Summer Baby Names

A punchy alternative to Pearl as it gains popularity, it may also be used as a short form of Vilhelmina or Wilhelmina.

This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the rise of Biblical boys' names that end in vowel sounds like Noah and Ezra, Jarah may have new possibilities for boys. An alternate spelling is Jarrah, which is also a distinct Arabic name. Jared and Jareth are unrelated but similar-sounding Biblical choices for boys.

With the tide coming in on a new wave of word names, this one just might catch on, especially for parents who relish sun, sand, and surf. Forest lovers can spell it Beech, like the tree.

Anahita is the name of the water goddess who rules, among other things, fertility and wisdom. Associated with Venue, Anahita is a stylish Iranian name for girls.

The name of the second-biggest (and third-most populous) island in Hawaii was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017. A major factor was surely Dwayne Johnson's character in Moana, the Polynesian demigod named Maui, a mythological trickster who slowed the sun to create the days. (It fell back to normal levels in the following years.)

A saintly surname that is used steadily for boys and occasionally for girls, mainly by Catholic parents. The Polish Franciscan priest St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe offered himself in place of another who was sentenced to death in Auschwitz, and was canonized for his martyrdom.

This spirited Spanish variation of Rosa was familiar in the mid-20th century, but is used more quietly now. Given to around 35 babies in the US each year, it could work as a fresh alternative to Roberta or Rosie.

Most things Jul-related – from the month of July to popular modern names Julia and Julian – originate with Roman emperor Julius Caesar, and the month name July is no exception. Fifteen girls and seven boys were named July in 2013, putting this month name into the class of gender neutral names.

Sorley is an anglicization of the Irish name Somhairle, itself derived from the Old Norse Sumarliði, a nickname for a summer traveler (perhaps meaning a viking raider!). It is sometimes used as a boy name in Britain, but very rarely in the US. The similarity to the word "sorely" may put some off, but we still think it makes a jaunty, unusual surname-style option.

Azul is the Spanish word for "blue" and was first recorded as a baby name (for girls) in 1995. It's technically considered unisex today, although it is still much more common as a feminine name.

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021, and it was last on the charts for boys in 2018, when six baby boys got the name.

Kauai is known as the Garden Isle of Hawaii. Ironically, it qualifies as a baby name based on spelling variation and homonym Kawhi, as in basketball star Kawhi Leonard.

Wave made, well, waves when it was revealed to be the name of Cardi B and Offset's son. Evocative of crashing waves at the beach, large surfing barrels, and tumultuous and stormy seas, Wave is a name with a lot of personalities.

Ishaan is the guardian of the Northeast in the Hindu religion.

Oceane (oh-see-EN) has been one of the chicest names in France for several years, ranking in the French Top 50. This is a sophisticated name that could easily cross the ocean, and is much more stylish than the English Ocean or Oceana.

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the legends, Iara seduces men to the river to accompany her in her immortal life.

This Maori name, often heard in New Zealand, is an attractive, evocative choice for lovers of the ocean made famous – perhaps too famous – by the Disney heroine. Moana was also an alternate name for the heroine Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth. Moana may also be a color name for a deep ocean blue ("lanu moana"). Moana and other Disney Princess Names are the subject of a featured blog.

African-American and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born as Isabelle into enslavement. She adopted her new name when she began traveling and preaching abolition in 1843. Sojourner is a heroine name that may, with the rise of spiritual word names such as Journey and Genesis, finally be ready for prime time.

An uncommon surname name with that energetic -er ending. Might appeal especially to baseball fans.

Sweet-smelling Honeysuckle is the ultimate quirky floral name, so called because of its tubular flowers full of sweet nectar. Honeysuckle Weeks is a British actress whose siblings, also actors, have equally eye-catching names: Perdita and Rollo.