Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
Greek
"gift of God"
Dorothea is a romantic Victorian-sounding name that blends elegance, gravitas and a hint of clunkiness too. Popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, it has been off the charts since…
Arabic
"gift"
A simple and pretty Arabic option that has been on the rise in the UK in recent years, possibly thanks to several famous Hibas, including telenovela actress Hiba Abouk from the hit show El Principe…
Spanish variation of Matthew
This semi-obscure historic name was recently chosen for their son by Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez. A possible namesake is Maceo Grajales, a Cuban guerrilla leader who was second-in-command of the…
Diminutive of Theodora and Isidora, Greek
Dora is poised for a comeback, right behind Laura, Nora, Cora, and Flora. First-time parents who haven't watched cartoons in a couple of decades should be aware of the Dora the Explorer connection,…
Greek, French, from Hebrew
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…
Mayan
Itzae is an ancient Mayan name showing signs of revival in our modern world.
Sanskrit
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…
Hebrew
"gift of Jehovah"
The Hebrew variation of Jonathan, occasionally heard in the US.
"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:…
Spelling variation of Mattan.
Short form of Yonatan heard throughout Israel.
"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…
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…
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…
