Bible Names for Girls

I've been thinking about what I want to name my future (as yet unconceived, don't get any ideas...) children. I've always favored Bible names. I think it's because I have such an uncommon name and it's unpronounceable to many of my neighbors. (Note to future parents: If you contemplate living in an area with a large population of native Spanish speakers, don't give your kids a German name.)

This affinity for Bible names will work quite well if I have sons. There are plenty of great male names. Since history was written by men and tends to ignore the female contribution to society, there are fewer names I could give my daughters. Here's a sprinkling of names I've considered and my thoughts on them.

*Deborah - Deborah is my Bible hero. She's a judge, a prophetess, and a military leader. She also has a husband and children. This rocking awesome woman truly has it all! I want to grow up and be like her. I probably won't use this name for my daughters, though, since my mom is named Debra. It might be confusing for a kid to think she was sort of named after Grandma, but spelled differently. (I prefer the Biblical spelling.)

*Leah - Leah is a pretty name, and I've always felt kind of bad for her.

*Rachel, Mary, Sarah - All nice names, but they're a bit too common for my tastes. I know about a zillion people with these names.

*Miriam - Miriam is cool. Her quick thinking ensured that Moses grew up in a safe environment, and she's another example of a prophetess. Plus, the name is really pretty and is common enough not to get a kid made fun of but not so common that she'll have to be "Miriam R." to distinguish herself from all the other Miriams at school.

*Some abstract concepts or virtues mentioned in the Bible have been used as female names. Faith, Hope, Charity, Grace, etc. I could see naming a kid Faith or Grace, but I don't know.

*There's also the possibility of feminizing male Bible names. This would give options such as Stephanie, Philippa, Joan, Dana, etc. Stephanie is the only one of those I could see myself going with. (Although I don't know what it would do to a kid's psyche to be named after the first Christian martyr...) I still see Dana as a male name, I'm not a big fan of Joan, and Philippa sounds like somebody's great aunt.

*There are some awesome Bible women with names I would never inflict on my children.
-Vashti - She's a great example of standing for her convictions and demanding to be treated with the respect that all people are due. However, the name is a bit too uncommon. Having an uncommon name myself, I'm sensitive to these things.
-Huldah - Another prophetess, complete with declarations of "Thus saith the Lord." She's pretty cool, but I just know kids would make fun of anyone with that name these days.
-Hagar - I became sympathetic toward her when I wrote a law review article (that I'll get around to publishing someday) that used her story as a jumping off point to a discussion of surrogacy contracts. She got a raw deal. Sarah treated her terribly. Naming a kid Hagar would also fail the playground test. Plus, it conjures up images of the comic strip "Hagar the Horrible." Kids would have a field day.
-Junia - She's the only female apostle mentioned in the Bible. That in and of itself may be a reason to name a kid after her. However, I don't want to saddle a kid with the responsibility of educating the world about the lost tradition of female apostles. Maybe I'll use it as a middle name.

So, who knows...Maybe someday I'll be introducing little Leah Junia or Miriam Vashti to the world. Or I'll marry some guy who promised his grandmother Millicent that he would name his daughter after her. (shudder)