Meanings of Names
-
Baby Names That Mean Beautiful
What would a little girl like more than a name denoting beauty? Here are some baby names that fit that bill.
-
Baby Names That Mean Friend or Friendly
All these baby names have meanings involving friendship--something we're sure you wish for your child.
-
Baby Names That Mean Happy
Happiness is a wonderful meaning for a baby's name, suggesting an upbeat personality and a positive future. Names that mean happy, happiness, joy, bliss or some other upbeat feeling include ancient mythological names along with modern word names. Names with happiness-related meanings come from a range of cultures and origins. Here are some baby names that mean happy.
-
Baby Names That Mean Hope
Hope is a meaning that appeals to many parents when searching for a name for their baby. Baby names that mean hope reflect the hope we're filled with for our children's futures. The names here either mean hope in various cultures or symbolize hope.
-
Baby Names That Mean Love
Baby names that mean love hail from a range of different cultures with the unifying theme of a love -- and lovely and loving -- meaning. Names that mean love might be especially popular for babies born around Valentine's Day or conceived on a honeymoon. And for any baby, what could be a more wonderful meaning for a name than love?
-
Baby Names That Mean Luck
Baby names meaning luck may not be enough on their own to bless your child with good fortune, but as they say, it couldn't hurt. Names meaning luck or lucky or fortunate include a wide range of different styles and include names with luck-related meanings as well as word-names that literally mean luck.
-
Baby Names That Mean New Beginnings
These are baby names that mean newness, freshness and dawn, in various cultures.
-
Baby Names That Mean Strong
Baby names that mean strong may help arm your boy or girl for whatever lies ahead. Strength-related name meanings have become more popular to parents in recent years, as they prepare their children for challenging times. The following are baby names that include strength or power in their meaning.
-
Baby Names with Animal Meanings
Names with animal meanings range from the obvious, such as Robin or Lionel, and those with subtler animal meanings, such Rachel (which means ewe) or Tabitha (gazelle). . This list of baby names with animal meanings contains both those that announce themselves clearly, such as Fox and Wolf, and those whose animal meaning is more hidden. Also note: We're light on bird names as we include the complete variety in their own list. The range of baby names with animal meanings includes the following.
-
Baby Names with Uplifting Meanings
Positive meanings are a plus for all baby names, creating something for your child to live up to. The girl names here include modern virtue names such as Peace and True that are literally inspirational words as well as more conventional names with positive meanings such as brave, strong, and beautiful. These baby names for girls all have positive meanings that could set your child on the right course for life.
-
Blond Baby Names
For your little towhead, here's a selection of baby names that mean fair or blond.
-
Boy Baby Names That Mean Wise
Wisdom is a more valuable quality than ever. Here are some baby names that confer it by their meaning.
-
Boy Names That Mean Powerful
To give your son an extra measure of strength, choose one of these baby boy names that mean powerful.
-
Christmas Baby Names
Expecting a Christmas baby, or just want a name that connotes the magical season? Here, our collection of Christmas baby names. See our blog for even more Christmas baby names.
-
Dark Baby Names
Expecting a baby with dark hair, or eyes, or skin, or simply looking for a name that means (or suggests) dark or black? Consider these baby names.
-
Day Names
The ancient tradition of day-naming -- choosing a name from the day of the week, the month, the season or holiday, or even a time of day -- feels fresh again now. Here, examples of day names that could work as modern baby names,.
-
Easter Baby Names
Expecting an Easter baby? These baby names refer to the springtime holiday, including international names for Easter, Easter flowers, biblical personages connected with the holiday, or Easter's symbolism of rebirth.
-
Girl Names That Mean Brave or Powerful
An interesting group of names that just might empower your baby girl.
-
Halloween Baby Names
Halloween baby names reference the holiday and all things spooky. Would you really want to choose one of these baby names for a child born on or near Halloween? Debatable. But those who are into celebrating the holiday may want to adopt their own Halloween name from this collection of names of ghostly or witchy people, characters, and things.
-
Handsome Baby Names
Baby names that mean handsome can help your little boy's self-image. Good-looking baby names for boys include:
-
Inspirational Baby Names
Baby names with inspirational meanings or from spiritual sources strike an uplifting chord. Inspirational baby names include:
-
Middle Names with Meaning
The meanings of middle names have become important to more and more parents. A middle name with strong personal meaning may be the name of a beloved friend or family member, a surname rescued from your family tree, or -- in the case of the meaningful names here -- a choice with an inspirational feel. Middle names with meaning that do much more than bridge the first name and the last include the choices here.
-
Military Baby Names
Military ranks and weapons--everything is fair game in the struggle to find the right baby name.
