Puritan Names: Old-Fashioned, Biblical & Puritan Name Ideas

Looking for Puritan names with an old-fashioned, biblical, meaningful, and historical feel? Puritan names are fascinating because many of them reflect faith, virtue, family values, and the religious culture of 16th- and 17th-century England and colonial New England. Some sound familiar today, while others are wonderfully unusual and almost forgotten.

Puritan naming traditions often favored names found in the Bible, names connected with Christian virtues, and names that expressed religious devotion or moral qualities. Names such as Abigail, Hannah, Sarah, Samuel, Joseph, John, Mercy, Patience, Prudence, Faith, and Temperance are examples of styles associated with the period.

If you’re searching for an old-fashioned name for a baby, historical character, novel, genealogy project, fantasy character, or simply want something distinctive, this list has plenty of inspiration. You’ll find Puritan boy names, Puritan girl names, biblical names, virtue names, rare names, surnames, colonial names, unusual names, and historically inspired choices.

Some names in this collection are directly associated with historical Puritans, while others are biblical or virtue names that fit the broader naming traditions of the Puritan era. This distinction is useful if you’re looking for historical inspiration rather than assuming every old-fashioned biblical name was exclusively Puritan.

Best Puritan Names 📜🌿

• Abigail
• Alice
• Anne
• Bethia
• Deborah
• Elizabeth
• Esther
• Hannah
• Hester
• Joan
• Lydia
• Martha
• Mary
• Mercy
• Patience
• Prudence
• Rebecca
• Ruth
• Sarah
• Susanna
• Temperance
• Thankful
• Charity
• Faith
• Hope
• Grace
• Experience
• Remember
• Silence
• Submit
• Fear
• Increase
• Samuel
• John
• Joseph
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Benjamin
• Nathaniel
• Ezekiel
• Josiah
• Jeremiah
• Jonathan
• Matthew
• Thomas
• Daniel
• David
• Caleb
• Joshua
• Solomon
• Eleazar
• Obadiah
• Zachariah
• Ebenezer
• Nehemiah
• Reuben
• Ephraim
• Abijah
• Asa
• Amos
• Barnabas
• Bartholomew
• Cornelius
• Elisha
• Gideon
• Hezekiah
• Jedidiah
• Jehoshaphat
• Lemuel
• Malachi
• Micah
• Mordecai
• Nathan
• Noah
• Phinehas
• Simeon
• Tobias
• Zephaniah

Puritan Boy Names 👦📖

Puritan-era boys were often given biblical names, particularly names associated with prophets, kings, apostles, patriarchs, and other figures from Scripture. Many of these names were chosen because they represented faith or connected a child to biblical tradition.

• Abel
• Abijah
• Abraham
• Amos
• Andrew
• Asa
• Asher
• Barnabas
• Bartholomew
• Benjamin
• Caleb
• Daniel
• David
• Eleazar
• Eli
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Enoch
• Ephraim
• Ezekiel
• Ezra
• Gabriel
• Gideon
• Habakkuk
• Haggai
• Hezekiah
• Hosea
• Isaac
• Isaiah
• Jacob
• James
• Jeremiah
• Jesse
• Joel
• John
• Jonah
• Jonathan
• Joseph
• Joshua
• Josiah
• Judah
• Jude
• Lazarus
• Lemuel
• Levi
• Luke
• Malachi
• Mark
• Matthew
• Micah
• Moses
• Nathan
• Nathaniel
• Nehemiah
• Noah
• Obadiah
• Paul
• Peter
• Phinehas
• Reuben
• Samuel
• Saul
• Seth
• Silas
• Simeon
• Solomon
• Stephen
• Thomas
• Timothy
• Titus
• Tobias
• Zachariah
• Zechariah
• Zephaniah

Puritan Girl Names 👧🌸

Many Puritan-era girls received familiar biblical names, while others were given virtue names that expressed qualities their families hoped they would embody.

