so you're not caught off guard later.

More Names With a Similar Meaning

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