Birthday Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Greek
"man of Cyprus"
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 has been in use since medieval times,…
English word name
"that is to be"
A forward-looking word name.
Italian
"January"
This name of the patron saint of Naples would make an apt choice for a New Year's baby, or one with Neapolitan roots.
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse, "new day"
"new day"
If you're looking for a name with Scandinavian roots, Dagny makes a strong and appealing import. Derived from Old Norse, it means "new day", perfect for a girl born around New Year's or the change of…
Japanese
"snow; happiness"
Succinct and memorable, Yuki is a Japanese name, which may relate to winter or joy, depending on the kanji used. It is a unisex choice, notably borne by singer Yuki Kuramochi (stylized as YUKI).
First letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Hebrew
"chief, number one"
Aleph came into the spotlight when chosen by Israel-born Natalie Portman for her son. Alef is a more common spelling of these related Hebrew baby names . In the Kabbalah, Aleph/Alef relates to the…
"goal"
A fairly common Greek name that would fit in well here.
Spice name
"orange-yellow color; a type of crocus"
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. English…
Irish
"white fire or white bull"
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…
"turbulent, stormy"
Tempest is one of those names that could go either way. Cool, evocative modern word name? Or asking for trouble? Your call, but if you decide the former image is dominant, be warned that some people…
Welsh
"much snow"
This airy Welsh name , which has only been in use since the early 20th century, is formed of the intensifying prefix an- plus eira ("snow"), making it a wintry nature name.
Hebrew
"to arise, dawn"
This name is masculine in the Old Testament, as Zerah, a son of Judah and the twin of Perez. Now it is also been used for girls, perhaps inspired by its similarity to Sara and Zara.
Latin
"Roman messenger god"
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…
Hindi
"new, novel"
Sleek, and fresh, Navin is a Hindi name that could fit in with the currently popular in/an/en/on-ending boys' names.
"first"
Primo is number one among the Latin birth-order names--Octavius et al--and the one most likely to be used in these days of smaller families. It has that jaunty 'o' ending and Italian flavor that many…
Hawaiian
"wind"
The sources that do list this name give it as a boys' name, but Woody Harrelson chose it for his daughter, and it does have a feminine lilt.
English month name from Latin
"doorway"
Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name. The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann…
"water carrier"
Astrological name retains a hippielike Age of Aquarius feel.
Jewel name, for the French
"pomegranate"
One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, for both boys and girls, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl. But interestingly, Garnet means pomegranate, the fruit who shares a deep…
Variation of Sera, English, or Anglicization of Ciara, Irish
"princess; little dark one"
How can a strong simple name like Cera remain so uncommon? Only five baby girls were named Cera in the US last year. Cera is a respelling of Sera, which might be short for the angel name Seraphina or…
