Birthday Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Latin, from the phrase rosa alba
"white rose"
One of many Spanish elaborations of Rosa.
Mesopotamian
"lady of heaven"
An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war and justice, with a name that fits modern tastes. In recent years it has become a rare but steady fixture near the bottom of the charts, and feels full of…
French, feminine variation of Claude
"lame; enclosure"
Once seen as a dated French Claudette-Colbert feminization, along with Annette and Paulette, we can see Claudette moving into a more plausible Colette-Cosette arena. While some may be put off by the…
Latin
"water carrier"
Astrological name retains a hippielike Age of Aquarius feel.
Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella
"sweet"
A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia. In Agatha Christie's…
Japanese
"second son"
Also written as Jirō, this is a commonly used Japanese name, sometimes as a standalone and sometimes as a suffix. Often written to mean "second son", other kanji elements may be used to create the…
Hindi
"beloved"
An attractive and worldly name for a cherished baby son.
English
"wolf power"
Most famous as one of the many middle names of Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter , Wulfric is an earlier form of the medieval English name Ulric. It has also belonged to an 11th- century Earl of…
Celtic
"blessed raven"
This is an attractive Celtic mythological name, popular in Wales and a cousin of the better known Bronwyn. In Welsh mythology, Branwen was turned into a bird.
Douglass is a masculine name that represents a variant spelling of Douglas, which originated as a Scottish surname meaning 'dark water' or 'dark stream.' This specific spelling with the double 's' is…
"desire"
The name of the Roman god of love, the son of Venus, considered so romantic as to be unfit for mere mortals. Yet now that Romeo and Venus herself are fair game for modern babies, why not Cupid?
"divided in two"
Twain can be thought of as a modernization (and possible namesake) of the dated Wayne, seasoned with the humor of Mark Twain, who adopted it from a river term.
Yoruba, Nigerian
"second child after twins"
A striking option among African girl names, reminiscent of the up-and-coming name Alaia.
English, elaborated form of Cora
Famous as the name of the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Irish, anglicization of O'conarain
"descendant of Conaran"
Associated with iconic British designer and retailer Terence Conran, who had an international impact on household design. Makes a nice variation on Conrad.
Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian variation of Viridiana, Latin
"green"
A rarer variant of Viridiana, this name is a frilly yet strong sounding choice that may appeal as verdant option for a spring or summer baby. It could also intrigue those who want a rarer alternative…
Irish, meaning unknown
Kinnia is an ancient Irish saint's name — legend has it she was a maiden baptized by St. Patrick.
"home of the Wassa people"
Lincoln, Tyler, Taylor, Jackson, Jefferson, Harrison, McKinley, Grant, Kennedy, Carter -- yes. Washington -- probably not.
Variation of Winfrith, English
"peaceful friend"
Oprah's almost mononymic first name is too closely tied to her personality (and brand) for us to recommend it as a baby name in good faith. Her surname, however, is definitely name-worthy. Winfrey…
"good girl; ocean child"
There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko. Yoko Ono writes her name with characters meaning "ocean" and "child".
