Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Sanskrit
"mother"
No - not a creative spelling of Amber. Amba is an Indian name. Due to its meaning, Amba is a name often related with the Hindu goddess Parvati, who is a fertility deity.
Scandinavia
"little mother"
Lillemor is a relatively recent coinage in Scandinavia, where it was most popular in the 1930s and '40s, especially in Sweden. As such, it is considered rather dated in Scandinavia, but it would…
Phonecian
"mother goddess"
Astarte is the ancient goddess of sexuality, fertility, and war, associated with Ishtar as well as Venus.
Yoruba
"mother returned"
West African name best known as that of Yetunde Price, half-sister of Venus and Serena Williams who was tragically murdered in 2003.
Latin
"to sweep away"
Devera was the name of a Roman goddess who protected midwives and laboring women. She would use a broom to sweep evil away, referenced in the meaning of her name.
In Roman mythology, Rumina was the goddess of breastfeeding mothers and nursing infants of all species. Her name is possibly derived from the Latin rūmen , meaning "throat."
Slavic and Russian variation of Metrophanes, Greek
"mother appearing, shining mother"
Mitrofan comes from the obscure Greek name Metrophanes. It is primarily used as a first name but is also seen as a surname in countries such as Romania.
Variation of Abiathar, Hebrew
"my father is great"
Hebrew
"my father"
This Hebrew name honors Dad in a subtle way and could be used as an alternative to Levi.
Greek
"worthy of one's parents, in place of one's parents"
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. Despite…
English diminutive of Antigone, Greek
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…
The quirky nickname Tig is exceedingly rare, but historically has been used as a short form of Antigone. Today, many people are familiar with the name via comedian Tig Notaro. Notaro was born…
"mother has returned; image of her mother"
Yejide is a name that honors the belief that the soul and spirit of a parent can come back in a child — or more generally that a child looks like her mother. It comes from the Yoruba words iya , ji ,…
