Baby Name Meanings · Nature, Place and Word Names
Names That Mean Ocean or Sea
Across 12 pages
of 12
Thalassa
Greek
"the sea"
A pretty, rarely used Greek name, Thalassa is the ancient personification of the sea, particularly the Mediterranean, who is sometimes considered the mother of Aphrodite. In 1991, a newly discovered…
Thetis
Greek
"dogmatic"
This name of the mythological mother of Achilles might suffer from English speakers making the rhyming association to the word fetus. The traditional Greek pronunciation might alleviate that problem.
Tiberius
Latin
"of the Tiber"
The name of an important ancient Roman emperor, Tiberius might sound a bit heavy for a modern boy to carry, but with the rise of Atticus, Tiberius and brothers begin to feel more baby-friendly, much…
Tonwen
Welsh
"white wave"
Tonwen is another name for Gwen, the mother of Saint Cybi and sister of Non (who was the mother of St David, patron saint of Wales). An unusual -wen ending option.
Triton
Greek mythology name
The Greek god Triton was the messenger of the sea and the son of sea god Neptune. He is usually represented as a merman, the the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea creature.…
Ula
Celtic
"gem of the sea"
Ula is among the unusual U names that may have a range of origins and meanings, from the Celtic one given here to its possibilities as a short form of Eulalia or Ursula. Ulla is a Scandinavian name…
Umi
Japanese, Malay, Indonesian
"sea; mother"
Stylish and simple, Umi is an ocean inspired Japanese name that may appeal to those who enjoy Lumi, Rumi, and Una. It appears in the popular anime series, Love Live Umi might also be used as an…
Umina
Japanese or Quechua
"sea or emerald"
As a Japanese name, Umina derives from umi , meaning "sea", combined with a range of other kanji characters. As a Quechua name, it is properly spelt Umiña, and means "emerald".
Undine
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.
Vaiana
Tahitian
"sea cave"
A pretty, mellifluous name from the Tahitian phrase vai ana o te mato teitei , meaning "water from the cave of the high rock". The Disney heroine Moana is called Vaiana in most European countries,…
Varuna
Hindu God of water and the ocean
This Indian name would make the perfect choice for those looking for a strong water-based name. A variation which may seem more immediately masculine to the English-speaking ear is Varun. The…
Wave
English word name
"wave"
Wave made, well, waves when it was revealed to be the name of Cardi B and Offset's son. Evocative of crashing waves at the beach, large surfing barrels, and tumultuous and stormy seas, Wave is a name…
Whetumoana
Maori
"star of the sea"
The title of a Maori poem and also used to reference Mary, mother of Jesus, adapted from the Latin Marian title Stella Maris "star of the sea".
Zale
Greek
"sea-strength"
Appealing sound and meaning, but there is that discount-store association.
Zaley
Feminine variation of Zale, invented nickname-name, or short form of Azalea
All baby names can be made more "creative" by putting a Z at the beginning instead of what's conventionally there: B or C or H, for instance. Zaley is an adorable entry in this group, also spelled…
Zale
Greek
"sea-strength"
More than 1000 baby girls were named Azalea in the US last year, but none were named Zale. Theoretically unisex, there were no baby boys named Zale either. Simple yet rare, Zale suffers by its…
Zealand
English place name from Dutch
"sea land"
Sunny and energetic, but with a hint of cool cowboy, Zealand has been sparingly used since the 2000s, Zealand but shot up the charts in 2021 after YouTube family The Labrants gave it to their son the…
Sewenna
Medieval English
"sea delight, sea joy"
A Latinized form of the Anglo-Saxon name, Sæwynn, with a poetic meaning and potential nickname Winnie.
Hafný
Icelandic
"new sea"
Combining the Old Norse elements haf "sea" and ný "new, recent", Hafný is an Icelandic name with a compelling meaning, that could work well for a baby born at the beginning of the year, to symbolize…
Bahari
Swahili
"ocean, sea; one who sails"
A unisex name of Swahili origin, this spirited and sunny sounding choice means "sea, ocean". In this case, it is ultimately derived from the Arabic baḥriyy meaning "maritime" or "of the sea", which…
