Fairy and Elf Names
Updated Fri Mar 15 2024
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Fairy and elf names are magical choices that can imbue a sense of whimsy in your child. They include names with fairy and elven meanings, along with names of famous fairies and elves from pop culture, including Lord of the Rings.
Fairy names for girls are lovely for a daughter, with Ella, Ivy, Violet, and Tiana ranking among the most popular. Male fairy names are harder to come by but include Cosmo, Oberon, and Puck.
Female elf names include Arwen, Alva, and Aubrey. Many male elf names have Old English, Germanic, or Norse origins, such as the traditional names Alfred, which can mean "elf counsel", and Elwyn, meaning "elf friend". Others include Gandalf, Buddy, and Alberich.
Browse our entire collection of cool fairy names and elf names below, organized by the current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Maeve
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"she who intoxicates"Description:
Maeve is a short and sweet name that has become one of the most stylish Irish names for girls in the modern US. It joined the Top 100 for the first time in 2023 and now ranks at Number 75.
- Violet
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"purple"Description:
Violet is soft and sweet, yet with a vivacious edge. Today, Violet is the top flower name for girls, outranking Lily and Iris in the Top 100, and the second most popular color name for girls after Scarlett.
- Oliver
Origin:
Germanic, LatinMeaning:
"elf army; ancestor's relic; olive tree"Description:
Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts throughout the English-speaking world and in a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland. Why? Because Oliver is energetic and good-natured, stylish but classic, with a meaning symbolizing peace and fruitfulness.
- Olivia
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is the Number 1 name for baby girls in the US and one of the top girls' names around the world.
- Ella
Origin:
German; EnglishMeaning:
"all, completely; fairy maiden"Description:
Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie.
- Ivy
Origin:
Botanical nameDescription:
The quirky, offbeat and energetic botanical name Ivy is enjoying a deserved revival, propelled even higher by its choice by high-profile parents Beyonce and Jay-Z for daughter Blue Ivy. Ivy is also traditionally used at Christmas, make this one of the perfect names for December babies.
- Stella
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"star"Description:
Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.
- Flora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"flower"Description:
Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names that's making a big comeback. Short and sweet, it joins Cora, Florence, Iris, and Ivy in the charts.
- Luna
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"moon"Description:
The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10 status in the US and its widespread international popularity.
- Faye
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"fairy"Description:
Soft and simple, but no less magical, Faye is enjoying a quiet spell of popularity in the US. It broke the Top 1000 in 2014, and by 2023, was one of the fastest rising names on the charts. Faye is a perfect example of a name that fits in and stands out, recognizable and yet unexpected. It also makes a beautiful middle name option, if Mae and Rae are feeling too overdone.
- Arwen
Origin:
Literature, Sindarin, WelshMeaning:
"noble maiden; fair, blessed"Description:
Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of the fastest rising names, more than doubling in use from the previous year.
- Ellie
Origin:
English, diminutive of Eleanor and EllenMeaning:
"bright shining one"Description:
Ellie first took off in the UK—yes, in this nickname form—and this warm and friendly name has also become hugely popular here. In 2011, Ellie entered the US Top 100 girl names for the first time and has remained near the top of the charts ever since.
- Morgan
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"Description:
Morgan has long been a traditional Welsh male name, a variant of the Old Welsh name Morcant, from the Welsh elements mor, meaning "sea" and cant, "circle." The female Morgan is unrelated to the male version—it is a name from Arthurian legend created for Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and famed sorceress. Her name comes from Morgen, an Old Welsh name meaning "sea-born," and is related to the Irish name Muirgen.
- Alfred
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"wise counselor; elf counsel"Description:
Alfred is up off his recliner! If you're looking for a path to Fred, you can go directly to Frederick or take the long way around with the so-out-it's-in-again Alfred. Alfred is quite popular in several European countries, especially England and Wales, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
- Cosmo
Origin:
Italian, English, GreekMeaning:
"order, beauty, universe"Description:
With a touch of celestial power, a hint of clunky charm, and the totally cool -o ending, Cosmo may well be finally shaking itself free of both the Seinfeld association (which made it a punchline of a joke) and the cartoon fairy association from The Fairly OddParents. In fact, it is in the Top 1000 in the UK and a favorite on Nameberry.
- Magnolia
Origin:
Flower name, from French surnameMeaning:
"Magnol's flower"Description:
Magnolia, a sweet-smelling Southern belle of a name made famous via the iconic Edna Ferber novel and musical Showboat, is one of the latest wave of botanical names, along with unexpected blossoms Azalea and Zinnia. It is named for French botanist Pierre Magnol.
- Nyx
Origin:
Greek mythology nameMeaning:
"night"Description:
In Greek mythology, Nyx was a powerful goddess and the embodiment of the night, giving this name a dark yet mystical feel. While some may associate too strongly with the word nix (meaning "nothing", "refuse" or "put an end to"), or to the make-up brand Nyx, it was nevertheless chosen for 64 girls (and 26 boys) in the US in a recent year.
- Joan
Origin:
English feminine variation of John, HebrewMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men, being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the early 60s, it was the fifth most popular name in the country for three years running and ranks as one of the most common names for girls in the 20th century. But alas, Joan hasn't even appeared in the Top 1000 for a dozen years, and these days it's primarily associated with Joans of the generation of Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Joan Rivers--just a few of the noted Joans whose ranks also include the singers Joan Sutherland, Joan Baez, Joan Armatrading and Joan Jett. But it's possible that modern parents who are reviving Jane might move on to Joan, inspired by Joan Hollaway Harris.
- Aoife
Origin:
Irish GaelicMeaning:
"beautiful, radiant"Description:
Aoife, pronounced EE-fa, is derived from the Irish word aoibh, meaning "beauty." Aoife was borne by several different heroines of ancient Irish legend. In one tale, she was the fiercest woman warrior in the world and enemy of her twin sister, Scathach.
- Fern
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"plant name"Description:
Of all the botanicals, Fern has been one of the slowest to move back from the front parlor into the nursery, despite the appealing girl character in the children's classic Charlotte's Web. Fern was most popular from the turn of the last century through the 1940s, reaching a high of #152 in 1916. We can certainly see her rejoining the long list of popular greenery names.
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