• Abigail
• Alice
• Anne
• Bethia
• Deborah
• Dinah
• Dorothy
• Elizabeth
• Esther
• Eve
• Hannah
• Hester
• Joanna
• Judith
• Lydia
• Martha
• Mary
• Miriam
• Naomi
• Priscilla
• Rachel
• Rebecca
• Rebekah
• Ruth
• Sarah
• Susanna
• Tabitha
• Tamar
• Zipporah
• Charity
• Faith
• Grace
• Hope
• Mercy
• Patience
• Prudence
• Temperance
• Thankful
• Comfort
• Silence
• Remember
• Deliverance
• Experience
• Fear
• Love
• Peace
• Joy
• Amity
• Constance
• Verity
• Honor
• Felicity
• Unity
• Humility
• Innocence
• Modesty
• Perseverance
• Clementia
• Patience
• Charity
• Grace
• Hope
• Faith
• Mercy
• Prudence
• Temperance

Old Puritan Names 🕯️📜

If you want names that sound particularly old-fashioned, these choices have a strong historical atmosphere.

• Ebenezer
• Eleazar
• Obadiah
• Bartholomew
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Phinehas
• Hezekiah
• Jehoshaphat
• Jedidiah
• Lemuel
• Ephraim
• Nehemiah
• Abijah
• Increase
• Remember
• Submit
• Experience
• Thankful
• Deliverance
• Patience
• Temperance
• Prudence
• Mercy
• Silence
• Humility
• Constance
• Verity
• Bethia
• Hester
• Tabitha
• Susanna
• Priscilla
• Dorcas
• Dinah
• Zipporah
• Jeduthun
• Mehetabel
• Keziah
• Jemima
• Tirzah
• Keturah
• Seraphina
• Bathsheba
• Salome
• Sophronia
• Tryphena
• Tryphosa
• Eunice
• Lois

Biblical Puritan Names 📖✨

Biblical names were an important part of the naming culture of many Protestant communities, including Puritans.

• Adam
• Abel
• Abraham
• Aaron
• Amos
• Andrew
• Asa
• Asher
• Benjamin
• Caleb
• Daniel
• David
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Enoch
• Ephraim
• Ezra
• Gabriel
• Gideon
• Isaac
• Isaiah
• Jacob
• James
• Jeremiah
• Jesse
• Joel
• John
• Jonah
• Jonathan
• Joseph
• Joshua
• Josiah
• Judah
• Levi
• Luke
• Malachi
• Mark
• Matthew
• Micah
• Moses
• Nathan
• Nathaniel
• Nehemiah
• Noah
• Obadiah
• Paul
• Peter
• Reuben
• Samuel
• Saul
• Seth
• Simon
• Solomon
• Stephen
• Thomas
• Timothy
• Tobias
• Zachariah
• Zephaniah
• Abigail
• Deborah
• Esther
• Hannah
• Hester
• Lydia
• Martha
• Miriam
• Naomi
• Rachel
• Rebecca
• Ruth
• Sarah
• Susanna
• Tabitha
• Tamar
• Zipporah

Puritan Virtue Names ❤️📜

Virtue names are among the most recognizable aspects of Puritan-era naming. They expressed qualities, religious ideals, or hopes for a person’s character.

• Faith
• Hope
• Charity
• Grace
• Mercy
• Patience
• Prudence
• Temperance
• Humility
• Modesty
• Chastity
• Verity
• Felicity
• Constance
• Honor
• Justice
• Peace
• Unity
• Amity
• Love
• Joy
• Comfort
• Patience
• Thankful
• Experience
• Remember
• Silence
• Submit
• Increase
• Deliverance
• Rejoice
• Praise
• Obedience
• Perseverance
• Clemency
• Innocence
• Prosperity
• Serenity
• Blessing
• Promise
• Comfort
• Resolve
• Patience
• Faithful
• True
• Charity
• Mercy
• Hopeful
• Graceful

Rare Puritan Names 💎📜

If you want something unusual, these names have an especially distinctive historical feel.

