Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Hawaiian
"gift"
A nice meaning -- congruent with the recent vogue for names like Blessing -- helps offset this Hawaiian name's proximity to overused Makayla and McKenzie.
Welsh variation of Jane
"God is gracious"
Simple and pretty and user-friendly, the Welsh Sian was used by U2's Dave "the Edge" Evans for his daughter. In Welsh, it is also spelled Siân.
Welsh
"blessed peace"
A bold Welsh name with a gentle meaning, Heddwyn is notably associated with the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans, who died at Passchendaele during World War One. He used Hedd Wyn as his Bardic name, having…
Kiswahili
"blessings"
Its resonant rhythm and positive connotations have led to some popularity with African-American parents, though it tends to have a masculine feel, particularly considering the rise of a certain…
Swedish, German, Italian, from Latin
"blessed"
Beata, a Latinate saint's name, has been widely used primarily by Roman Catholics in several European countries, but is rarely heard in English-speaking countries. Playground alert: could be…
Afrikaans version of Beate or Beata
Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beata and relative of Beatrice.…
Spanish
"blessed one"
There are several fine Ben-beginning boy's names, such as BENJAMIN and BENEDICT, but girls names like this and BENJAMINA don't fare as well.
Danish feminine form of Benedict
Bente, pronounced ben-tah, is a popular girls' name in both The Netherlands and Denmark though largely unknown in the English-speaking world. It suffers by being a near-homonym of the English word…
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.
French
A French form of Benedict that makes a smooth and elegant choice, although the pronunciation may trip people up in an English speaking environment.
"blessed love"
This feminine version of the Welsh name Carwyn could be a good choice for parents looking for something fresher than Bronwen.
"fair, white, blessed"
Welsh heritage choice that's rare today even in its native land.
"white, fair, blessed"
Yet another member of the Gwyn/Gwen/Finn family of names ultimately deriving from a Celtic element meaning "white", Guin gets rare use in England and Wales; a notable bearer is Olympic- medal winning…
"pretty and blessed"
If you like soft, lispy Welsh names like Gwyneth, or want an alternative to Delilah, Adele, or Edith, consider this out-of-the-ordinary option.
Yoruba, "lucky, good fortune, blessed"
"lucky, good fortune, blessed"
A beautiful Yoruban name associated with honor and good fortune. Both fy-o-la and fay-OH-luh are used as pronunciations. Instagrammer Fayola Leo and musician Sri Fayola are notable bearers.
African, Nigerian-Igbo
"blessing"
Dynamic and creative; common in Africa, challenging here. Pronunciation isn't as difficult as you'd guess, but everyone will have to ask. Many favor n-GO-zee, but a native speaker tells us that it is…
German
"blessed, happy in life"
Selig comes from the Yiddish vocabulary word meaning 'happy, fortunate, blessed.' Most of us are more familiar with its Woody Allen variation, Zelig.
Greek
"gift of Artemis, goddess of the hunt"
This name has a nice mythological, historical, Three Musketeers-ish ring.
"gift from Artemis"
Derived from Artemis, the name of the Greek mythological goddess of the moon and hunting, Artemesia has a couple of notable associations, among them a fourth century Queen of Caria who was…
Tamil, possibly "gift of God"
"gift of God"
An appealing Hindi name borne by Mindy Kahling's architect father Avu Chokalingam. She bestowed it on her son Spencer as a middle name in 2020.
