Names That Mean Gift
Few meanings feel as right for a long-awaited baby as “gift.” It’s also one of the most widespread ideas in naming: Hebrew builds it from natan (“he gave”), Greek from dōron (“gift”), Latin from donatus (“given”), and Slavic languages from dar. Many of these names add a giver, turning the meaning into “gift of God.”
We’ve gathered 95+ genuine gift names, arranged by language and marked girl, boy or unisex, from familiar choices like Matthew and Dorothy to Makana, Chipo and Armağan. For related themes, see names that mean blessed, names that mean miracle and names that mean hope, or browse every theme in name meanings.
Hebrew and biblical names meaning gift
Hebrew gift names usually come from the verbs natan or zavad, both “to give.” Most appear in the Bible; see more in our Hebrew names and biblical names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | Gift of Yahweh (from Mattityahu) | Boy |
| Matthias | Gift of Yahweh; the apostle chosen in Acts 1 | Boy |
| Mattaniah | Gift of Yahweh; original name of King Zedekiah (2 Kings 24) | Boy |
| Matan | Gift | Boy |
| Matana | Gift | Girl |
| Nathan | He gave; the prophet in 2 Samuel | Boy |
| Nathaniel | God has given; an apostle in John 1 | Boy |
| Netanel | God has given (modern Hebrew form of Nathaniel) | Boy |
| Netanya | Gift of God | Girl |
| Nathania | Gift of God (English spelling of Netanya) | Girl |
| Jonathan | Yahweh has given; David’s loyal friend | Boy |
| Elnathan | God has given; grandfather of King Jehoiachin | Boy |
| Zebadiah | Yahweh has bestowed | Boy |
| Zebedee | Gift of Yahweh; father of James and John | Boy |
| Zabdiel | Gift of God (1 Chronicles 27) | Boy |
| Jesse | Possibly “gift”; the father of King David | Boy |
| Doron | Gift (from Greek <em>dōron</em>) | Boy |
Greek names meaning gift
The Greek word dōron hides inside many classic names — Theo-dore, Doro-thy. More ideas in our Greek girl names and Greek boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Theodore | Gift of God | Boy |
| Theodora | Gift of God; a Byzantine empress | Girl |
| Theo | Short form of Theodore or Theodora | Unisex |
| Dorothy | Gift of God (from Dorothea) | Girl |
| Dorothea | Gift of God | Girl |
| Dora | Gift; short for Dorothea or Theodora | Girl |
| Dottie | Pet form of Dorothy | Girl |
| Eudora | Good gift | Girl |
| Pandora | All-gifted; the first woman in Greek myth | Girl |
| Isidore | Gift of Isis | Boy |
| Isadora | Gift of Isis; as in dancer Isadora Duncan | Girl |
| Theodosia | Giving of God, God’s gift | Girl |
| Theodosius | Giving of God; a Roman emperor | Boy |
| Heliodorus | Gift of the sun (Helios) | Boy |
| Diodorus | Gift of Zeus | Boy |
| Herodotus | Gift of Hera; the “father of history” | Boy |
Latin, Spanish, Italian and French names meaning gift
Latin donatus (“given”) and Deo datus (“given by God”) survive in Romance languages, and the Greek and Hebrew names above have their own local forms. See also Latin names and Italian boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Donato | Given (Italian, Spanish) | Boy |
| Donata | Given | Girl |
| Donatella | Little given one (Italian) | Girl |
| Donatien | Given (French, from Donatianus) | Boy |
| Dieudonné | Given by God (French) | Boy |
| Deodato | Given by God (Italian, Portuguese) | Boy |
| Diodato | Given by God (Italian) | Boy |
| Adeodatus | Given by God; the son of St. Augustine | Boy |
| Deusdedit | God has given; a 7th-century pope | Boy |
| Diosdado | God-given (Spanish, popular in the Philippines) | Boy |
| Mateo | Gift of God (Spanish Matthew) | Boy |
| Matteo | Gift of God (Italian Matthew) | Boy |
| Mattia | Gift of God (Italian Matthias) | Boy |
| Mathieu | Gift of God (French Matthew) | Boy |
| Teodoro | Gift of God (Spanish, Italian) | Boy |
| Dorotea | Gift of God (Spanish, Italian) | Girl |
| Isidro | Gift of Isis (Spanish Isidore) | Boy |
Arabic, Persian and Turkish names meaning gift
Arabic gift names come from roots like w-h-b (“to grant”) and ʿ-ṭ-y (“to give”). Explore more in Muslim names, Persian names and Turkish names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Hiba | Gift, present (Arabic) | Girl |
| Hibatullah | Gift of God (Arabic) | Unisex |
| Ata | Gift (Arabic) | Boy |
| Ataullah | Gift of God (Arabic) | Boy |
| Atiya | Gift, present (Arabic) | Girl |