• Bethia
• Keziah
• Jemima
• Tirzah
• Mehetabel
• Jedidiah
• Eleazar
• Phinehas
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Obadiah
• Jehoshaphat
• Lemuel
• Abijah
• Ephraim
• Hezekiah
• Jeduthun
• Sophronia
• Tryphena
• Tryphosa
• Dorcas
• Tabitha
• Zipporah
• Keturah
• Bathsheba
• Salome
• Seraphina
• Hester
• Bethsheba
• Priscilla
• Eunice
• Lois
• Dinah
• Kezia
• Hepzibah
• Jemima
• Vashti
• Rhoda
• Susannah
• Zilpah
• Adah
• Milcah
• Shiphrah
• Puah
• Jael
• Hadassah
• Hosanna
• Selah
• Shoshannah
• Sophronia

Rare Puritan Boy Names 🕯️

• Abijah
• Abner
• Adonijah
• Amaziah
• Asahel
• Azariah
• Barzillai
• Benaiah
• Boaz
• Elkanah
• Eliphalet
• Elisha
• Enoch
• Ephraim
• Hezekiah
• Ithamar
• Jabez
• Jedidiah
• Jephthah
• Jerahmeel
• Jeroboam
• Jeshua
• Jethro
• Joab
• Josiah
• Kenan
• Lemuel
• Mephibosheth
• Micaiah
• Mordecai
• Nahum
• Nehemiah
• Nicodemus
• Obadiah
• Onesimus
• Onesiphorus
• Philemon
• Phinehas
• Reuel
• Shem
• Silvanus
• Thaddeus
• Theophilus
• Tobiah
• Uzziah
• Zachariah
• Zephaniah
• Zedekiah
• Zerubbabel
• Zophar

Rare Puritan Girl Names 🌷

• Abiah
• Abishag
• Adah
• Atarah
• Bethia
• Bithiah
• Candace
• Damaris
• Dinah
• Dorcas
• Drusilla
• Eglah
• Elisheba
• Eunice
• Hadassah
• Hepzibah
• Jemima
• Keziah
• Keturah
• Lois
• Mahlah
• Mehetabel
• Milcah
• Naamah
• Orpah
• Persis
• Phoebe
• Puah
• Rhoda
• Salome
• Shiphrah
• Sophronia
• Susannah
• Tabitha
• Tirzah
• Tryphena
• Tryphosa
• Vashti
• Zilpah
• Zipporah
• Abital
• Athaliah
• Azubah
• Basemath
• Bernice
• Claudia
• Jemima
• Joanna
• Junia
• Kezia

Cute Puritan Names 🌼

Although many Puritan names sound formal, some can work beautifully as charming modern names.

• Abby
• Abbie
• Annie
• Beth
• Betsy
• Betsie
• Dolly
• Ellie
• Elsie
• Esther
• Hattie
• Hannah
• Jenny
• Josie
• Lily
• Lydia
• Maggie
• Martha
• Mary
• Millie
• Nellie
• Polly
• Prissy
• Rebekah
• Rosie
• Ruthie
• Sally
• Susie
• Tabby
• Tillie
• Addie
• Bess
• Betsy
• Della
• Edie
• Fanny
• Gracie
• Hester
• Libby
• Mabel
• Mercy
• Minnie
• Patty
• Pearl
• Phoebe
• Polly
• Prudy
• Sally
• Sukey
• Winnie

Strong Puritan Names 💪📖

• Abraham
• Benjamin
• Caleb
• Daniel
• David
• Elijah
• Gideon
• Hezekiah
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Jeremiah
• Jonathan
• Joshua
• Josiah
• Levi
• Moses
• Nathan
• Nehemiah
• Noah
• Samuel
• Samson
• Saul
• Solomon
• Stephen
• Ezekiel
• Gabriel
• Michael
• Raphael
• Obadiah
• Zachariah
• Abigail
• Deborah
• Esther
• Judith
• Lydia
• Miriam
• Naomi
• Rachel
• Rebecca
• Ruth
• Sarah
• Zipporah
• Athaliah
• Hadassah
• Keturah
• Tirzah
• Vashti
• Jael
• Joanna
• Priscilla

Puritan Names for Characters 🎭📜

Puritan names can be excellent choices for historical fiction because they immediately create a sense of time and place.

