Hebrew name meaning 'my Lord is Yahweh,' a variant of the biblical name Adonijah.
Adoniah is a variant of the biblical Hebrew name Adonijah, composed of Adon, meaning lord or master, and Yah, the abbreviated divine name of God in the Hebrew tradition. The full meaning is thus 'my Lord is Yahweh' — a theophoric construction common in ancient Israelite naming, where a child's name served as a living confession of faith. The name appears multiple times in the Hebrew Bible, most prominently as the name of the fourth son of King David by his wife Haggith.
Adonijah's story in the Books of Samuel and Kings is one of ambition and tragedy: he briefly attempted to claim the throne before his younger brother Solomon was anointed king, and his subsequent execution by Solomon's order made him a cautionary figure in the drama of dynastic succession. The name largely receded from common use through the medieval and early modern periods, preserved mainly within Jewish scholarly and liturgical contexts and among Puritan communities who favored biblical names of any testament. Its variant Adoniah strips away one syllable of the original, giving it a slightly softer cadence while preserving the full theological weight of the original compound.
This streamlining makes it feel more approachable without diminishing its gravitas. In contemporary naming, Adoniah appeals to families seeking a name that is unmistakably biblical yet genuinely uncommon. Its regal Adonis-like opening syllable and its spiritual suffix give it a commanding presence. The name sits comfortably in communities with deep scriptural traditions while also attracting secular parents drawn purely to its rich, resonant sound.