Native American Names for Boys

Yosemite

Native American tribal name

"those who kill"

The evocative name of one of our most beautiful national parks -- yes, but also the bombastic cartoon character, Yosemite Sam.

Coro

Native American

"wind"

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.

Cherokee

Native American tribal name

Cherokee is the name of a Native American tribe, the largest in the United States stretching from North Carolina through Oklahoma. The meaning of the word Cherokee is uncertain: It may be Choctaw for…

Tupelo

Creek

"swamp tree"

Tupelo, one of the common name for trees of the Nyssa genus, stems from the Creek words ito and opilwa , meaning "swamp tree". Also the name of a city in Mississippi, Tupelo trees are associated with…

Manhattan

Munsee Lenape, Native American

"place for gathering the [wood to make] bows"

A popular destination but a rare baby name, Manhattan is derived from the Munsee Lenape language. It refers to the hickory trees that grew in the area and were used to make bows. The place name first…

Roanoke

Algonquian

"shell money"

The name of a river, an island, a valley, and a variety of other places throughout the US, Roanoke was also the name of a Algonquian-speaking people of North Carolina. Taken from the Algonquian word…

Eja

Native American, meaning unknown

Singer Shania Twain is said to have chosen this name, pronounced as Asia, for her son to honor her father's Native-American culture.

Halian

Native American

"youthful"

A Julian derivative, via Spanish conquistadors, that could be a more unusual yet still reasonable substitute for that current favorite.