Women of the Bible
This page lists 45 women of the Bible by name: 32 first named in the Old Testament and 13 in the New. They include Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Esther, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Of these women, the King James Version names Sarah most, 59 times, counting her first name Sarai.
Updated October 24, 2026. Name counts are from the King James Version. The World English Bible is added for the counts of "woman" and "women", the book word counts and one quotation. A name is counted as a whole word, with or without a possessive. Where a name is shared, only her verses are counted, by the rule in her row.
The women, in the order the Bible names them
The table lists 45 women in the order the King James Version first names each one. Each line in the "Who she is" column is backed by the verse beside it.
| # | Woman | Who she is | First named | KJV count | Named most in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eve | Adam's wife, "the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) | Genesis 3:20 | 4 | Genesis (2) |
| 2 | Sarah (Sarai) | Abraham's wife; God renamed her from Sarai to Sarah (Genesis 17:15) The name also names: Asher's daughter (Numbers 26:46). | Genesis 11:29 | 59 Sarai 17, Sarah 41, Sara 1 leaves out Numbers 26:46, where Sarah is Asher's daughter | Genesis (54) |
| 3 | Hagar | Sarai's Egyptian handmaid (Genesis 16:1) | Genesis 16:1 | 14 Hagar 12, Agar 2 | Genesis (12) |
| 4 | Rebekah | Isaac's wife (Genesis 24:67) | Genesis 22:23 | 31 Rebekah 30, Rebecca 1 | Genesis (30) |
| 5 | Rachel | Laban's daughter, given to Jacob as his wife (Genesis 29:28) | Genesis 29:6 | 48 Rachel 47, Rahel 1 | Genesis (44) |
| 6 | Leah | Laban's elder daughter (Genesis 29:16) | Genesis 29:16 | 34 | Genesis (33) |
| 7 | Bilhah | Rachel's handmaid, mother of Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 35:25) The name also names: a place (1 Chronicles 4:29). | Genesis 29:29 | 10 leaves out 1 Chronicles 4:29, a place name | Genesis (9) |
| 8 | Dinah | Daughter of Leah and Jacob (Genesis 34:1) | Genesis 30:21 | 8 | Genesis (8) |
| 9 | Tamar (Judah's daughter-in-law) | Wife of Judah's son Er (Genesis 38:6) The name also names: David's daughter, also in this table (2 Samuel 13:1); Absalom's daughter (2 Samuel 14:27); a place on the south side (Ezekiel 47:19). | Genesis 38:6 | 8 Tamar 7, Thamar 1 counts Genesis 38, Ruth 4, 1 Chronicles 2 and Matthew 1 only | Genesis (5) |
| 10 | Puah | One of the two Hebrew midwives in Egypt (Exodus 1:15) The name also names: the father of Tola, who arose to defend Israel (Judges 10:1); a son of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1). | Exodus 1:15 | 1 counts Exodus only | Exodus (1) |
| 11 | Zipporah | Moses' wife (Exodus 18:2) | Exodus 2:21 | 3 | Exodus (3) |
| 12 | Jochebed | Amram's wife, mother of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20) | Exodus 6:20 | 2 | Exodus, Numbers (1) |
| 13 | Miriam | A prophetess, the sister of Aaron (Exodus 15:20) The name also names: a child in a family list (1 Chronicles 4:17). | Exodus 15:20 | 14 leaves out 1 Chronicles 4:17, another Miriam | Numbers (9) |
| 14 | Rahab | A harlot of Jericho who lodged Joshua's spies (Joshua 2:1) The name also names: listed with Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia (Psalms 87:4); a defeated enemy (Psalms 89:10); set beside the dragon (Isaiah 51:9). | Joshua 2:1 | 8 Rahab 7, Rachab 1 leaves out Psalms and Isaiah, where Rahab is not the woman of Jericho | Joshua (5) |
| 15 | Deborah | A prophetess who judged Israel (Judges 4:4) The name also names: Rebekah's nurse (Genesis 35:8). | Judges 4:4 | 9 counts Judges only | Judges (9) |
| 16 | Jael | Heber's wife, who killed Sisera with a tent nail (Judges 4:21-22) | Judges 4:17 | 6 | Judges (6) |
| 17 | Delilah | The woman of the valley of Sorek whom Samson loved (Judges 16:4-6) | Judges 16:4 | 6 | Judges (6) |
| 18 | Naomi | Elimelech's wife (Ruth 1:2) | Ruth 1:2 | 21 | Ruth (21) |
| 19 | Orpah | A woman of Moab who married one of Naomi's two sons (Ruth 1:3-4) | Ruth 1:4 | 2 | Ruth (2) |
| 20 | Ruth | Clave to her mother-in-law when Orpah went back (Ruth 1:14-15) | Ruth 1:4 | 13 | Ruth (12) |
| 21 | Hannah | Mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20) | 1 Samuel 1:2 | 13 | 1 Samuel (13) |
