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Keturah
Pronounced kə-TOOR-ə /kəˈtʊr.ə/High
Meaning: Incense, fragrant offering; the name of Abraham's wife after Sarah's death in GenesisHigh
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Keturah is Hebrew for 'incense' — the fragrant smoke of offering — and names the woman Abraham married after Sarah's death, mother of six sons in Genesis. Puritan name-hunters revived her in colonial America, where Keturahs dot eighteenth- and nineteenth-century records.
The name survives quietly in African American, Jewish, and church-rooted families, and young-adult fiction (Martine Leavitt's Keturah and Lord Death) has introduced her to new readers. It remains rare — a biblical rarity with built-in perfume.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Keturah mean?
Keturah is Hebrew for 'incense' or 'fragrant offering', the name of Abraham's wife after Sarah in Genesis.
How do you pronounce Keturah?
It's said kə-TOOR-ə /kəˈtʊr.ə/ — three syllables, stress on the second.
Is Keturah a boy or girl name?
Keturah is a girl's name.
How popular is Keturah?
Keturah is a rare biblical name in the U.S., with deep colonial-era roots.