Were the names in the book of Genesis common at the time it was written? Like, did the author of Genesis "invent" the names Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, etc. Or were these names already in common use?

by silenttd
Philip_Schwartzerdt

Those names all have a meaning within the narrative; in many times and cultures, including the Ancient Near East, the meaning of the name was critically important, which we see reflected within Genesis many times.

Adam: means "red" in Hebrew, related to the earth that God is said to have formed him from. "Adam" in Hebrew is also used for "human being" or "mankind."

Eve: related to a Hebrew word meaning "life," cf Genesis 3:20 "The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living."

Cain: from a Hebrew root meaning "to get" or "to acquire", just as Eve says in Genesis 4:1 “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”

Abel: means "meadow," and Abel is described (Gen. 4:2) as a shepherd tending flocks.

There are many more, including the Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Esau, all of whose names are related to events in the Genesis narrative or symbolic in other ways.