New Year Names
The start of a new year brings with it a sense of fresh beginnings, a new dawn dawning, and hopes for the future. These sentiments are embodied in the meanings of many names, including current favorites Aurora and Nova, and undiscovered gems Dagny and Von.
Along with Aurora and Nova, other New Year’s baby names in the US Top 1000 include Esperanza, Eve, Hope, Joy, Nadia, Xavier, Zara, and Zora. Names related to the month of January are also fit for a New Year’s baby, such as Gennaro, Januária, Janvière, and of course, January itself.
A New Year’s baby is a harbinger of hope for the year to come. Here are some baby names from various cultures whose meanings reflect the feelings of a new year, especially appropriate for a baby born in early January.
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- Aurora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of sunrise whose tears turned into the morning dew. She was said to renew herself by traveling from East to West across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun each dawn. Aurora is also associated with the scientific term for the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.
- Zara
Origin:
Hebrew and ArabicMeaning:
"blooming flower; God remembers"Description:
Zara has multiple origins, but most notably is a variation of Zahrah, a name derived from the Arabic zahrah, meaning “blooming flower.” Zara can also be a diminutive of the Bulgarian name Zaharina, a feminine form of the Hebrew Zechariah. Today, Zara is heavily associated with the Spanish fast-fashion empire of the same name.
- Xavier
Origin:
BasqueMeaning:
"new house"Description:
Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the name of which was derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning “castle” or “new house.” Many Americans pronounce the initial X, as in ex-ZAY-vee-er, but it's equally accepted to pronounce the name ZAY-vee-er, closer to the French pronunciation.
- Nova
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"new"Description:
Nova is a name that has the feel of both newness, from his meaning, and great energy from being an astronomical term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness, then fades.
- Mika
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beautiful fragrance"Description:
Mika is a Japanese girls' name that translates easily to English. As a male name, it's a short form of Mikael, the Scandinavian and Finnish form of Michael. Both are spelled and pronounced the same.
- Zora
Origin:
Serbo-CroatianMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Eve
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"life"Description:
Eve, the oldest name in the Book, is now coming back into style, having the virtues of simplicity and purity, yet with more strength and resonance than other single-syllable names like Ann. British actor Clive Owen chose Eve for his daughter, as did Jessica Capshaw.
- Hope
Origin:
Virtue nameDescription:
Can a name as virtuous as Hope be cool and trendy? Strangely enough -- yes. But though this optimistic Puritan favorite is experiencing substantial popularity, Hope is too pure and elegant to be corrupted, a lovely classic that deserves all the attention it's getting.
- Jovie
Origin:
Modern invented nameDescription:
Name of the female lead played by charming actress Zooey Deschanel in the movie "Elf," Jovie definitely has a lively, jovial sound and makes a fresh twist on old (and new) favorites like Jody, Josie, and Jolie. May be considered a short form of Jovita, Jovena, and Jovana, all feminine forms of Jove, the Roman king of gods. If you're looking for a cute, friendly, but unusual girl name starting with J, Jovie may be just the ticket.
- Vihaan
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Vihaan comes from a Sanskrit word denoting the dawn, but has the symbolic meaning of the beginning of a new age, making Vihaan a wonderful choice for the first baby in a family's next generation.
- Neo
Origin:
Latin or TswanaMeaning:
"new or gift"Description:
This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.
- Amaryllis
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"to sparkle"Description:
If you love both unique baby names and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you.
- Nadia
Origin:
Russian, ArabicMeaning:
"hope; tender, delicate"Description:
Nadia, an accessible Slavic favorite, has a strong run of popularity in the US in the early 2000s, partially thanks to the character on Lost called Nadia but actually named Noor, but it's since slumped down the rankings. An earlier inspiration was Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who won the 1976 Olympics.
- Asha
Origin:
Sanskrit; SwahiliMeaning:
"hope; life"Description:
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its separate roots, Asha is part of this group. Asha is finding new life through its Game of Thrones connections. Disney has announced an upcoming film titled Wish, which will feature a heroine named Asha who may likely be the next Disney Princess. Read more about Asha and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
- Marnie
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"of the sea"Description:
Retro short form of Marina, now dated to the era of the Hitchcock movie that made it famous. In the UK, it's one of the hottest vintage names of the moment, perhaps inspired by British singer Lily Allen, who gave it to her second daughter in 2013. It's also a character name on the hit TV show Girls.
- Oriana
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings or dawn.
- Joy
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"joy"Description:
Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory -- all of which exert a certain amount of personality pressure on a child. One interesting name that means the same thing: Chara.
- Siddharth
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"one who has accomplished a goal"Description:
Siddhartha Gautama was one of the real names of Buddha, making this an impressive and weighty name among the Buddhist community.
- Nadine
Origin:
French variation of Nadia, RussianMeaning:
"hope"Description:
Part of the vogue for French-sounding names in the 1920s and 30s, Nadine has been replaced by the Russian sound of Nadia and Natasha.
- Roxy
Origin:
Diminutive of Roxanne, PersianMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Roxy, also spelled Roxie, is one of those high-stepping showgal names with plenty of moxie, among the many sassy nickname names on the U.K. popularity list--currently Number 398.