Updated October 2026
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Esan
"first born of twins"
Strong name from the Esan language of Nigeria, with a satisfyingly specific meaning for a child's place in the family.
Latin
"first"
The revival of long-dormant Roman names would put this back in the lexicon if it wasn't so connected to a telecommunications network.
Arabic
"first leap"
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…
"one who comes in first"
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…
Turkish and Arabic
"first letter in the alphabet, slender"
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…
Turkish and Azerbaijani
Authentically spelled İlkin, this would be an unusual (to English speakers) pick for a firstborn boy.
"born feet first"
Agrippa started out as a rare Roman forename (praenomen), then became a family name (cognomen), most recognized for Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a powerful general under Augustus.
Ewe, Ghanaian
"first child of second husband"
West African names often convey circumstances of birth. In this case, Afafa marks the first child born to a mother's second husband.
Greek
The name of an early Greek god of the sea, after whom a moon of Neptune is named.
A Roman forename, and later family name, used for both sexes in ancient times (but more commonly men).
Bulgarian and Romanian
An almost unknown member of the cool two-syllable, n-ending group of boy names.
Swahili
"first born child"
Traditional Swahili choice for the eldest child.
Cornish
A modern Cornish word name, similar in sound to Kenzie, Kerensa, and Keziah, Kenza would make an excellent choice for a first-born daughter. The name has been given to around 50 babies since the late…
Japanese
"first snow"
Finnish
Ensio derives from the Finnish word ensimmäinen , meaning "first one."
Italian variation of Primrose, flower name
"first rose"
Primarosa somehow makes the meaning of this pretty delicate flower name more apparent to English speakers. This might make a good honor name for Grandma Rose.
Hebrew, German
"first born; mug, beaker, goblet"
Becher is both a Biblical name and a surname, used across Italy, the Philippines, Peru, and Tunisia in small numbers. From its Hebrew roots, it likely comes from bekhorah meaning "birthright". As…