| 22 | Michal | Saul's daughter, given to David as his wife (1 Samuel 18:27) | 1 Samuel 14:49 | 18 | 1 Samuel (10) |
| 23 | Abigail | Nabal's widow, one of David's two wives (1 Samuel 30:5) The name also names: a sister of David (1 Chronicles 2:15-16). | 1 Samuel 25:3 | 14 leaves out 2 Samuel 17:25 and 1 Chronicles 2:16-17, David's sister | 1 Samuel (11) |
| 24 | Bathsheba | David's wife, mother of Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24) | 2 Samuel 11:3 | 10 | 1 Kings (8) |
| 25 | Tamar (David's daughter) | Sister of Absalom, a son of David (2 Samuel 13:1) | 2 Samuel 13:1 | 14 counts 2 Samuel 13 and 1 Chronicles 3 only | 2 Samuel (13) |
| 26 | Abishag | A Shunammite brought to King David in his old age (1 Kings 1:1-3) | 1 Kings 1:3 | 5 | 1 Kings (5) |
| 27 | Jezebel | Wife of King Ahab (1 Kings 21:25) The name also names: a woman in the church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-20). | 1 Kings 16:31 | 22 counts the Old Testament only | 1 Kings (15) |
| 28 | Athaliah | Ahaziah's mother, who then reigned over the land (2 Kings 11:1-3) The name also names: one of the sons of Jeroham (1 Chronicles 8:26-27); the parent of Jeshaiah (Ezra 8:7). | 2 Kings 8:26 | 15 leaves out 1 Chronicles 8:26 and Ezra 8:7 | 2 Chronicles (8) |
| 29 | Huldah | A prophetess in Jerusalem whom Hilkiah the priest went to (2 Kings 22:14) | 2 Kings 22:14 | 2 | 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles (1) |
| 30 | Vashti | Queen of King Ahasuerus (Esther 1:9) | Esther 1:9 | 10 | Esther (10) |
| 31 | Esther (Hadassah) | Made queen in place of Vashti (Esther 2:17) | Esther 2:7 | 57 Esther 56, Hadassah 1 | Esther (57) |
| 32 | Gomer | Hosea's wife, the daughter of Diblaim (Hosea 1:2-3) The name also names: a son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2). | Hosea 1:3 | 1 counts Hosea only | Hosea (1) |
| 33 | Mary, mother of Jesus | Wife of Joseph, mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:16) | Matthew 1:16 | 19 counts Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3 and Acts 1:14 | Luke (12) |
| 34 | Herodias | Philip's wife, for whose sake Herod imprisoned John (Matthew 14:3) | Matthew 14:3 | 6 | Mark (3) |
| 35 | Mary Magdalene | The first the risen Jesus appeared to, in Mark's account (Mark 16:9) | Matthew 27:56 | 12 counts the word Magdalene, which always follows her name Mary | Mark (4) |
| 36 | Salome | Looked on from afar with Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:40) | Mark 15:40 | 2 | Mark (2) |
| 37 | Elisabeth | Wife of Zacharias, mother of John (Luke 1:13) | Luke 1:5 | 9 | Luke (9) |
| 38 | Anna | A prophetess of the tribe of Aser (Luke 2:36) | Luke 2:36 | 1 | Luke (1) |
| 39 | Martha | Received Jesus into her house (Luke 10:38) | Luke 10:38 | 13 | John (9) |
| 40 | Mary of Bethany | Martha's sister, who sat at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:39) | Luke 10:39 | 11 counts Luke 10 and John 11-12 | John (9) |
| 41 | Sapphira | Wife of Ananias (Acts 5:1) | Acts 5:1 | 1 | Acts (1) |
| 42 | Dorcas (Tabitha) | A disciple at Joppa, full of good works (Acts 9:36) | Acts 9:36 | 4 Tabitha 2, Dorcas 2 | Acts (4) |
| 43 | Lydia | A seller of purple from Thyatira (Acts 16:14) The name also names: listed with Ethiopia and Libya (Ezekiel 30:5). | Acts 16:14 | 2 counts Acts only | Acts (2) |
| 44 | Priscilla (Prisca) | Wife of Aquila (Acts 18:2) | Acts 18:2 | 6 Priscilla 5, Prisca 1 | Acts (3) |
| 45 | Phebe | A servant of the church at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1) | Romans 16:1 | 1 | Romans (1) |
Other spellings in the KJV: Sara: Hebrews 11:11; Agar: Galatians 4:24, Galatians 4:25; Rebecca: Romans 9:10; Rahel: Jeremiah 31:15; Thamar: Matthew 1:3; Rachab: Matthew 1:5; Hadassah: Esther 2:7; Dorcas: Acts 9:36, Acts 9:39; Prisca: 2 Timothy 4:19. A name inside a hyphenated place name, such as Baal-tamar, is not counted.
The /words pages count a name for everyone who bears it, in the forms listed there. Where this table differs:
- Sarah (Sarai): 59 here, 60 on /words/sarah. This row leaves out Numbers 26:46, where Sarah is Asher's daughter.
- Rachel: 48 here, 47 on /words/rachel. This row adds Rahel (1).
- Bilhah: 10 here, 11 on /words/bilhah. This row leaves out 1 Chronicles 4:29, a place name.
