Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
Greek
"from the east, rising sun"
Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more…
"giant, great one"
This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.
Greek, first letter of the alphabet
The first letter of the Greek alphabet ande the brightest star in every constellation, this would make an interesting choice for a first daughter, though it does give off some spectral sci-fi…
"tender goddess"
In Greek mythology, Amalthea is the name of a goat (or, sometimes, a goat-keeping nymph) who nursed the infant Zeus and protected him from his murderous father, Cronus. Thanks to the goat’s…
Latin
"eagle"
An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation. That said, contemporary interest in the name…
"very sweet"
Made cool by that final X (as seen in Felix, Lennox, and Rex), Pollux is the Romanized form of Polydeukes, the half-twin of Castor, and the son of Zeus and Leda. Associated with the Gemini…
"joy"
Chara is the name of a star in a constellation that represents hunting dogs, recently named as one of the most likely to host extraterrestrial life. Also, Chara is a variation of both Sarah and…
Indigenous Australian or Tswana, Sotho
"dusk, twilight; lion"
Tau, rhyming with cow, is a simple straightforward name with roots in two languages and cultures, the Kaurna language spoken by indigenous Australian people or the African Tswana language, a Bantu…
"lady"
Despina is best known as the clever and wily maidservant character in Mozart's opera Così fan tutte , and as one of Neptune's moons, making it a musical and an astronomy-inspired choice. However, the…
"twins"
Astrological sign with enough rhythm to make a plausible astral name.
Greek mythology name
Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…
"law of nature, divine law"
Themis was the Titan — one of the Elder Gods (or in this case Goddesses) — of Justice and Order, usually depicted blindfolded and holding the scales of justice. The mother of the Fates and the…
French form of Saturnina, Latin, English word name
"Saturn; dark and gloomy"
On one hand, Saturnine is a bright and golden French name, ultimately derived from the Roman God Saturn, associating it with agriculture, renewal, time, and abundance, along with the planet. On the…
"kingfisher"
Alcyone was the wife of Ceyx, but the happy pair angered the gods by calling each other Zeus and Hera. Ceyx's ship was sunk, Alcyone hurled herself into the sea, but then in sympathy for their grief…
Arabic
"fat tail of the sheep"
The brightest star in Ursa Major, this is one of the major navigational stars used by ships.
"first leap"
Alula, the palindromic name of the first double star to be identified as physically related to its twin, would make the perfect name for a first-born twin. Ideas (we're only half joking) for the…
"armpit"
A star system in Sagittarius, so one of the most appropriate names for December babies .
"lightning"
Asterope is an undiscovered name that has three wonderful nature connotations: 1) (from its meaning) lighting; 2) it is a type of butterfly 3) it is the name of an asteroid. Asterope is a great name…
Literary name
"star lover"
Invented by 16th-century English poet Sir Philip Sidney for the hero of his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella , this name is derived from the Greek elements aster "star" and philos "lover".…
Star name, Latin
"entry hall"
A star in the constellation Triangulum Australe, also the name of a publishing imprint and an assisted living corporation, probably because it has that streamlined corporate I-could-be-a-car-name…
