January baby names

Wed Oct 21 2020By Nameberry

January baby names might mark the beginning of a new year with meanings related to newness or freshness, including Nova, derived from the Latin word for “new,” and Dawn.

Names for babies born in January can reference all things winter, including snow. January’s birthstone is the garnet, which works as a name for a boy or a girl. The snowdrop, January’s birth flower, offers some naming inspiration as well.

Along with Nova and King, popular January baby names ranking in the US Top 600 include Hope, Aurora, Xavier, Reagan, Franklin, Sophie, Kiara, and Zane. Unique January baby names that we recommend include January, Sylvester, Camellia, and Wolf.

You may also consider the name of a famous figure born in January, such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Henri Matisse. Each would make a great namesake if you are expecting a baby in January. Here, view our comprehensive collection of January baby names.

Aurora

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"dawn"
Description:
Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of sunrise whose tears turned into the morning dew. She was said to renew herself by traveling from East to West across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun each dawn. Aurora is also associated with the scientific term for the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.

Aurora Continued

Xavier

Origin:
Basque or Arabic
Meaning:
"new house or bright"
Description:
Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the name of which was derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning “castle” or “new house.” Many Americans pronounce the initial X, as in ex-ZAY-vee-er, but it's equally accepted to pronounce the name ZAY-vee-er, closer to the French pronunciation.

Xavier Continued

Nova

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"new"
Description:
Nova is a name that has the feel of both newness, from his meaning, and great energy from being an astronomical term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness, then fades.

Florence

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"flourishing, prosperous"
Description:
Florence, which has been neglected for decades, has a lot going for it, both for its floral feel and as a place name connection to the lovely Italian city (after which Florence Nightingale was named—it was her birthplace). The association to the city seems to be helping Florence stir back to life, along with cousin Flora.

Florence Continued

Zane

Origin:
Possible variation of John
Meaning:
"God is gracious"
Description:
Western novelist Zane (born Pearl!) Grey made this name famous. Now, it's in tune with the style of our times, retaining that appealing cowboy image.

Alexander

Origin:
Greek
Meaning:
"defending men"
Description:
Alexander is derived from the Greek name Aléxandros, composed of the elements aléxein, meaning “to defend,” and aner, meaning “man.” According to Greek legend, the first Alexander was Paris, who was given the nickname Alexander by the shepherds whose flocks he defended against robbers. He was followed by Alexander the Great, aka Alexander III, who conquered much of Asia.

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Edith

Origin:
English
Meaning:
"prosperous in war"
Description:
Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image.

Edith Continued

Sophie

Origin:
French variation of Sophia
Meaning:
"wisdom"
Description:
Sophie is the French form of the Greek Sophia, for which it is also commonly used as a nickname. Sophies are scattered throughout European royal history, including Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of Brabant, Princess Sophie of Sweden, and in modern times, Sophie, Duchess of Wessex, the wife of Britain's Prince Edward. German-born Catherine the Great was born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, but changed her name to Catherine upon her conversion to Russian Orthodoxy.

Sophie Continued

Kiara

Origin:
Variation of the Italian Chiara or the Irish Ciara or Aboriginal Australian, Korean
Meaning:
"light, clear; little dark one; cockatoo; first ray of sun"
Description:
Kiara can be considered a variation of both the Italian name Chiara and the Irish name Ciara. Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, meaning “bright” or “clear,” while Ciara is the feminine form of male given name Ciar, derived from the old Irish cíar, meaning “dark.” Kiara is also an Australian name derived from an Aboriginal word for the white cockatoo, and has roots as a Korean name meaning “first ray of sun”.

Kiara Continued

Eira

Origin:
Welsh
Meaning:
"snow"
Description:
This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow.

Zora

Origin:
Serbo-Croatioan
Meaning:
"dawn"
Description:
Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.