| Wahba | Gift (Arabic, common in Egypt) | Boy |
| Nawal | Gift, favor (Arabic) | Girl |
| Hadiya | Gift (Arabic <em>hadiyya</em>); also read as “guide” | Girl |
| Mawhiba | Gift, talent (Arabic) | Girl |
| Tohfa | Gift, rare treasure (Urdu and Persian, from Arabic) | Girl |
| Khodadad | Given by God (Persian) | Boy |
| Mehrdad | Given by Mehr (Mithra) (Persian) | Boy |
| Hediye | Gift (Turkish; Persian Hedieh) | Girl |
| Armağan | Gift (Turkish) | Unisex |
| Tanrıverdi | God gave (Turkish) | Boy |
| Allahverdi | Given by God (Azerbaijani) | Boy |
| Hüdaverdi | God gave (Turkish) | Boy |
Slavic and Eastern European names meaning gift
The Slavic root dar means “gift,” and Bog means “God.” More in our Polish names and Ukrainian names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Bogdan | Given by God (Romanian, Polish, Serbian, Bulgarian) | Boy |
| Bogdana | Given by God | Girl |
| Bohdan | Given by God (Ukrainian, Czech) | Boy |
| Božidar | Divine gift (Serbian, Croatian) | Boy |
| Darko | Gift (South Slavic) | Boy |
| Darina | Gift (Slovak, Bulgarian) | Girl |
| Darinka | Little gift (South Slavic) | Girl |
| Fyodor | Gift of God (Russian Theodore) | Boy |
| Fedora | Gift of God (Russian Theodora) | Girl |
| Teodor | Gift of God (Polish, Romanian) | Boy |
| Tódor | Gift of God (Hungarian) | Boy |
| Dorota | Gift of God (Polish Dorothy) | Girl |
| Mateusz | Gift of God (Polish Matthew) | Boy |
| Matej | Gift of God (Slovak, Slovene, Croatian) | Boy |
| Astvatsatur | Given by God (Armenian) | Boy |
African names meaning gift
Many African naming traditions celebrate a child as a gift from God. Discover more in Nigerian names, Swahili names and African names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Onyinye | Gift (Igbo, Nigeria) | Girl |
| Onyinyechi | Gift of God (Igbo) | Girl |
| Ebun | Gift (Yoruba, Nigeria) | Unisex |
| Ebunoluwa | Gift of God (Yoruba) | Unisex |
| Olufunmilayo | God gave me joy (Yoruba) | Girl |
| Zawadi | Gift (Swahili) | Girl |
| Sipho | Gift (Zulu, Xhosa) | Boy |
| Siphokazi | Gift (female form; Xhosa) | Girl |
| Siphiwe | We have been given (Zulu) | Unisex |
| Mpho | Gift (Sotho, Tswana) | Unisex |
| Chipo | Gift (Shona, Zimbabwe) | Girl |
| Gift | English virtue name, popular in Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe | Unisex |
| Gifty | Diminutive of Gift, common in Ghana | Girl |
More names meaning gift from around the world
A few more gift names from South Asia and the Pacific. For Hawaiian choices, visit our Hawaiian names; for Sanskrit ones, Indian names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Makana | Gift (Hawaiian) | Unisex |
| Devadatta | God-given (Sanskrit) | Boy |
| Datta | Given (Sanskrit) | Boy |
| Dattatreya | The given one, son of Atri; a Hindu deity | Boy |
| Prasad | Sacred offering, gift of grace (Sanskrit) | Boy |
How to choose a name that means gift
- Decide between “gift” and “gift of God.” Names like Hiba, Zawadi and Darko mean simply “gift,” while Matthew, Theodore and Bogdan name the giver.
- Look past the obvious. Theodore and Dorothy share one meaning but feel very different; Eudora and Isadora offer the same sound in a rarer package.
- Try a family-language version. Mateo, Matteo, Mathieu and Mateusz are all Matthew — a lovely way to honor heritage.
- Pair it with a meaningful middle name. “Gift” names sit well beside names that mean joy or names that mean love.
- Consider rainbow babies. After a loss, many parents choose gift or miracle names; Nathaniel, Dorothea and Makana are gentle options.
Frequently asked questions
What name means “gift from God”?
Matthew, Nathaniel, Jonathan, Theodore, Dorothy, Dorothea, Netanya, Bogdan, Hibatullah, Ataullah, Ebunoluwa, Onyinyechi and Dieudonné all mean “gift of God” or “given by God.”
What girl name means gift?
Popular girl names meaning gift include Dorothy, Theodora, Dora, Eudora, Isadora, Matana, Hiba, Atiya, Zawadi, Darina, Chipo and Makana.
What boy name means gift?
Matthew, Mateo, Theodore, Nathan, Nathaniel, Jonathan, Isidore, Donato, Bogdan, Darko, Sipho and Ata all carry the meaning gift or given.
Does Theodore mean gift of God?
Yes. Theodore comes from Greek theos (“god”) and dōron (“gift”). Dorothy reverses the same two elements.
What Hawaiian name means gift?
Makana is the Hawaiian word for “gift” and is used as a name for both boys and girls.