January Baby Names

An appealing Asian name with a nickname feel.

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

Idony was the Norse goddess of spring and eternal youth, and variants of her obscure name could come under consideration with the rest of the fashionable I pack.

Esperanza is a Spanish classic that's found its way onto the national popularity list in recent years. It came into the spotlight not long ago when jazz singer Esperanza Spalding "stole" the Best New Artist Grammy from favorite Justin Bieber. It's also the name of the main character in the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, about a young Latina growing up in Chicago.

This airy Welsh name, which has only been in use since the early 20th century, is formed of the intensifying prefix an- plus eira ("snow"), making it a wintry nature name.

The meaning of this ancient Roman god's name relates to transitions, hence its connection to the name of the first month of the new year, a time of fresh beginnings. Janus is usually depicted as a two-faced god facing in opposite directions, since he looks both to the future and the past. It's no surprise then, that Janus is one of the premiere January baby names. The Slavic form Janusz is more commonly used than the English, represented by the Polish cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who has shot all of Steven Spielberg's films from Schindler's List to Lincoln.

This attractive Old Testament option is the name of a place in northern Israel.

This ethereal Welsh word name has a sound as pretty and delicate as its floral namesake.

Would fit right in with the currently popular in/an/en/on-ending boys' names.

Antonella is a feminine form of Anthony growing in popularity throughout Latin America as well as in the US.

Ichiro is a good classic choice for the first boy in a Japanese family.

The first letter of the Greek alphabet ande the brightest star in every constellation, this would make an interesting choice for a first daughter, though it does give off some spectral sci-fi reverberations--and references to the term "alpha male.".

Alula, the palindromic name of the first double star to be identified as physically related to its twin, would make the perfect name for a first-born twin. Ideas (we're only half joking) for the second born: Aviva, Aziza, Otto. Alula is reminiscent of the unusual name chosen by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen for their second daughter: Elula, a month name from the Hebrew calendar.

Often found as a brand name in the hi-tech and industrial worlds.

Associated with a spring festival, this name is used by both Muslims and Christians.

This is a soft and strong Arabic and Persian name commonly heard in the Middle East.

Amal is an attractive name with a wonderful meaning that has long been used in many Middle Eastern countries, especially Lebanon (and migrant communities). It is of course getting a lot more coverage now since the fame of international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney, who's singlehandedly made this one of the best-known Arabic names for girls.

The name of the wife of Alexander the Great, more attractive than the better-known Roxanne. Roxana was first used in the English-speaking world in the 1600s and was popularized by Daniel Defoe's novel Roxana, published in 1724. An underused and attractive possibility and perfect if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings.

Aleph came into the spotlight when chosen by Israel-born Natalie Portman for her son. Alef is a more common spelling of these related Hebrew baby names.

How can a strong simple name like Cera remain so uncommon? Only five baby girls were named Cera in the US last year.