Male Character Names

• Samuel Whitmore
• Nathaniel Brooks
• Josiah Turner
• Ezekiel Ward
• Caleb Foster
• Benjamin Hale
• Jeremiah Clarke
• Jonathan Pierce
• Obadiah Wells
• Ebenezer Cole
• Gideon Marsh
• Hezekiah Stone
• Solomon Reed
• Isaac Mercer
• Ephraim Bell
• Nehemiah Grant
• Eleazar Finch
• Abijah Hart
• Daniel Prescott
• Joseph Crane

Female Character Names

• Abigail Mercer
• Hannah Whitmore
• Mercy Clarke
• Patience Brooks
• Prudence Hale
• Temperance Ward
• Hester Foster
• Lydia Pierce
• Bethia Wells
• Rebecca Turner
• Sarah Marsh
• Esther Reed
• Ruth Bell
• Susanna Grant
• Charity Stone
• Faith Cole
• Hope Finch
• Grace Mercer
• Deborah Hale
• Martha Prescott

Colonial Puritan Names 🏡📜

Puritan naming traditions are especially associated with the colonial communities of New England. These names can work well when creating characters from that setting.

• John
• Samuel
• Joseph
• Thomas
• William
• Edward
• Richard
• Robert
• Nathaniel
• Benjamin
• Jonathan
• Daniel
• James
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Caleb
• Joshua
• Jeremiah
• Josiah
• Ebenezer
• Eleazar
• Increase
• Cotton
• Endicott
• Winthrop
• Abigail
• Anne
• Elizabeth
• Hannah
• Mary
• Martha
• Sarah
• Rebecca
• Ruth
• Lydia
• Mercy
• Patience
• Prudence
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity
• Temperance
• Thankful
• Experience
• Remember
• Silence
• Comfort
• Submit
• Constance
• Grace

Puritan Surnames and Family Names 🏠

Puritan families generally used hereditary English surnames rather than virtue words as surnames. These common English and colonial-era surnames can help create historically styled full names.

• Adams
• Allen
• Baker
• Baldwin
• Barker
• Barnes
• Bell
• Bennett
• Brooks
• Brown
• Carter
• Clark
• Clarke
• Cole
• Collins
• Cooper
• Crane
• Davis
• Edwards
• Ellis
• Evans
• Foster
• Fox
• Fuller
• Gardner
• Grant
• Green
• Hale
• Hall
• Harris
• Hart
• Hayes
• Hill
• Holmes
• Jackson
• Johnson
• Jones
• King
• Lewis
• Mason
• Miller
• Moore
• Morgan
• Morris
• Parker
• Pierce
• Reed
• Richardson
• Roberts
• Robinson
• Rogers
• Russell
• Scott
• Smith
• Stone
• Taylor
• Thomas
• Turner
• Walker
• Ward
• Warren
• Watson
• Wells
• White
• Williams
• Wilson
• Wood
• Wright
• Young

Puritan Names With Deep Meanings 🌿

Many biblical and virtue names have meanings that make them especially appealing for parents and writers.

• Abigail — often understood as “my father’s joy”
• Abraham — “father of multitudes”
• Benjamin — “son of the right hand”
• Caleb — traditionally associated with devotion and wholeheartedness
• Daniel — “God is my judge”
• David — “beloved”
• Elijah — “my God is Yahweh”
• Emmanuel — “God is with us”
• Ethan — “strong” or “enduring”
• Gabriel — “God is my strength”
• Hannah — “grace” or “favor”
• Isaac — “he will laugh”
• Jacob — traditionally connected with “supplanter”
• Jeremiah — associated with being appointed by God
• Jonathan — “Yahweh has given”
• Joseph — “he will add”
• Joshua — “Yahweh is salvation”
• Lydia — associated with Lydia, a region of ancient Asia Minor
• Michael — “who is like God?”
• Naomi — “pleasantness”
• Nathaniel — “gift of God”
• Noah — associated with “rest” or “comfort”
• Rebecca — traditionally linked with “to bind” or “join”
• Ruth — commonly associated with “friend” or “companion”
• Samuel — “heard by God”
• Sarah — “princess” or “noblewoman”
• Solomon — associated with peace
• Faith — religious trust
• Hope — expectation or spiritual hope
• Charity — love and generosity
• Grace — divine favor
• Mercy — compassion
• Patience — endurance
• Prudence — wisdom and good judgment
• Temperance — self-control
• Constance — steadfastness
• Verity — truth
• Felicity — happiness
• Honor — dignity and integrity

Unusual Puritan Names 🕯️

If you want a name that sounds particularly distinctive, these choices stand out.

