Nature, Place and Word Names · Baby Name Meanings
Names That Mean Water
Across 13 pages
of 13
Thalassa
Greek
"the sea"
A pretty, rarely used Greek name, Thalassa is the ancient personification of the sea, particularly the Mediterranean, who is sometimes considered the mother of Aphrodite. In 1991, a newly discovered…
Thetis
Greek
"dogmatic"
This name of the mythological mother of Achilles might suffer from English speakers making the rhyming association to the word fetus. The traditional Greek pronunciation might alleviate that problem.
Deveraux
French
"of Evreux; riverbank"
Swashbuckling name worthy of a hero in a romance novel. Deveraux or Devereaux is drawn from the town of Evreux in France and combined with the prefix de- denoting it likely referred to a noble of…
Doolish
Manx variation of Douglas
"black river"
Doolish (known as Douglas in English) is the largest town in the Isle of Man. The name is though to derive from a Celtic word "Duboglassio" which means "black river".
Duna
Hungarian river name or Icelandic
"eiderdown"
Duna refers the Hungarian word for the Danube River or to the Icelandic term for the down of a duck. Duna also bears a resemblance to both Dune and Djuna. In this era of word names and invented…
Eaton
English
"riverside"
Eaton's similarity to Eton gives it an upscale Old School feel, though in the U.S. a name that sound like eatin' could have teasin' potential. Eaton could also sound like the much-more-familiar Ethan…
Eyre
Literary name and Old Norse
"gravel bank river"
This lovely name is best-known as the surname of eponymous Bronte heroine, Jane Eyre, and would make an appealing and distinctive middle name for the child of fans of that book. While the surname…
Fuji
Japanese
"dweller near the river where wisteria grows"
To honor the majestic mountain.
Glenys
Welsh
"riverbank, shore; pure"
Glenys, like Glynis, is a Welsh name that has never caught on outside Wales.
Guadalupe
Spanish from Arabic
"hidden river, valley of the wolves"
Popular Spanish name that relates to the patron saint of Mexico. It could conceivably, like Soledad and Consuelo, cross the border into multicultural territory, but the name's decline since the…
Hiawatha
Iroquois
"he makes rivers"
Journalist Hiawatha Bray is a singular contemporary bearer of this name of a Native-American leader immortalized in a Longfellow poem.
Holmes
English
"from the island in the river"
Possible middle name for devotees of detective Sherlock...or the actress Katie.
India
Place name, from the River Indus
Euphonious and long stylish in England, India was one of the fastest-rising names on the 2013 list, after jumping 240 spots back into the Top 1000. Gorgeous as it may be, the usage of India as a name…
Innes
Scottish
"from the river island"
Innis is the name of an island (and Gaelic word for island) which became a Scottish surname and clan name before being used as a first. It hasn't been heard much in the U.S., but could attract more…
Irving
Scottish
"green river, sea friend"
It might be surprising to know that this name originated as a Scottish place and surname name, as in Washington Irving. It became a popular choice for first-generation Jewish-American boys, such as…
Kallan
Scandinavian
"stream, river"
Name with genuine roots that nevertheless feels synthetic.
Kelvin
Scottish
"narrow or wooded river"
A tributary of the River Clyde in Scotland, called in Scottish Gaelic Abhainn Cheilbhinn : caol ("narrow") or coille ("wooded") + abhainn ("river"). As a surname, it derives from the name of the…
Leith
Scottish, river name
Traditionally a male name, Leith now can make a highly unusual, strong but soft, and intriguing girls' possibility.
Loire
French river and region name
The lovely sound and image of the French river and lush valley would make this a most distinctive and captivating choice. Pronunciation: low-ahr.
Monroe
Scottish
"mouth of the Roe river"
Monroe is a presidential surname which feels fresher than Jackson, Lincoln and Taylor. Marilyn Monroe is a famous female namesake, but her smart Scottish surname feels equally usable for either sex.…