Names That Mean Mother

Maia was derived from the Greek word maia, meaning "mother." In Greek legend, she was the fair-haired daughter of Atlas who mothered Zeus's favorite illegitimate son, Hermes. To the Romans, Maia was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May. Maya is the more common spelling.

The Spanish form of Amaya is both a given name and a surname, originating from the Spanish mountain and village of Amaya. In this context it means "mother city" or "the capital." Amaya can also be considered a derivation of Amaia, a Basque name meaning "the end." In Japan, Amaya is a surname.

Floral, bright, and subtly powerful, Gaia is a name with two separate origins. In Greek mythology, it is the name of the earth goddess and the universal mother, who takes her epithet from the Ancient Greek word for land or ground. It was this ecological element that led actress Emma Thompson to choose it for her daughter back in 1999, and it could hold similar appeal to green minded parents today.

The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.

Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain, agriculture, and the harvest, growth and nourishment, was Zeus's sister and Persephone's mother. Variation Demetria is the full name of actress Demi Moore. Though familiar, Demeter is not one of the Greek goddess namesthat's finding widespread modern favor.

Lillemor is a relatively recent coinage in Scandinavia, where it was most popular in the 1930s and '40s, especially in Sweden. As such, it is considered rather dated in Scandinavia, but it would certainly make a fresh choice for lovers of "Lily" names abroad — although the "Lil" in this case actually comes from lille "little".

An anagram of Mama, in tune with its Tamil meaning.

A Norse goddess who was one of the nine mothers of Heimdall. Atli, the masculine form, is related to the popular Hungarian name Attila.

Ece is another name for Umay, the Turkish goddess of the Earth and fertility. It is derived from the Old Turkic word eçe, meaning "mother."

In Inca mythology, Saramama was the goddess of maize.

One of the more unusual mythology names for girls, Neith is the name of the Egyptian goddess of home and femininity.

Moa was among the Top 100 Swedish baby names throughout the 2000s and 2010s, though it has since declined in use. Pronounced as MOO-ah in Sweden, it is virtually unknown in the US.

Janaina is a name used by Brazilians and Caribbean people to refer to a Yoruba goddess of pregnancy and motherhood but also the Virgin Mary.

A Hungarian name rarely heard outside its native culture, Emese appears as the legendary grandmother of Árpád, the founder of the Hungarian state. It featured in the Hungarian Top 100 from when the records began in the 2000s, right up until 2022.

Mitrofan comes from the obscure Greek name Metrophanes. It is primarily used as a first name but is also seen as a surname in countries such as Romania.

Traditionally given to girls who were thought to be reincarnations of their paternal grandmother.

A bit grown-up for a tiny baby.

In Inuit mythology, Akna is the goddess of fertility and childbirth.

The name of Noah's wife, a daughter of Rake'el (his father's brother), according to Jubilees 4:33 of the Old Testament Apocrypha. It may mean "mother of Sarai".