Baby Name Meanings · Name Image
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Cherokee
"black fox"
One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.
Word name
This recently coined respelling of Cole darkens its image.
Scottish, Irish
"marsh, thicket; fort; dark, black"
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a punch, but also has a endearing quality about it thanks to its similarity to the word care . Sometimes used as a short form of the more popular Kieran, it…
Sanskrit
"dark, black, blue"
Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.
English
"animal name"
Sable is often associated with the Dynsaty soap opera, but it is actually a type of animal historically hunted for its fur. Sable is also used as a word for a warm, rich black color. Both…
French
"black"
Noir is a name that would sound soigne and sophisticated on a 30-year-old, and perhaps too grown-up for a toddler. But with the popularity of so many other color names, Noir feels like a true…
An ubercool and mysterious name, brought to you by director M. Night Shyamalan.
This sophisticated French name was used last year in the US for about ten baby boys and twice as many girls. We can see it having a much bigger future.
Irish
"dark, dusty"
A much fresher Ty name than Tyler or Tyson.
Yiddish
"dark, black"
Popular name in Israel, worth considering for a dark-haired daughter with a bit of a bohemian cast.
Old Norse
"black eyebrows"
Originally an epithet for someone with dark eyebrows, Kolbrún is now in the Icelandic Top 50. Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir is an Icelandic politician.
"dark"
This familiar Irish surname, best known as the name of the mononamed Welsh female singer, is extremely rare as a first name in the US but could make an original Irish choice.
This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.
"swarthy"
This somewhat boisterous Celtic name would be at home in a noisy pub or out walking on the moors. In Scotland, it was originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion. Duff…
Irish place-name
With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.
Irish place name
"dark pool"
The city name Dublin ultimately derived from Irish elements dubh , meaning "dark," and lind , "pool." The dark pool in question was a tidal pool behind Dublin Castle. As a baby name, Dublin is a rare…
Scottish
"dark stranger"
Heard in the Scottish highlands, and much more in tune with the present times than the dated Douglas — for which it could make a perfect tribute name. Dougal was the Scottish nickname for…
Manx, Irish
"little blackbird"
Typically spelled as Lonán in Ireland, Lonan is its Manx form, though it could also be considered the anglicized form too. The name comes from the Irish lon meaning "blackbird", paired with a…
Doug is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive form of Douglas, a Scottish surname meaning 'dark water' or 'dark stream,' derived from the Gaelic elements 'dubh' (dark) and 'glas' (water).…
French diminutive of Maurus, Latin
"dark-skinned"
Maurin comes from the ancient Roman Maurus, which literally means 'Moorish.' This name was traditionally given to people with darker complexions or those from North African descent. Throughout…
