Birthday Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
Finnish, Estonian
"winter"
A sleek yet friendly name of Finnish and Estonian origin, Talvi is familiar in Finland, Estonia, and Sweden, but rare in English speaking countries. It comes from the Finnish talvi or Estonian talv ,…
Hebrew
"wild goat, silly old fool"
A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.
Danish, Icelandic
"thunder wolf, twelve"
Diminutive form of Tholf, itself derived from the Old Norse Þórulfr which gives you the cool meaning "thunder wolf". It coincides with the Icelandic word for "twelve".
French
"Turkish stone"
Turquoise is similar in hue to Aqua, which is one of the cool new color names on the palette. Other blue-hued options: Cerulean, Cyan, Indigo, or Blue itself.
Latin
"the warmth of the sun in winter"
Part-April, part-Felicity, but with the wonderfully whimsical feel of Serendipity. Apricity debuted in the US charts for the first time in 2022.
Maori
"Christmas orchid"
With the rise of all those other popular feminine W names, like Winnie, Willa and Winona, why not consider the lovely Winika? Win and Winnie are likely nicknames and it is associated with a dainty…
English surname
"goat estate"
Although it's more commonly seen as a surname, Haviland is occasionally used as a first name, particularly for girls. The hircine meaning makes Haviland an appropriate name for a baby Capricorn.
German
"peaceful warrior"
Humphrey is an old name that might have faded completely were it not for that Bogie flair. A royal name in Britain, where it's used somewhat more frequently, Humphrey might just have some life beyond…
English
"winter solstice"
A possible Christmas name for a baby boy, if you find Noel too mundane. But we fear it doesn't sound very festive.
Gem name from Greek
"gold-hued"
Although Zircon means "gold-hued," the gem comes in a variety of colors.
Finnish
"Christmas"
A rare Finnish name for Christmas babies.
"Winter stream"
One of the rarer names to come from the Bible, Cherith has a fresh and modern sound despite its ancient roots. Cherith was the name of the stream that kept Elijah alive during the three years'…
Greek
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Italian variation of Natalia, Russian
"Birthday of the Lord"
Natale is the handsome gender-neutral Italian spin on Natalia or Natalie or Noel, traditionally given to babies born on Christmas Day. English speakers might stumble over the pronunciation --…
English word name
"Christ festival"
Very occasionally given to babies born on December 25th, Christmas is a bold, declarative choice. When it is used, it is usually in the middle spot, with notable bearers including Danish politician…
"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…
English from Greek
If you love Calliope and Callista, you'll love Calanthe, which combines the trendiness of the Greek 'cal' names with the equally fashionable "the" ending (like Xanthe and Evanthe) and a connection to…
Kamba
"billy goat"
In Akamba culture, children were historically given names with animal meanings if their mother's first pregnancy was a stillbirth. It was thought that these names promoted survival and kept the bad…
"candle, light"
Because of its meaning, this is a symbolic name given to girls born on Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
Cherokee
"who is like God"
Magi, as in the Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus, is a new word name appropriate for Christmas babies. It might also be a way to spell Maggie, but you can see the problems that's going to…