-
Names for Autumn Babies
For those expecting a fall baby, there are a flurry of colorful autumn-inspired baby names. Names that work for autumn babies include the names of fall months as well as the season, names that reference the colors of fall leaves, and autumn-themed nature names such as Birch and Crisanta. Names of the ancient gods of autumn and of fall astrology signs and birthstones can also be appropriate for a baby born in the fall. Here are some of the most inspired picks for autumn baby names:
-
Names for December Babies
December babies are often thought of as holiday babies, named for Christmas or possibly Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. But there are also other baby names that seem particularly appropriate for babies born in December. These might be names relating to winter, the season that begins on December 21. December 21 is also the date of the Winter Solstice, another source of December baby names, which may have something to do with light….or dark. And then there may be baby names related to snow, to the number 12, to the end of the year, to important namesakes connected to the month of December, or to the astrological signs Sagittarius or Capricorn. If you’re expecting a December baby or perhaps naming a child conceived in December or one with another important December connection. Consider these names related to the month of December.
-
Names That Mean Victory
Names meaning victory or glory have a naturally winning aura, imparting an upbeat feeling to a child. Name meanings related to victory include victorious and glorious. You'll notice groups of related names here which share victory-related meanings: There are the Nicholas names, those related to Sigrid, and names in the Victor constellation. If you want your child's name to mean victory or some other kind of win, consider the choices on this list.
-
Names with Royal Meanings
By names with royal meanings, we don't mean actual royal baby names, such as George and Charlotte, but names that mean king, prince, queen, even royal. Choosing a baby name with a royal meaning is one of the many positive ways you can give your child a name to live up to. Some choices if you want to give your child a royal baby name, but subtle-y.
-
New Year's Baby Names
The start of a new year brings with it a sense of fresh beginnings, a new dawn dawning, and hopes for the future. Here are some baby names from various cultures whose meanings reflect those feelings, especially appropriate for a baby born near the start of a new year.
-
Occupational Baby Names
Occupational baby names, most of them originally surnames to describe the person's job, have taken on significant style value over the past years and are destined to rise even further. Think of them as the surname-names or place-names of the future. Most of these baby names work best for boys, but can cross over to the girls' side.
-
Powerful Boy Names
Powerful boy names might be those that literally mean power or strength or those that simply sound macho: Rock is an exaggerated example. If you're looking for a decidedly powerful name for your baby boy, consider these boys' names that have strong or powerful in the meaning or give the impression of conventional masculinity. For more on this topic, see our blog on names that mean strength.
-
Redhead Baby Names
Expecting a little redhead? Here are some baby names that mean red or redhead.
-
Son Baby Names
Baby names that end in son originated just the way you think: They designated that the person -- Jackson, say, or Jefferson -- was the son of Jack or Jeffery. Son makes a stylish first name ending today, mostly for boys but since the era of Allison, also for girls. Son baby names can make for an original way to honor an ancestor while slightly varying the name. Some prime examples:
-
Space Baby Names
There are cool star names like Uma and Bono, and then there are the even more extreme astronomical star and constellation names, which might appeal to parents looking for baby names that are unique and celestial -- in other words, a heavenly name. Some stellar ideas:
-
Spiritual Baby Names
Spiritual baby names suggest qualities we'd all like our children to aspire to and fit our new definition of cool. While they seem as if they can work for both genders, most spiritual baby names have been veering toward the feminine side. A few, such as Trinity, Destiny, Sky, and Genesis, are already staples on the girls' popularity lists. Here, some spiritual names that might be right for your baby.
-
Spring Baby Names
Spring has sprung in the world of baby names. For your springtime baby, or just to represent the season's lively qualities, consider these baby names that mean or relate to spring.
-
Strong Baby Girl Names
Strong baby names are appealing for both girls and boys, but it's more difficult to find baby girl names that mean strong (or powerful or valiant or brave). For more strong names for baby girls, consult our lists of Names of Great Heroines and Short & Strong Girls' Names.
-
Summer Baby Names
Summer is one of the nicest times of year to have a baby, the warm weather and slow pace making it that much easier to relax into new motherhood. Here is a list of baby names that summon the season, from nature to the ocean to the gemstones of summer months:
-
Virtue Names
Virtue names, favored by the Puritans, represent qualities we should embody or at least aspire to. Virtue names that can work as modern baby names include:
-
Weather Baby Names
Weather baby names are a branch of nature names that reference the -- well, the weather! Some have direct weather meanings while others have a more subtle connection to the weather -- Eira, for instance, is a Welsh name that means snow, and Makani is Hawaiian for wind. Here are some weather baby names for you to consider.
-
Winter Baby Names
Here, inspirational winter baby names for the child born when the snow is falling and the weather is chill populate this list. Some of these names, like Neve, Frost, and Snow itself, refer to the wintry weather. Others are what are called day names, connecting with the months and holidays of winter.. Then there are the mythical winter names, baby names related to nature in winter, and names that mean white. Along with Winter itself, you might consider these winter baby names:
-
Writing-Related Names
Literary names have become a very stylish group in recent years, and here's an offshoot that's gotten less attention. With credit to @Vana , a berry who created an original list of similar names, these names all relate to writing itself. If you're a writer or simply a book lover, one of those original word names connected to writing may be, well, right for you.
Daily Delivery
Exclusive Nameberry picks, direct to you.