Raven

Origin:
Word and animal name
Description:
Bird name Raven, once a symbol of pride for both African-American and Wiccan parents, is finding new life as a superhero name. Raven Darkholme is the real name of Mystique, heroine of the X-Men films played by Jennifer Lawrence. And there is another Raven superheroine in Teen Titans. Some parents may still choose Raven to signal black pride or mystical powers or maybe even Edgar Allan Poe fandom, but we are guessing most inspiration is coming from the comics.

Raven Continued

Wolf

Origin:
Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang
Meaning:
"traveling wolf"
Description:
Wolf is a name with a split personality. It can be seen as one of the fierce animal names, like Fox and Bear and Puma, with a touch of the werewolf, or it can be viewed as a quieter, Wolf Blitzer kind of name, fairly common in German (where is pronounced Vulf) and Jewish families, sometimes as a short form of Wolfgang.

Hope

Origin:
Virtue name
Description:
Can a name as virtuous as Hope be cool and trendy? Strangely enough -- yes. But though this optimistic Puritan favorite is experiencing substantial popularity, Hope is too pure and elegant to be corrupted, a lovely classic that deserves all the attention it's getting.

Neo

Origin:
Latin or Tswana
Meaning:
"new or gift"
Description:
This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.

Amaryllis

Origin:
Greek
Meaning:
"to sparkle"
Description:
If you love both unique baby names and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you. A showier flower name than Lily, but in the same botanical family, Amaryllis is not as outre as it might at first sound. It was used in Greek poetry as the appellation of pure pastoral beauties; Amaryllis is the heroine of Virgil's epic poem Ecologues, after whom the flower was named. Other references are characters in the George Bernard Shaw play Back to Methuselah and The Music Man. James Bond-creator Ian Fleming had a half sister named Amaryllis Marie-Louise Fleming, who was a noted British cellist.

Amaryllis Continued

Sylvia

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"from the forest"
Description:
The musical, sylvan Sylvia seems poised to join former friends Frances and Beatrice and Dorothy back in the nursery.

Sylvia Continued

Jackson

Origin:
English
Meaning:
"son of Jack"
Description:
Cool name Jackson is one of the celebrisphere's top favorite boy names, having been chosen by, among others, Spike Lee, Poppy Montgomery, Carson Daly, Maria Bello, Natalie Maines, Scott Wolf, Maya Rudolph, and Katey Sagal. After a spectacular rise, this stylish presidential name has been in the Top 25 since 2010, overtaking John as one of the most popular boy names starting with J.

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Constance

Origin:
English version of Latin Constantia
Meaning:
"steadfastness"
Description:
Constance is one of the more subtle of the virtue baby names, but still has quite a prim and proper image. One impediment to its revival has been the decidedly dated nickname Connie, though modern parents might well opt for using the strong and dignified name in full.

Constance Continued

Mika

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"beautiful fragrance"
Description:
Mika is a Japanese girls' name that translates easily to English. As a male name, it's a short form of Mikael, the Scandinavian and Finnish form of Michael. Both are spelled and pronounced the same.

Lumi

Origin:
Finnish
Meaning:
"snow"
Description:
Lumi may be a rare girls' name in the USA and England, but it comes in the Top 50 in Finland, where it means snow. Given the popularity of Winter, Holly, Ivy and many other wintery-christmassy names, we think that short and spunky Lumi definitely has potential for greater usage outside its home country as one of the more unusual names for Christmas babies.

Neve

Origin:
Anglicized spelling of Irish Niamh or Italian and Portuguese
Meaning:
"snow"
Description:
Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his daughter.

Tatiana

Origin:
Russian from Latin family name
Description:
Tatiana was derived from Tatius, a Sabine-Latin family name of unknown origin. Titus Tatius was the name of an ancient king who ruled over the Sabines, an ancient Italic tribe who lived near Rome. The Romans used the name Tatius even after the Sabines died out and created the short forms Tatianus and Tatiana. The names were eventually disseminated throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including Russia.

