Animal Names for Babies
- Culver
Origin:
English variation of ColumbaMeaning:
"dove"Description:
In the currently popular solid, serious, two-syllable mold.
- Auster
Origin:
German surnameMeaning:
"oyster"Description:
Fans of writer Paul Auster might consider this a worthy alternative to the trendy Austin.
- Addax
Origin:
Animal nameDescription:
The addax is a white antelope that resides in the Sahara Desert. A cool and usable addition to the pool of animal baby names.
- Jaguar
Origin:
Animal nameDescription:
Grrrr.
- Bleddyn
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"wolf's cub"Description:
Unusual two-syllable choice with a real pronunciation challenge.
- Wolverine
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Fox, okay. Buck, maybe. But Wolverine? You gotta be kidding us. On the plus side, your five-year-old will love you for giving him this superhero name. Your fifteen-year-old, not so much.
- Ryuko
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"dragon child"Description:
Strong Japanese unisex choice. Dragons are a symbol of power in Japan.
- Eachna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"horse"Description:
Eachna is the name of an Irish goddess renowned for her beauty, brains and stylishness; in early legend, a Connacht princess named Eachna was deemed to be one of the loveliest and cleverest women int he world.
- Mosley
Origin:
English place name and surnameMeaning:
"peat bog, mouse clearing"Description:
Mosley, former best known as the surname of author Walter, has been put in play as a first name for girls by football great Peyton Manning, who used the name for his twin daughter, sister of Marshall. Alternate spellings are Moseley and Mosely and the first syllable rhymes with Rose.
- Taura
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"like a bull"Description:
Taura is a possibility for a girl born between mid-April and mid-May, but, if a name is destiny, its meaning does suggest stubbornness. Consider Laura, Flora, or Honora instead.
- Bertrand
Origin:
French from GermanMeaning:
"magnificent crow"Description:
This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director and screenwriter Bertrand Tavernier.
- Tarvo
Origin:
FinnishMeaning:
"wild aurochs; energy"Description:
Tarvo has two potential origin stories. The first is that it derives from the Old Finnish word tarvas, meaning "wild aurochs," a wild species of cattle that is now extinct. The second possible derivation is from the Estonian tarv, meaning "energy."
- Merope
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"bee-eater bird"Description:
This obscure name from Greek mythology (Merope was one of the Pleiades) is better known from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series, as the name of Tom Riddle's ill-fated mother.
- Baran
Origin:
Turkish and PersianMeaning:
"ram"Description:
Baran is barely known in the US -- unless it's mistaken for royal moniker and Trump son name Baron -- but it might make a perfect choice for a boy born under the sign of Aries.
- Simba
Origin:
Swahili or ShonaMeaning:
"lion; strength"Description:
Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".
- Arledge
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller at the rabbit lake"Description:
Stiff and formal surname. Try Roone instead.
- Ákos
Origin:
Hungarian from TurkishMeaning:
"white eagle"
- Hippolyte
Origin:
French from GreekMeaning:
"releaser of horses"Description:
Hippolyte is the name of an Amazonian princess AND her son, both unfortunate mythical figures. The name Hippolyte, later borne by several saints, is a not an uncommon boys' name in France, but has barely set foot on American soil and is unlikely to do so. It was the middle name of famed French playwright Jean Giraudoux.
- Oriole
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"golden"Description:
A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelia, Oriole is extremely rare as a name: No babies were given the name in the US in 2022. But most people are aware of the Oriole bird, which makes this name uncommon yet possible.
- Kestrel
Origin:
English, bird nameDescription:
A kestrel is a bird of prey. It has good potential as a strong girls' name, similar to Falcon for boys.