Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Hebrew
"behold or wealthy"
When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…
Italian; Spanish, variation of Aurelius
"the golden one"
Aurelio is an energetic Italian and Spanish name, with an attractive golden aura. Derived from the Latin aureus , it's a relative of rising star Aurelia and the Roman Aurelius. A Top 200 name in…
French
"sun"
An attractive French word name known here via former child TV star Soleil Moon Frye, aka Punky Brewster. It started to be lightly used in the U.S. in the 1920s and is now attracting some attention as…
Latin from Greek and Persian
"possessing goodness"
Darius is a historic name via Emperor Darius the Great, a key figure in ancient Persian history, and several other Persian kings. His name today has an appealingly artistic image, which might well be…
Word name
Honey entered the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2024, following the lead of parents in England, who've elevated this nickname-name to the Top 300 girls' names in the UK. Honey's popularity…
English variation of Darius, Latin from Greek and Persian, or Darren, English from Irish
"possessing goodness; little great one"
The most popular spelling in a family of names including Darien and Darion, Darian has nonetheless been on the decline since it peaked in the 1990s.
Arabic
"prosperity; exalted nation"
A Quranic name especially popular in South Asia, it is also used across Europe, from Bosnia to France, from Spain to England. It appears in the Quran as the name of Maryam's (the Virgin Mary) father,…
Latin
Since Aurelius was given the supermodel seal of approval by Elle Macpherson, it has joined Augustus as an ancient Roman name that feels usable today. Slightly mystical and magical with a golden hue,…
Spanish
Although pinochle-playing partner Sam came out of retirement, we don't see it happening to Sol. Near soundalike Saul has more of a shot. Sol was also a Roman god/personification of the sun, and an…
Persian, Arabic, Tagalog, Samoan, Scandinavian
"gold; turmeric; star; story; noble"
Tala is a super multicultural name with roots in many diverse languages and cultures. In Northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia, it is a diminutive derived from Adelheid "noble", long used as a…
Hindi
"first ray of sun"
A fiery Indian name used enough in the US to make it onto the Top 1000 list in 2010 and 2015.
English, diminutive of Edith
"prosperous in war"
Edie is part of the Evie-Ellie et al family of cute and friendly short forms that sometimes stand on its own. Briefly popular in the 1960s, it could well be due for rediscovery. It's already a…
Greek, Germanic
"behold the sun; work, labor"
A pretty, if unusual choice for a summer baby, particularly a girl with an ancestor named Ida. An epithet of the goddess Aphrodite, Idalia is derived from the Greek place name Idalion. It may also be…
Persian
"a golden vessel"
Derived from Persian zarin "golden", Zarina is a strong and sparkling name used in multiple languages, including Kazakh, Urdu and Malay. It was the name of an ancient Scythian queen, and also sounds…
Irish
"golden princess"
Orla is an Irish name closely associated with the high king Brian Boru, as it was the name of his sister, daughter and niece. It was very popular in the Middle Ages – the fourth most popular name in…
Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, that may lean too dazzling for some, but more grounded for others, thanks to its similarity of Alden, Auden, Elden and Gordon. Given to 100 babies in a…
Persian, English, Arabic, Hebrew
"golden; blooming flower; shining, brilliance; God has helped"
Zari has a cool, nickname-y charm and contemporary appeal, owing to its multicultural origins and Z initial. It was given to more than 100 girls in the US in a recent year and has featured as a…
English, Yiddish
"gold"
A name with an obvious meaning, for a long time associated with Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Nickname Goldie seems to be catching on in the celebrity community.
Persian or Greek
"sun or throne, or lord"
Cyra is an unusual name that can be pronounced either SEER-a or SI-ra, rhyming with Keira or Tyra. This name may be a feminine variation of Cyrus but is also a Persian name that stands on its own.…
"sun god"
Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.
