Gabriel (English)
Where does "Gabriel" come from?
The name Gabriel has roots in the Hebrew phrase 'Gaḇrīʾēl,' meaning 'God is my strong man.' It traveled from Hebrew into Ancient Greek and Latin before eventually entering the English language. This storied name, a doublet of the Arabic form Jibril, remains closely associated with the archangel who traditionally serves as a divine messenger.
Full etymology tree
- Gabriel (English), 'A male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew].'
- inherited Gabriel (Latin), 'a male given name from Ancient Greek [in turn from Hebrew], equivalent to English Gabriel'
- borrowed Γαβρῑήλ (Gabrīḗl) (Ancient Greek)
- borrowed גַּבְרִיאֵל (gaḇrīʾēl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- compound גֶּבֶר (géver) (Biblical Hebrew)
- compound אֵל (ʾēl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- inherited *ʾil- (Proto-Semitic)
- borrowed גַּבְרִיאֵל (gaḇrīʾēl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Γαβρῑήλ (Gabrīḗl) (Ancient Greek)
- inherited Gabriel (Latin), 'a male given name from Ancient Greek [in turn from Hebrew], equivalent to English Gabriel'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris