Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Greek, Norwegian, Swedish
"severe, or fair victory"
The Sirens in Greek myth were nymphs of half-woman, half-bird appearance who lured sailors to their deaths with their song. As a name, Siren has been used in the Scandinavian countries, either as a…
French
"God is my helper"
This is the French form of Lazarus, which recently has been rising from the dead – it's popular on Nameberry, and was used for his son by musician Trent Reznor. Lazare might be familiar to some via…
Japanese, Yoruba
"land of the dead; my joy"
The Japanese word for the land of the dead, it may also be interpreted as meaning "world of darkness" or "yellow springs". According to Japanese mythology, Yomi isn't like heaven (a place of reward…
Greek
"wide justice"
Flowing and intriguing, Eurydice is a name from Greek mythology, borne by the wife of musician Orpheus. After she is poisoned by a snake and condemned to the underworld, Orpheus attempts to rescue…
Norse
Hela, another name for Hel, is the Norse goddess of death and the underworld. The Hela form has been appropriated by Marvel for its goddess of death.
German
"yew tree, archer"
Similar to Ivana but less personality-driven.
Spanish from Greek
"blessed, happy"
Unusual and rhythmic, Macaria is the feminine form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius. It could be an unexpected way to get to cool nickname Mac, without using Mackenzie,…
English surname name
Superhero names are fit for humans today, and there's no reason Rambo can't take his place among a generation of babies named Loki, Odin, and Atlas. In the eponymous movie, Rambo is the character's…
Swedish, Finnish, Inuktitut
"lily"
If you're ready to move beyond Anna and Hannah, consider this traditional Scandinavian short form of Susanna, historically very popular in its native lands. Sanna is also a modern Inuktitut form of…
Persian
Allani, also known as Allatu, was a Hurrian goddess of the underworld worshipped in the Middle East historically. Allani was associated with the determination of fate.
"sunset"
The name generally given to the "Good Thief" at the crucifixion of Jesus, although he was not actually named in the New Testament. The name Dismas first appeared in the 4th-century Gospel of…
German surname, Yiddish, meaning unknown
Maisel is a German-Jewish surname, brought into the spotlight as that of Miriam Maisel, aka The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . The TV show, which premiered in 2017, has led to small numbers of girls given…
Japanese
"weasel"
The Japanese word for "weasel" was chosen as the name of Itachi Uchiha, a character in Naruto . In anime, name meanings often relate to a character's story. Weasels are bad luck in Japanese culture…
Portuguese place name
"yew tree"
Evora is a city in Portugal known for its magnificent Roman aged ruins. It is occasionally seen as a female name, evoking some of the mystique of this region.
"wolf raven"
This powerful old name can actually be traced back to two distinct sources. As an Old German name, Wolfram (borne by the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach) derives from a combination of wolf +…
Native American, Inuit
"goddess of the sea"
The name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld. There is also a dwarf planet in the outer solar system called 90377 Sedna, discovered in 2003 and named after the goddess…
Irish, Gaelic
"yew or bow warrior"
Irish spelling of Ivor
German, Frisian, and Scandinavian form of Ivo
"yew wood"
This unusual (to the American ear) unisex name is used throughout Scandinavia and Germany. It can be a Frisian and German variation of Ivo, derived from the element iwa element, meaning "yew". It is…
Norwegian, Danish, Frisian
"ebony; supplanter; yew wood"
This unisex name ranks among the most popular girl names in Norway, though it has a number of different roots. On one hand, it can be derived from the Danish ibenholt meaning "ebony", making it a…
Greek Mythology
"of keen gaze"
The name of the ferrymen of dead souls to the Greek underworld and the name of Pluto's desolate moon, Charon makes an interesting, if somewhat macabre, choice for a baby. There are two pronunciations…
