International Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Tahitian
"salt water"
This ocean-oriented name is one of the Tahitian names unknown in the wider world.
"water flower"
Tiare, which means flower, is also a name and would make a simpler South Sea Islander choice. Vaitiare adds a water element.
Maori
"angel"
This feminine name — simply "angel" imported into Māori phonology — is fresher than Angela and less Hollywood than Angelina.
Erena is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. In Māori tradition, it serves as a variant of Helen, meaning 'bright one' or 'shining light.' The name also appears in Japanese culture with…
Hawaiian
"sea"
This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow…
Aboriginal, Australian
"tree bark or leaf"
Kirrily, which rhymes with cheerily, is a name that's uniquely popular in Australia. It originated in recent decades as an elaboration of several similar names – the European Kyra or Keira, the Maori…
Maata is a feminine name with Polynesian roots, particularly found in Māori culture where it can mean 'face' or 'appearance.' In some Finnish and Estonian contexts, it may be related to the name…
Maori, a mythological sea maiden
Pania is a possible alternative to Tania, if you want to go the New Zealand rather than Russian route.
Maori surname
Winiata is a Maori version of the English surname Wynyard, which is nowadays closely linked to several prominent Maori families.
Maaka is a masculine name with Polynesian origins, particularly prominent in Māori culture where it means 'strength' or can refer to 'red ochre,' a sacred earth pigment. In the Māori language, the…
English from Maori
"flaxen"
Anglicized form of Ngaire, this name is sometimes heard in New Zealand and very occasionally in England.
Chinese
"great extreme"
Tai, which rhymes with Kai, is a unisex name with a range of international references. It means the equivalent of "too much" in Chinese but is also used as a Maori name meaning "the tide" and in…
Finnish, Maori, Hawaiian, Sanskrit, Akan, Hebrew
"greatest; bird; wise; second born; God is with us"
An international name that, while short and simple, sounds strong and distinctive, stylish and sweet all at once. It may appeal to those who want a name that works in multiple languages, while also…
Polynesian
"oleander"
Lilting choice. "Oleanna" is the title of a David Mamet play.
Polynesian place name, meaning unknown
The Polynesian place name Tahiti was given to the island by its natives, although the origins of this name have been lost to history. Tahiti was once a Polynesian kingdom, but today is a part of the…
"black pearl"
Tahiti is famous for its beautiful pearls, which are cultivated and collected from the black lip oyster. While you might think of pearls being white, Tahitian pearls are known as 'black pearls' and…
Maori variation of Selwyn, English
"manor friend"
The Maori form of an Old English given name, notably borne by George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand. The Bishop gave his name to several places and a river in New Zealand and this…
Samoan, Indonesian, Latin
"stand, rise; old, ripe; yours"
Succinct and deceptively simple, Tua is a multicultural, unisex choice with a variety of meanings. It is most notably borne by NFL player, Tua Tagovailoa. From its Samoan roots, it ultimately comes…
Hawaiian, Tongan, and Samoan
"song"
Some sources say Mele is a South Sea Islander form of Mary, but it's also a name in its own right meaning song.
Maori, Samoan
"deep ocean, sea"
This Maori name, often heard in New Zealand, is an attractive, evocative choice for lovers of the ocean made famous – perhaps too famous – by the Disney heroine. Moana was also an alternate name for…
