Given name
Methuselah
“when he is dead it shall be sent”·“man of a javelin”
Methuselah is used as a given name.
Original Hebrewמתושלח
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Methuselah means “when he is dead it shall be sent” or “man of a javelin.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb shalah (שלח), “to send or let go.”
From biblical name research
The story
In biblical stories, Methuselah is associated with the longest-living man.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Methuselah appears in Genesis 5:25, Luke 3:37.
- Genesis 5:25
- Luke 3:37
From biblical name research
Methuselah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Methuselah’s family of names
Methuselah has a related form in Mathusela. Methuselah has a related form in Mathuselah. Methuselah has a related form in Mathusella.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
Similar names
If you love Methuselah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elioenai
“unto Yah are my eyes” · “Yah the God of my eyes”
>99% boys
Ezekias
“Yah strengthens”
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Eliphaz
“God is fine gold” · “God is agile”
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Esrom
“enclosure” · “cluster”
>99% boys
Azarel
“God has helped”
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Shua
“brought low” · “prostration”
>99% boys
Jehovah
“my lord”
>99% boys
Hilkiah
“portion of Yah”
>99% boys