Names That Mean Name
Across 17 pages
of 17
Zooey
Literary name or variation of Zoe, Greek
"life"
Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey…
Ode
Word name or medieval English form of Otto
If Story and Poet and Sonnet can be names that work as well for girls as for boys, why not Ode?
Buell
Welsh
"dwelling"
The Dutch meaning (Buell is the Dutch occupational name for a hangman) is enough to keep most people away.
Cayo
Latin, from the Roman family name Caius
"rejoice"
Cayo is a rare and rhythmic Spanish name, all but unknown in the English-speaking world, that would make a lively choice.
Chip
Pet name for Charles
Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.
Cliff
Topographical name or short form of Clifford or Clifton
Cliff is a familiar, timeless short form -- never too popular, yet widely known -- that you might also think of as a geographical name ala Vale or Field.
Dino
Italian, diminutive of any name ending in -dino
Italian heritage name. It's sweet and simple, but has fallen almost out of use since its heyday in the 1960s.
Inoa
Hawaiian
"name chant"
Inoa is an evocative choice from the South Seas.
Freeman
Word name or surname name, English
"free man"
Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.
Gale
Nature name
Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games , it has new force for boys.
Jerome
Greek
"sacred name"
Jerome has a bespectacled, serious, studious image, just like its namesake saint, who was a brilliant scholar. St. Jerome is the patron saint of students, librarians, and archaeologists. Musical…
Beto
Short form of any name that ends in -berto
To the Anglo ear, Beto may not make sense as a short form of Gilberto, Roberto, or Alberto. But it is, and the o-ending makes is friendly, sleek, and modern.
Heron
Nature name or Greek
"hero"
Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy…
Hieronymus
German variation of Jerome
"sacred name"
This cognate of Jerome (of all things), familiar via the Dutch painter of fantastical scenes, H. Bosch, would appeal only to the most audacious, intrepid, attention-seeking baby namer. It is,…
Baylee
Variation of Bailey, English occupational name
"law enforcer, bailiff"
This Bailey variation is the second most popular spelling for girls, and while the -ee ending does make it more feminine, it feels more substantial in the original form. Bailee and Bayley are two…
Hieronymous
Greek
"sacred name"
A name used in Germany and Holland as a form of Jerome, it's the unlikely moniker of fictional detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch.
Land
Word name or diminutive of Landon
"long hill"
One of the simplest, most down-to-earth yet evocative of the word names, which could work — especially as a middle.
Link
Word name or diminutive of Lincoln
"ring, loop, connection; town by the pool"
Perhaps best associated today with the character from The Legend of Zelda game franchise, Link also has ties to the retro crime drama, The Mod Squad , to the presidential surname Lincoln, and of…
Marius
Latin, from a Roman family name related to Mars, the god of war
Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius…
Tullia
Feminine from of Tullius, Roman
"meaning unknown"
The unusual and intriguing Tullia has been used since Roman times and may appeal to parents who like Tallulah, Julia, and Lillia but want something that's very rarely heard. A feminine form the…