Color Names for Babies

  1. Aqua
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      One of the new color names that is catching on, invoking a calm, blue-green-sea feeling.
  2. Auburn
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Meaning:

      "deep reddish-brown"
    • Description:

      A strong, warm name and a strong warm color. Would make an excellent alternative to August or Aubrey.
  3. Nile
    • Origin:

      River name and color name
    • Meaning:

      "dark blue, indigo"
    • Description:

      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.
  4. Cordovan
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "native of Cordova"
    • Description:

      Leathery, masculine image, complete with user-friendly short form.
  5. Viridis
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "green"
    • Description:

      Viridis is a medieval Italian name which is also the Latin word for green. This name is a beautiful option for parents looking for an unusual name that conveys freshness, youth, springtime and nature.
  6. Green
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      Middle name possibility for a nature-loving family -- Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke used it for their son's middle name.
  7. Vermilion
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      This vivid reddish orange color name is an undiscovered possibility -- kind of a female equivalent of Cerulean for boys.
  8. Claret
    • Origin:

      Color name, also Bordeaux wine
    • Description:

      Rich purplish red color choice that may gain favor along with Claire, though the wine connection can't be ignored.
  9. Fuchsia
    • Origin:

      Plant and color name
    • Description:

      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.
  10. Magenta
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      Magenta is a vivid Crayola color name, that could make a vivid, colorful choice. It was named in 1859 after the Napoleonic Battle of Magenta, a town in Northern Italy.
  11. Umber
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      Conjures up the rich brown colors of raw and burnt umber, but it may be too close to girls' Amber.
  12. Henna
    • Origin:

      Color name, Finnish feminization of Henry, English from German
    • Meaning:

      "estate ruler"
    • Description:

      Reddish dye that sounds as if it could be a real name — of the outdated, Old World, Yetta-Hedda variety.
  13. Citron
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "lemon"
    • Description:

      A Gallic twist on a word or nature name, which has a nice lemony feel.
  14. Kurenai
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "crimson"
    • Description:

      This Japanese color name is not bestowed upon baby girls, but it's been used for many fictional characters.
  15. Zinc
    • Origin:

      Color or mineral name
    • Description:

      Extreme cool possibilities in either of these modern categories, like a postmodern Linc.
  16. Mahogany
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "rich, strong"
    • Description:

      Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.
  17. Teal
    • Origin:

      Bird and color name
    • Description:

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

      French
    • Meaning:

      "Turkish stone"
    • Description:

      Turquoise is similar in hue to Aqua, which is one of the cool new color names on the palette. Other blue-hued options: Cerulean, Cyan, Indigo, or Blue itself.
  19. Chartreuse
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "charterhouse"
    • Description:

      Chartreuse is the name of a French liqueur, named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery of the Carthusian Monks that produce it. The monastery was built in the Chartreuse mountains of southeastern France. Chartreuse is also familiar as a color name, a yellow-green hue that matches the color of the highest-quality liqueur.
  20. Greige
    • Origin:

      Color name
    • Description:

      Better on your living-room walls.