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Native American Names for Girls

Nameberry
Updated Tue Jun 09 2020
Native American girl names are the oldest female names known in North America, though many have fallen out of use with the marginalization of Indigenous cultures. But any discussion of American names must include these authentic choices.

Nameberry's list of Native American names for girls includes the following. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
  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. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  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. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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. Twice as many girls as boys were given the name in 2021, but the gender gap is closing.
  14. 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.
  15. Arizona

    • Origin:

      Place-name from Papago Indian

    • Meaning:

      "little springs"

    • Description:

      We usually think of place-names as a modern invention, but in fact Arizona ranked on the US Top 1000 from its inception in 1880 until 1911, when it vanished below the surface. It peaked at Number 510 in 1882, before Arizona became a state. One notorious vintage bearer: criminal "Ma" Barker, born Arizona Clark.
  16. 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.
  17. Halona

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "happy fortune"

    • Description:

      Resonant and unusual.
  18. Imala

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "strong-minded"

    • Description:

      Distinctive Native-American choice with forceful meaning.
  19. Kateri

    • Origin:

      Mohawk variation of Katherine

    • Meaning:

      "pure"

    • Description:

      St. Kateri Teckakwitha is the first Native American saint, canonized in 2012. St. Kateri was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior, born in 1656 in upstate New York. She converted to Christianity at age 20 and died at 24, and was known as "Lily of the Mohawk." Kateri was the name the saint took on, a native variation of Katherine, upon her baptism.
  20. Lakota

    • Origin:

      Native American, Sioux

    • Meaning:

      "friend to us"

    • Description:

      The name of one of the branches of the Great Sioux Nation has a very namelike sound, but is not used as a name by the Lakota people themselves, and could be seen as appropriative.