Pet Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Latin
"light"
Lumen is a Latin word meaning "light", and the term used for the measurement of light output (making it an attractive choice for science-buffs). The name was used for a female character in the TV…
Japanese
"blessing"
An Asian name not widely known in the West.
Hebrew
"light, brilliance"
A Top 100 name in Israel, where it is overwhelmingly feminine. Zohar is currently used equally between girls and boys in the US but is rising far more quickly for boys.
English word name
"cardinal direction of north"
A lot of attention was drawn to this name when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their baby daughter, making it instantly unisex. North is a word name that's long been used,…
Fruit name
British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The…
Greek
"God protects the king"
Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally…
Word name
You can call your daughter Sugar, but it's probably best to keep it as a term of endearment. For sweet names, you try Dulcie, Honey, Mitsu, Amai, Sherine, Melita, Eulalia, or Melina, but Sugar does…
Finnish
"Christmas"
The Finnish word for Christmas, occasionally given as a name to children born around the holiday.
Polish
"glory of the Wends"
Should only be used when singing Christmas carols.
Maori
"Christmas orchid"
With the rise of all those other popular feminine W names, like Winnie, Willa and Winona, why not consider the lovely Winika? Win and Winnie are likely nicknames and it is associated with a dainty…
Hawaiian
"night of the full moon"
Like a large proportion of traditional Hawaiian names, Hoku can be used for both girls and boys.
"snow boy"
In the Japanese culture, this name suggests a sense of independence and is one of the popular names for December babies .
English
"winter solstice"
A possible Christmas name for a baby boy, if you find Noel too mundane. But we fear it doesn't sound very festive.
Feminine variation of Casper, Dutch and Scandinavian
"bringer of treasure"
An unusual feminization of boy name Casper with a beautiful meaning and familiar nicknames Cassie, Cass and Perrie.
Feminine variation of Casper or Jasper, Persian
An unusual feminization of boy name Caspar with a beautiful meaning and familiar nicknames Cassie and Cass. It is also the name of a sports clothing brand.
Occupational word name
Drummer entered the baby name lexicon thanks to blogger No Big Dill, who chose it for her newborn son, who joins five older sisters. Drummer is right in step with other occupational names in vogue…
Feminine form of Melchior
"king of light"
A feminized form of Melchior, the name of one of the Biblical Magi (or Three Wise Men) and therefore associated with Christmas.
African, Ugandan
"peace"
A warm and musical name with a lovely meaning. There is a popular song called Dembe by famous Ugandan artist named Bobbi Wine, who also ran for President.
"someone who dances"
A word name that's appealing when applied to a person boogying or doing ballet; a different story in the context of Santa's reindeer.
African, Fula
"born in abundance"
A wonderful meaning for a bright and musical West African name.
