Baby Name Meanings · Nature, Place and Word Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 28 pages
of 28
Diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
A modern version of the dated Betty. You might want to consider varying Elizabeth, too, to the Italian Elisabetta.
French
"little doe"
Charming Gallic possibility but with some obvious playground problems.
English
"meadow with the cow shed"
A surname with a decidedly burley image.
"hill of birds"
Brittle.
English place-name and surname
"dark wolf's wood or clearing"
Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter.…
French surname
"white deer"
This name is usually seen as a surname, but could be used as a first in the tradition of Cooper, Sawyer etc.
Welsh
"wolf's cub"
An unusual two-syllable choice, with a cool, animal related meaning, Bleddyn combines the Old Welsh word for "wolf", with a diminutive suffix, giving it the overall meaning of "wolf cub" or "young…
"den of the boar"
A neglected surname name that could substitute for the more common Gordon, which has in the past associated with the milk company and Elsie the Cow.
English and French
"bow-maker, cattle herder"
Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent.
Irish
"white cow"
The famous Battle of the Boyne, in Ireland, vanquished the Catholic king.
irish
"little raven"
Branigan, also spelled Branagan or Brannigan, is an Irish name full of energy and cheer. It was the title of a 1975 John Wayne movie, and Zapp Brannigan is the antihero of the animated sitcom…
"raven meadow"
The suffix Bran is familiar as raven-related since Game of Thrones , and the -ley suffix has been popular since the 1990s heyday of Ashley.
Celtic
"blessed raven"
This is an attractive Celtic mythological name, popular in Wales and a cousin of the better known Bronwyn. In Welsh mythology, Branwen was turned into a bird.
Turkish
"baby camel"
Turkish boy name with an adorable meaning.
Greek
"lark"
Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this, including Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia. Calandra itself is the name of a species of lark, and…
"calf-herder"
Putting a C before Albert doesn't make this old occupational name any more contempo.
Latin
"calf farm"
The kind of hybrid name -- it sounds like a blend of the popular Caleb and Colton -- that could catch on despite its lack of pedigree.
"little she goat"
Capella, the eleventh brightest star in the sky, carries much mythological and astrological significance. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the…
Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
"pure"
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
Italian surname
"horses"
Striking Italian surname associated with luxury fashion house Roberto Cavalli.
