Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Arabic
"protect"
Assia is a Muslim name, best known in the Western world via tragic poet Assia Wevill, who was married to British poet Ted Hughes after Sylvia Plath and also committed suicide. Assia is a Top 100 name…
African
"life and wisdom"
This pretty African girls' name has not one but two admirable meanings.
Bengali, Telugu, Sanskrit
"consciousness, intellect, soul, spirit"
Chaitanya is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, relating to awareness and intelligence, along with energy and zeal. Also called "pure consciousness", it requires an understanding of the mind and…
Finnish
"thought, idea"
Handsome and solid in sound with a meaning that could feel clever, dreamy, philosophical, or creative, depending on how you wish to view it, Aatos can mean "thought" or "idea", ultimately linking it…
English
"clever warrior"
This name has been off the USA Top 1000 list since before 1900, but it has some great musical credentials: consider American blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander and country music legend Pat Alger.
Thai
"beautiful knowledgeable woman"
This name has it all - looks, brains, charms and an international sound that can go anywhere.
"dazzling, brilliant"
A pretty Arabic possibility which would work well in many languages.
Mongolian name meaning "clever, wise"
"clever, wise"
Similar to the Turkish name Bilge (Bil-jeh), which has the same meaning.
Turkish
"strong, smart"
Beren is a gender-neutral name that's rare in the US, given last year to 20 baby boys and only five baby girls. But it's simple, distinctive, and yes, strong, plus it comes with an amazing nickname…
Persian
"great mind"
Unusual alternative to Roman, chosen for his son by Matthew Modine.
English word name
"brightness of light; exceptional intelligence"
With its word name style and two equally lovely meanings, Brilliance could be one to watch.
"famous, brilliant"
Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from…
Irish form of Aveline and Evelyn, German
"desired; or water, island"
The Irish Gaelic form of Evelyn or Aveline, this name is more authentically spelled Eibhlín. It appears in the title of a love song by 17th century composer Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh, called Eibhlín a…
Icelandic
"wise or merciful protector"
A rare Icelandic name with a lovely ethereal sound.
Yiddish
"brilliant one"
This comes from Faivish, the Yiddish form of Phoebus, the Greek sun god...and it's also the little mouse in "An American Tail."
German
"very brilliant"
Like Norbert and Hubert, feels terminally dated -- in addition to which it's a nut.
English, from German
"son of intelligence"
All the Fitz names are hard to carry, but this one has a wonderful meaning and might be a good middle name choice to honor a brilliant lineage.
Norse
"wise, learned"
The name of several legendary Danish kings, including one who declared universal peace.
Sanskrit
"god of the multitude"
The name of the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom is rarely heard outside India.
Hebrew
"clever"
Tanya with a G.
