Biblical Names?

Q: Why do so many people name their kids after characters in the Bible? Is that disrespectful or respectful to do so?

A: I'm not sure that so many people do. There are hundreds, if not thousands of names in the Bible ... and most of them are not used or even considered useful in modern culture. Consider the last time you heard of someone naming their child Ichabod, or Habakkuk, to name a few. At the same time, I believe that quite often people give their child a new without realizing that it is from the Bible or what it's original meaning might have been. (Most names had a Hebrew meaning that may have described the character or heritage of the individual.)

When people do knowingly give their child a name from the Bible, it is most likely because they prefer the sound of that name. Or perhaps they admire the individual and feel in some way that they are honoring that individual by re-using their name. Curiously, nobody in western culture names their child Jesus - or any of the names for God.

It could be respectful to name your child after a particular character in the Bible. This would be tantamount to name the child after a favorite grandmother, etc. I don't see any way that naming your child after a Bible character could be disrespectful though. It's curious to me that you would ask. Somehow I get the feeling that your question doesn't represent all that's on your mind in this regard.