Tatiana Continued

Winter

Origin:
Word name
Description:
Fresher, brisker and, yes, cooler than Summer or Autumn or Spring, Winter is now a full-fledged female choice, especially since Nicole Richie and Joel Madden used it for daughter Harlow's middle name, and Gretchen Mol picked it as her daughter's first, as did media mogul Sean Parker. Winter continues to be the preferred spelling and has risen in popularity significantly over the past few years.

Winter Continued

Ziggy

Origin:
German, diminutive of Siegfried and Sigmund
Description:
The ultimate nicknamey name, à la Ziggy Stardust or the comic-strip character Ziggy. Then again, there's Ziggy Marley, and most anything Marley is cool. Originally named David, his father Bob Marley gave him the nickname "Ziggy" due to the soccer move of the same name.

Ziggy Continued

Una

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"one; also, lamb"
Description:
In an epic poem, the personification of truth, beauty, and unity; this ancient name is popular in Ireland but rarely heard here. The Oona spelling has more oomph.

Lorenzo

Origin:
Italian variation of Laurence
Meaning:
"from Laurentium"
Description:
Latinizing Lawrence gives it a whole new lease on life. Like Leonardo, Lorenzo has been integrated into the American stockpot of names, partly via actor Lorenzo Lamas. Other associations are with Lorenzo de' Medici, the Florentine Renaissance merchant prince and art patron, Renaissance artists Ghiberti and Lotto, and the upstanding young man who married Shylock's daughter Jessica in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

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Nadia

Origin:
Russian and Slavic
Meaning:
"hope"
Description:
Nadia, an exotic but accessible Slavic favorite, has a strong run of popularity in the US in the early 2000s, partially thanks to the character on Lost called Nadia but actually named Noor, but it's since slumped down the rankings. An earlier inspiration was Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who won the 1976 Olympics.

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Paul

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"small"
Description:
To the thousands of girls who screamed the name of their favorite Beatle in the 1960s, the boys' name Paul had a thrillingly unique image, but to the rest of the world, then and now, it's a name that's so simple and yet so widely diffuse that it could belong to almost anyone. Paul is an ancient name for boys -- popular in Roman and medieval times -- that's not very fashionable now, which can work in its favor, scarcity balancing simplicity.

Aarush

Origin:
Hindi
Meaning:
"first ray of sun"
Description:
A fiery Indian name used enough in the US to make it onto the Top 1000 list in 2010 and 2015.

Aarush Continued

Asha

Origin:
Sanskrit; Swahili
Meaning:
"hope; life"
Description:
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its exotic roots, Asha is part of this group. Asha is finding new life through its Game of Thrones connections.

Hana

Origin:
Variation of Hannah or Johana or Japanese
Meaning:
"flower, blossom"
Description:
Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US.

King

Origin:
English
Meaning:
"monarch"
Description:
King is a name that sends a mixed message. While some might think of it as more fitting for a canine, others see it as a strong name with offbeat style and a full court of rich associations, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Elvis. King Vidor was an important early Hollywood director; King Camp Gillette invented the safety razor.

Oriana

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"dawn"
Description:
Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're search for names that mean new beginnings or dawn.

Oriana Continued

Saffron

Origin:
Spice name
Description:
Spice names are increasingly appealing to the senses of prospective parents; this one, belonging to a precious spice derived from the crocus has a vaguely orange-scented-incense sixties feel.

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Reagan

Origin:
Irish
Meaning:
"little king"
Description:
A strong, straightforward Irish unisex surname, with a merry glint in its eye, Reagan has been leaping up the popularity lists, to become one of the top girl names starting with R. Some will inevitably link it to President Ronald, but spell it Regan and it's a Shakespearean name: a daughter of King Lear.

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Edgar

Origin:
English
Meaning:
"wealthy spearman"
Description:
Edgar is an Old English name historically associated with the tenth century English king known as Edgar the Peaceful. There was also a King Edgar of Scotland.

Edgar Continued

Franklin

Origin:
English
Meaning:
"free landholder"
Description:
A doubly Presidential name, via Pierce and Roosevelt, Franklin was given an initial boost via the fame of Benjamin Franklin. It also has a literary tie to the main character of the Wilkie Collins classic The Moonstone.

