Birthday Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Norwegian
"dawn"
Gry is becoming a popular name in Denmark where it is currently in the Top 50. Despite its beautiful meaning, the similarity of its sound to the English word gruel is unlikely to make this a winning…
Italian
"fresh; decorative mural"
A fresh artistic option with a lively sound.
Latin
"I hope"
Spero has a cool sound and a wonderful positive meaning.
Quechua
"hope"
This Quechua name would fit in perfectly with names like Eliana and Liliana, but feels much more distinctive.
Norway
"swallow (bird) or cool/fresh"
In Norway, Svale is also used as a short form of the rare name Svalaug/Svanlaug, meaning "swan oath". Svale is also a more modern form of Svali, meaning "cool, fresh".
"flower of the dawn"
A lush, romantic flower name for people who think Rose, Violet and Lily are 1000 times too popular.
African, Kiswahili
The raja sequence of sounds gives it a regal feel.
Indonesian, Arabic
"dawn, daybreak"
A good choice for a baby born in a hopeful time of change and beginnings, Fajar is an Indonesian name, derived from the Arabic fajr , the name for morning prayer.
Finnish, Estonian
This name was on the U.S. Top 1000 in the early 20th century, when recent immigrants frequently chose native names that have since died out for American babies. But if you're of Finnish or Estonian…
Greek; Welsh
"dawn; nightingale"
Eos -- that's pronounced with a short e like eros without the r -- is the Greek Titan of the dawn. Any ancient name with a sleek modern feel has definite revival possibilities. Eos could be an…
"good wisher; peacemaker, benevolent"
A kindly, virtue-adjacent name, it appears in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet , borne by the peacemaker friend who persuades Romeo to go to the party where he meets Juliet. Alas. A bold choice but with…
Hindi
"the beginning, or, happy"
Rhythmic and enchanting.
Literary name inspired by Latin
"gold, dawn or breeze"
The eponymous character of the fantasy novel Aurian by Maggie Furey. It may have been inspired by the Latin aurum "gold", or by names like Aurora ("dawn") or Aura ("breeze"), also derived from the…
Czech
"green"
A Czech surname derived from the word for "green", which has a certain spark.
Aroon, also spelled Haroon, is the mythic charioteer of the dawn.
Hebrew
"to arise; dawn"
The Biblical Zerah is etymologically related to such names as Zora, which also means dawn. While the vowel sound at the end of the name does not sound as feminine to our modern ear as it once did,…
French variant of Zerlin and Zerlina
"beautiful dawn"
Although a variant of the operatic Zerlina, Zerline has her own theatrical tale. She is the star character of the opera Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber. Zerline, daughter of the innkeeper of Terracina,…
Greek
"beginning"
In Greek mythology, Arche was the muse associated with origins. As a baby name, it may be misunderstood as Archie.
Japanese
"new; fresh"
Strong Japanese name with a hopeful meaning.
"new man"
Following a custom among scholars in Renaissance Germany, Neander is the classical form of the surname Newman. But the bullies at school are sure to call him Neanderthal.
