Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Greek
"amber, shining, bright"
Though the plays by Sophocles and Eugene O'Neill and via the "Electra Complex" proposed by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, this name has, unfortunately, become associated with incest and murder.…
Bosnian form of Amal, Arabic
"hope, aspriations"
A gentle and warm sounding choice, with an uplifting meaning, Amela is the Bosnian form of the popular Arabic name, Amal. It was a Top 100 choice in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2015 and is…
Chinese
"universe"
Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty and the name went on to become one of the most popular boy names in its native country during the 2000s. In more recent years, it has been used as an…
Latin
"white, bright."
The ancient name Albus has modern currency as the first name of the headmaster of Harry Potter 's Hogwarts, more formally known as Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Can Albus work if…
Hebrew
"spring of water"
Many Americans will misunderstand it as Maya, but Maayan (also stylized as Ma'ayan) is a popular Israeli name used for both sexes.
English, feminine variation of Albert
"noble, bright"
This jazzy old name could make a comeback, the way Josephine and Ella have. In England the name was popularized by Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, after whom her governor…
"gift of the sun"
Elidi is intriguing but potentially confusing. Try the French Elodie instead.
Word name
"heavy object used to moor a ship; provide with a solid foundation"
Plausible word name, denoting strength and stability, currently given to a small handful of boys in the US each year.
English word name
"signal light"
A word name with an appealing and illuminating meaning.
Japanese
"light or radiance"
A unisex Japanese name with a beautiful and radiant meaning, it is notably borne by chess prodigy Hikaru Nakamura, and is a central character in the manga series The Summer Hikaru Died .
Greek or Hebrew
"new moon; pleasantness"
An obscure yet on-trend name with two wonderful meanings associated with it. Neoma is one of the freshest celestial girl names with moon-related meanings, rarer than Luna or Phoebe but with the same…
Hebrew; also Swahili from Arabic
"thunderbolt, lightning; or blessing"
The name of the 44th president, which he inherited from his Kenyan father, is related to the Swahili word "baraka," meaning "blessing," derived from the Arabic "baracka." It is linked, through the…
English combination of Clara + -bel, Latin
"bright + beautiful"
Claribel improves on its mother name Clarabelle by distancing itself from the clown and the cow.
"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…
English
"sea-bright; pleasant hill"
Merrill, once fairly common for American boys back in the first half of the 20th-century, is now a rare choice, given to just 7 girls and 6 boys in a recent year. Alternative spelling Meryl is also…
Hebrew or Greek
"my candle; ocean spirit"
A simple but unusual name with roots in disparate cultures, Neri appears in the Bible as a male name and is still sometimes used for boys as well as girls. The appeal of Neri are its deep roots…
Arabic
"spring"
Thought to be one of the ten angels who accompanies the sun on its daily course: a lovely image redolent of mythology. If you're looking for names that mean new beginnings , this makes an unusual and…
Scandinavian
"new victory"
Signe could make an offbeat, more unusual alternative to Sydney or Sigrid. In Norse mythology, Signe was the twin sister of Sigmund. Can also be spelled Signy.
Twi, Ewe, Ghanaian
"born on Sunday"
Akosua means "born on a Sunday," which relates the name to the sun and thus to fire. The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were…
"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…
