Given name & surname
Arad
“fugitive”·“wild ass”
Arad is used as a given name and a surname.
Original Hebrewערד
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Arad means “fugitive” or “wild ass.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Arad is a biblical name from Hebrew.
From biblical name research
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb 'arad (ערד), “to flee or be free.”
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2003. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Arad appears in Numbers 21:1, Joshua 12:14, Judges 1:16.
- Numbers 21:1
- Joshua 12:14
- Judges 1:16
From biblical name research
Arad through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 163
- 163 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,230 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,230 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 260 as a first name in 2020; 213 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Arad’s family of names
See also 11
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Rhodesshares a root
- Iradshares a root
- Herodshares a root
- Aridaishares a root
- Ardonshares a root
- Arodishares a root
- Herodionshares a root
- Arvadshares a root
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Similar names
If you love Arad, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Eldad
“God has loved” · “whom God loves”
>99% boys
Amzi
“strong” · “my strength”
>99% boys
Azzan
“strong one” · “their strength”
>99% boys
Abiram
“father of loftiness” · “(the) exalted one is (my) father”
>99% boys
Abimael
“God is father” · “a father is El”
>99% boys
Akan
“but perhaps twist”
>99% boys
Jahzeel
“God divides” · “he will allot of the Lord”
>99% boys
Abaddon
“destructive one” · “place of destruction”
>99% boys