Names That Mean First
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- Kiara
Origin:
Variation of the Italian Chiara or the Irish Ciara or Aboriginal Australian, KoreanMeaning:
"light, clear; little dark one; cockatoo; first ray of sun"Description:
Kiara can be considered a variation of both the Italian name Chiara and the Irish name Ciara. Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, meaning "bright" or "clear," while Ciara is the feminine form of male given name Ciar, derived from the old Irish cíar, meaning "dark."
- Primrose
Origin:
English flower nameMeaning:
"first rose"Description:
A quaint and quirky flower name, until recently considered a bit too prim for most American classrooms but brought back to life in recent years by the attractive character of Primrose "Prim" Everdeen in the Hunger Games series. In the Top 300 girl names in England and Wales and on Nameberry, Primrose remains rare in the US, but is made more accessible by a raft of sweet nickname options, including Rosie and Posy.
- Hendrix
Origin:
Dutch and German, from first name HendrikMeaning:
"estate ruler"Description:
Hendrix is one of those hip rock and roll names, like Lennon, Jagger and Presley, that have been used by fellow celebs and others, to honor the seminal guitarist/singer/songwriter Jimi. And this one has the trendy 'x' ending, as well, helping to propel it up the charts and into the spotlight.
- Aarush
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"first ray of sun"Description:
A fiery Indian name used enough in the US to make it onto the Top 1000 list in 2010 and 2015.
- Antonella
Origin:
Spanish and Italian feminine variation of Anthony, LatinMeaning:
"from Antium"Description:
Antonella is a feminine form of Anthony growing in popularity throughout Latin America as well as in the US.
- Alpha
Origin:
Greek, first letter of the alphabetDescription:
The first letter of the Greek alphabet ande the brightest star in every constellation, this would make an interesting choice for a first daughter, though it does give off some spectral sci-fi reverberations--and references to the term "alpha male.".
- Alula
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"first leap"Description:
Alula, the palindromic name of the first double star to be identified as physically related to its twin, would make the perfect name for a first-born twin. Ideas (we're only half joking) for the second born: Aviva, Aziza, Otto. Alula is reminiscent of the unusual name chosen by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen for their second daughter: Elula, a month name from the Hebrew calendar.
- Elif
Origin:
Turkish and ArabicMeaning:
"first letter in the alphabet, slender"Description:
This is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph. Elif can also mean "slender", from the Turkish phrase elif gibi, literally "shaped like Elif."
- Primo
Origin:
ItalianMeaning:
"first"Description:
Primo is number one among the Latin birth-order names--Octavius et al--and the one most likely to be used in these days of smaller families. It has that jaunty 'o' ending and Italian flavor that many modern parents like so much. And what little boy wouldn't appreciate being prime?
- Elif
Origin:
Turkish and ArabicMeaning:
"first letter in the alphabet; slender"Description:
Elif is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph.
- Kady
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"first"Description:
Kady, though it has an authentic Irish meaning, may also be a variation of Katy short form of Kadence, or combination of initials K. and D. Though Kady is more distinctive, everyone will just hear it as Katy.
- Prim
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"first or demure"Description:
As a name, Prim is generally short for Primrose – as in the sweet younger sister of heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. But a word of warning: it also coincides with the English word "prim", meaning "disapproving, overly correct".
- Ilkin
Origin:
Turkish and AzerbaijaniMeaning:
"first"Description:
Authentically spelled İlkin, this would be an unusual (to English speakers) pick for a firstborn boy.
- Hendrix
Origin:
Dutch and German, from first name HendrikMeaning:
"estate ruler"Description:
Hendrix is an improbably trendy first name rising in honor of guitar great Jimi.
- Kazuo
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"first son or harmonious man"Description:
Kazuo is a boys' name well-used in Japan though not well-known in the U.S. Kazuo Ishiguro is the author of Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. The emphasis is on the first syllable.
- Ensio
Origin:
FinnishMeaning:
"first"Description:
Ensio derives from the Finnish word ensimmäinen, meaning "first one."
- Kensa
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"first"Description:
This Cornish word name would make an excellent choice for a first-born daughter.
- Mosi
Origin:
SwahiliMeaning:
"first born child"Description:
Traditional Swahili choice for the eldest child.
- Sabik
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"one who comes in first"Description:
Sabik, a star in Ophiuchus, makes for a rather harsh-sounding name. If you're looking skyward for a baby name, you'd do better with Orion or Jupiter. But if you are searching for names that mean new beginnings, this is one unusual choice.
- Primus
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"first"Description:
The revival of long-dormant Roman names would put this back in the lexicon if it wasn't so connected to a telecommunications network.