Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Eliezer

Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר) is an ancient Biblical Hebrew name, and one which appears three times in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible). It literally translates to “My God is help”. The first Eliezer in the Bible is mentioned in Genesis 15:2 as Abraham’s chief servant. The most notable Eliezer, however, appears in Exodus 18:4 as one of Moses’ two sons: “…and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, ‘The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh’).” Essentially, Eliezer was named in honor of God’s help in delivering the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The final Eliezer is referred to in passing as a prophet in 2 Chronicles 20:37. Eliezer prophesizes against Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) when Jehoshaphat allies himself with Ahaziah (king of Israel) in a shipbuilding project. Ahaziah was considered wicked in the eyes of the Lord, so Eliezer tells Jehoshaphat “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” (and, indeed, the ships were wrecked when they went to sea). The most notable name bearer is Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel (1928-present), author of “Night” which was based on his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during the holocaust. Wiesel would eventually win the Nobel Peace Prize as an important “messenger to mankind” for sharing his almost unspeakable experiences in such a brave and powerful way. Not surprisingly, Eliezer is mostly popular as a given name within the Jewish community. The Puritans may have adopted it after the Protestant Reformation in the 17th century since it was their practice to revive obscure Old Testament names among Christians.

All About the Baby Name – Eliezer

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME ELIEZER

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME ELIEZER

Although Eliezer is an ancient Hebrew name, dating way back to the time of Abraham in Genesis, it has only held positions on America’s Top 1000 list since 1982. Between 1982 and today, this name has basically bounced on and off that list. Even when he manages to eke out a spot on the Top 1000, it’s always near the very bottom of that list. In other words, this is a name given to less than 200 baby boys per year (out of roughly two million). We suspect Eliezer is mostly contained within the Jewish-American community given his various positions in the Hebrew Bible. However, Eliezer is probably occasionally used among non-conformist Christians in a nod to modesty. “My God is help” is certainly a comforting etymology for the religiously minded.

Quick Facts

ON ELIEZER

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

el-ie-EE-zər

SIMPLE MEANING:

My God is help

Characteristics

OF ELIEZER

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Eliezer

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ELIEZER

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Eliezer

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ELIEZER

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Eliezer


Popular Songs

ON ELIEZER

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Eliezer


Famous People

NAMED ELIEZER

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel (Nobel Peace Prize winning author of "Night")
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (a driving force behind the revival of the Hebrew language in the modern era)
Eliezer Kaplan (Israeli politician)
Eliezer Waldenberg (notable Israel rabbi)
Eliezer Yudkowsky (American blogger)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ELIEZER

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Eliezer

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ELIEZER

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Eliezer