Tekoa is a Hebrew place name meaning 'trumpet' or 'to blow,' known from the biblical town of Tekoa.
Tekoa is a Hebrew name drawn directly from the Bible as a place name — the town of Tekoa (תְּקוֹעַ), located in the hill country of Judah approximately five miles south of Bethlehem. The name's precise etymology is debated among scholars: some derive it from a root meaning "to drive in" or "to pitch" (as in pitching a tent or driving a stake), suggesting a settlement established firmly in the land; others connect it to the word for a horn or trumpet (tekiah), which in ancient Israel was sounded as an alarm or summons. Either origin gives the name a vivid, grounded, territorial quality.
Tekoa's most celebrated resident in scripture was the prophet Amos, who identified himself as "among the shepherds of Tekoa" — making the town forever associated with the moral urgency and fiery social justice rhetoric of one of Israel's earliest literary prophets. Amos's proclamations against economic exploitation and hollow religious observance remain among the most quoted passages in the Hebrew prophetic tradition. The town is also mentioned in the book of Jeremiah as a place where warning trumpets were sounded.
Additionally, a wise woman of Tekoa appears in 2 Samuel, sent by Joab to counsel King David — an unnamed figure of notable rhetorical skill. As a given name, Tekoa is a recent adoption, part of the broader modern trend of using biblical place names — Zion, Canaan, Shiloh, Bethel — as personal names. It has a striking, somewhat austere sound: teh-KO-ah, three syllables with a strong middle stress. It carries spiritual gravity without the familiarity of better-known biblical names, making it a compelling choice for parents seeking something both ancient and genuinely uncommon.