Latin Names

Kaius is a K-ization of the Latin Caius, the name of an ancient poet, introduced by style maven Rachel Zoe. More recently, it was used by Derek Jeter for his son.
 
The draw of Kaius over Caius is the easy shortening to Kai. The nickname-ability of Kaius has propelled it up the charts, where it now outranks the original Caius.

Kaius

This Italian name could have a whole new life when viewed as a color name, however, it is traditionally a masculine form of Carmen, pronounced with three lilting syllables. Both provide an arty, distinctive feel, though in different ways.

Carmine

Ollie is the versatile go-to nickname for the hugely popular Oliver, though the large majority of parents prefer to have the more formal name on the birth certificate. Even in the UK where nickname names are especially in vogue (and Ollie does rank in the Top 150), long-form Oliver is still used more than seven times more frequently. 
 
Derived from Latin to mean "olive tree", friendly Ollie was in the US Top 300 in the early half of the 20th-century, however, you may be surprised to learn it actually ranked higher for girls until the 50s. Currently out of the Top 1000 entirely, a recent year saw it given to 207 boys and 80 girls.

Ollie

This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.

 In the Southern African language of Tswana, it is a unisex name meaning "gift".

Joyce was once a <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boy name</a>, but took off for girls during the mid-twentieth century, when it spent 1930 to 1947 in the Top 20. 
 Now, Joyce is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girls' names starting with J</a> least likely to make a comeback any time soon.
 Joyce has a long history as a surname, perhaps most prominently connected to James Joyce, author of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.

Joyce

Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed as simply as K-starting version of Cara. 

But Kara is also uniquely a Norse mythology name, drawn from the name of a valkyrie meaning "wild stormy one".. Kara was a Valkyrie, lover of Helgi, who charmed his enemies in battle by enchanting them with song.

Both Cara and Kara peaked in the 1980s but Kara remains more popular than the Cara variant.

Kara

Claudia is a classic name with ancient Roman roots. Never truly in or truly out, Claudia feels like a strong, modern choice that hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual..
 Claudia was a common <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> in ancient Rome, borne by the wives of both Nero and Pontius Pilate. The name is mentioned in the New Testament in one of St. Paul's letters to Timothy as one of the Christian women in Rome. As a result, it was taken up in the sixteenth century and has been in moderate use ever since.

 There was a popular mid-century series of novels by Rose Franken, beginning with Claudia: The Story of a Marriage. The name was also used by Agatha Christie and Penelope Lively, as well as being a main character in Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire. Model Claudia Schiffer gave it an infusion of glamour, as had earlier Italian actress Claudia Cardinale. Michelle Pfeiffer has a daughter named Claudia.

 While some parents may be put off by the common "lame" meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise appealing name.

Claudia

Clarissa, the daintier version of Claire, has a long literary history of its own, having been featured in the novels of Samuel Richardson, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf—Clarissa was the title character of Mrs. Dalloway—not to mention the 1990s teen sitcom, Clarissa Explains it All. 
 Clarissa is a name definitely worth considering as an alternative to the overused Vanessa and Melissa. Appealing diminutives are Clarry and Claris.
 Red Cross founder Clara Barton was born Clarissa.

Clarissa

One of the first breakaway <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a>, Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates. Popular in the mid-20th-century, it has fallen out of favor in recent years, replaced by Tommy, Sonny, and Ozzy.
 
Terry emerged as a diminutive of Terence which derived from a Roman family name of uncertain meaning. Possibilities however include "soft" or "one who threshes". Alternatively, it could be an English contraction of the French Thierry, a variation on Theodoric, meaning "ruler of the people".

