Names That Mean Deer

Fairly popular a hundred years ago but out of sight now, the quirky Roscoe deserves a place on every adventurous baby-namer's long list. It joins Rufus, Roman, Remy, Romulus, and Ray as one of the R names that sound fresh again after too many years of Robert, Richard, and Ronald.

Oisin is one of the most popular Irish baby names in its native land, though largely unknown in the US. The original Oisin was the mythological son of Finn McCool and Sadb, the goddess who was changed into a deer. A legendary war hero and poet, Oisin had a name that is also reminiscent in sound of the ocean. Pronounced correctly, this name has an attractive sheen.

A Scottish favorite that could make it here thanks to its similarity to the word divine. It's the most popular of several feminizations of David used in Scotland, including Davida, Davinia and Davidina, which have less of a chance in the U.S. It reentered the US Top 1000 for the first time in two decades in 2016.

The doe-eyed Fawn is as gentle and soft as the baby deer it represents. And much like that baby deer, it carries with it the potential of new life. Fawn was featured at the bottom of the Top 1000 throughout the '60s and '70s — around the same time that Bambi came into play. But unlike Bambi, Fawn maintains relevance in the 21st century, thanks to its warmth and ties to the natural world. We would love to meet more baby girls named Fawn.

Once a common boys' name in Ireland (e. g. , Darby O'Gill and the Little People), the dynamic Darby now has a definite unisex feel. Actor Paul Rudd has a young daughter named Darby.

Ryle, rhymes with Kyle, was used by author Colleen Hoover for the neurosurgeon hero of her bestselling novel, It Ends With Us. Twenty-nine baby boys were named Ryle in the US in 2023, with many more named all variations of Riley, along with many spellings of Rylen, Ryler, and Rye.

Spirited and bubbly, but handsome and preppy too, Darby is a surname style choice that fits in well with the likes of Alby and Lennox.

The name of the son of the legendary Finn McCool is often Anglicized to Ossian, but the original has recently been revived in Ireland and is currently among the most popular boys' names there.

Ossian, or Osian, from the Old Irish name Oisin, was the son of Finn in Irish legend that was transformed into a Scottish hero in the Ossianic poems of James Macpherson in the eighteenth century--which also popularlized Oscar, Fingal, Selma and Malvina.

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.

Attractive North Carolina place-name and surname of explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. Distinctive, classy-but-approachable choice for either sex.

Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and Huck.

The longer form of Xia is more rhythmic but also more problematic.

Gentle meaning and bona fide Hebrew history, but feels old-mannish, like Herman and Menashe.

An alternative transcription of Tzvi, the latter of which is a Top 100 pick in Israel. It's a cool, sharp-sounding micro name which would make for a great distinctive alternative to Levi.

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls.

As a Choctaw name, Issi is an animal inspired choice, in which the double S is pronounced with a pause between like in "dress suit."

A Maori name derived from a type of tree native to New Zealand's North Island.

Beautiful Indigenous name connected to visual artist Dyani White Hawk. Dyani was most popular in 2001, when it was given to 73 baby girls.

Though Roscoe is an edgy hipster name for boys, it's an even edgier, more hipsterish name for girls.