Baby Name Meanings · Name Image
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Latin
"dark-skinned"
Maurus is one straightforward and attractive name from Ancient Rome that hasn't been discovered yet by modern parents. It's the forebearer of such names as Morris, Maurice, and Moritz, but the…
Spelling variation of word name Dune or Scottish surname
"brown or dark"
Photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired by the sand dunes she walked among when pregnant. Used this way, Doon might be considered a nature name, a refashioning of the word dune.…
Aboriginal Australian
"black swan"
Maroochy Barambah, an Australian singer, brought this name into prominence in Australia.
French
"dark, elfin"
New twist to the Maur- names, a bit cosmetic sounding.
Manx variation of Douglas
"black river"
Doolish (known as Douglas in English) is the largest town in the Isle of Man. The name is though to derive from a Celtic word "Duboglassio" which means "black river".
Irish
"dark, brave one"
Donnelly is among the more appealing Irish surname names, less well used than Donovan. Related options include the place name Donegal and the mythological god name Donegan.
"dark fighter"
This genial Irish surname feels much more current than Donald.
Greek
"dark flower"
The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.
Dutch
"blackbird"
Merel is a soundalike of Meryl and may be thought of as a variation of that name, but it's also the Dutch word for blackbird and so you can make it more stylish as one of the flock of cool new bird…
English word name
"without light"
Grimes and Elon Musk put this name on the map in 2022, when they revealed their daughter's name was Exa Dark Sideræl. Until that point, Dark had not been recorded as a given name, although it…
English, word name
A mystical word name, most often reserved for black cats, Midnight conjures up darkness and the liminal space between the end of one day and the beginning of the next. It has seen some use as a baby…
Literary name
The eponymous character in an Edgar Allan Poe ghost story, gothic Morella was likely based on Latin mors ("death") or Greek mauros ("black"). It’s also a subtle nature name, being an alternative name…
The moody and mysterious name Dark could be the perfect name for a couple who embraces the magic of the unknown. Grimes and Elon Musk used it as a middle for their daughter Y, whose given name is Exa…
"dark one"
A distinctive alternative to Conan.
"dark"
Now that the Irish Ciaran and Ciara -- aka Kieran and Kiera -- are becoming more popular beyond their native shores, the short and strong Ciar might find some favor. As of now, more than 160 baby…
Italian
"shadow"
An unusual, haunting name, a distant cousin to the more popular Amber and Ember.
"dark, black"
A unisex name in the same vein as Casey, Cassidy, and Kelly, Carey and its alternative spelling Cary were familiar choices for boys in the first half of the 20th-century, and became popular in the…
Greek mythology name
"the darkness of the night"
Name of the legendary ancient Greek poet and musician — whose music was so beautiful it made trees dance and rivers stop to listen — would provide a child with a challenging but indelible identity.
Cornish
"little dark one"
Also spelled as Piran, this Cornish saint's name is thought to have derived from the Irish Ciaran. Borne by a 5th-century monk who founded a monastery, it also appears as a place name in Cornwall, as…
Native American, Blackfoot,or Greek, "golden eagle, or rock, stone"
"golden eagle, or rock, stone"
Too tightly tied to the acronym for the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
