Names That Mean Color

Sienna has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 2005, the year after Sienna Miller's acting breakthrough in the hit movies Alfie and Layer Cake. In the US, it also got a big boost in the early noughties, before dropping slightly then rebounding to reach an all-time high in 2022.

Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold.

As flower names become more unique, so can gem names move beyond Ruby and Pearl to names like Topaz, Sapphire, and Peridot. Amethyst, the purple birthstone for February, has never been in the Top 1000, but could have some appeal, joining similarly-hued Violet and Lilac, all of which make great names for Aquarius babies or names for February babies.

Azure is a colorful gender-neutral choice, currently used equally for baby girls and boys in the US. It refers to a specific shade of blue seen in a cloudless sky. Elon Musk recently revealed Azure to be the name of his daughter with Shivon Zilis, twin sister to Strider. While X and Y didn't stand a chance at greater popularity, parents may be inspired to use the name Azure following this celebrity endorsement.

Cyan is a highly unusual blue-green color name, a classmate of Celadon and Cerulean. It does come with the homey nickname Cy.

Unusual and beautiful blue green color and name possibility, a la Cerulean.

Azure is a colorful choice for a blue-eyed child, recently chosen by Elon Musk for his daughter. Currently, Azure is used for American baby girls and boys in equal numbers. Among other blue-toned color name possibilities: Indigo, Cerulean, and Blue itself.

Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.

Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue or indigo.

In Greek Mythology, Melinoe was the daughter of Persephone, and fathered by both Zeus and Hades. She was one of two moon goddess, the other being Hecate, but was thought to be the bringer of nightmares and madness. Her name means "having the color of quince," a fruit with a yellow-greenish color that would have been associated with illness and death.

Crimson is a rare unisex color name used more frequently among baby girls.

Cool, serene name of the Egyptian river can make a fresh choice for a girl. The origin of river name Nile relates to the Arabic and ancient Hebrew word for dark blue or indigo; in ancient Egyptian, its literal meaning is river.

Save this for your next run to Starbucks.

Earthier version of the name of England's first female professional writer, Aphra Behn.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan.

Teal is one of the prettiest and most straightforward of the new color names -- an ideal middle name choice.

A sweet, simple mini-name that fits into many cultures. The only drawback is the potential for confusion with Ella, Ayla, and other similar names.

Especially used in Bengal and Bangladesh, Sonali is nowadays considered to mean "golden". Bengali actress Sonali Chowdhury is a notable bearer of this name.

A fresh and summery — if rather long — color that sounds namelike, but is extremely rarely used.

This name of both a grayish-greenish-blue color and a kind of wild duck can be used for both boys and girls.