• Increase
• Remember
• Submit
• Experience
• Thankful
• Deliverance
• Silence
• Comfort
• Wrestling
• Fear
• Rejoice
• Praise
• Humiliation
• Dependence
• Hopestill
• Faintnot
• Makepeace
• Kill-Sin
• If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned
• Freegift
• Sorry-for-Sin
• Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Mercy
• Charity
• Faith
• Hope
• Grace
• Patience
• Prudence
• Temperance
• Verity
• Constance
• Honor
• Unity
• Amity
• Clemency
• Innocence
• Humility
• Modesty
• Perseverance
• Promise
• Prosperity
• Blessing
• Praise-God
• Fear-God
• Thank-God
• Live-Well

Some extremely elaborate examples in historical records reflect the period’s practice of turning religious messages into personal names. They are best treated as historical curiosities rather than everyday naming recommendations.

Famous Puritan Names 📚

Several historical figures connected with English Puritanism or New England’s Puritan communities had names that remain recognizable today.

• John Winthrop
• William Bradford
• John Cotton
• Increase Mather
• Cotton Mather
• Thomas Hooker
• Richard Baxter
• John Owen
• Anne Bradstreet
• William Brewster
• John Bunyan
• Oliver Cromwell
• John Milton
• Mary Dyer
• Roger Williams
• Thomas Shepard
• Thomas Hooker
• Samuel Sewall
• John Eliot
• Edward Taylor

These figures came from different contexts and did not all have identical religious or political positions, so “Puritan” should not be treated as a label that describes every person on this list in exactly the same way.

How to Choose a Puritan Name 🎯

Choosing a Puritan-inspired name depends on whether you want historical accuracy, biblical meaning, an old-fashioned sound, or something unusual.

📜 Choose a Biblical Name

Biblical names are one of the easiest ways to create a historically appropriate atmosphere. Names such as Samuel, Nathaniel, Abigail, Esther, Ruth, and Hannah feel traditional without sounding excessively unusual.

❤️ Choose a Virtue Name

If you want something more distinctive, consider Mercy, Patience, Prudence, Faith, Hope, Charity, or Temperance.

These names can be particularly effective for historical-fiction characters because they immediately suggest the religious culture of the period.

🕯️ Go for a Rare Biblical Name

Names such as Obadiah, Eleazar, Phinehas, Zephaniah, Bethia, Keziah, Tirzah, and Hepzibah have an old-fashioned quality while remaining recognizable as names.

🏡 Think About the Setting

For a colonial New England character, pairing a biblical first name with a traditional English surname can create a convincing combination.

Examples include:

• Samuel Brooks
• Nathaniel Ward
• Abigail Turner
• Mercy Hale
• Josiah Wells
• Hester Clarke
• Lydia Foster
• Benjamin Stone

What Makes a Name Sound Puritan? 📖

There is no single formula for a Puritan name, but several naming patterns are strongly associated with Puritan communities.

Biblical names were especially important. Parents frequently chose names from Scripture, including the names of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and other biblical figures.

Virtue names are another distinctive feature. Words such as Faith, Hope, Charity, Mercy, Patience, Prudence, and Temperance could be used as personal names.

Some Puritan families also used unusual religious phrases or concepts as names. These could express theological ideas, gratitude, warnings, or hopes for the child’s character.

This combination of biblical, virtue-based, and religiously expressive naming gives Puritan names their distinctive historical atmosphere.

Puritan Names vs. Biblical Names 📖

Puritan names and biblical names overlap significantly, but they are not exactly the same category.

A biblical name can come from any period or culture in which the Bible influenced naming traditions. A Puritan name specifically refers to a naming style or historical context associated with Puritan communities.

