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Names That Mean Mother or Father

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Fri Feb 02 2024
Names That Mean Mother or Father

Names that mean mother or father exist in many cultures and range from the familiar and popular to the unique and rare.

The top names meaning father are Abigail and Abraham and their many variations. Along with Abigail and Abraham, other names meaning father or mother in the US Top 1000 include Axl and Maia.

A name meaning mother or father can be a fresh way to honor a parent or other ancestor. Look to specific meanings for one that might work for you, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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  1. Axel

    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Absalom

    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"

    • Description:

      A classic in its native Scandinavia, Axel has a cool rock 'n' roll flavor in the US, thanks to Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose (born William). With its distinctive letter 'x', it has an effortlessly cool vibe about it, and is currently growing in popularity.
  2. Abigail

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "my father is joyful"

    • Description:

      Abigail has been in for so long -- the name has ranked in the US Top 100 since the late 1980s -- it's amazing that it isn't more out by now. But Abigail's biblical and historic roots make it a fashionable classic rather than a passing fad.
  3. Maia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "mother"

    • Description:

      Maia was derived from the Greek word maia, meaning "mother." In Greek legend, she was the fair-haired daughter of Atlas who mothered Zeus's favorite illegitimate son, Hermes. To the Romans, Maia was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May. Maya is the more common spelling.
  4. Gaia

    • Origin:

      Greek and Latin

    • Meaning:

      "earth mother; rejoicing"

    • Description:

      Floral, bright, and subtly powerful, Gaia is a name with two separate origins. In Greek mythology, it is the name of the earth goddess and the universal mother, who takes her epithet from the Ancient Greek word for land or ground. It was this ecological element that led actress Emma Thompson to choose it for her daughter back in 1999, and it could hold similar appeal to green minded parents today.
  5. Bram

    • Origin:

      Dutch variation of Abraham, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of multitudes"

    • Description:

      Bram has an unusual measure of character and charm for a one-syllable name; it started as a hipper-than-Abe diminutive of the biblical Abraham, but is also an independent Irish and Dutch name, made famous by Irish-born Dracula creator Bram (nee Abraham) Stoker. Bram is currently Number 16 in the Netherlands; Bram Howard was a character on The West Wing.
  6. Abraham

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of multitudes"

    • Description:

      Abraham is among the most classic baby names that's still widely-used today, popular for its references to both the Bible and American history. The Biblical Abraham was the first of the Old Testament patriarchs and is considered the founding father of the Jewish people. He was originally named Abram, until, according to Genesis, he was told, "No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations."
  7. Tiggy

    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Antigone, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "worthy of one's parents, in place of one's parents"

    • Description:

      An energetic nickname name occasionally encountered in England, particularly among Telegraph-reading circles. It is traditionally short for Antigone, but nowadays it's just as often bestowed as a standalone name.
  8. Avielle

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God is my father"

    • Description:

      Variation of Aviela/Abiela, feminine forms of the Biblical Aviel/Abiel "God is my father". The modernized/anglicized double-l spellings are popular now in English-speaking countries.
  9. Antigone

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "worthy of one's parents, in place of one's parents"

    • Description:

      In Greek mytholgy, Antigone was the noble and courageous daughter of Oedipus, who acts as his guide after he blinds himself. Antigone is also the eponymous heroine of a play by Jean Anouilh.
  10. Avi

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father"

    • Description:

      Avi, the short form of many Hebrew names, is often used on its own in Israel. It entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.
  11. Sire

    • Origin:

      Word name

    • Meaning:

      "royalty; father, senior"

    • Description:

      Historically, Sire was a formal term for addressing male royalty, particularly a king. Sire can also mean "father" or "senior" as both a noun and a verb. Now, like Prince, Sir, Messiah, and Saint, this title is now a name on the rise.
  12. Aksel

    • Origin:

      Danish, version of Hebrew Absalom

    • Meaning:

      "the father is peace"

    • Description:

      Most American parents would choose to use the more commonly seen variant, Axel, but .this form is preferred in Denmark and Norway, and also ranks in the French Top 400.
  13. Abram

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of multitudes"

    • Description:

      Abram was Abraham's original name in the Bible; it's more user-friendly but with a bit less gravitas. And it does offer that cool nickname Bram, as well as the friendly Abe. After some early American usage, in 1936 Abram completely disappeared for nearly forty years, until its return in the 1970s.
  14. Abner

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of light."

    • Description:

      This neglected Biblical name--it was the name of the commander of Saul's army and appears twice in the New Testament--is ready to flee Dogpatch. It was regularly used in the nineteenth century, but was pretty much demolished by the long-running hillbilly comic strip L'il Abner, which began in 1934 and ran through 1977. A more respectable namesake is Abner Doubleday, who has been credited with inventing baseball.
  15. Gail

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, short form of Abigail

    • Meaning:

      "my father rejoices"

    • Description:

      Gail was a mid-twentieth century favorite, which has been far surpassed by its original form, Abigail and nickname Abby. Spelling variations include Gale and Gayle, the latter represented by TV journalist and Oprah bestie Gayle King. Gail was most popular in the 1950s, when it was in the Top 40, and could rise again, possibly as a middle.
  16. Cybele

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "the mother of all gods"

    • Description:

      The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.
  17. Abby

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Abigail, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "my father is joyful"

    • Description:

      Gently old-fashioned stand-alone nickname that owes its popularity to mega popular Abigail.
  18. Absalom

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"

    • Description:

      Absalom, because of its biblical and literary associations, just might appeal to the daring namegiver.
  19. Axelle

    • Origin:

      French feminine form of Axel

    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"

    • Description:

      Putting the emphasis on the "elle" softens a name that seems at once futuristic and medieval.
  20. Axl

    • Origin:

      Variation of Axel, Scandinavian version of Absalom

    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"

    • Description:

      Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel deliberately chose the Axl spelling to honor her rock hero.