Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Greek, French, from Hebrew
"gift of God"
One of the relatives on the widely-branching family of John names, Yanis is in the French Top 50 and was a fast rising choice in the UK in 2022, when it went from being outside the Top 1000 to within…
Sanskrit
"gift"
This Indian name meaning gift or offering feels familiar via sound-alikes Angela or Angelina, and made a brief appearance on the U.S. Top 1000. Anjali is a pretty route to a name that's at once easy…
Diminutive of Jane
"God is gracious"
Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of…
Greek
"gift of the ocean"
Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the…
French and German form of Matthias or Matthew
Very popular in France and Belgium, this name -- pronounced mat-tees, like the surname of the painter Matisse -- might make an appealing new way to say Matthew here.
Russian, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Romanian
"gift from God"
Popular in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Russia, and familiar in the UK too, Bogdan is a rugged and strong sounding choice with a similar meaning to US favorite Theodore. Made up of the Slavic…
"gift of Isis"
Isabel, Theodore, and Isadora are back: could it now be time for a more widespread revival of Isidore? Yet to see any big moves up the charts, Isidore was given to more than 30 boys in a recent year:…
Spanish from Greek
"blessed, happy"
Macario is the modern Spanish form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius and the name of several early saints. Accessible and worldly, Macario can lead to the friendly nickname Mac.…
Short form of Matthew
Still one of the most appealing short forms, which goes a long way toward explaining the sustained popularity of Matthew. Matt is perennially the popular guy in high school, friendly, attractive, and…
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Welsh, variation of Evan
Yet another offshoot of the original John, also sometimes used as Jevan or Yevan.
Italian, from Hebrew
This pretty, international feminization of Matthew was chosen by Mira Sorvino for her daughter, Mattea Angel. As the Spanish Mateo and the Italian Matteo become more popular for baby boys throughout…
"generous gift"
Eudora is the name of five minor goddesses of Greek mythology and a major goddess (in the person of Pulitzer Prize-winning Eudora Welty) of modern American literature. Eudora is pleasant and…
English variation of Hebrew Zebediah
Zebedee is an adorable and unusual New Testament name--which may sound like but is not a contradiction in terms. Unlike some of the longer biblical Z -names, Zebedee has a more lighthearted…
Scandinavian
"sun gift"
Sunniva was an Irish-born saint who fled to Norway, where she hid in an island cave with her followers and eventually died. After miracles were reported on the island, the cave was excavated and…
Hebrew
"gift of Jehovah"
Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms, like Jedidiah and Zebediah. Zebediah, or Zebadiah, is the New…
Welsh
"fair, blessed"
Extremely popular in Wales, where it began as a nickname for someone with fair hair or a fair face, this bright and simple name is a winner by its very nature. Can also be spelled Wynn, Winn or the…
Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene and Serbian form of Theodora
Teodora is an extremely attractive and international choice, with several equally attractive, user-friendly nicknames. Appealing short forms might include Tea, Dora, or Dory for English speakers,…
English
Seeley is a Medieval surname with a happy, fortunate meaning.
Italian
"blessed"
This Italian form of Benedict sidesteps the Benedict Arnold association that still clouds the English version.
