International Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Place-name and Native American
"the great one"
Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. Twice as many girls as boys were given the name in…
English
"town by the pool"
Lincoln might be considered one of the quintessential American names , calling to mind the great president who freed enslaved people and is memorialized in Washington. Although better known as a…
"enclosure"
This simple, elegant name offers something for many kinds of parents, from writers and history buffs to photographers to Pennsylvania dwellers. Most famous bearers are comedian Penn Jillette and…
Native American
"great land"
State name Alaska stems from an Aleutian word for the land mass itself. The number of baby girls named Alaska has doubled in the past five years, and is sure to continue increasing as more place…
Japanese or Choctaw
"carp; panther"
The Koi is a variety of carp especially popular in ornamental gardens in Japan, where they are a symbol of good fortune. In Buddhist culture, the koi is associated with courage. Being one letter away…
Word name
"rebel"
Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is female, but this name is truly gender neutral, though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest boys' names starting with the letter…
Scottish
"son of the fair hero"
New Presidential name, if you're ready to move beyond Lincoln and Jefferson. At the turn of the last century, during the original McKinley's heyday, as a first name it almost reached the Top 100.
Choctaw, English, Spanish, Hindi, or Kiswahili
"leaping waters; town; spear strength; mountain peak"
Tula is a multicultural name, linked to the names Tallulah, Gertrude, and Tullia, a mountain range in Antarctica, and to the Greek Toula, used for the heroine of the hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding…
Choctaw, Native American
"leaping water"
Dutch
"rose field"
Presidential surname adopted as a first by numbers of midcentury African-American parents.
English slang
"aggressive energy, know-how"
Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe.
Hebrew, Cherokee
"beauty, ornament; comfortable; sand"
A popular choice in Israel, Noya shares the appeal of Kaya, Maya, and Nia, while also having its own distinctive sound. Derived from the Hebrew noi , it means "beauty" or "ornament", although…
English color name, Persian
"sky blue; lapis lazuli"
Azure is a colorful gender-neutral choice, currently used equally for baby girls and boys in the US. It refers to a specific shade of blue seen in a cloudless sky. Elon Musk revealed Azure to be the…
Cherokee or variation of Jonah, Hebrew
"bear; dove"
A name with a double animal connection via two distinct origins, one Native American and the other Hebrew and Biblical. Yona is rare in the US but not unknown: It was given to a dozen baby girls in…
Ewe, Akan, Ghanaian, Cherokee
"born on Saturday; water"
Ama is a day name used by the Akan people of Ghana for girls born on Saturday. Names that reference a baby's birth by day of the week, time of day, or season of the year are common in many African…
Native American, Cherokee, place-name
"bend in the river or meeting place"
When playwright Thomas Lanier Williams adopted the pen name of Tennessee, he created a new possibility among American place-names, although it's admittedly a bit bulky in size. Reese Witherspoon…
Occupational name
One celebrity baby Pilot put this occupational choice into the pool -- together with the middle name Inspektor, something we wouldn't advise following.
English nature name
"apple"
When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her…
Cherokee
"black fox"
One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.
Diminutive of Melissa or Cherokee variation of Mary, Greek, Hebrew or Egyptian
"honeybee; drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
