Nature, Place and Word Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
Variation of Celeste, Latin
"heavenly"
Celestia is a heavenly name that sounds more ethereal than Celeste, Celestia might make a distinctive, feminine choice if your taste runs toward names like Angelina and Seraphina. Celestia was more…
Greek
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Arabic, Spanish
"swooping eagle; meadow"
Another astral name, this one relating to one of the largest and brightest stars in the heavens, is popular in Scandinavia and Spain, where it ranks among the Top 50 girls' names . Although still…
Latin
"female warrior"
J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella…
"shining; wood; beaver"
If you can put aside the oil connection, Castor is a mythological option, borne by one of the (half) twins that make up the constellation Gemini, the other being Pollux. A son of Leda and a king of…
"glory of Hera"
Any boy with this name, a synonym for power via the Greek mythology figure, better be strong of body, and of psyche.
Astronomy, Arabic
"foot, leg"
This might sound and look like a blend of Ryan, Riley, and Nigel, but it is in fact the name of the seventh brightest star in the sky. Found in the constellation of Orion, its name comes from the…
Variation of Auberon
"elf king; noble bear"
The Shakespearean character Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream is King of the Fairies, but the name, with its bold 'O' beginning has plenty of strength alongside its magical qualities. Oberon was…
Arabic
"falcon"
The eleventh brightest star in the sky has a celestial feel, but also could be the name of a commercial airline.
Sanskrit, Latin
"shore, sail"
Vela is one of those rare names that is at once simple, straightforward, authentic, and unusual, at least in the Western World. Besides being an Indian girls' name, Vela is a Southern sky…
Sign of the Zodiac, Latin
"bull"
The Zodiac name hasn't caught on like Leo or Aries, though it did appear in the US Top 1000 for five consecutive years back in the '70s.
"pig"
Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice , and is now also a Hunger Games name . Another Shakespearean Portia was the…
"Roman messenger god"
Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman…
"woman, wife"
Succinct and simple in spelling, Leda is a currently rare choice from Greek mythology with that appealing four-letter, ending in -a format of Lyra, Maia, Vada, Veda, and Nora. Borne by a Spartan…
Greek mythology name
"cassia juice"
Cassiopeia, the name of a mythological mother who became a stellar constellation, is challenging but intriguing, and has all those softening Cass nicknames available. And with all names Cass-related…
"gold"
Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…
Short form of Ursula, Latin
"little female bear"
Ursa might be a good choice if you're looking for a bear name for your daughter but want to avoid the She Witch curse placed on Ursula by Disney's The Little Mermaid . Too bad, because Ursula is a…
"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…
"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…
