Finding names that start with F in the Bible is actually a lot harder than you’d think. Honestly, if you flip through a standard English translation like the KJV or the NIV, you’ll notice the letter F is weirdly rare for names. It’s not like the letter J or M where you’ve got Jesus, Mary, Moses, and John dominating every other page. The Hebrew and Greek alphabets don't have a direct, one-to-one equivalent to our English "F" sound in the same way, so most names we recognize today starting with F are actually transliterations or adaptations.
Most people can only name one or two. Felix? Maybe Festus? If you’re a real theology nerd, you might remember Phinehas, but wait—that starts with P.
That’s the thing. When we look at names that start with F in the Bible, we are looking at a very specific, small group of people who mostly show up in the New Testament during the Roman era. These weren't typically the ancient patriarchs of Israel. They were often Roman officials or people living in a Hellenized world where Latin and Greek influence had reshaped how names were recorded.
The Power Players: Felix and Festus
If you want to understand why names starting with F matter in the biblical narrative, you have to look at the Book of Acts. This is where the heavy hitters live.
Antonius Felix is the big one. He was the Roman procurator of Judea. To be blunt, history doesn't remember him as a particularly nice guy. The Roman historian Tacitus once described Felix by saying he "practiced every kind of cruelty and lust, wielding the power of a king with all the instincts of a slave." He was actually born a slave and later freed, which was a pretty massive deal in Roman society. In Acts 24, we see him holding the Apostle Paul captive.
Felix wasn't interested in justice. Not really. He kept Paul in prison for two years, mostly because he was hoping Paul’s friends would scrape together some bribe money. It’s a classic case of political corruption meeting religious tension. He’d listen to Paul talk about righteousness and self-control, and the Bible says he actually got terrified. But he didn't change. He just sent Paul away until it was "convenient."
Then you have Porcius Festus.
Festus took over when Felix got recalled to Rome. He was basically the "cleanup crew." Unlike Felix, Festus seems a bit more competent, or at least more eager to get the Paul situation off his desk. He’s the one who famously asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to stand trial. Paul, knowing that was a death sentence, pulled his "I am a Roman citizen" card and appealed to Caesar. Festus is the bridge that sent Christianity from a local Judean "problem" straight to the heart of the Roman Empire.
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The Names You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Beyond the Roman governors, the list gets thin. Fast.
There is Fortunatus. He’s mentioned right at the end of 1 Corinthians. It’s a brief shout-out. Paul mentions that Fortunatus, along with Stephanas and Achaicus, arrived and "supplied what was lacking" from the Corinthian church. He was likely a messenger or a loyal member of the early church who traveled a long way to support Paul. In a book full of heavy theological arguments about resurrection and spiritual gifts, Fortunatus represents the boots-on-the-ground reality of the early church. People had to actually carry these letters. People had to show up.
Interestingly, Fortunatus is a Latin name meaning "fortunate" or "blessed." It was a common name for slaves and freedmen in the Roman world.
Why Are There So Few F Names?
It comes down to linguistics. Language is weird.
In Ancient Hebrew, there is no "F" sound. There is a letter called Pe (פ). Depending on where it sits in a word, it can sound like a "P" (as in Peter) or a "Ph" (as in Philip). When the Bible was translated into English, translators usually stuck with "P" or "Ph."
- Phinehas (The grandson of Aaron)
- Philemon (The recipient of Paul’s shortest letter)
- Phebe (A deacon in Cenchreae)
If you were speaking these names in a modern context, some might lean toward an "F" sound, but the spelling keeps them in the P section of the concordance.
The names that actually start with F in our English Bibles are almost exclusively Latin. Because the New Testament happened during the height of the Roman Empire, Latin names started bleeding into the text. If the Bible had been finished 500 years earlier, we might not have any F names at all.
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A Closer Look at the Character of Felix
Let's circle back to Felix for a second because his story is actually wild. He was married to a woman named Drusilla, who was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I. This means he was married into the Jewish royal family, even though he was a Roman.
This gave him a "more than average" understanding of Jewish customs, which is why Acts says he had a "rather accurate knowledge of the Way" (Christianity). He wasn't some ignorant outsider. He knew the stakes. But he was paralyzed by his own greed.
When we talk about names that start with F in the Bible, Felix is the primary example of a "near miss." He was right there. He heard the Gospel from the greatest missionary to ever live. He felt the conviction. But he chose the bribe instead.
Short Mentions and Obscurities
Is that it? Almost.
You might find Frances or Franklin in a modern "Bible Name" book, but you won't find them in the text. Those are what we call "biblically inspired" names or names that evolved from biblical concepts, but they aren't actually in the 66 books.
Some people point to Famine. Obviously, that’s not a person. But in some older allegorical interpretations or very obscure genealogical lists in apocryphal texts (which aren't in the standard Bible), you might find symbolic names. But sticking to the actual canon, we are looking at a very short list.
The Cultural Impact of These Names
Even though the list is short, these names have stuck around. Felix is still a relatively popular name today. It carries a sense of luck and happiness, which is ironic considering the biblical Felix was a pretty miserable, anxious guy by the end of his tenure.
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Festus? Not so much. You don't see many babies named Festus in 2026. It sounds a bit too much like "fester," and let’s be real, it just doesn't have that modern ring to it.
But the presence of these names—specifically the Latin ones—serves as a historical anchor. They prove that the New Testament wasn't written in a vacuum. It was written in a world where Roman law, Latin names, and Greek philosophy were slamming into ancient Jewish tradition.
What We Can Learn From the "F" Names
The scarcity of names that start with F in the Bible teaches us a lot about the importance of context. When you see an F name, you should immediately think: Roman Influence. 1. They represent the "Gentile" world. These weren't usually the "chosen people" by birth; they were the occupiers or the converts from the Roman system.
2. They highlight the spread of the Church. Seeing a name like Fortunatus in a letter to Corinth shows how quickly the message of Jesus moved from a small group of Hebrew speakers to the Latin-speaking working class of the Empire.
3. They show the range of human response. From the greed of Felix to the service of Fortunatus, these few names cover the whole spectrum of how people react when they encounter something revolutionary.
It’s easy to get caught up in the big names like David or Abraham. But the "F" names, rare as they are, provide the texture of the first-century world. They remind us that the Bible is a book set in history, involving real people with Latin names, Roman jobs, and very human failings.
If you’re looking to name a kid or just trying to win a trivia night, remember that the "F" names are your ticket to understanding the Roman backdrop of the New Testament. They are the outliers. The Latin intruders. The officials and the messengers who helped—sometimes accidentally—carry the story forward.
To really get a handle on this, go read Acts chapter 24 and 25. Don't just look for the names; look at the power dynamics. Watch how Felix fidgets when Paul talks about justice. Watch how Festus tries to play both sides of the political fence. It’s better than most political dramas on TV right now. Honestly, the historical reality is way more interesting than the Sunday School version we usually get.
Check the cross-references for Fortunatus in 1 Corinthians 16:17 as well. It’s a tiny verse, but it’s one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments that shows how much Paul relied on his friends. That’s the real value of digging into these rare names. They humanize the text in a way the big, famous stories sometimes don't.
Next time you're reading, keep an eye out for the "Ph" names too. Even though they don't start with F, they carry that same phonetic weight and often have even deeper roots in the older Hebrew stories. Phinehas, for example, has a whole different vibe than the Roman Felix, showing the transition from the old priestly traditions to the new Roman reality.