From Hebrew qorbān, meaning 'offering' or 'gift dedicated to God.'
Corban is a name of striking theological depth, borrowed directly from the Hebrew "korban" (קָרְבָּן) and the related Aramaic form, meaning "an offering" or "a gift dedicated to God." In ancient Israelite religious practice, a korban was any sacrifice or dedication made to the Temple — the word appears frequently in Leviticus and Numbers to describe the system of ritual offerings. The term entered the New Testament in Mark 7:11, where Jesus criticizes the Pharisaic interpretation that allowed a man to declare his property "corban" (dedicated to the Temple) and thereby avoid using it to support his parents — an example of religious law being used to circumvent moral duty.
As a name, Corban has deep roots in Christian communities who valued biblical vocabulary as a source of names. It suggests a child consecrated or given back to God — a naming theology similar to the Old Testament story of Hannah dedicating her son Samuel to the Lord's service. In Puritan and Reformed Protestant traditions, this kind of votive naming was meaningful and common.
The name is also phonetically appealing in modern English, with its strong opening consonant and resonant ending echoing popular names like Corbin and Jordan. Corbin, the anglicized near-homophone, has been far more widely used in popular culture, appearing in films and television and riding waves of surname-as-given-name trends. Corban, by contrast, remains distinctly rarer and more intentionally chosen — typically by families with strong scriptural awareness who want a name that is genuinely biblical without being worn smooth by overuse. It has a solemn beauty: the idea that a child is not merely born, but offered.