Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Finnish, Irish variation of Mary
"sweet; drop of the sea, bitter"
Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea , meaning "sweet."
Sanskrit
"pleasant, sweet"
This attractive Indian unisex name has a number of interesting variations with equally appealing meanings, including Manjula and Manjusha.
Greek
"honey"
A coffee filter.
Latin
This name — also seen as Mellonia — belonged to the Roman goddess of bees and bee-keeping, said to encourage the supply of honey.
Hebrew
"sweet herbs"
The double a makes it special.
"of nectar"
A twentieth-century Greek saint's name redolent of the beverage of the gods that imparted immortality.
Mende
"sweet"
Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.
Italian
"little honey"
This operatic Italian name -- it appears in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- is a more unusual route to the nickname Pam/Pammy.
possibly a version of Pamela
A somewhat common name in the early 19th Century in America. The origins of this name are not clear. It could be a variation of Pamela, or it could be a contraction of Pearl and Amelia.
Greenlandic
"sweet little thing who belongs to me"
Consistently among the top 5 girls' names in Greenland for the past four decades, Pipaluk has one of the most adorable meanings going, and could make for a quirky route to Pip or Pippa. A famous…
Native American, Comanche
"sweet smelling, fragrant"
Name of a major figure in Indigenous history, Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief who became a judge on the Court of Indian Affairs. Quanah is derived from the Comanche word kwana , meaning "odor" or…
Variation of Rosanna or Latin
Most modern parents would probably prefer the cooler Rowan.
French and Spanish
"rose and honey"
A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel "honey". As a surname, it was borne by a 19th century French naval officer with…
Irish
"sweet; goodly"
Sadbh is the modern Irish form of the more streamlined but equally confusing Sadb or Sadhbh: these names are pronounced to rhyme with five. In Irish mythology Sadb or Sadbh or Sadhbh, a goddess lover…
Word name
You can call your daughter Sugar, but it's probably best to keep it as a term of endearment. For sweet names, you try Dulcie, Honey, Mitsu, Amai, Sherine, Melita, Eulalia, or Melina, but Sugar does…
Scottish
"sweet lady"
This unusual name found in Scottish poetry would make a distinctive Gaelic pick.
