From Greek exodos, meaning "departure" or "going out," and best known as the title of the biblical book.
Exodus derives from the Greek *exodos*, a compound of *ex-* ("out") and *hodos* ("road" or "way"), meaning literally "a going out" or "departure." The word entered the Western consciousness primarily through the Hebrew Bible, where it names the second book of the Torah — the foundational account of the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery under Moses. That narrative has reverberated through three thousand years of theology, literature, art, and political thought, making Exodus one of the most symbolically charged words in Western civilization.
It became a template for liberation movements worldwide, from the spiritual songs of enslaved African Americans to Zionism to Rastafarianism, in which the Exodus story is central to the concept of returning to Africa from Babylon. As a given name, Exodus is audacious and rare, chosen by parents who want a name that carries unmistakable spiritual and historical gravity. It gained some public visibility when punk icon Paul Westerberg's son bore the name, and it has appeared occasionally among religiously expressive communities, particularly in evangelical Christian and Rastafarian contexts.
Bob Marley's iconic 1977 album *Exodus* deepened the name's cultural resonance, cementing it as a symbol of spiritual journey and collective freedom. In the era of bold, meaningful names — Heaven, Genesis, Zion — Exodus occupies the outer edge: a name that demands to be noticed, carrying the weight of one of humanity's oldest stories of liberation.