Names Every Disney Fan Should Know

  1. Anita
    • Origin:

      Spanish diminutive of Ana; Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "grace; unguided"
    • Description:

      Once a Top 100 name, this Spanish diminutive of Ana still retains some of her Latin flair. A notable namesake is noted attorney Anita Hill, another is the great jazz singer Anita O'Day. Plus there's Disney cred via the lead human character in 101 Dalmatians.
  2. Toulouse
    • Origin:

      French place-name and surname
    • Description:

      Creative choice, evoking the high-kicking can-can girls and other colorful figures in the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.
  3. Nala
    • Origin:

      African, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015.
  4. Taran
    • Origin:

      Celtic
    • Meaning:

      "thunder"
    • Description:

      Taran mac Ainftech was King of the Picts, a people who lived mainly in Scotland, in the 7th century. His name is a relative of the Celtic god of thunder Taranis, a counterpart to Thor.
  5. Judy
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Judith, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "He will be praised or woman from Judea"
    • Description:

      Judy was the nickname of choice for almost all the Judiths born in the 1940s and 50s; today's little Judiths are much more likely to be called Judith -- or, possibly, Jude.
  6. Archimedes
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "master planner"
    • Description:

      Archimedes of Syracuse was a famous Ancient Greek thinker, especially in the fields of mathematics and sciences. He made important contributions to geometry and calculus. His name was a perfect choice, meaning "master planner" or "master thinker".
  7. Miguel
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Portuguese variation of Michael, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "Who is like God"
    • Description:

      Mike Tyson put a twist on his own name by naming a son Miguel. It's the first name of Cervantes, the great Spanish novelist and poet who wrote Don Quixote.
  8. Phillip
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "lover of horses"
    • Description:

      Spelling variation of Philip. Exactly as many baby boys were named with the single 'l' spelling in 2017.
  9. Tiana
    • Origin:

      Diminutive form of Tatiana
    • Description:

      A pretty princess-connected choice, with a compact, no-frills appearance, Tiana's debut in the US charts was likely thanks to actress Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant making her own debut in the 1975 movie The Killer Elite. Given to just 50 girls in 1974, but the following year, 247 babies received the name.
      Familiarly used in the 80s and 90s, it was boosted up the charts again in 2010, after Disney bestowed the pretty name upon its first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog. It nearly doubled in use in the US, while in France, Slovenia, England and Wales, New Zealand, and Australia it also saw a surge in popularity.
  10. Mike
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Michael
    • Description:

      Unlike Jake or Sam, few parents put Mike on the birth certificate.
  11. Jessie
    • Origin:

      Anglicized form of Teasagh or diminutive of Jessica, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "behold or wealthy"
    • Description:

      Jessie has never been used as much as Jennie/Jenny, partly because it's a boys’ name as well (spelled Jesse), but it does have a friendly and unpretentious pioneer feel. In Scotland, it's found as an Anglicized form of Teasagh, itself a form of Jean, and is used as a full name. And in the rest of the world, Jessie may be short for Jessica or used on its own.
  12. Randall
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "shield-wolf"
    • Description:

      Medieval name without much of a future.
  13. Hubert
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bright, shining intellect"
    • Description:

      A name that sounds so old-fashioned some parents out there might conceivably find it quirky enough for a comeback, along with other one-time fuddie-duddies like Oscar and Homer.
  14. Merlin
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "sea fortress"
    • Description:

      This name of the famous fifth-century sorcerer and mentor of King Arthur may or may not be a bit wizardy for a real-life modern child. Its most noted modern bearer: football star turned actor Merlin Olsen, whose father was named Merle.
  15. Fauna
    • Origin:

      Roman, English word name, from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "young deer; all the animals that live in a particular area"
    • Description:

      Fauna is the Roman goddess of the earth as well as one of the fairies who protected Disney's "Sleeping Beauty". It can also be considered a word name with a scientific, nature focused feel. Used to as a way to refer to all the animals in a particular area, habitat, or time period, many might think of the phrase "Flora and Fauna" on seeing the name.
  16. Kenai
    • Origin:

      Native American place name
    • Meaning:

      "flat lands"
    • Description:

      The name of the protagonist of Disney’s Brother Bear also has a geographical connection: the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.
  17. Gaston
    • Origin:

      French from German
    • Meaning:

      "the foreigner, the guest"
    • Description:

      Depending on your cultural references, you may think of Phantom of the Opera author Gaston Leroux, or the macho villain of Beauty and the Beast. While he's hardly a role model (unless you too use antlers in all of your decorating), his name was likely chosen because it's a classic in France. It's been used there since the middle ages, partly in honor of the Frankish bishop St Gaston. It went out of style in France mid-century, but now it's having a revival, entering the Top 300 in 2017.
  18. Nick
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Nicholas and Dominick
    • Description:

      The classic strong-yet-friendly nickname name, much used for charming movie characters.
  19. Imelda
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish from German
    • Meaning:

      "all-consuming fight"
    • Description:

      Saint's name made infamous by Philippine dictator's wife Imelda Marcos. A more positive famous bearer is the British actress Imelda Staunton, best known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies.
  20. Lilo
    • Origin:

      German, diminutive of Liselotte; Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "generous one"
    • Description:

      Lilo is the name of the spunky little Hawaiian girl character in the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch-- and is also Lindsay Lohan's nickname. Multi-cultural, it can be found in Hawaiian, German and Hebrew nomenclature.

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