Names That Mean Color

  1. Sienna
    • Origin:

      Italian color name
    • Meaning:

      "orange red"
    • Description:

      Sienna has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 2005, the year after Sienna Miller's acting breakthrough in the hit movies Alfie and Layer Cake. In the US, it also got a big boost in the early noughties, before dropping slightly then rebounding to reach an all-time high in 2022.
  2. Lavender
    • Origin:

      English color and flower name
    • Meaning:

      "purple flower"
    • Description:

      Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold. In fact, 2024 saw it enter the US Top 1000 for the first time, when it was given to nearly 260 girls.
  3. Melinoe
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "having the color of quince"
    • Description:

      In Greek Mythology, Melinoe was the daughter of Persephone, and fathered by both Zeus and Hades. She was one of two moon goddess, the other being Hecate, but was thought to be the bringer of nightmares and madness. Her name means "having the color of quince," a fruit with a yellow-greenish color that would have been associated with illness and death.
  4. Nile
    • Origin:

      River name, color name, or variation of Niall, Irish
    • Meaning:

      "champion"
    • Description:

      Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue or indigo.
  5. Cyan
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "greenish blue color"
    • Description:

      Cyan is a highly unusual blue-green color name, a classmate of Celadon and Cerulean. It does come with the homey nickname Cy.
  6. Amethyst
    • Origin:

      Gem and Color name
    • Description:

      As flower names become more unique, so can gem names move beyond Ruby and Pearl to names like Topaz, Sapphire, and Peridot. Amethyst, the purple birthstone for February, has never been in the Top 1000, but could have some appeal, joining similarly-hued Violet and Lilac, all of which make great names for Aquarius babies or names for February babies.
  7. Azure
    • Origin:

      English color name, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "sky blue; lapis lazuli"
    • Description:

      Azure is a colorful gender-neutral choice, currently used equally for baby girls and boys in the US. It refers to a specific shade of blue seen in a cloudless sky. Elon Musk revealed Azure to be the name of his daughter with Shivon Zilis, twin sister to Strider.
  8. Azure
    • Origin:

      English color name, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "sky blue; lapis lazuli"
    • Description:

      Azure is a colorful choice and currently, a gender neutral option, given to around 30 girls and 30 boys each year. Chosen by Elon Musk for his daughter, it fits in with other blue-toned color names like Indigo, Cerulean, and Blue itself.
  9. Viridian
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "blue green color"
    • Description:

      Unusual and beautiful blue green color and name possibility, a la Cerulean.
  10. Crimson
    • Origin:

      English color name
    • Meaning:

      "rich deep red"
    • Description:

      Crimson is a rare unisex color name used more frequently among baby girls.
  11. Mazarine
    • Origin:

      French color name
    • Description:

      Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.
  12. Turquoise
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "Turkish stone"
    • Description:

      Turquoise is similar in hue to Aqua, which is one of the cool new color names on the palette. Other blue-hued options: Cerulean, Cyan, Indigo, or Blue itself.
  13. Teal
    • Origin:

      Bird and color name
    • Description:

      Teal is one of the prettiest and most straightforward of the new color names -- an ideal middle name choice.
  14. Afra
    • Origin:

      Arabic; Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "color of earth; dust"
    • Description:

      Earthier version of the name of England's first female professional writer, Aphra Behn.
  15. Teal
    • Origin:

      Bird and color name
    • Description:

      This name of both a grayish-greenish-blue color and a kind of wild duck can be used for both boys and girls.
  16. Aquamarine
    • Origin:

      French from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "sea water; color between green and blue"
    • Description:

      A fresh and summery — if rather long — color that sounds namelike, but is extremely rarely used.
  17. Fuchsia
    • Origin:

      Plant and color name
    • Meaning:

      "vivid purplish-red; tubular flower"
    • Description:

      A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan. Another bearer is Fuchsia Voremberg, a member of the BBC Show, Antiques Roadshow who specializes in diaries and manuscripts.
  18. Burgundy
    • Origin:

      French place-name; also color name
    • Description:

      It's a place. It's a wine. It's a color. -- no wonder trend-heavy Burgundy's been discovered as a name.
  19. Garance
    • Origin:

      French color and botanical name
    • Description:

      This botanical name, referring to the vivid deep red color and to the madder plant from which it derives, is almost unknown to English speakers. But it's been trending in France recently, reaching the Top 100.
  20. Viridian
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "blue green color"
    • Description:

      Unusual and beautiful blue green color and name possibility, a la Cerulean.