indigenous names
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This is a list of names from indigenous communities: tribal names, given names, place names. Some might not be appropriate for use on humans, but others have lots of possibility. I strongly suggest double-checking dictionaries and other sources before bestowing a child with one of these monikers.
- Ahyoka
- Andatsi
- Atsila
- Atsilásgá
- Cherokee
Origin:
Native American tribal nameDescription:
Cherokee is the name of a Native American tribe, the largest in the United States stretching from North Carolina through Oklahoma. The meaning of the word Cherokee is uncertain: It may be Choctaw for "those who live in the mountains" or "those who live in the cave country" or it may be an Anglicization of the word the Cherokee use to refer to themselves, Tsalagi. The name was given to 19 baby girls in the U.S. in 2013 but was not recorded on the boys' roster, though we'd consider it equally appropriate for either gender.
- Cheyenne
Origin:
SiouxMeaning:
"people of a different language"Description:
This is a great American name that deserves more attention from parents looking for a name that balances a soft sound with a more traditionally masculine cowboy image.
- Chola
- Dakota
Origin:
Place-name; SiouxMeaning:
"friendly one"Description:
An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.
- Elouera
Origin:
Australian AboriginalMeaning:
"a pleasant place"Description:
Elouera has potential for people looking for unusual versions of popular "Elle" names like Ellen, Eleanor and Ella. This Aboriginal Australian place name is filled with the mellifluous sounds that are in style at the moment
- Fala
Origin:
Choctaw, Native AmericanMeaning:
"crow"Description:
A strong and simple nature name from the Choctaw culture.
- Geronimo
Origin:
Native American; Italian variation of JeromeDescription:
This name of a renowned Apache leader and mystic would be a difficult choice, since it was used as a rallying cry in so many old westerns and by paratroopers jumping out of their planes in World War II.
- Galilahi
- Halona
Origin:
Native AmericanMeaning:
"happy fortune"Description:
Resonant and unusual.
- Hiawatha
Origin:
IroquoisMeaning:
"he makes rivers"Description:
Journalist Hiawatha Bray is a singular contemporary bearer of this name of a Native-American leader immortalized in a Longfellow poem.
- Huyana
Origin:
Native AmericanMeaning:
"rain falling"Description:
A Miwok tribe name with a pleasant meaning.
- Inola
- Kaya
Origin:
Scandinavian, English, Literature, JapaneseMeaning:
"pure; one who arranges rocks; perfume, incense; fruit, reward"Description:
A multicultural name, that's currently on style and fits right in with Kaia, Maya, Raya, and Mia. Currently in the Top 500 in both the UK and The Netherlands, it has several different origins and meanings.
- Ke'alohilani
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"bright sky"
- Kiara
Origin:
Variation of the Italian Chiara or the Irish Ciara or Aboriginal Australian, KoreanMeaning:
"light, clear; little dark one; cockatoo; first ray of sun"Description:
Kiara can be considered a variation of both the Italian name Chiara and the Irish name Ciara. Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, meaning "bright" or "clear," while Ciara is the feminine form of male given name Ciar, derived from the old Irish cíar, meaning "dark."
- Kimana
Origin:
Native American, ShoshoneMeaning:
"butterfly"Description:
Kimana, the name of a resort in the foothills of Mountain Kilimanjaro in Kenya, would make an unexpected path to the nickname Kim.