Laban as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Laban

What is the meaning of the name Laban ?

The baby name Laban is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English approx: LAY-bən (/ˈleɪbən/); Hebrew approx: lah-VAHN (/laˈvan/).

Laban is Hebrew in Origin.

Laban derives from the Hebrew Lāvan (לָבָן), built on the Semitic root L-B-N meaning “white” or “to whiten,” evoking brightness or fair color; Arabic laban “milk” shows the same root. In the Hebrew Bible, Laban is the Aramean brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel, thus Jacob’s uncle and father-in-law, which anchored the name in Jewish and Christian tradition.

Used among Jews and later adopted by English-speaking Protestants - especially Puritans of the 17th century - the name appears in parish and colonial New England records and survives in modest use. Mission-era translations further spread Laban across parts of sub‑Saharan Africa and the Philippines. Variant forms and transliterations include Lavan (Modern Hebrew), Labán (Spanish orthography), and Λαβάν (Greek); diminutives are uncommon. The name’s core meaning remains “white,” sometimes poetically extended to “pure” or “shining.”