February Baby Names Spread the Love
February names are all about love! They may be names that mean love or be related to romantic symbols or deities. Besides Valentine’s Day, names for February babies have ties to events such as Black History Month and President’s Day.
February symbolism, such as the amethyst birthstone, and violet, iris, and primrose flowers, may inspire names for a February-born daughter. You may wish to consider Aquarius names or Pisces names depending on your child’s zodiac sign. In either case, names that mean water would be appropriate.
If you’re expecting a February baby, take a look at our guide to February baby names, below.
Top February Baby Names
The most popular February baby names are connected to symbols and celebrations of the month. Two of the flowers associated with February, Iris and Violet, rank within the Top 100 for girls and continue to rise.
Aquarius is an air sign symbolized by the water bearer, and Pisces is a water sign symbolized by a fish. So, no matter what sign your February baby is born under, a water-related name is sure to fit. Brooks is a red-hot choice for boys meaning “of the brook.”
In the US, President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday of the month, making presidential names especially appropriate for a February baby. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were both born in February — Lincoln, George, and Abraham all rank within the Top 250.
The name Joseph officially became presidential last year, when Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Joseph is currently the 30th most popular boy name in the US.
Here, February names within the official US Top 500:
- Abraham
- Amora
- Amy
- Brady
- Brooks
- Carmen
- David
- Esme
- Felix
- George
- Hattie
- Iris
- Joseph
- Jude
- Levi
- Lincoln
- Mila
- Valentina
- Violet
- Yaretzi
February Names for Girls
February’s most notable holiday is Valentine’s Day, which lends itself to all sorts of names with love-related meanings (how about Elska or Carys?). It’s also the perfect month to choose a name associated with a goddess of love, such as Aine, Freya, and Lakshmi.
Amethyst is the birthstone of February and a rare (but rising) gemstone name. It’s notable as the birth name of rapper Iggy Azalea, who has a son named Onyx. Another bejeweled name, Pearl, makes the list not because the gem itself is a symbol of the month, but because the Finnish name for February translates to “month of the pearl.”
Notable women with February birthdays include artist Yoko Ono (February 18), singer Nina Simone (February 21), and classic Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor (February 27). Actress Jennifer Aniston was born on February 11, 1969. Her surname inspired the coinage of Anniston, which took off after actors Chyler Leigh and Nathan West used it for their daughter in 2009.
Below, our recommendations of February baby names for girls:
- Aine
- Amethyst
- Anniston
- Astrid
- Branwen
- Carys
- Dove
- Dulcie
- Elizabeth
- Elska
- Freya
- Kalila
- Kerensa
- Lakshmi
- Pearl
- Priya
- Simone
- Suki
- Winter
- Yoko
February Names for Boys
Number names that mean two feel appropriate for a child born during the second month of the year. Kato and Kenji, Malachy and Kehinde are among our favorites of the options. Kehinde also connects to Black History Month as a Black hero name, in honor of African American artist Kehinde Wiley.
February’s holidays inspire wonderful boy names as well. A lovable name such as Amias or Corwin would suit a baby born around Valentine’s Day, or you may wish to use something with a more obvious connection, such as Arrow, Hart, or Valentine itself. If presidential names are more your style, we love some of the rarer surname options, including Rutherford and Truman.
Stylish surnames of February-born namesakes include those of abolitionist Frederick Douglass (February 1), Civil Rights Movement activist Rosa Parks (February 4), women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony (February 15), and French Romanticist Victor Hugo (February 26).
Here, our favorite February baby names for boys:
- Amias
- Anthony
- Arrow
- Corwin
- Douglass
- Euston
- Hart
- Hugo
- Kale
- Kato
- Kehinde
- Kenji
- Malachy
- Parks
- Rasmus
- Rhys
- Romeo
- Rutherford
- Truman
- Valentine
Unique February Baby Names
Black hero names are highlighted during Black History Month, and there are many distinctive choices worth considering. Among the most usable unique choices are surnames such as (Nelson) Mandela, (Oprah) Winfrey, and (Jessie) Owens, along with rare girl names including Coretta (Scott King) and Solange (Knowles).
February is the rarest of all twelve month names, having never cracked the five-name threshold to make it into the official US data. It’s a striking choice for either sex, although it may work particularly well for a baby girl.
The best-known saint with a February feast day is naturally St. Valentine, but the month hosts feast days of a number of others with cool, ultra-rare names. For girls, Kinnia, Scholastica, and Veridiana were given to fewer than five babies in 2022, as were boy names Conran and Aubin — the latter of which ranks in the French Top 300. Anselm is another attractive option, used on only ten American baby boys at last count.
These unique February baby names were given to fewer than 100 babies in 2022. Below, the best unique names for February babies: