Latin Names

Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his daughter.
Neve Campbell pronounces her name nehv, to rhyme with Bev or Lev. If taken to represent the Italian and Portuguese word for snow, the pronunciation would change to nehv-ay. As an Anglicized form of the Irish Niamh, the correct pronunciation would be neev.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern chose the name Neve for her daughter, born while she was in office.

Neve

Though many might find it too syrupy, hundreds of parents each year choose this name for their daughters to make them feel special. Precious Ramotswe is the engaging African sleuth in the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. 

Precious

Candace, an ancient title of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens mentioned in the New Testament, is associated both with actress Candice Bergen and Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell. 
 Both spellings were most popular in the 1980s, but the sticky sweetness of nickname Candy undercuts the popularity of the name today. About 50 baby girls were named Candace last year, and half that many given the Candice spelling. 
 William Faulkner used the name Candace, shortened to Caddy, as a main character in his 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury.

Candace

Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girl names starting with J</a>. While Juna has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, it's a popular choice in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Juna

Augusta is a dignified name reminiscent of wealthy great-aunts and stately homes, but with the fashion for both August and Gus for boys, and the renewed interest in clunky classics like Gwendolyn and Winifred for girls, Augusta might just appeal to contemporary parents. 
 Augusta was the title of honor given to the wives and daughters of Roman emperors, which then morphed into a given name, brought to England by the German princess who became the mother of George III. It is also a place name and an Italian saint's name, borne by Augusta of Treviso who was tortured and murdered by her father for converting to Christianity.
 
Her literary Great-Aunt image was formed via the characters Lady Augusta Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, an elderly relative in the Harry Potter books, and Aunts Augusta in both Graham Greene's Travels with My Aunt and P.G Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels. Other notable bearers however have included sculptor Augusta Savage and Augusta Ada King, better known as Ada Lovelace.
 Augusta offers up two friendlier vintage nicknames--Aggie and Gussie--though Aussie (or Ozzie) and Augie could work too.
 
Augusta was chosen by content creators Jessica and Claudia Kellgren-Fozard for one of their daughters, born in 2025. She joined twin sister Theodora and brother Rupert.

Augusta

Celestine is a pretty, crystalline extension (actually a diminutive) of Celeste that would make a choice that is both delicate and strong. It is also a popular name in France, though typically spelled as Célestine. 
 
Meaning "heavenly", it shares a root with Celia and Celine and was a familiar choice in the US until the 1960s, Borne by the mother of painter Edgar Degas, and associated with the 1993 spiritual novel, The Celestine Prophecy 
 
Given to nearly 50 girls in the US in a recent year, it is slowly coming back into style, alongside Marceline and Josephine. Celestina and Celestia are other attractive variations.

Celestine

In an epic poem, the personification of truth, beauty, and unity; this ancient name is popular in several European countries but less common in the US. The Oona spelling is slightly more popular but Una sleeker.

Maris is an unusual and appealing name that has never appeared in the U.S. Top 1000, overshadowed by its twentieth century elaboration, Marisa/Marissa. It derives from the phrase "Stella Maris," star of the sea, one of the many epithets of the Virgin Mary, and became familiar via the unseen (but unliked) character of sitcom Frasier's ex-sister-in-law.
 
As a surname, Maris is associated with legendary NY Yankee, Roger Maris.

Maris

Joyful-sounding name that makes a really original option.

Caio

Silvana is a feminine form of the Ancient Roman Silvanus, sharing the same woodsy meaning. A mix of elegance and energy, Silvana may appeal to those who enjoy Sylvie, Sylvia, Savannah, and Solana. 

Silvana

Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the U.S., where it has been seen as extravagantly eccentric. In the new naming climate, though, it's not beyond consideration &mdash; in fact it's already been chosen by at least one Berry.
 The meaning of Peregrine, which was borne by several early saints, relates to the transitory nature of life on earth, having nothing to do with the peregrine falcon. In literature, it is best known from the central character of Tobias Smollett's novel Peregrine Pickle.
 Historically, Peregrine was the name chosen for the first English child born in the New World &mdash; actually on the Mayflower when it was docked in Provincetown.
 And there's always the Mad Men-era nickname Perry to make Peregrine more user-friendly.

Peregrine

Marcia is an ancient Roman name which derives from Mars, the god of war. It was used by Dante in the Inferno and later by Thomas Hardy and others.
 Marcia enjoyed a brief run of popularity in the mid-twentieth century--it was a Top 100 name from 1943 to 1955-- then was replaced by Marcy and Marci. Now all three are in limbo, replaced by the newer Marley or the more vintage Marcella. An alternate spelling of Marcia is Marsha. A strong association is with Marcia, Marcia, Marcia of The Brady Bunch.

Marcia

Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds.  Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color barrier by hiring Jackie Robinson for the Dodgers.
Like Leaf, Branch makes a nice, not-so-obvious, addition to the tree category.

Branch

In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child. 
 Prosper was the name of several early saints, including a noted fifth century theologian, St. Prosper of Aquitaine, and was a favorite of English Puritans.
 Prosper has strong associations with P.Merimee, who wrote the novel Carmen, upon which the opera is based. Prospers were also the protagonists of two other books, The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff and The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
 The Italian version, Prospero, is another attractive option, with ties to Shakespeare's magician character in The Tempest.

Prosper

Yes, it's the name of the brightest star in the sky, but can't you just hear people saying, "Are you serious?" Singer Erykah Badu used it as a middle name for son Seven. 

Sirius

Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the seventies, but is starting to attract attention again across the pond, where soundalikes like Macy, Marnie, Maisy, Darcy and Lacey are already popular.

Marcy

Verna may mean "springtime," but May or Spring is fresher. 

Verna

Despite its modern sound, Blaise has plenty of history as a given name (for boys), from a Christian martyr to Arthurian legends. Today Blaise feels like the cool and edgy Blaze with a French accent.

Blaise

Celestia is a heavenly name that sounds more ethereal than Celeste, Celestia might make a distinctive, feminine choice if your taste runs toward names like Angelina and Seraphina.
 Celestia was more popular than you might think in the late nineteenth century -- it made the popularity list six times in the 1880s. Celestia was the middle name of Caroline (Carrie) Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie."

Celestia

Stately Gaius (pronounced GUY-us) was in the name of many ancient Romans, including Julius Caesar. Little-used before the year 2000, it now feels like a fresh possibility in the revival of Latin boys' names like Atticus and Cassius. Caius and derivatives like Caio come from the same root, and in ancient Roman times Caius was probably pronounced as Gaius. You could also see Gaius as a male version of the earth-goddess name Gaia.

Gaius

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 16)