Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Irish, Gaelic
"fair top"
The name of the powerful king of fairies in Irish folklore, Finvarra is often presented as a benevolent figure, bringing successful harvests and offering up earthly rewards for humans. In some…
Irish
In Irish mythology, Fionnabhair (Old Irish Findabair or Finnabair) is the daughter of Queen Medb of Connacht and Ailill, whose beauty is exploited by her mother to persuade a long line of warriors to…
Lithuanian
"mention in grief, celebrate in grief"
Gediminas is derived from the Lithuanian elements gedauti , meaning "grieve," and minėti , "to celebrate" or "to mention." The most famous bearer of the name is Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania…
Word name
With word names, almost anything goes. But maybe not Ghost, unless you're naming a white dog.
Greek mythology name
"willpower or far-reaching"
In Greek mythology, Hecate is associated with witchcraft and magic. The name may mean "willpower" or "far-reaching". She was often associated with the moon and with storms, making this name a good…
Greek literary name
Queen Hecuba was the legendary queen of King Priam of Troy, mother of Hector, Paris, Cassandra and others. Euripedes' tragedy Hecuba depicts Hecuba's grief over the death of her daughter Polyxena,…
Norse
Hel, sometimes called Hela, is the Norse goddess of death and the underworld.
Welsh
"pool of salt"
A beautiful ancient Welsh name, the meaning of which is not entirely clear. It has been linked to the Welsh for salty, hallt or halenaidd . The "th" sound at the end is pronounced like the first…
Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology.
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…
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…
"yew or bow warrior"
Irish spelling of Ivor
Catalan form of Yves
This mini-member of the Ivo-Yves family of names is unlikely to appeal to English speakers, as it sounds like "ew".
Cornish
"yew"
Angliziced form of the Cornish name Ia. According to legend, the Cornish saint Ia was an Irish princess who sailed across the sea to Cornwall on a leaf. She was martyred and buried at the spot where…
English variation of Yves
Smooth and sleek one-syllable name, sometimes suggested for Sagittarius boys.
Literary and word name
The name of the hero of Nathan Englander's The Ministry of Special Cases is also the name of the prayer Jews say for the dead, so be aware that this could definitely be seen as an offensive choice to…
Greek
"beautiful flow"
Kalliroi is a modern Greek form of the Classical name Callirrhoe, who in mythology was an ocean nymph who accompanied Persephone to the underworld. If you're looking for unusual names with ocean…
English surname
"pork butcher"
The Kellogg surname — these days associated with cereal and the Northwestern University business school — has rather grotesque origins. It is derived from the Middle English word kellen , meaning "to…
Greek mythological name
In Greek mythology, the Keres were female death spirits; goddesses who personified violent deaths and were drawn to bloody deaths on battlefields.
"maiden"
Kore is the original Greek form of the modern Cora, a name that's heading straight for the top of the charts in the English-speaking world. Kore was an alternate name for Persephone, goddess of the…
