The parent in search of truly distinctive<a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/161/Spanish-Names">Spanish baby names</a> has to move farther than ever away from the established roster. One new direction — or is it two? — for the intrepid baby namer is toward foreign-word names, which combine two of today's coolest trends. A handful of Spanish word names are already hot in the US, such as Luna, meaning "moon," and Cruz, the word for "cross."
 
Along with Luna and Cruz, other Spanish word names in the US Top 1000 include Alma, Dulce, Esmeralda, Julio, Leon, Luz, Maximo, Paloma, and Salvador. In Spain, word names such as Alba, Vega, Candela, and Mar are popular for girls.
 
We combed our own diccionarios for French, Italian, and Spanish words that could make perfectly appropriate, attractive baby names, and here are some Spanish ideas. But no reason to stop here — consider words from the language of your own ethnic background, be it Czech or Chinese, and add them to the list of your personal possibilities.

Spanish Word Names

A sweet and simple multicultural choice which has several different meanings and origins.

 Widely used in Africa, it means "love" in Lembaama.

 It's a variant spelling of Diya, an Arabic, Hindi and Sanskrit name meaning "lamp, light". 

 Dia is also a variant spelling of Dea, from the Latin dea "goddess".

 It also coincides with the Spanish word for "day".

Día is a feminine name with multiple cultural connections. In Spanish, 'día' means 'day,' suggesting brightness and new beginnings. The name may also relate to the Irish name Dea, meaning 'goddess.' With its accent mark, Día has a lyrical, flowing quality when pronounced (DEE-ah). This short, distinctive name works well cross-culturally, being recognizable and easy to pronounce in many languages. While not among the most common names in any country, its simplicity and positive associations with daylight and divinity give it a contemporary appeal. The name's brevity is balanced by its rich potential meanings across different cultural traditions.

Día

Though it's related to the Virgin Mary, this name was once perceived as the height of sensuality, a role since taken over by nicknames Lola and Lolita. 
 Dolores is one of the many titles given to the Virgin Mary — Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, or Our Lady of the Sorrows, and was one of the Spanish names that really caught on in this country — at one point in time, in 1930, Dolores was the 13th most popular girls' name in the US. But in the twenty-first century, you might prefer one of the other names derived from Mary's Spanish epithets — Mercedes, Soledad, Rosario or Luz. Dolores does have some Harry Potter cred, via the witch Dolores Umbridge. Addison Timlin and Jeremy Allen White gave the name to their daughter in 2020.

Dolores

Commonly heard in Hispanic cultures, a rhythmic possibility here. 

Domingo

Bienvenido is a masculine Spanish name directly translating to 'welcome' or 'well-come.' Derived from Latin 'bene' (well) and 'venire' (to come), it originated as a meaningful name given to long-awaited or specially celebrated children. The name is most common in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in the Philippines and Dominican Republic, where Spanish naming traditions remain strong. While not among the most frequent Spanish names, Bienvenido carries warm connotations of hospitality, acceptance, and joy. It follows the Spanish tradition of using words with positive meanings as personal names, similar to Esperanza (hope) or Dolores (sorrows).

Bienvenido

A spiritually significant name used in honor of the Virgin Mary. In Spanish, her title is Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, meaning "Our Lady the Queen of the Angels."

Angeles

The Spanish word for hill certainly has name-like qualities and could make a fresh new Spanish nature name.

Colina

Esperanza is a Spanish classic that's found its way onto the national popularity list in recent years. It came into the spotlight not long ago when jazz singer Esperanza Spalding "stole" the Best New Artist Grammy from favorite Justin Bieber. It's also the name of the main character in the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, about a young Latina growing up in Chicago.

Esperanza

A more romantic form of old school Clement, which ranks in the Top 100 boy names in Chile. Clemente, like Clement, derives from the Late Latin name Clemens, the name of 14 popes and several saints.

Clemente

Berilo

Spanish word names, with Spanish language words used as baby names, including Cruz, Luna, Maximo, and Esmeralda, with meanings, origins, and popularity. (Page 6)