Baby Name Meanings · Nature, Place and Word Names
Animal Names for Babies
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Canary
English
"small bird"
The name of a small yellow bird that hasn't taken off in the way that some of its avian sisters – like Robin, Wren or Lark – have. Two of the most well known bearers of this first name are Canary…
Capella
Latin
"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…
Cat
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.
Cavalli
Italian surname
"horses"
Striking Italian surname associated with luxury fashion house Roberto Cavalli.
Bindi
Australian Aboriginal
"butterfly"
In the Noongar language of Western Australia, Bindi means butterfly. Bindi is usually seen as a girls' name, as seen in Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin.
Ceren
Turkish
"baby gazelle"
Ceren is an excellent cross-cultural Turkish choice, bearing resemblance to names like Serena and Seren. In Turkey, it refers to a baby gazelle and was most common among Gen Z. At its height, Ceren…
Arledge
English
"dweller at the rabbit lake"
A strong, distinctive surname with a quaint meaning and rugged air, Arledge is associated with American sports broadcaster, Roone Arledge. It may hold contemporary appeal thanks to its similarities…
Bina
Diminutive of Sabina and other -ina names, Yiddish or Hebrew
"bee or understanding"
Sources say that Bina, which is close to the word for bee in Yiddish, was once used as a translation for the Hebrew Deborah, which means bee. On its own, it also means "understanding" in Hebrew.…
Billy
English, diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the…
Idzi
Polish
"young goat"
Idzi is an intriguing name used mostly in Poland, a relative of Giles via its original Latin form Aegidius. If you're looking for a very unusual animal or vowel-heavy name, this might make an…
Bichette
French
"little doe"
Charming Gallic possibility but with some obvious playground problems.
Beverly
English
"dweller near the beaver stream"
The remarkable success of the girls' name Everly makes a revival of the name Beverly seem possible. More commonly a masculine name in the 19th century, it began to be used for girls in the early…
Betta
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.
Bertrand
French from German
"magnificent crow"
This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director…
Pipit
English
"bird name"
The name of a small songbird, similar to a Lark – but far less commonly used as a name. Could give you the adorable nickname Pip.
Swithun
English
"strong bear cub"
Variously spelled as Swithun or Swithin, this distinctive sounding name is belonged to St. Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon bishop known as the patron saint of Winchester and of the weather — making him the…
Berold
English
"bear rule"
Berold is one of the more obscure boy names meaning bear, which also include Arthur, Orson, and (in a different vein) Teddy.
Bernardo
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
"strong as a bear"
This Latinate form of Bernard hovered in the lower regions of the US Top 1000 from the late 1940s until 2006, possibly inspired by the character in West Side Story . It remains popular in Portugal…
Bernadette
German
"brave as a bear"
Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated…
Bern
German
"bear"
Hip short form of Bernard, also Swiss place-name.