International Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
Issa is a masculine name with multicultural origins. In Arabic culture, it is the name for Jesus (prophet Isa in Islam) and means 'God is salvation.' It also appears in Slavic languages as a…
Hindi; Arabic
"lotus; perfect, perfection"
Kamal carries two positive associations: one of the ninety-nine qualities of Allah listed in the Quran and the evocative lotus flower. Americans might recognize it as the male equivalent of Kamala,…
Arabic, Spanish
"swooping eagle, meadow"
This striking name has a lot going for it: it's a self-confident Spanish surname, it identifies one of the most brilliant stars in the sky, and it has a musical reference to singer-songwriter Suzanne…
Hebrew, Japanese
"to select; rose"
Gently appealing, a floral choice in Japanese.
Hebrew; also Swahili from Arabic
"thunderbolt, lightning; or blessing"
The name of the 44th president, which he inherited from his Kenyan father, is related to the Swahili word "baraka," meaning "blessing," derived from the Arabic "baracka." It is linked, through the…
Arabic, Hindi
"full moon"
Strong name, with a regal, romantic natural imagery image.
Persian or Japanese
"honorable or sword"
Katana is a male name in Old Persian and a well-used word in Japanese, but as a girls' name is these days found more often as Kitana, the name of a princess in the video game Mortal Kombat II.
Arabic
"commander"
Related to Amir and Amira, an antiquated name that holds some modern appeal.
Spanish, Arabic
"palm tree; flower"
Yesenia is a Latinx favorite popularized by a character on a Spanish-language soap opera. Jessenia is another variation. The name is drawn from the name of a palm tree in South America, but Yesenia…
Diminutive of Samuel, and Arabic
"exalted"
Soundalike cousin of Sammy, cute but slight on its own.
Arabic; Hawaiian
"light-footed, to move softly, to touch; joyful"
Sweet multicultural name.
Hebrew, diminutive of Samantha, or Arabic
"praised"
Sami is cute if overused in its more familiar Sammy form.
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
Japanese or Chinese
"tenderness, gentleness; gold"
Similarity to the English name Jean could be a plus in a Japanese-American or Chinese-American family.
Japanese; Persian
"thistle flower; greatest"
Azami has a prickly image and feel — reinforced by the thistle's image in Eastern mythology as one of defiance. A name that spans two widely divergent cultures, Azami might make the perfect…
Hebrew, Italian variation of Aurea, Latin
"my God is light; golden"
From Hebrew, Oria is a variation of Oriya, created by combining Ori meaning "light" with yah indicating God. From Italian, it is a variation of the Latin Aurea, a golden Saint name, once popular in…
Japanese, Native American
"stork; night"
A funkier version of Coco that may be more appealing if you have Japanese or Native American heritage. Koko comes from the Blackfoot tribe, native to what is now Montana and Alberta, Canada.
Latin, Hebrew
"bird; God is my father"
Avia is one of those multi-cultural, vowel-heavy girls' names so popular today, along with such choices as Ayla and Aya.
Hebrew, Japanese, or Scandinavian
"healer; morning; of the gods"
A male Biblical name meaning healer, Asa is also an international gem. In Japanese, it means "(born in the) morning". And in Scandinavia, where it's generally spelled Åsa or Ása and pronounced O-sa,…
Short form of Nuria or Hebrew
"my fire"
Nuri might be a nickname for the place name Nuria, popular in Spain and Portugal as a honorific for the Virgin Mary. Nuri is also a usually-masculine name heard in the Middle East, but to the Western…
