Australian Names: Aussie Favorites

Dimity is fairly common in Australia, but unheard of outside of it, which is surprising given its similarity to names like Amity, Verity, and Cassidy.

Although usually seen as a masculine name, Miles is sometimes seen as a feminine name in Australia, due to its literary association with female author Stella "Miles" Franklin.

When Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman became one of the first Europeans to find Australia, he gave his name to a sea and to an island. in turn some parents have chosen to honor their homeland by choosing this name for their child. Tasma is the feminine version.

One of the few rainbow names that is masculine, Walken is a Noongar Aboriginal word.

This is a Scottish pet form of John, the equivalent of Jack in England. Has long been used as a generic name for a Scotsman, here it's a generic name for a--well--jock.

This Noongar girls’ name has a dainty sound that belies its fierce fire meaning and could easily cross over into the American or European context.

For most, Eureka will be tied up with the bathtub myth of Archimedes' discovery of volumetric displacement, making it linked to the idea of invention, discovery and innovation. Some Australians might more closely link it to the Eureka stockade, a 19th Century rebellion of miners and workers against the colonial British government. Amanda Knox named her baby girl Eureka in 2021.

A name gaining recognition in Australia, based on the huon pine tree which grows in Tasmania. Boatbuilders especially love this rare wood, which floats well, is resistant to rot, and has a strong pine-y scent.

Maroochy Barambah, an Australian singer, brought this name into prominence in Australia.

A variation made famous by Australian Aboriginal tennis champ Evonne Goolagong.

Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.

Also spelled Merinda, this name meaning beautiful comes from the language of the Gadigal people in Eastern Australia. One famous bearer of this name is Merindah Donnelly, a dancer and nominee for Australian of the Year.

Karri is a beautiful Australian native tree famous for its richly-colored strong wood. It's a name that travels well - and one of the few tree names that lends itself more to girls than boys.

Not an alternate spelling of Warren, Warrin is a Pitjantjatjara name meaning the cold months. A good name for a winter baby.

Dianella is the botanical name of a small plant which grows across Australia. It flowers in spring with a star-like purple flower which develops into a blue berry. Dianella feels wearable as an elaboration of Diana.

Although the name Jabiru is indelibly associated with Australia (it is the name of a town in Northern Territory, Australia and also a type of stork), it is not an Aboriginal name, as is often thought.

To most Australians and New Zealanders, using the name Anzac might feel sacrilegious now, as the ANZAC story has become interwoven with national identity. But Anzac was used as a name for both boys and girls on both sides of the Tasman Sea in the aftermath of the First World War. It was often used in combination with other names associated with battles or military leaders - for example Dardanella Anzac and Verdun Anzac (both girls) and Winston Anzac and Anzac Kitchener (boys).

Love the name wren but need something not quite so trendy? Consider Jedda. Jedda is derived from the word 'djida' meaning "wren" in the language of the Noongar people of Western Australia. Jedda was also the name of the eponymous heroine of the film "Jedda", which was one of the first Australian films to be shot in color and was the first to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival (it was nominated for the Palme d'Or). The perfect name for nature enthusiasts and film buffs alike.

Most closely associated with Australia's iconic progressive Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, this name is a great choice for politicos or parents wanting to honor their Welsh heritage in naming a red-haried son.

Traditionally pronounced "ming-iz" and thus the relationship to the jazzy Mingus, Menzies is an old Scottish surname related to the more common Manners.