Names That Mean Night

A dramatic nature-inspired possibility for either sex.

The Vietnamese name Quynh, pronounced exactly like the Irish gender neutral name Quinn, is a perfect cross-cultural choice with a lovely meaning.

Charming nature name made even more appealing by the connection to iconic nurse and statistician Florence Nightingale.

A little-known Sam name with a lovely evocative meaning.

Variant spelling of Nyx, the name of the Greek goddess of the night. It also coincides with the English word "nix, a corruption of German nichts "nothing".

While this name is a phonetic variant of Amaya and Amaia, its popularity could also stem from its similarity to names such as Aliyah and Maya.

A pretty Arabic name with an evocative meaning.

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Otieno is more commonly seen as a surname among the Luo people of Kenya and Eastern Africa. The surname was derived from the given name — Atieno is the feminine version.

Israh which is also spelled Isra is a gender-neutral Muslim name.

Shirina is most commonly seen as a name among Hindi-speakers in India and Pakistan, but it could also be considered a variation of the Persian name Shirin, meaning "sweet."

Variant spelling of Nyx, the name of the Greek goddess of the night. It also coincides with the English word "nix, a corruption of German nichts "nothing". Nix would fit right in with names like Knox, Rex, Pax and Max.

Ayako is a very common feminine name in Japan, where it is the name of Princess Ayako of Takamado (now Ayako Moriya), formerly of the Imperial House of Japan.

A dramatic nature-inspired possibility for either sex.

Latvian variant of Lilith

Most common in Japan in the mid-20th century, but to Western ears it doesn't sound dated.

Atieno is the feminine equivalent of Otieno, which is now more commonly seen as a surname in Eastern Africa.

Bright and pretty, resembling Aaliyah, Delilah, Amaya and Sarah, Sariyah is a celestial and stylish choice,

The African tradition of day naming—giving a child a name inspired by the day, time, or season in which they were born—has become attractive to Western parents as word names increase in use. Midnight is a relatively new addition to the pool—it was used as a middle name by Nicole Richie and Joel Madden for their son in 2009.

Lots of charm.