Latin Names

South America provides a continent of interesting, undiscovered names -- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and the tango-rhythmed Argentina. 

Argentina

Pleasingly quaint and dainty New Testament possibility; the nickname Dru modernizes it. 

Drucilla

An arty and elegant French form of Aurelius, Aurèle is pronounced with two syllables, the first being a soft O sound. A Top 300 choice in its native France, it has seen increased use in recent years after entering the charts in 2016.
 
Occasionally spelled as Aurele, it has been notably borne by ice hockey player Aurèle Joliat, archbishop of Ottawa Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, and flautist Aurèle Nicolet. The latter was considered one of the best flute players of the 20th century and his death in 2016 coincides with Aurèle's entry into the charts, suggesting parents may have been inspired by the musician.

Aurèle

Evokes a sympathetic feeling of generosity and charity. 

Donata

A beautiful rare choice, derived from Latin aurum "gold".

Auriol

Austria is an nteresting, appealing, unexplored geographic destination, much fresher than American cousin Austin.
 A related and attractive possibility is Austria's capital city, Vienna, the name of the character played by Joan Crawford in "Johnny Guitar," and also heard on the soap "As the World Turns."

Austria

Most distinctive of the Dominic-related girls' names. 

Domini

Bellarie entered the US stats for the first time in 2025, likely owing to its appearance as a surname in the 2024 TV show, Beauty in Black — and because of its similarity to the likes of Bellamy, Valerie, Bella, and Ariella. 
 
Possibly blending the elements of belle with the Italian Aria or the French rire, the name could mean "beautiful air, beautiful song" or "beautiful laughter". Alternatively, it could stem from the Latin bellare meaning "to fight".
 
Seven girls received the name in a recent count.

Bellarie

Real name that sounds like a made-up combination of Dillon and Lillian. 

Dillian

Best associated with the Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, this distinctive option brings to mind radiant and colorful light displays in the night sky. Derived from Latin, it means "northern" or "of the north" and could make a bold addition to the pool of space and nature related names, especially as a middle name. 




Borealis

A cozy short form of Ambrose and co., Brosie could make a sweet nickname for a kid, but as a stand alone, it might be best reserved for a pet. 

Brosie

The source of other more familiar names like Celia, Celio, and Celine, Caelius is a handsome Ancient Roman name, meaning "heaven". Pronounced with a hard C, it could give you contemporary nickname, Kai (or Cai). 


Caelius

Cajetan is the English form of the Late Roman Caietanus meaning "from Caieta" — a small town in ancient Italy. The name is notably associated with the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and cardinal, Thomas Cajetan (also known as Gaetanus, Tommaso de Vio or Thomas de Vio), and with Saint Catejan, a 15th century saint, priest, and religious reformer. 
 
Cajetan is an Anglicized form of the name, that appears as Gaetano in Italian (ga-eh-TA-no) and as Kajetan (pronounced ka-YEH-tan) in Poland, In fact, the latter has been in the Polish Top 100 since 2000, and ranked at #996 in the England and Wales charts in 2015 as well.
 
Cajetan, pronounced with the J sound, has never appeared in the charts in the UK or the US.

Cajetan

Also appearing as Callixtus, this late Roman name has been borne historically by three Popes and Bishops of Rome, including Callistus I, the patron saint of cemetery workers. Derived from Greek, it has the poetic meaning of "most beautiful".
 
While its offshoots Calixte, Calisto, and Calixto have ranked in France, Brazil, and Spain in the past, Callistus remains rare, though it has seen some use in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Does it have potential? With the rise of names like Atticus, Adonis, Cassius, and Maximus, it doesn't seem completely out there, especially given that it comes with down-to-earth nickname Cal.

Callistus

An ancient choice with a fresh, spiky sound, Callixtus was the name of three Popes and Bishops of Rome. Also appearing as Callistus, it originates from Greek to mean "most beautiful", however, this spelling may be influenced by the Latin calix meaning "wine cup, chalice", to tie it more closely to the distribution of consecrated wine during Mass. 
 
Of the aforementioned popes, Callixtus I may be most notable, remembered for additionally being the patron saint of cemetery workers. He was Bishop of Rome during the 3rd-century and allowed converts into the church for the first time, and established the practise of absolution from all sins.
 
The name also appears as Callisto in Italian, Calixte in French, and Calixto in Spanish.

Callixtus

Dexter turned ultracool for a girl when Diane Keaton named her daughter Dexter Dean.  Dexter is getting a new style gloss for both genders thanks to (unlikely) baby name role model, television's Dexter the genial serial killer.

Dexter

Carna was a Roman goddess of the heart and flesh. She was eventually conflated with Cardea, goddess of hinges.

Carna

A way nicknames Cass, Cassie, Tina, and Ina, Castina a familiar but distinctive sounding choice with two separate origins. On one hand, it is a Norwegian variation of Christian, adapted from the Germanic form, Karsten. Also spelled as Kastina and Kastine, it is very rare. 
 
On the other, it may be viewed as a feminine form of Castus, an Ancient Roman name, meaning "chaste, pure".

Castina

The shimmery Celeste has been solidly in the Top 1000 for as long as data has been recorded. The dainty variation Celesta certainly feels useable as well. Other intriguing variations include Celestia and Celestine.

Celesta

Delise

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 35)