Science and Technology Names

  1. Finch
    • Origin:

      English word and nature name
    • Meaning:

      "to swindle"
    • Description:

      Bird name possibility, rarer than Lark and Wren but with the same short, punchy feel.
  2. Comet
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Description:

      Soaring astral name has a great gender-free feel. It also has a pleasing christmas connotation, courtesy of the reindeer listed in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  3. Rainbow
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "rainbow"
    • Description:

      Colorful, yes, but also probably among the hippiest of hippie names. Holly Madison recently chose it for her little girl.
  4. Nightingale
    • Origin:

      Bird name from German
    • Meaning:

      "night singer"
    • Description:

      Charming nature name made even more appealing by the connection to iconic nurse and statistician Florence Nightingale.
  5. Rigel
    • Lovelace
      • Origin:

        English surname
      • Meaning:

        "outlaw"
      • Description:

        What better namesake for a baby girl than Ada Lovelace (or, to use her full title: Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace), the brilliant 19th-century writer, mathematician and early computer pioneer? Not to mention, her name has a lovely, delicate, vintagesque charm.
    • Niels
      • Origin:

        Danish variation of Nicholas; Dutch diminutive of Cornelius
      • Description:

        Gives middle-aged Neil a new lease on life.
    • Five
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Description:

        Five is a number name introduced to the lexicon by famous crazy baby namers The Novogratz Family. Five is, yes, their fifth child, who happens to be a boy, but there's no reason Five -- and Seven and Eleven -- can be unisex baby names.
    • Neptune
      • Origin:

        Roman god of the sea, freshwater springs, and horses.
      • Description:

        This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.
    • Venn
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "fair"
      • Description:

        No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic, statistics, and computer science.
    • Penrose
      • Origin:

        Cornish and Welsh place name and surname
      • Meaning:

        "top of the heath"
      • Description:

        Penrose – an ancient place-name and surname derived from several villages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Welsh border country of England – would make for an even more unexpected alternative to quirky nature name Primrose. Intuitive nicknames Penny or Rosie make it feel more wearable.
    • Even
      • Origin:

        Norwegian
      • Meaning:

        "gift or winner"
      • Description:

        Even is a popular boys' name in Norway, derived from the Old Norse Eivindr. Another popular variation is Eivind, which is pronounced like Ivan.
    • Tesla
      • Origin:

        Slavic
      • Meaning:

        "from Thessaly"
      • Description:

        Tesla, the surname of Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla that has more recently been used as the brand name for an electric car, is gaining some use as a first name for girls. Exactly 100 girls were named Tesla in the U.S. last year. You might think of the name as a Tessa/Isla hybrid, though with Tesla the s is not silent. There was also a rock band named Tesla.
    • Alioth
      • Origin:

        Arabic
      • Meaning:

        "fat tail of the sheep"
      • Description:

        The brightest star in Ursa Major, this is one of the major navigational stars used by ships.
    • Lumen
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "light"
      • Description:

        Lumen is a Latin word meaning "light", and the term used for the measurement of light output (making it an attractive choice for science-buffs).
    • Lovelace
      • Origin:

        English surname
      • Meaning:

        "outlaw"
      • Description:

        The most famous bearer of this striking name is Ada Lovelace, the brilliant 19th-century writer, mathematician and early computer pioneer.
    • Tyge
      • Origin:

        Danish variation of Tycho
      • Description:

        The modern Tyge -- also found in other European countries as Tygo and Tyko -- is a spin on the ancient Greek Tycho or Tychon. A famous 16th century Danish astrologer was Tycho Brahe. Tyge may also be thought of as a short form of Tyger, a spelling variation of Tiger.
    • Nebula
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "mist"
      • Description:

        Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.
    • Anova
      • Origin:

        Invented name
      • Description:

        Culmination of two trends: names bookended by As and Nova names, seen in names like Novalee, Novalyn, and Zanova.
    • Bhaskara
      • Origin:

        Sanskrit
      • Meaning:

        "shining"
      • Description:

        An epithet of the sun and the Hindu god Shiva, also borne by a 12th century Indian astronomer. Bhaskar, a common Indian surname, is related.