Terry

Lucius is an old Roman clan name that has lots of religious and literary resonance, yet is still vital today. It was the name of three popes, appears in several Shakespeare plays, and, like all the names beginning with 'luc' relates to the Latin word for light.It was one of a limited number of forenames used in ancient Rome, and because of its meaning was often given to boys born at dawn.
 In the Bible, Lucius is the name of three people; Shakespeare used it for the son of Titus in Titus Andronicus, a young servant of Brutus in Julius Caesar, a lord in Timon of Athens and a Roman general in Cymbeline.
 Other fictional bearers of the name can be found in Le Morte d'Arthur, The Golden Ass, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Faulkner's The Reivers, Batman, Talladega Nights, and The Incredibles. Lucius Malfoy, the father of Draco, is a Harry Potter villain, and other Luciuses have been portrayed on screen by Morgan Freeman, Joaquin Phoenix and Luke Wilson.
 Real-life namesakes include renowned World War II General Lucius B. Clay, and writer, photographer, and bon vivant Lucius Beebe.

Lucius

Lazarus is a name that looks as if it could possibly be raised from the dead, just like its biblical bearer. Look for it in the next wave of Old Testament revivals that transcend their long-bearded images, the way Noah, Moses, and Abraham have for this generation.
 In the Bible, there are two people named Lazarus, the better known being the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany whom Jesus raised from the dead. There have been also several saints named Lazarus.
 As a surname, Lazarus is most identified with poet Emma Lazarus, whose words are displayed on the Statue of Liberty.
 Related options are the original Hebrew Eleazar, the Italian and Spanish Lazaro, and the Yiddish form Lazer/Laser, the name of the son in the film The Kids are All Right.

Lazarus

Maxton is a new member of the ever-expanding Max clan of baby names, hitting the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011. It joined newfangled Maxon and stylish cousin Paxton, though it did drop out of the charts in 2023. 150 boys did still recieve the name in the most recent year.
 While the classic Maxwell, Maximus, Maxim, Maximillian, or just plain Max have shown more staying power than Maxton, it does tick the box as a surname-inspired invention that sounds new but not too obviously so.

Maxton

Ulysses is one of the few U boys' names anyone knows -- with heavy links to the Homeric hero of The Odyssey, the eighteenth US president Ulysses Grant, and the James Joyce novel -- all of which makes it distinguished, if a little weighty, for a modern boy. 
 
The Latinate form of the Greek Odysseus, the name means "wrathful" or "to hate", however, if you were after a more positive meaning, the word "odyssey" has come to mean "long, eventful journey". Ulysses was on the US popularity list until 2005, however, it has since declined, with 150 boys bearing the name in a recent year.
 Former SNLer Anna Gasteyer made this bold choice for her son, perhaps inspiring others to follow her lead. George Clooney's character name in the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? is Ulysses.
 Trivia tidbit: The presidential bearer was christened Hiram Ulysses Grant, but reputedly was all too happy when his first two names were reversed at West Point, as he had always been embarrassed by having the initials HUG.
 
The name more recently featured in the 2021 novel Still Life by Sarah Winman.

Ulysses

This original form of the name -- the more familiar Sylvia spelling came later -- seems more modern now. 

Silvia

Juno is an ancient name that feels as fresh as if it had been minted, well, not yesterday, but in 2007. Since the release of the popular indie film Juno, this lively but strong Roman goddess name has held new potential as a baby name. Currently in the UK Top 500 and used in The Netherlands too, Juno is on the rise in the US - and is 15 times more popular than it was before the release of the film.
 
In Roman mythology, Juno was the sister and wife of Jupiter (yes, you did read that right) and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. The patron goddess of Rome and protector of women and marriage and the goddess of finance, Juno's name is heard in Virgil's Aeneid, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and Sean O'Casey's 1924 play Juno and the Paycock. The deity's name is of uncertain origin, but likely derives from the root -iuwen, meaning young. With Jupiter and Minerva, she made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very center of Roman religion.
 
With its strong but sweet sound, reminiscent of vintage June and contemporary Juniper, with its appealing but rare-for-girls -O ending, it is unsurprising perhaps that Juno is a Nameberry favorite and on the rise in the "real world". Given to around 170 girls in 2023 - and to nearly 50 boys, it joins Artemis as a traditionally feminine goddess name that is becoming a unisex option. 
 
Actress Juno Temple and writer Juno Dawson are notable bearers of the name, while Coldplay's Will Champion chose Juno for one of his twins (whose brother is the kingly Rex).