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Martin

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"warlike"
Description:
Martin is one of those names like Arthur and Vincent and George that is in the process of throwing off its balding middle-aged image to start sounding possible again, used in full without the dated Marty nickname.

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Hank

Origin:
Diminutive of Henry, German
Meaning:
"estate ruler"
Description:
Hank is a midcentury guy nickname (which actually dates back to the seventeenth century) of the Al/Hal/Dick school, which has been on recess from the playground for decades. Now it's just beginning to be given on its own again, appreciated for its earthy, sportsguy cool. Hanks Aaron and Greenberg (born Henry) and Hank Williams (born Hiram) Sr and Jr. are worthy namesakes.

Bronte

Origin:
Greek
Meaning:
"thunder"
Description:
This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth. Trivia note: The Anglo-Irish clergyman who was the father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne changed his name from the original Brunty. According to scholars, the family pronounced the name brun-tee, though in the 21st century world it's commonly pronounced bron-tay. In Australia, the name is more likely to take inspiration from Bronte Beach in Sydney. It was named after Lord Nelson, the 1st Duke of Bronté. He got his title from a town in Sicily, itself named after a mythological Cyclops.

Bronte Continued

Camellia

Origin:
Flower name, from Czech surname
Meaning:
"Kamel's flower"
Description:
Camellia is an exotic flower name with distinct roots related to the Camille/Camila group and has varied associations to the moon, water, wealth and perfection. It could be thought of as a floral replacement for Amelia.

Camellia Continued

Ichiro

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"firstborn son"
Description:
Ichiro is a good classic choice for the first boy in a Japanese family.

Ichiro Continued

Mercury

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"Roman messenger god"
Description:
Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman god Mercury, which derives from the Latin words for trade or wages, is the patron of tradesmen and travelers and the fastest-moving planet in the solar system. Mercury is the planet associated with the sign of Virgo, so this is one of the prime names for Virgo babies.

Mercury Continued

Dawn

Origin:
Word name
Description:
There are more substantial names with the same golden meaning: Aurora (Latin), Zora (Arabic), and Roxana (Persian).

Fintan

Origin:
Irish
Meaning:
"white fire or white bull"
Description:
Fintan is an ancient Irish saints' name that in legend is also the name of the only person to survive The Flood. Popular in modern Ireland, Fintan is ripe for export to the US where it is rarely used but could make an excellent long form for the stylish Finn.

Fintan Continued

Sylvester

Origin:
Latin
Meaning:
"wood, forest"
Description:
This name of three early popes has been associated in recent years with a cocky cartoon cat ("Thufferin' thuccatash!") and the Italian Stallion hero of the Rocky and Rambo movies (who was born Michael)--and yet we think it just might be ready to move further back into the mainstream.
Sylvester was at its height in the 1920s, when it was in the Top 200, and hung on in the lower rungs of the ladder until 1994. Lately the name has been most visible as a surname--that of Sue Sylvester on Glee.
Trivia tidbit--in the 1935 movie Sylvia Scarlett, the young Katharine Hepburn disguises herself as a boy named Sylvester--until she meets Cary Grant!

Sylvester Continued

Cyprian

Origin:
Greek
Meaning:
"man of Cyprus"
Description:
With a long and noble history -- Cyprian was one of the great Christian Latin writers -- this could make a highly unusual but meaningful choice.

Cyprian Continued

Anton

Origin:
German, Russian, and Scandinavian variation of Anthony
Description:
Cultured and cultivated in an old-style, Old World way. Sometimes associated with the classic writer Anton Chekhov. Al Pacino has a son with this name.

Anton Continued

Betsy

Origin:
Diminutive of Elizabeth
Meaning:
"pledged to God"
Description:
This Elizabeth nickname has a decidedly retro feel--think Betsy Ross and the Betsy Wetsy doll-- once seen as a perkier, younger-sounding alternative to Betty. But with Betty on the brink of a comeback, pigtailed Betsy could return as well.

Betsy Continued

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