Names That Mean Beautiful

In the past this was seen as a jokey Southern colonel name, but we have heard of some parents considering it as a path to the likeable Beau.

Created by Sarah J. Maas for the heroine of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of YA novels. The name was based on the Old English word for "fair" or "beautiful" and has an ethereal charm.

Homophonous with Mae and May, the beautiful (literally) Mei is poised to climb the charts. The hero of the 2022 Disney/Pixar film Turning Red is a Chinese-Canadian teen named Meilin "Mei" Lee, which may boost the name ever further.

Calixto is known in Spain as the name of three popes, one of whom was the martyr, Callixtus I, regarded as a saint. Calixto has a lot of energy and futuristic spirit, thanks in part to the attention-grabbing 'x.' He is the main character in the Spanish classic, Fernando de Rojas's Tragicomedy of Calixto and Melibea.

This modern name gathers some steam from the wildly popular Isabel.

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into non-literary use in the 1840's, peaking in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s: Melinda was a Top 100 name from 1967 to 1980. It began to fade as nickname Mindy ascended. Nowadays, however, Melinda feels more contemporary than cousins Melissa, Mindy, Belinda and Linda.

Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.

With diverse roots and meanings, Ayana is a cross-cultural possibility. Both Ayana and Ayanna enjoyed a spike of popularity in the 1990s, but have faded since then.

As an English nickname, Emi can be short for anything beginning with (or containing) the popular "em" sound, such as Emily, Emilia, or maybe even Clementine.

Traditionally, this name is written with kanji that give it lovely meanings of "full moon," "moonlight," or similar. The character Mitsuki in Naruto uses kanji that denote the meaning "snake vessel," appropriate given he can summon magical snakes.

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 Galician water and river goddess whose name is still used in Galicia today. It is also found as an elaboration of Hebrew Nava, meaning "beautiful". American actress Navia Robinson is a well-known bearer.

Variant of Eaven, an Anglicization of Aoibheann. As a botanical name, it refers to a type of pretty white flower which thrives in mountainous regions.

The meaning of this sweet Japanese name varies depending on the combination of kanji used, but the first element mi means "beautiful".

Despite being etymologically unrelated, Aimi has a similar meaning to the name Amy, "beloved."

Beau is now in now in the Top 200 boys' names, and this is a more elaborate way to get there. Comic power couple Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti named their first son Beaumont Gino in July 2017. Monty is another possible nickname. As French baby names go, this one might provide the perfect balance of effete and approachable.

A highly unusual Italian word-name that is nevertheless attractive and easy to pronounce and spell.

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.

A sweet and simple Japanese name with several possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.

Tove is a modern variation of an Old Norse name, related to Thor. Tuva is a form of the name popular in modern Scandinavia.