Baby Name Meanings · Name Image
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Arabic
"small, handsome one"
One spelling of a well-used Arabic name. Hussein ibn Ali was a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. It gained in popularity in the USA during the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama.
Italian, English, Greek
"order, beauty, universe"
With a touch of celestial power, a hint of clunky charm, and the totally cool -o ending, Cosmo may well be finally shaking itself free of both the Seinfeld association (which made it a punchline of a…
Scottish
"handsome, fair of face"
Irvin is an Old Man name that has an uncertain future. Losing the final g in Irving makes the name slightly less dated -- but just slightly. There's something about the 'erv' sound that makes Irvin…
Latin
"love, desire"
The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it. Associated with the Greek…
Irish Gaelic
"beautiful, radiant"
Aoife, pronounced EE-fa, is derived from the Irish word aoibh , meaning "beauty." Aoife was borne by several different heroines of ancient Irish legend. In one tale, she was the fiercest woman…
African
"handsome"
Originating in Ethiopia, this warm-feeling name is now associated with Phoenix Suns basketball player Amare Stoudemire. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 2005.
Hebrew
"beautiful"
Despite its Irish sound, this commonly used word name has usually been confined to Jewish families.
Female variation of Alan
"handsome, cheerful"
Singer Alanis Morissette made this twist famous. She was named for her father Alan, who is said to have spotted this version in a Greek newspaper. So far it has been pretty much a one-person name,…
"handsome, good"
In the Bible this was the name of a midwife who helped deliver Moses.
French
"beautiful mountain"
Beau is now in now in the Top 200 boys' names , and this is a more elaborate way to get there. Comic power couple Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti named their first son Beaumont Gino in July 2017.…
Italian variation of Mirabelle
"wonderful"
The short-lived magazine edited by former Vogue chief Grace Mirabella put this beautiful name off-limits for a while, but now it's perfectly fit to join the fashionable Bella pantheon. More…
Familiar and handsome, Jamil is a name of Arabic origin. Its literal meaning is "beautiful" and while this can refer to physical beauty, as a Quranic name, it more specifically refers to beautiful…
Turkish, Persian
"beautiful, delicate"
Succint and sparky, Nazli is a Persian and Turkish name meaning "delicate, beautiful" or "coy". It is a popular choice in Turkey and Azerbaijan where it is transcribed as Nazlı, with a dotless I.
Hebrew, Scandinavian, Japanese
"beautiful, pleasant, delightful"
This adorable cross cultural name updates Naomi and offers an accessible Japanese option. The Scandis were the first to contract Naomi to Nomi, once again being ahead of the trend. Nomi strikes the…
"well developed, handsome"
No longer a one-person name, as a number of parents have been inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal to adopt it for their own future athletes.
Hawaiian; Igbo
Folk singer DiFranco popularized this simple, appealing form. In Igbo mythology, Ani is one of the names of the goddess of the earth, fertility, creativity, and morality.
Korean; Hindi; Turkish; Arabic; Ewe
"this world's beauty or grace; army; to praise; bringing heaven to earth"
Sena is one of those names that is as obscure in the Western World as it is simple and straightforward. Sena exists as a name in a range of languages and cultures and may be pronounced like Senna…
"queenly"
A favorite in Near Eastern cultures, with a charming meaning.
"beautiful gaze"
In the past this was seen as a jokey Southern colonel name, but we have heard of some parents considering it as a path to the likeable Beau.
Greek
"most beautiful"
Calista Flockhart spotlighted this lovely Greek name that has a long future in the English-speaking world. Kallista is another spelling; Calixta and Calixto are related.
