Updated October 2026
Single page list
Word name, English from German
"cherished ambition or hope; thoughts and images experienced during sleep; ideal"
A whimsical and serene feeling word name, bestowed to reflect the joy and perfection parents might find in their children and the ambitions they have for them. Once a fantastical and celebrity-only…
Swahili, Arabic
"divine grace, blessing"
Ultimately from the Arabic ni'ma , this Swahili name celebrates the blessing of a baby. Also used as a masculine name, Neema is notably borne by film director Neema Barnette and activist Neema…
Japanese, Hausa
"safety, peaceful, beauty, apricot; born during the month of fasting"
Azumi is both a Japanese given name and a surname. It was used as the title of an award winning manga series that ran between 1994 and 2008 and is borne by singers Azumi Takahashi and Azumi Inoue and…
Swahili
"light, born during the day"
Related to the better-known Arabic name Noor.
African
"born during the Idd festival"
Adverse associations with the ruthless Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
Africa, Luhya
"born during famine"
Feminine form of the male name Wanjala.
Not likely to become very popular in the US anytime soon.
Yoruba, Nigerian
"born during father's absence"
Yoruba names often reveal circumstances around a child's birth. In this case, Abidemi reveals a daughter was born without her father present.
Hindi
"music, song"
Both graceful and melodious.
English Traveller, Romani
"born during a thunderstorm"
A name given by the Traveller community in England to a child born when it is raining.
Luhya
"born during weeding season"
The Luhya people of Kenya have male and female names that denote the season the child was born in — Harvest, Planting, Rain, Weeding, Drought, or Hunger Season. Naliaka is the feminine name for…
Word name
"courage during adversity"
Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored that could feel rather heavy for a modern boy. Nevertheless, with options such as Sincere, Chosen, Messiah, and Valor on the rise, perhaps in…
Ewe, Ghanaian
"born during good times"
"born during the pilgrimage to Mecca"
A name appropriate for boys born during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim is expected to make once in his lifetime.