Latin Names

Seneca was both a Roman philosopher-statesman and is a Native American Iroquois tribe. Occasionally used for both girls and boys, Seneca is now a Hunger Games character.

Seneca

A name halfway between its old milquetoast image and a more jovial Irish-sounding contemporary one. 

Chauncey

Vital and vivacious, Vita is stirring back to life along with many of her V-themed sisters -- Vivian, Vivica -- and is becoming a new celebrity baby favorite. 

Vita Sackville-West was a British author and garden designer in the early 20th century, most famous as the friend and lover of Virginia Woolf.

Vita

Though the variation Pius is too, well, popeish, Pio might work for an ordinary boy. 

He was the original Roman, Remus's twin and a founder of Rome. But parents attracted to this name are advised to read the legend first. Romulus does have some less than savory characteristics, including killing his twin brother and making Rome in his own image, and is later deified as Quinnius. Romy and Quinn might make good <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/twin-names-the-ultimate-guide">twin names</a>.

Romulus

This name of a Roman emperor and of a sedating plant is still used quietly, given to about a dozen baby boys in the US last year. It has a strong, rhythmic sound and could make a modern-feeling honor name for grandma Valerie.

Valerian

Lucifer is the name of the archangel cast into hell and while theologians disagree on whether he and Satan are separate beings, it long been on the list of forbidden names for religious and non-religious parents alike. With connotations of hell and devilry so strongly attached to it, the name is officially banned in some places, including New Zealand.
 
But is there hope for Lucifer? With its light-related meaning and its rebellious, edgy feel, parents who enjoy Lilith, Riot, Rebel, Rogue and similar, may be drawn to it, especially with modern portrayals of the the figure, in series such as Lucifer (2021). 
 
A controversial choice, Lucifer had never appeared in the US stats before 2002, when it began to be sporadically used for a small handful of boys. Over the last decade, however, use of the name has picked up, with more than 70 babies given the name in 2021. The number dropped to 43 in 2023, placing it alongside Jedediah, Remiel, Olsen, Kyzir, and Ted in the charts.

Lucifer

J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella and Beatrix to make a convivial and original name. The down side: the Harry Potter character Bellatrix, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is a character so evil she's called a Death Eater, killing one beloved character and being murdered by another. And the name Bellatrix is so closely associated with that character that it might be challenging to sidestep the association.

Bellatrix

This simplified spelling of Claire does not improve on the more popular version.

Clair

A saint's name with a noteworthy literary background, including uses by Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing, by Ben Johnson, Walter Scott, Longfellow, D. H. Lawrence and Neil Gaiman. In real life, her two most well known representatives are writer Ursula Le Guin and actress Ursula Andress. In literature, there is also Ursula Iguaran, a key, long-lived character in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's major work, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
 Caveat: Today's kids might associate this name with the campy, corpulent octopus in Disney's The Little Mermaid.
 Ursula ranked in the Top 1000 through 1983. Time for a comeback?

Ursula

Eliane is a melodic name with the very fashionable El- beginning. Lovely and lilting as it is, be aware that there are many El- variations around these days, and little girls called Ellie as a result.


Eliane

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.
 Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, and Lucius might be a preferable choice if you know anything about ancient Roman history.

Nero

This name is a classic example of an underused golden oldie that ticks so many boxes - unusual yet traditional, heaps of cute nicknames, a statement name that exudes retro cool. Aloysius is the Latin form of many more common names like Louis, Luis, Luigi and the uncommon but symphonically familiar Ludwig. Aloysius is familiar to Catholic name seekers as the name of the saint who died treating those afflicted by a pandemic, and is therefore a symbol of selfless caring - a worthy namesake in these somewhat egocentric times. Aloysius was historically common in Ireland, and is occasionally passed down in Irish families today. The feminine form is Aloysia.

Aloysius

Men may be from Mars as the saying goes, and the name may derive from the Latin maris meaning male, but soul singer Erykah Badu and Workaholics star Blake Anderson have given it potential as a unisex name after they both used it for their daughters. 
 
Ticking the boxes as a mythological name and as a space-related choice, Mars first appeared in the US stats for girls in 2016. Chosen for 36 girls in 2023, it has been quietly gaining more attention, though it does remain 4 times more popular for boys at last count.
 
Connected to the month of March and to one of the brightest objects in the sky - The Red Planet - Mars could fit in with the likes of Mae and Winter, Luna and Nova, Juno and Freya, Sloane and Quinn.

Mars

Also spelled Macsen, this ancient name manages to sound modern and cool.  An heroic namesake was Maxen Wledig, a fourth century Spanish-born general who led the Roman army out of Britain, and as Emperor was the most powerful occupant of the throne of the Caesars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven Hills. 

Maxen

Silvanus was the Roman god of the forests and is also an alternate name in the New Testament for Silas.  Relatives include Silvio, Silvius, and Sylvia.

Silvano

Derived from the Ancient Roman family name, Augustinus, itself a form of Augustus, this elaborate form is less familiar than August and Augusta, but it has the flair of Georgiana and Evangelina. Briefly popular in the US, France and Czechia a century ago, Augustina blends clunky and frilliness. 

Augustina

Hilary (also spelled with two 'l's) is a hot potato of a name, so closely identified with Sen. Clinton that it's hard for most parents to see it as a baby name. A pity, really, as it's got so much going for it: the popular, rhythmic three-syllable structure, the fact that it's strong but light, proper but jaunty, with an irresistible meaning -- having the same root as hilarious. 

Hilary

Marino is an Italian first and surname with distinct crossover possibilities, having pleasant seaside undertones, and is far more unusual in the U.S. than sister Marina.
 Marino Marini was an Italian sculptor who has a museum dedicted to his work in Florence; Dan Marino a record-breaking football quarterback.

Marino

Lucienne is a soft and ultra-sophisticated French-accented option in the Lucy family, one that could provide a fresh alternative to such fatigued Gallic choices as Danielle and Michelle.
 So if you're looking for a more elegant take on Lucy, this could be it. The original male Lucian is a Latin name while Lucien is the French form and Lucienne is a female spin on that.

Lucienne

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 18)