Updated October 2026
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Latin
"one in the shadow"
Pretty French sound, but there might be a lot of "umbrella" cracks.
Hebrew
"shadow"
Although this Old Testament name is soft and delicate, it runs the risk of conjuring up the monstrous Godzilla.
Italian
An unusual, haunting name, a distant cousin to the more popular Amber and Ember.
Basque
"Shadow"
The Basque name, meaning shadow, has the virtue of having both an interesting meaning and an obvious pronunciation.
Literature, Latin
Created by English poet Alexander Pope for a melancholy sprite in the 1712 poem The Rape of the Lock . He likely took the Latin word umbra "shadow". A moon of Uranus is named after the character.
French surname
"shadow outline"
Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician, gave his name to this portraiture technique – although, strangely, no one knows why.
Maori
A combination of ata "shade" and rangi "sky", this Māori name has a lovely natural meaning.