Jericho combines an ancient place name with a modern sound.
Thanks to Jenny & Jonah for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
On the Map
Place names dot the current US popularity rankings. Just ask the parents of London or Savannah, Cairo or Camden.
And this isn’t any place name. Jericho has been inhabited for eons. Evidence of human settlement dates to 9000 BCE – it’s up there with Jerusalem and Damascus.
With such an ancient place, there’s bound to be debate over the name’s meaning. It’s sometimes called “the City of the Moon.” This reflects the theory that the city’s name comes from the Hebrew yareakh – moon, or possibly a related Canaanite word sharing the same meaning.
Yerach may have been a name for the original moon god, a name that survives as Jerah. Jerah also appears in the Book of Genesis as one of the descendants of Shem.
Stories about the city abound, but the most famous comes from the Old Testament. Joshua’s army of Israelites set out to conquer Canaan, and Jericho was a key city. It is said that Joshua brought down the city’s walls by following God’s instructions to repeat a specific ritual every day for seven days. On the seventh day, when they’d completed circling the walls of the city, they were to blow their horns and then shout their war cry.
Site excavations have confirmed that walls once stood around the city.
Of course, more recent history is challenging. Any place name in the Middle East may show up in the news as a site of conflict. In the past year alone, Jericho has been ruled by the British, the Jordanians, the Palestinians, and the Israelis. As of 2019, the city is officially part of the Palestinian Authority.
Still, if you’re religious, choosing a name from the Holy Land might appeal. And the city sits near the Dead Sea, known for its palm trees, and history of all kinds. Even if the city’s role in Old Testament isn’t meaningful to you personally, the idea of choosing a name rich in history might appeal.
Jeremy and Jerome
No one named babies Jericho until the 1970s, and then only in small numbers. But we have steadily chosen names like Jeremy and Jerome for our boys. And that makes nearly any Jer- name feel just on the right side of acceptable – and masculine.
In 2012, 189 boys received the name. By 2018, that number had reached 215 boys (and 13 girls).
That misses the peak year – 229 in 2016 – but it’s enough to tip the name into the US Top 1000. Jericho has teetered, in one year and then out the next since 2013.
Besides Babies
The Biblical tale of the walled city appeals to many, and so Jericho is born by more than just children. There’s also:
- Place names in Vermont, New York, and a dozen others, named for the Biblical city, and elsewhere in the English-speaking world, too.
- On a less kid-friendly note, a series of Israeli missiles bear the name.
- It’s the given name of Marvel’s Doctor Voodoo character, a member of the Avengers. The character debuted in 1973, and while he seems relatively minor, we’ve learned never to say that when it comes to the Marvel Universe. DC Comics also used the name for a character, but he’s a villain.
- A short-lived post-apocalyptic television series was given the name, too.
All the Trends
Jericho checks so many boxes. It’s a place name and it fits with meaning-rich choices, too, thanks to its significance in the Old Testament.
The vibrant ‘o’ ending feels very current by 2019 standards.
It’s easy to imagine parents embracing this name for a son today.
Would you consider Jericho for a son?
First published October 17, 2012, this post was revised substantially and republished on August 21, 2019.
Jericho definitely sounds masculine to me. I think you could make it feminine by naming a girl Jericha.
I knew a girl named Jerica — I never thought of Jericho in relation to her name before — it does make sense.
My husband’s ex is Jericha. Until I met him, I never even thought of the name. Personally, I am not a fan.
I used to think of Chris Jericho, then of the show [my mom was a fan], but now it makes me think of hippie-ish Jewish parents using the name on their baby.
We’re definitely the hippyish-Jewish parents who suggested the name; although I should mention that our other children’s names are Joshua, Jacob & Peliah.
Aw, yay, I was right! 😉
I get a really butch vibe off the name. I guess that’s the influence of the Biblical story and the militant turn the TV show took… so the idea of Jericho on a girl kind of amuses me. I like Jericho, but I can’t shake the idea that it feels “trendy”. Maybe because I imagine his siblings are named Jayden and Brooklyn?
I like Jericho for a girl. It would be fine on a boy, though, so I guess I think it’s unisex. But I see a lot of place names that way – Alabama could be a boy or a girl in my opinion. I love the tie to such an ancient civilization, the moon god, the Biblical story is great, and with the whole walls coming down with the blast of horns thing, I think I could get away with the nickname Echo here, another girl name I love. Erica would be another possible nickname. I doubt I would actually use Jericho, but I think it’s neat. And I would be happy to meet a boy or a girl Jericho, I would think that was awesome.
Other nicknames I think are cute for a girl Jericho: Jo and Coco
Echo and Coco are both such great names for a girl named Jericho. I love them!
This definitely seems to be a masculine name. I don’t think I would use it on a real life kid – but if I did, I think the nn Ricky is very cute (or Rick when he gets older).
I’m not a fan of Jericho. There’s just something about it that rubs me the wrong way. For some reason, it makes me think of American Gladiators from when I was a kid. Was there a Jericho on that? Hmm.
Chris Jericho the pro-wrestler, maybe?
I’m related to a Jericho who was NNed Jake. I really like it, though of course with such a distinctive name so close in the family, I wouldn’t use it.
I like Jericho, and the moon tie is intriguing. And with a Jerry in the family, he makes a great honor option, though he’ll have to compete with Jeremiah.
Great post.
I’m kind of surprised but I actually really love Jericho. 3 syllables, ends-in-o, Biblical, uncommon; that combo makes a winning name in my book! I’m not usually a fan of place names or names without much history on real people, but I do quite like this one. I’d love to meet a little boy named Jericho 🙂
My mother’s bad news father was Jerrold who went exclusively by Jerry, so if I ever named a boy Jericho I’d be tempted to nn him Rico if anything.
Where I live, we’ve got a Jericho Beach and huge Jericho Park right by it. I love that place! But this name is still too Biblical for me to use, and the strange thing about it for me is I see it as almost an asexual name. (Maybe I should finish my coffee before I analyze names…no?) But I don’t see a unisex name, I see a name not really suited to either sex, in my opinion. I could imagine a guy named Jericho being accused of having a “girly” name, and a girl named Jericho accused of having a “boy’s” name. Either that, or I see people with this name going by Jeri/Jerry most often, anyway.
My husband and I got engaged whilst windsurfing at Jericho Beach 12 years ago. Our 3rd child has Jericho as his middle name because of its significance to us – he’s Cobh Caleb Jericho.
One of my favorite place names! I think the -o ending makes it masculine too
Agreed. This reads boy to me, too.