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Native American Names

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Sun Sep 29 2024
Native American Names

Native American names are best known to most as place names and even tribal names that have been repurposed as baby names, such as Dakota and Cree. A few Native American baby names have broken into the US Top 1000, including Kaya.

Along with Dakota and Kaya, other mainstream Indigenous names include Tallulah, Denali, Sequoia, Tennessee, Yaretzi, Yareli, and Topanga. Unique Native American names include Coro, Halona, Niabi, and Zuzela.

Some Indigenous names, such as Tallulah and Kaya, are related to names from other cultures, such as the Irish Talulla, and the Scandinavian and Hawaiian Kaia.

Please be careful when choosing Native American names that you avoid cultural appropriation — names that are uniquely tied to Indigenous tribes should only be used if they are a part of your heritage.

If you are looking for a Native American name for your baby, consider one of the following, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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American Names

  1. Tallulah

    • Origin:

      Choctaw, Irish

    • Meaning:

      "leaping water, lady of abundance"

    • Description:

      This hauntingly euphonious Choctaw name has re-entered the public domain, as memories of the outrageous actress Tallulah Bankhead have faded. For years, Tallulah was a name associated only with Bankhead, named for her paternal grandmother who was named after the Georgia town of Tallulah Falls.
  2. Kaya

    • Origin:

      Scandinavian, English, Literature, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "pure; one who arranges rocks; perfume, incense; fruit, reward"

    • Description:

      A multicultural name, that's currently on style and fits right in with Kaia, Maya, Raya, and Mia. Currently in the Top 500 in both the UK and The Netherlands, it has several different origins and meanings.
  3. Xochitl

    • Origin:

      Nahuatl, Aztec

    • Meaning:

      "flower"

    • Description:

      Xochitl is a Nahuatl or Aztec floral name used in southern Mexico and pronounced SO-chee-tl or SHO-chee-tl, although sometimes the "tl" at the end is not pronounced. Internet entrepreneur Xochi Birch is probably the best-known bearer in the US – except for the Xochitl brand tortilla chips. Definitely among the most intriguing international flower names and a beautiful choice for those looking to honor Nahuatl heritage.
  4. Dakota

    • Origin:

      Place-name; Sioux

    • Meaning:

      "friendly one"

    • Description:

      An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.
  5. Dakota

    • Origin:

      Native American tribe and place name; Sioux

    • Meaning:

      "friendly one"

    • Description:

      A Native American tribe name which is found in the names of two US states, Dakota was one of the first trendy nineties place names, but is now flagging a little in popularity. The cultural question around using a Native American tribe name as a baby name may be partly to blame.
  6. Tala

    • Origin:

      Persian, Arabic, Tagalog, Samoan, Scandinavian

    • Meaning:

      "gold; turmeric; star; story; noble"

    • Description:

      Tala is a super multicultural name with roots in many diverse languages and cultures. In Northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia, it is a diminutive derived from Adelheid "noble", long used as a standalone name.
  7. Alaska

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "great land"

    • Description:

      State name Alaska stems from an Aleutian word for the land mass itself. The number of baby girls named Alaska has doubled in the past five years, and is sure to continue increasing as more place names are annexed as baby names. Wilder but as habitable as Dakota or Cheyenne, Alaska is a girls' name choice for the future.
  8. Yaretzi

    • Origin:

      Nahuatl, Aztec

    • Meaning:

      "you will always be loved"

    • Description:

      This unusual name from the Nahuatl or Aztec language has one of the best meanings around. It sprang onto the US popularity list in 2006 and made a brief appearance in the Top 300 before sliding down a bit. It's popular in Mexico and with US Americans of Latino or Hispanic heritage, hitting on two big girl name trends in those communities: Ya- beginnings and -i endings.
  9. Sequoia

    • Origin:

      Native American, Cherokee

    • Meaning:

      "sparrow"

    • Description:

      This name of a giant tree, itself named for a nineteenth-century Cherokee who invented a way to write his tribe's language, makes a strong, stately statement.
  10. Yareli

    • Origin:

      Native American, Spanish variation of Yara, Arabic

    • Meaning:

      "water lady; small butterfly"

    • Description:

      Possibly a derivative variation of Yara, a popular name in Spanish-speaking countries meaning butterfly, Yareli was given to more than 400 baby girls in the US last year.
  11. Topanga

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "where the mountain meets the sea"

    • Description:

      Used for a free-spirited character on a 1990s sitcom, this name of a beautiful Southern California canyon does have an unconventional aura.
  12. Tennessee

    • Origin:

      Native American, Cherokee, place-name

    • Meaning:

      "bend in the river or meeting place"

    • Description:

      When playwright Thomas Lanier Williams adopted the pen name of Tennessee, he created a new possibility among American place-names, although it's admittedly a bit bulky in size.
  13. Talullah

    • Origin:

      Irish, Anglicized variation of Tuilelaith

    • Meaning:

      "lady of abundance"

    • Description:

      Talullah or Talulla, the old Irish name of two early saints, is almost identical to the Native-American Tallulah. A modern hipster favorite, however it's spelled.
  14. Denali

    • Origin:

      Place-name and Native American

    • Meaning:

      "the great one"

    • Description:

      Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. There were 20 boys and 55 girls given the name in 2014.
  15. Dyani

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "deer"

    • Description:

      Beautiful Indigenous name connected to visual artist Dyani White Hawk. Dyani was most popular in 2001, when it was given to 73 baby girls.
  16. Coro

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "wind"

    • Description:

      A place name from Venezuela believed to come from an indigenous word for wind, this can make an innovative choice for a child of either sex.
  17. Peta

    • Origin:

      Native American, Blackfoot,or Greek, "golden eagle, or rock, stone"

    • Meaning:

      "golden eagle, or rock, stone"

    • Description:

      Too tightly tied to the acronym for the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
  18. Halona

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "happy fortune"

    • Description:

      Resonant and unusual.
  19. Aiyana

    • Origin:

      Arabic or African

    • Meaning:

      "large eyes, or time, or beautiful flower"

    • Description:

      Aiyana is a name that could easily cross cultures. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1999 and hovers near the bottom of the Top 1000.
  20. Hakan

    • Origin:

      Turkish

    • Meaning:

      "emperor, ruler"

    • Description:

      A Turkish twist on the trend for ruler names.