Beautiful Names of Bad People in the Bible

It’s always nice when the bad guys have terrible names. No one minds not being able to use the name Abimelech – both his name and his story are revolting – but some of the names below are rare beauties we would use in a heartbeat.

Bad guys with good names
The Death of Korah, Dathan and Abiram by Gustave Dore

Cain: The son of Adam and Eve, most well known for murdering his brother, Abel, in Genesis 4. Meaning: “spear.”

Sapphira: Acts 5 tells the story of Sapphira and her husband, the famous hypocrites who lied to God and died instantly. Meaning: “sapphire.”

Delilah: Betrayed Samson to the Philistines in Judges. This was arguably still a beloved girls name in the 2000s, although most people don’t connect it to the infamous biblical character. The song “Hey There Delilah” is probably a more common (and pleasant) association. Meaning: “delicate.”

Aven: Hosea speaks of the place “Beth-El” (house of God), but uses a derogatory term “Beth-Aven” (house of wickedness) because of their sins. Meaning: “vanity” or “wickedness.”

Korah: The most notable biblical Korah is in Numbers 16. He and his followers revolt against Moses. Korah, all of his followers & their families were swallowed up into the ground. Meaning: “baldness.”

Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Modern Biblical Baby Names

If you take naming your baby as seriously as we did, you've come to the right place!

Joel + Ashley have six kids, two dogs (all with biblical names), and a few degrees in theology and education. They ran out things to name so they combined their love of the Bible and babies to start this website.

Explore Other Names

ratherthangreatriches@gmail.com

Located in Houston, Texas

G-QR1W6WM1RT