Latin Names

Ilario's merry, jovial sound reflects a shared root with the word hilarious. 

Ilario

An unusual possibility; Zea would fit right in with schoolmates named Tea and Leya. 

Rising boys' name could cross the gender line. 

Corbin

A short form of the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Guadalupe, Lupe is both a spiritual name and an animal related choice. When considered alongside its long-form, it is associated with a convent in Spain and the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to a Mexican man in the 16th-century. Taken as a stand-alone option, it derives from lupus, the Latin word for "wolf". 
 A unisex choice, though always slightly favored for girls in the US, it appeared in the US Top 1000 in the first half of the 20th-century. The name then fell out of fashion in the 60s, and a recent year saw it given to just 7 boys and 9 girls respectively. In comparison, 244 girls and 31 boys were called Guadalupe the same year.

Lupe

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.
 The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann novel, Once is Not Enough, which was later made into a movie. Then, five years later, the mother-to-be of January Jones – future Mad Men star – was inspired by that character to give the name to her baby daughter, as did enough other parents in 1978 to bring January to Number 639 on the list.
 
More recently, January was used by Emily Henry in her popular contemporary romance novel, Beach Read, which might inspire parents-to-be in coming years. As of 2024, it was only used on 11 girls in the US, making it a very rare choice.
 So if you're looking for a cool and unusual namesake for a Janet, Janice or Joanna – or for someone with a birthday in the first month of the year , January might be the perfect alternative. January, along with Snow and Frost, are also perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a>.

January

While Jay has been long used as a stand-alone boy name, it has more recently been used as one for girls. Otherwise, it has largely been seen as a pet form of any J name, or as a singular middle name. 

Ultimately derived from the Roman family name, Varius, this name is versatile as its meaning suggests. Both ancient and modern in feel, rugged yet regal, it may appeal to those who like Adrian, Valentine, Damarion, and Valiant.
 
The name has been used for a major character in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft and in the Disney series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Varian

Minimalist nickname via XXX star Diesel (born Mark Vincent). 

Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.

Nebula

An ancient and highly unusual name; St. Alban -- sometimes also called Albinus or Aubin -- was an early martyr in Roman Britain.  Using an alternate spelling, Alben Barkley was the 35th U.S. Vice-President, serving under Harry Truman.  And Albin is popular in modern Sweden. But only the form Alban has the alternate meaning "from Alba".

Alban

A sparky, summery name, Soli likely derives from the Spanish and Portuguese name Sol, itself taken from the word for "sun". As such, it may also relate to the Italian Sole and French Soleil.
 
Additionally, Soli might be considered a diminutive of Solange, Soline, or Solenne, all meaning meaning "solemn" or "religious" from their Latin roots, or it could come from the Hebrew Solomon, meaning "peace".

Soli

One for the truly adventurous baby namers, or perhaps an unexpected middle name to liven up a more traditional first. But on trend short form Bo does make it feel a little more accessible.

Bonaventure

A welcoming name that seems to say "hello". Celio can be thought of as a much rarer male variation of Celia. With heavenly names in the ascendant, we may be hearing lots more of Celio.

Celio

This spelling variation of Angelica was popularized by actress Anjelica Huston.

Anjelica

Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given to the poet's granddaughter. Christabel Pankhurst was a famous U.K. suffragist.


Christabel

Claribel improves on its mother name Clarabelle by distancing itself from the clown and the cow.

Claribel

Like Horace, Horatio is a variation on the Latin Horatius, but its Shakespearean and optimistic Horatio Alger pedigree makes it an attractive up-and-comer, especially with its cool final o. A modern reference is the charismatic TV character Horatio Caine played by David Caruso in CSI: Miami.
 Horatio was the given name of Lord Nelson, one of the most dashing of British heroes, the naval commander who led the British fleet to destroy the French at Trafalgar, and it also belonged to Hamlet's loyal friend. Another literary namesake is Captain Horatio Hornblower, the protagonist of a long-running series of naval novels penned by C. S. Forester, played on screen by Gregory Peck.

Horatio

One of those ultimate cool-girl names, played by Keira Knightley in a movie about a supermodel-turned-bounty hunter, but kids might associate it with the game. High profile British designer India Hicks used it for her daughter. As a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a>it's still very rare, used in 2015 in the US for only seven baby girls.

Domino

Drusilla is an ancient Roman name, (probably) borne by descendants of Antony and Cleopatra, and is one of the 'illa' names that are ready for a comeback, especially with its cute short form Dru.
 Drusilla appears in the New Testament as the wife of Felix (twin alert?), and later made appearances in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone and Faulkner's The Unvanquished. Drusilla is a vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and was a long-running character on the soap The Young and the Restlass. 
 An alternate spelling is Drucilla.

Drusilla

A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.
 In Agatha Christie's mystery Murder on the Links, there are twin sisters named Dulcie and Bella, who were a vaudeville duo known as "The Dulcibella Kids." In Don Quixote, the hero's love is Dulcinea.

Dulcie

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 24)