Updated November 2023
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Literary name
"wandering as water"
The name of the (male) otter protagonist of Henry Williamson’s 1927 novel Tarka the Otter . It is in rare use as a male and female name in England, especially among the Telegraph-reading classes. A…
Greek mythology and animal name
"from a water spring"
The white winged stallion in Greek mythology who sprang from the blood of Medusa when she was beheaded by Perseus. Pegasus was ridden by the hero Bellerophon in his fight against the Chimera. The…
Flower name, from Greek
"water vessel"
Prettier than the other name the plant goes by, Hortensia.
Gaelic
"water"
The name Esca appears in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth , which is set in 2nd century Roman Britain. Esca is the name of a freed slave who accompanies his…
Greek
"water serpent"
Hydra is the largest of the 88 constellations, whose name was inspired by Hydra of Lerna, a serpentine, multi-headed monster of Greek mythology who resided in Lake Lerna.
English from Gaelic
"water of life"
Whiskey was the name of the badass girlfriend character in Glass Onion, played by Madelyn Cline. Naming your child after any kind of alcoholic drink is not recommended.
English surname
"the water meadow of Bucca's people"
Buckingham is an English surname, denoting one's ancestors lived in Buckinghamshire county. The place name was firstly Buccingaham , composed of the components inga , meaning "people of," and hamm ,…
Finnish
"movement of water and waves"
Vellamo is the goddess of water, lakes, and seas in Finnish mythology, said to control the wind for sailors and bring fish for fishermen. Vellamo is also the wife of Ahti, the sea god.
Italian variation of Moses, Egyptian
"delivered from the water"
Tahitian
"beloved water"
Tahitian names are not well-known beyond the South Sea islands, but with their nature meanings and the new popularity of Hawaiian names, they may travel far in the future.
Celtic
A minor goddess in Celtic mythology, associated with the river Aisne.
Nature name, English word name
"a shore of a body of water"
With the tide coming in on a new wave of word names, this one just might catch on, especially for parents who relish sun, sand, and surf. Forest lovers can spell it Beech, like the tree.
Scottish surname
"dairy farmland near the water"
Chisholm is a habitational surname — if it's on your family tree, you have ancestors from Chisholme, Scotland, although they were originally of Norman and Saxon descent. Chisholm derived from the…
Brandy's son, Sherry's grandson. The word whiskey was derived from the Gaelic uisce beatha , meaning "water of life."
Cherokee
"large white water bird; egret"
Often written in English as Cooweescoowee — a place name in Oklahoma.
Welsh, possibly from a root meaning "water"
Dyfri has two possible origins: either it is a form of Dyfrig, an early British saint known in Latin as Dubricius and in French as Devereux... or it is a back-formation from the town name…
Short form of Douglas, Scottish
"black water"
Dougie is one of those names that spotlights the huge gulf that can exist between US and UK naming trends. In England and Wales, Dougie is a trendy nickname-name, ranking all the way up at Number…
Yoruba
"water is what we have"
A name from the Yoruba language that happens to have a similar ending to the Hawaiian -lani names. Source
"tumbling water"
A rhythmic and attractive Cherokee girl name. Immokalee is also the name of a community in Florida.
English
"the bright reflection of moonlight on water"