Fairy and Elf Names

  1. Bran
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Brandon
    • Meaning:

      "broom-covered hill"
    • Description:

      A little heavy on the fiber content; we prefer Bram. But Bran is also the Celtic god of the underworld, whose symbol is the raven.
  2. Puck
    • Origin:

      Literary name
    • Description:

      Puck was Shakespeare's mischievous pixie who'a had a few television incarnations in more recent years. A popular name in The Netherlands but nowhere else, from what we can tell.
  3. Nuala
    • Origin:

      Irish, short form of Fionnuala
    • Meaning:

      "white shoulders"
    • Description:

      Officially a shortening of the traditional and tricky Gaelic Fionnghuala/Fionnuala, Nuala makes a lovely choice all on its own. Nuala is well-used in Ireland.
  4. Nerida
    • Origin:

      Greek; Aboriginial
    • Meaning:

      "sea nymph, mermaid; red waterlily"
    • Description:

      This is one of the more unusual examples of a group of Greek names connected to the sea, which makes sense for a nation of coastline and islands. The Nereids or water nymphs were the daughters of sea god Nereus.
  5. Rani
    • Origin:

      Hindi, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "queen; she is singing"
    • Description:

      Rani, alternatively spelled Ranee, is the female equivalent of Raja in Hindi. In many Indo-Aryan languages it can mean "queen" or "lady". The Hebrew version is used for both genders in modern Israel. Actress Kate Hudson and director Danny Fujikawa named their daughter Rani after Fujikawa's late father, whose name was Ron.
  6. Peri
    • Origin:

      Greek; Hebrew; Persian
    • Meaning:

      "mountain dweller; fruit; fairy"
    • Description:

      This name used for both sexes in several cultures is quite well used in Israel.
  7. Aoibheann
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful sheen"
    • Description:

      An ancient Aoibheann was the mother of Saint Enda, and Aoibheann remains popular in Ireland today, sometimes with its Anglicized spelling Eavan.
  8. Lumina
    • Titania
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "giant, great one"
      • Description:

        This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.
    • Alvar
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "elf warrior"
      • Description:

        This name woould be hard to picture in a contemporary kindergarten, though it does have some cultural cred via Finnish architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto. Aalto would actually make a more interesting choice.
    • Liesel
      • Bloom
        • Origin:

          Word Name
        • Description:

          A fragrant floral name that would be great as a middle name. Bloom is the name of the character in TV's Winx Club who, Harry Potter-style, gets sent to fairy college. Also a surname —such as actor Orlando Bloom.
      • Alafair
        • Origin:

          Romani
        • Meaning:

          "elf warrior or all true"
        • Description:

          The meaning and origin of this extremely rare name are unclear, but it may be related to the Germanic name Alvar "elf warrior", or to Allovera/Elvira "all true". Historically, it has been recorded predominantly in traveling Romani families in Britain and in the American South during the 19th century.
      • Siofra
        • Origin:

          Irish
        • Meaning:

          "sprite, changeling"
        • Description:

          A relatively modern (18th C) Irish Gaelic name, Siofra or, more properly, Síofra with the fada has its roots in superstition. In the past, when babies were born in Ireland their families feared that the fairies would steal the baby and leave an elven changeling child in its place. It’s an uncommon name starting to pick up in its native country.
      • Aubree
        • Origin:

          Spelling variation of Aubrey
        • Meaning:

          "elf ruler"
        • Description:

          Aubree and its big sister name Aubrey are both very widely used names, and if taken together would be among the most popular girl names. The Aubree spelling came into the limelight on the show Teen Mom 2.
      • Tinuviel
        • Origin:

          Literary name
        • Meaning:

          "Daughter of the twilight / nightingale"
        • Description:

          Lúthien Tinúviel is an elf princess in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, who falls in love with a mortal human, Beren, and chooses to become mortal herself rather than to live without him. Tinúviel is a Sindarin name given to her by Beren, meaning "daughter of twilight" and therefore "nightingale".
      • Navi
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "to name"
        • Description:

          Nickname for the star Gamma Cassiopeiae given by the late astronaut Gus Grissom after his own middle name (Ivan) spelled backwards. Navi also relates to the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.
      • Alfredo
        • Origin:

          Spanish variation of Alfred, English
        • Meaning:

          "wise counsellor; elf counsel"
        • Description:

          Alfredo, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variation of Alfred, is most familiar as the romantic lead in Verdi's evergreen opera La Traviata. On a less romantic note, Alfredo is also the name of a pasta sauce.
      • Elvin
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "noble friend"
        • Description:

          Elvin had his peak in the 1920s — which was when jazz musician Elvin Jones was born — but parents are still using it for over 100 boys a year. That's less than Kelvin, but more than Delvin.
      • Nyxie
        • Origin:

          English from Greek
        • Meaning:

          "night or water nymph"
        • Description:

          Variant of Nyx or Nixie