Juno

Bright, lively, and multicultural, Alba has the vintage mellowness of Alma but spirited feel of Ebba, Phoebe, and Pippa too. Derived from multiple different sources, a recent year saw it appear as a Top 10 name in France and Sweden, and a Top 100 choice in Belgium, England and Wales, Italy. Spain, Scotland, and Switzerland, though it has yet to reappear in the US charts
 af meaning "elf", in turn making it a relative of Elva, Alfred, and Albert. Additionally, it is the Spanish, Italian, and Catalan word for "dawn", associating it with new beginning, and was is to refer to Scotland in Scottish Gaelic. 
 
Notably appearing in the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife by the character Alba DeTamble, it is also borne by actress Jessica Alba as a surname.

Alba

Derived from the Latin word aemulus, Emil is a name with international appeal. Concise and sturdy but with the gentle Em sound, Emil is popular across Europe, from Azerbaijan to Finland, from Germany to Norway, and Denmark. Alternative spelling Emile also ranks highly in Belgium and Canada. 
 
In the US however, while Emil was briefly popular in the 19th century, by the early 1980s, it had completely dropped out of the Top 1000. Though its variants Emiliano and Emilio currently sit in the Top 300 - as do the similar sounding Emmett, Emerson, and Emmanuel - Emil still awaits rediscovery

Emil

Antonia is stronger than most feminized <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ names</a>, reflecting the pioneer spirit of Willa Cather's classic novel My Antonia. Antonia is hovering near the bottom of the US popularity list, which may be an excellent reason for you to use it.
 Antonia was borne by several prominent women in ancient Rome, including the mother of the Emperor Claudius. A recent distinguished namesake is British historian/biographer Lady Antonia Fraser. It is also the full name of actress Nia Vardalos.

Antonia

Zinnia is an unusual floral choice with a bit more edge and energy than most and beginning to find its way onto namers' wish lists of botanical possibilities. Named after the 18th-century German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, it appears in Roald Dahl's Matilda as the young protagonist's mother.
 In the language of flowers, Zinnias symbolize remembrance, affection, tribute, and friendship.

Zinnia

Patience is a passive virtue turned engaging name, fresher than Hope, Faith, or even Charity. Its resemblance to the trendy Payton may be one reason that it returned to the US charts back in the 90's and 2000s, having been absent for a century.
 Common in the seventeenth century, Patience is the eponymous heroine of a Gilbert & Sullivan comic operetta. In literature, Patience appears in Shakespeare's Henry VIII and in Anthony Trollope's novel, The Eustace Diamonds
 In the 2004 film Catwoman, the non-superhero name of the protagonist, played by Halle Berry, is Patience Phillips--which may have caused the name's bump in popularity two years later. It remained in the charts until 2014, however, it has now declined. 
 
Its disappearance might be down to parents finding Patience a little too much like Prudence, Chastity, or Temperance: names that could feel heavy to wear or live up to. Alternatively, it could have just been pushed out by a new wave of virtue options, such as True, Chosen, Felicity, and Sage.
 
Still, Patience would be an unexpected choice, and nickname Penny would be pretty sweet!

Patience

Latin names are plentiful throughout English-speaking countries, as Latin is one of the root languages for English. Latin names include many of the most popular baby names in the Western world, including Lucy and Oliver, Julia, and Miles.

Latin names in the US Top 100 for girls include Ava, Clara, Lillian, Olivia, and Stella. For boys, Latin names in the US Top 100 include Dominic, Lucas, Julian, Roman, and Sebastian. In Rome, popular names include Cecilia, Viola, Christian, and Santiago.

Of course, many unique baby names have Latin origins too, such as Sidra, Domino, and Vesper. Latin was the language of ancient Rome, another source for fashionable modern names, such as Augustus, Cassius, and Octavia.

Browse all of our Latin baby names here, ordered by popularity on Nameberry. 

Latin names of origin in the Latin language, the language and culture of ancient Rome, including Latin names for boys and Latin names for girls, with meanings and popularity. (Page 10)