Latin Names

Caledon, the name of the arrogant Billy Zane character in "Titanic," is an Irish place-name related to Caledonia, the Latin word for Scotland thought to be derived from the ancient Celtic word for "hard."  Cal is a wonderful nickname, and Caledon an inventive way to get there.

Caledon

Fauna is the Roman goddess of the earth as well as one of the fairies who protected Disney's "Sleeping Beauty". It can also be considered a word name with a scientific, nature focused feel. Used to as a way to refer to all the animals in a particular area, habitat, or time period, many might think of the phrase "Flora and Fauna" on seeing the name. 



Fauna

More likely to be spelled Constantine, this was the name of the first Christian emperor of the Roman empire, as well as three Scottish kings. Previously thought of as too bulky and unwieldy a name for a modern child, these days it would be perfectly acceptable.


Constantin

Decimus is one of the Roman numeral names used in large Victorian families--in this case for the tenth child. It is now seeing some new life thanks to the cutting-edge fashion for ancient Roman names. 
 The current interest in Decimus has been bolstered by The Hunger Games, in which many of the male characters have ancient Roman names. Decimus was also the middle name of Maximus, Russell Crowe's "Gladiator" character. Other Latin names such as Nero and Tiberius are also hot on Nameberry right now.
 Decimus is a name that was not only given occasionally to nineteenth century babies, but also to several notable literary characters in the works of Wilkie Collins and Anthony Trollope. Decimus Burton was a noted ninetenth century English architect.

Decimus

Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the US, 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 male 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.
 Though traditionally a male name, today a sizable portion of the Peregrines are female: 11 girls were named Peregrine in the US last year and 35 boys. Peregrine Teng Heard is a female playwright and actor.

Peregrine

A sassy, spunky name for the bold parent who doesn't remember Mrs. Ed Norton on The Honeymooners or who's into the nicknames-as-given-names trend sweeping the UK and returning to the US.
 Trixie is a standard nickname for Beatrix - another rising choice - and has been used by TV Presenter Emma Willis and Busted member Matt Willis for their daughter. 
Other namesakes include Trixie Mattel, the stage name of a popular drag queen and Trixie Belden, the thirteen-year-old heroine of an eponymous series in which she is a girl detective. Several children's shows have also featured Trixies, including Lazytown and My Little Pony. 
 
Trixie entered the UK Top 1000 in 2022, when 36 girls were given the name - with parents possibly drawing inspiration from Trixie Franklin, from the successful and well-loved TV drama Call the Midwife.

Trixie

The girls have Apple, Plum, Peaches, Cherry, and Berry: here's one variety of fruit suitable for a boy. 

Quince

Amadea is a strong and musical feminine form of Amadeus, as in Mozart. In more conservative times, Amadea might have seemed too strange for use on a contemporary baby, but by today's sensibility, it makes a good update for Amanda or Amy.

Amadea

Either an alternative feminization to Christina, an elaboration of the French diminutive Christelle , or a compound name, blending the element Christ- with either Stella or Ella. In the case of the latter, it could give you a rather powerful meaning. 

Christella

While this is usually thought of as a girls' name because of the Bond Girl connection, its sound is masculine and there's no reason it couldn't work for boys.

Vesper

As a girl name, Emlyn is likely to be a contracted form of Emmeline or Emmalyn, appealing to those who like drop the middle sound of the aforementioned names, and want something concise, stripped back, and contemporary looking on paper. In this case, Emlyn could mean "rival" from Emmeline or "universal lake, universally pretty" from Emmalyn (if you consider it a smoosh name).
 
More traditionally, however, Emlyn is a masculine Welsh name, combining the elements em and glyn meaning "around the valley" (or possibly from llyn, giving it the meaning "around the lake").
 
In the US, it was given to 10 girls in a recent year.

Emlyn

Typically used as a boy name, the light, cheerful Felix may appeal to those who like Felicity but want something less frilly, along the lines of Lennox, Lux, and Maddox. Derived from Latin to mean "happy, successful, and fortunate", Felix is given to a handful of girls most years in the US.
 
Actress Debby Ryan and singer Joshua Dun named their daughter Felix Winter in 2025.

Felix

A contemporary sounding word name with an ancient history, widely used in the Roman Empire, and based on the mythic goddess of good luck and fertility. 

Fortune

A rising vintage sweetheart for girls and a fresh new possibility for boys, following the likes of Nova. As a feminine name, it first became fashionable in England following the Battle of Alma – named for the Russian river – during the Crimean War. As a masculine name, it has been predominantly used among Mormons, owing to its appearance in the Book of Mormon.

A name with a variety of different roots, it is usually linked to anima, the Latin for "soul", and has the same meaning in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, however, it may also mean "young woman" in Hebrew and "apple" in Kazakh.
 
Its meaning in Mormonism isn't known for certain, but it appears in the Book of Mormon twice on a father and son, who are shown to be corrupt and rebellious before they then repent. 
 
Featured as a masculine name in the novel A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray, Alma was chosen for 10 boys in the US in a recent year, compared to 650 girls.

Alma

This Latinized form of a name that's well used in Italy and Spain is sometimes heard, oddly enough, in Ireland.

Alphonsus

Leta has hipster cred as the daughter of cool mommy blogger Dooce. Related to the Greek mythological Leda, a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy, Leta is a name that's as unique as it is historic: Only 14 baby girls were named Leta in the US last year, and 18 were named Leda. Pronunciation is lee-tah.

Leta

A spelling variation of Marty and Martie, this form has the retro charm of Joni, Patti, and Suki, and the contemporary feel of Remi, Romi, and Kaeli. Derived from the more classic Martin/a and Martha, it is predominantly given to girls, though only 10 babies were called Marti in a recent count.

Marti may also be considered a Javanese name, used as a feminine form of Marto, meaning "soft-natured, patient" or "refreshing".

Marti

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021 (and it is occasionally used for boys too).

The word solstice is derived from the Old French and Latin term meaning "point at which the sun seems to stand still." There are pagan celebrations around the time of the winter and summer solstices, June 21 and December 21, the longest and shortest days of the year, which makes Solstice one of the best <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/577/names-for-december-babies">names for babies born in December</a> or June.

Solstice

Saint Germain, the intellectual center of Paris, lends the name a creative aura. But most Americans would say jer-mayn.   The Latin Germanus may mean sprout or bud, or brother.

Germain

This French feminine version of Germain is a unisex choice in the U.S., also spelled Jermaine, Jemaine, and Germain.  Rooted in the ancient Latin Germanus, which may mean sprout or brother, it's no longer a fashionable choice in any version.

Germaine

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 23)