For example, David, Sarah, Isaac, and Hannah are biblical names that were widely used in many Christian communities. Meanwhile, virtue names such as Patience, Increase, Thankful, and Experience are much more distinctive of the religious naming culture found among some Puritans.

Are Puritan Names Still Used Today? 🌿

Many Puritan-associated names remain popular today. Abigail, Grace, Hannah, Sarah, Samuel, Benjamin, Caleb, Isaac, and Joseph continue to be familiar names.

Other names have become much less common. Increase, Experience, Thankful, Temperance, Bethia, Obadiah, and Eleazar are more unusual choices today.

This makes Puritan naming traditions useful for anyone looking for an old-fashioned name that feels different without being completely invented.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Puritan names?

Puritan names are names associated with the naming traditions of Puritan communities, particularly during the 16th and 17th centuries. They often include biblical names, virtue names, and unusual religiously inspired names.

What are common Puritan names?

Common examples include John, Samuel, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Abigail, Elizabeth, Hannah, Sarah, Mary, and Ruth.

What are rare Puritan names?

Rare or unusual choices include Bethia, Increase, Experience, Obadiah, Eleazar, Phinehas, Zephaniah, Keziah, Tirzah, Hepzibah, and Mehetabel.

What are Puritan virtue names?

Puritan virtue names are names based on positive qualities or religious ideals. Examples include Faith, Hope, Charity, Mercy, Patience, Prudence, Temperance, Constance, Verity, and Humility.

What are good Puritan boy names?

Strong choices include Samuel, Nathaniel, Josiah, Ezekiel, Caleb, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Gideon, Isaac, Obadiah, Hezekiah, and Ebenezer.

What are good Puritan girl names?

Beautiful choices include Abigail, Hannah, Mercy, Patience, Hester, Lydia, Esther, Ruth, Rebecca, Bethia, Prudence, and Temperance.

What is a rare Puritan boy name?

Eleazar, Phinehas, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Jedidiah, Hezekiah, and Lemuel are distinctive biblical choices with an old-fashioned feel.

What is a rare Puritan girl name?

Bethia, Keziah, Tirzah, Hepzibah, Mehetabel, Jemima, Sophronia, and Tryphena are unusual options.

Did Puritans use virtue names?

Yes. Some Puritan communities became particularly associated with virtue names and religiously meaningful names. Examples include Faith, Hope, Charity, Mercy, Patience, Prudence, Temperance, and names expressing religious ideas such as Increase and Thankful.

Why did Puritans choose unusual names?

Some families used unusual names to express religious beliefs, virtues, gratitude, warnings, or hopes for a child’s spiritual character. This produced some highly distinctive names that are rarely encountered today.

Are Puritan names biblical?

Many are, but not all. Biblical names were common among Puritans, while virtue names and religiously expressive names were also important parts of the naming tradition.

What are good Puritan names for historical fiction?

For a male character, try Nathaniel Ward, Samuel Brooks, Josiah Turner, Ezekiel Hale, or Caleb Foster. For a female character, consider Abigail Mercer, Mercy Clarke, Patience Brooks, Hester Wells, or Lydia Turner.

Conclusion

Puritan names offer a fascinating mixture of biblical tradition, religious devotion, virtue, history, and old-fashioned charm. From familiar choices like Abigail, Hannah, Samuel, Benjamin, Sarah, and Joseph to more unusual names such as Increase, Experience, Bethia, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Keziah, there is a remarkable amount of variety to explore.

If you want something meaningful and recognizable, biblical names are an excellent starting point. If you prefer something distinctive, virtue names such as Mercy, Patience, Prudence, Temperance, Faith, and Charity provide a much stronger historical flavor.

For writers and role-players, these names can also help establish the setting of a historical character. Pairing a traditional biblical first name with an English surname can create a convincing colonial-era identity without making the name difficult to pronounce.

Whether you’re researching history, naming a fictional character, looking for an old-fashioned baby name, or simply fascinated by forgotten naming traditions, Puritan naming culture offers plenty of memorable choices. 📜🕯️