Job

Job is the English form of Hebrew Iyyov, traditionally interpreted as persecuted or afflicted, although the name's ultimate origin has been debated. Its identity is inseparable from the biblical Book of Job, which explores suffering, justice, and the limits of human understanding through the experiences and arguments of its central figure.

The familiar expression the patience of Job comes from that religious and literary history, but patience is an association rather than the name's literal meaning. In English, the name is normally pronounced to rhyme with robe, unlike the ordinary word for an occupation. That distinction is useful for parents considering a short biblical name with a substantial and sometimes challenging story behind it.