Names That Mean Surprise

  1. Maimuna
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "luck, good fortune"
    • Description:

      A bright, celestial sounding choice with a lucky meaning. Violinist Maimuna Murashko and actress Maimuna Memon are notable bearers.
  2. Fausto
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish variation of Faust
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate one"
    • Description:

      While Faust, who sold his soul to the devil, was anything but fortunate, this Latinate variation is more commonly heard and accepted.
  3. Opalluk
    • Origin:

      Greenlandic
    • Meaning:

      "surprise; surprising one"
    • Description:

      Unrelated to the gemstone, Opalluk is a rare name of Greenlandic origin with an endearing and lively meaning. Rarely used as a given name, it would be a surprising choice. Upaluk is another form of the name.
  4. Kouki
    • Origin:

      Variation of Koki, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "bright light; hopeful fortune"
    • Description:

      Kouki is an uncommon choice in Japan today, but it's been used for several anime characters.
  5. Edern
    • Origin:

      Cornish from Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "great, immense, wonderful"
    • Description:

      The meaning of Edern is disputed, with some saying it comes from the Latin name Aeturnus, meaning "eternal" or "immortal." The more plausible etymology is that Edern derives from the Welsh edyrn, meaning "great," "immense," or "wonderful."
  6. Aiman
    • Origin:

      Variation of Ayman, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "righteous, right-handed, blessed, lucky"
    • Description:

      The original spelling Ayman is much more common around the world, and would likely be considered more fashionable in the US, with its Y.
  7. Parvaiz
    • Origin:

      Persian
    • Meaning:

      "lucky, happy"
    • Description:

      Parvaiz would certainly stand out in an American classroom.
  8. Sreya
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, superior"
    • Description:

      Sreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi. Spelling variant Shreya was on the U.S. popularity list from 2002 to 2005.
  9. Taqdeer
    • Origin:

      Punjabi
    • Meaning:

      "fortune, destiny, luck"
    • Description:

      A unisex name used in India with an upbeat meaning. It was one of the fastest rising names in the UK in 2023.
  10. Maimon
    • Origin:

      Judeo-Italian variation of Maimun, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "luck, good fortune"
  11. Venturo
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "good fortune, good luck"
    • Description:

      Upbeat choice.
  12. Said
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "happy, lucky"
    • Description:

      A traditional and important Arabic name — Sai'd bin Zayd was a friend of the prophet Muhammed.
  13. Chauncy
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "gamble, fortune"
    • Description:

      A popular American name in previous centuries in honor of famed Harvard President, Charles Chauncy. This name is burdened by an incredibly pompous sound and best left in the past.
  14. Glika
    • Origin:

      Yiddish
    • Meaning:

      "luck"
    • Description:

      The Yiddish name from which the common matronymic Jewish surname Glick derives.
  15. Madern
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "lucky"
    • Description:

      Saint Madern, also sometimes referred to as Saint Madron, was a Cornish monk and hermit sanctified in the 6th century. The Cornish village of Madron is named after him.
  16. Felicja
    • Origin:

      Polish variation of Felicia, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lucky"
  17. Ganesha
    • Origin:

      Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate"
    • Description:

      The name of the Hindu elephant-headed god of success and wisdom, son of Shiva and Parvati.
  18. Fortunata
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Latin
    • Meaning:

      "luck, fate, wealth"
    • Description:

      Brimming over with a sense of good fortune. Could make a little girl feel very lucky.
  19. Mirabei
    • Origin:

      From the Latin Mirabilis
    • Meaning:

      "wonderful"
  20. Laima
    • Origin:

      Latvian; Lithuanian
    • Meaning:

      "luck"
    • Description:

      A deity of fate and destiny in Latvian and Lithuanian mythology. Laima prophesizes how the life of a newborn will take place — sometimes there was only one Laima, while in other cases three Laimas would give contradicting predictions.

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