Birthday Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Cornish
"love"
Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an ' s ' or ' z ', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys. Kerensa is a name favored by…
Yoruba
"second-born of twins or one who falls behind"
This African name, which derives from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, is used for both girls and boys -- but in the US, its most notable bearer is (male) artist Kehinde Wiley. Wiley, who paints brown-…
African surname
An African family name ripe for adoption in honor of Nelson Mandela, the South African activist imprisoned for almost thirty years for his antiapartheid activities.
French
"violet-colored"
Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel…
Greek
"violet flower"
Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of…
Luganda
"second of twins"
Nakato was traditionally used on the second-born (female) twin among the Luganda-speaking people of Uganda.
French form of Albinus, Ancient Roman
"white, blond, bright"
Aubin might be seen as a fresher and more decidedly masculine twist on Aubrey, though the two are not related. This stylish French choice derives from the Roman Albinus or Albus, meaning "white,…
African, Swahili
"second born"
Might frequently be understood as "pilly." Can also be a short form of Pilar -- though the long form is better.
Word name or Latin
"purification feast"
If January, April and August are useable and fashionable, why not February? February as a word derives from the Latin februa , which was the name of a purification feast coming at the end of winter,…
Irish
"heart"
Euston is best known as a London railway station, which got its name from a stately home and village in the English county of Suffolk. Ultimately it is thought to mean "settlement of a person called…
Spanish
"dear, beloved"
Loving choice.
Greek, second letter of the Greek alphabet
If you can't have an Alpha male, how about a Beta girl.
Norse
This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old…
Shona
In the Shona language of souther Africa, this simple and wearable boys' name means love .
English
"cattle ford"
Stuffy presidential choice: consider Hayes instead.
Latin
"scholarly"
The 6th-century Saint Scholastica was an Benedictine abbess, and is the patron saint of education. In modern times, her name has been connected to various educational institutions, notably an open…
After your first little Primo, you could always call the next Segundo -- though that's like naming them number one and number two.
