Tabor

What does Tabor mean?

Tabor originally names a specific high place. In its Hebrew origin the word refers to a hill or elevated site, so the name carries a simple, elemental sense of height and viewpoint.

As a given name, Tabor feels both grounded and striking. It brings to mind landscape and stability rather than a personality trait. The sound is crisp and slightly austere, which gives it a bold, unfussy character that works well for any gender.

Historical Context

Tabor is best known as the name of a specific hill in the Levant, most famously Mount Tabor in northern Israel. That place name comes from a northwest Semitic root meaning height or elevation. Over centuries the hill featured in local geography, military history and religious narrative, and the place name was adopted as a surname and, more rarely, as a given name.

In English-speaking use Tabor has been adopted both directly from the biblical and geographical references and via surnames such as Taber. Its use as a first name has increased in recent decades as parents look for short, substantive names that are neither overly traditional nor invented. While its primary identity is locational, the name has taken on a broader, modern role as a concise, unambiguous given name for any gender.

Popularity of Tabor over time

What do parents think of Tabor?