Hebrew virtue name meaning 'faith' or 'trust,' rooted in biblical texts as a core spiritual quality.
Emuna is the Hebrew word for faith itself — *emunah* (אֱמוּנָה) — elevated directly into a personal name, a practice with deep roots in Jewish naming tradition. The word derives from the root *aman* (אָמַן), from which also comes "amen" — that universal affirmation of trust and agreement spoken at the end of prayers across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. To name a child Emuna is therefore to give them a name that every time it is spoken is an act of faith, a small prayer.
In classical Jewish texts, *emunah* is not simply passive belief but an active, embodied faithfulness — the quality of a craftsman whose hands are steady and sure, of a servant whose loyalty never wavers. Maimonides placed it at the center of his thirteen principles of Jewish faith. Hasidic tradition elevated it further, with teachers like the Baal Shem Tov teaching that *emunah peshutah* — simple, unadorned faith — was the highest spiritual attainment available to an ordinary person.
Emuna as a given name is particularly cherished in Israeli and observant Jewish communities around the world, where it is both aspirational and descriptive. It shares sonic kinship with Emma and Muna, making it feel accessible across cultures, but its meaning sets it apart entirely. A child named Emuna carries their family's deepest spiritual value as their first identity — a name that is itself a declaration of what matters most.