- Tamar (Judah's daughter-in-law): 8 here, 25 on /words/tamar. This row counts Genesis 38, Ruth 4, 1 Chronicles 2 and Matthew 1 only.
- Miriam: 14 here, 15 on /words/miriam. This row leaves out 1 Chronicles 4:17, another Miriam.
- Rahab: 8 here, 11 on /words/rahab. This row leaves out Psalms and Isaiah, where Rahab is not the woman of Jericho.
- Deborah: 9 here, 10 on /words/deborah. This row counts Judges only.
- Abigail: 14 here, 17 on /words/abigail. This row leaves out 2 Samuel 17:25 and 1 Chronicles 2:16-17, David's sister.
- Jezebel: 22 here, 23 on /words/jezebel. This row counts the Old Testament only.
- Athaliah: 15 here, 17 on /words/athaliah. This row leaves out 1 Chronicles 8:26 and Ezra 8:7.
- Esther (Hadassah): 57 here, 53 on /words/esther. This row adds Esther's (3) and Hadassah (1).
- Mary, mother of Jesus: 19 here, 54 on /words/mary. This row counts Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3 and Acts 1:14.
- Priscilla (Prisca): 6 here, 5 on /words/priscilla. This row adds Prisca (1).
Which woman does the Bible name most?
Of the women in this table, Sarah is named most: 59 times in the King James Version, counting her first name Sarai.
54 of Sarah's 59 mentions are in Genesis. Esther comes next with 57: Esther 56 and Hadassah 1, the other name Esther 2:7 gives her. 57 of them are in the book of Esther. Rachel is third with 48. The name Mary appears 54 times in all, but it belongs to several women, so the table gives it 3 rows.
Old Testament and New Testament women
Of the 45 women, 32 are first named in the Old Testament and 13 in the New.
8 of them are named in both: Eve, Sarah (Sarai), Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, Tamar (Judah's daughter-in-law), Rahab, and Ruth. Eve, for one, is named 4 times: Genesis 3:20, Genesis 4:1, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and 1 Timothy 2:13. The word "eve" never appears in the KJV as an ordinary word.
The two books named for women
2 books of the Bible carry a woman's name: Ruth and Esther. In the King James Version, Ruth has 4 chapters, 85 verses and 2,574 words. Esther has 10 chapters, 167 verses and 5,633 words. The World English Bible has 2,461 and 5,415 words. Esther is also the book where the KJV says "women" most: 15 times.
Across the Bible, the KJV says "woman" 368 times, first in Genesis 2:22, and "women" 179 times. The World English Bible has 359 and 183. Both counts include the possessive forms.
What these counts leave out
The table is a selection of named women, not every one. It leaves out other named women, such as Shiphrah (Exodus 1:15), Keturah (Genesis 25:1), Zilpah (Genesis 29:24), and Joanna (Luke 8:3). It also leaves out women the text never names: Lot's wife (Genesis 19:26), Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:5), the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1), and the woman of Samaria (John 4:7). Counts are of the name only, so "she" and "his wife" are not counted. Bath-shua in 1 Chronicles 3:5 is not added to Bathsheba's count. The rules for shared names are this page's judgment, and a different rule would give different counts.
Questions about the women of the Bible
How many women are in the Bible?
This page lists 45 named women, 32 from the Old Testament and 13 from the New. It does not give a total for every woman the Bible names, because many names belong to more than one person. In 15 rows the name also belongs to another person, place or thing.
Who is the most mentioned woman in the Bible?
Sarah, of the 45 women on this page. The King James Version names her 59 times: Sarai 17, Sarah 41 and Sara 1. Esther is next with 57, then Rachel with 48. The name Mary appears 54 times, but it belongs to several women.
Which books of the Bible are named after women?
There are 2: Ruth and Esther. Ruth has 4 chapters and 2,574 words in the King James Version. Esther has 10 chapters and 5,633 words.
How many times does the Bible say "woman"?
The King James Version says "woman" 368 times and "women" 179 times, counting the possessive forms. The World English Bible has "woman" 359 times and "women" 183 times.
How many Marys are in the Bible?
The King James Version uses the name Mary 54 times. By this page's rules, 19 name the mother of Jesus, 12 name Mary Magdalene and 11 name Mary of Bethany. Other verses name Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses (Mark 15:40), the wife of Cleophas (John 19:25), the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12), and a woman greeted at Rome (Romans 16:6).
Is Eve mentioned in the New Testament?
Yes, 2 times. The KJV names Eve 4 times: Genesis 3:20, Genesis 4:1, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and 1 Timothy 2:13. The word "eve" never appears in it as an ordinary word.
Sources
- The King James Version (1769) and the World English Bible, both public domain: every verse cited and every count on this page, counted by scripts/lists/women-of-the-bible.mjs from the text at github.com/seven1m/open-bibles (read and counted 2026-10-24).
What many Bible names mean is on Bible names and their meanings. For the Gospels, see the names of Jesus, the parables of Jesus and the miracles of Jesus. 9 of the women above are first named in Genesis, and 4 in Luke. More counts are on the Bible by the numbers.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-24.