Many people in the Tanakh are referred to by their father's name. For instance שלמה בן דויד in 2 Chronicles 1:1. Are there any instances where someone is referred to by their mother's name? Like "John son of Martha"? I'm specifically looking for examples that use this grammatical form, not just places where we are told who someone's mother is.
4 Answers
Two of Esav's sons: Elifaz ben Ada and Re'uel ben Basemat (Bereishit 36:10)
The brothers Yoav ben Tzeruyah and Avishai (also known as Avshai) ben Tzeruyah. See for example Shemuel I:26:6 and Shemuel II:2:13. (For confirmation that Tzeruyah is indeed the name of their mother, see Divrei HaYamim I:2:16.)
Three of David’s sons: Avshalom ben Ma’acha, Adoniyah (or Adoniyahu) ben Chagit and Shefatya ben Avital (Shemuel II:3:3-4).
Aviyam (or Aviyah) ben Rechav'am is referred to in Divrei HaYamim II:11:22 using his mother's name: Aviyah ben Ma'acha.
Even though it doesn't exactly answer the question, Shemot 18:3 says that Gershom & Eliezer are Tzipporah's sons (below, translation from Sefaria.org):
וְאֵ֖ת שְׁנֵ֣י בָנֶ֑יהָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאֶחָד֙ גֵּֽרְשֹׁ֔ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֔ר גֵּ֣ר הָיִ֔יתִי בְּאֶ֖רֶץ נׇכְרִיָּֽה׃ and her two sons—of whom one was named Gershom, that is to say, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”