Names That Mean Thankful or Gratitude
Updated Sun Sep 03 2023
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Names that mean thankful or gratitude may hold particular appeal right now. Gratitude is an important value today, and one that many parents may want to express in name.
Names that mean gratitude, thanks, thankful, respect, or praise are an international bunch, from many cultures around the world. There are many unique names among those that mean gratitude.
Of course, there are many ways to express gratitude or thanks in a baby name that do not involve choosing a name that literally means gratitude or thanks. You might choose an honor name, for instance, to express gratitude toward a beloved family member or important mentor.
These names take gratitude more literally. Here, a collection of baby names that mean thanks, thankful, or gratitude, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry
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- Mila
Origin:
Slavic, RussianMeaning:
"gracious; dear"Description:
Mila is a popular name that took a 125 year nap, ranking in the Top 1000 in 1881 and then not ranking again until 2006, after actress Mila Kunis appeared on That 70s Show.
- Evan
Origin:
Welsh variation of JohnMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Evan has a mellow nice-guy image that has kept it popular, while it has been widely used in Wales since the nineteenth century. And interestingly—and surprisingly—enough, Evan charts highly for boys in France.
- Selah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"praise, pause"Description:
The name is derived from the term commonly used in the Book of Psalms, which has a many Hebrew scholars in confusion over its meaning. Given its context in the Bible, Selah is likely to mean "to praise" or "pause and reflect upon what has just been said." Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter. It is the last word in Anita Diamant's novel The Red Tent.
- Jayden
Origin:
Variation of Jaden or Jadon, modern invention, HebrewMeaning:
"thankful"Description:
Reminiscent of 70’s favorite Jason, and sharing sounds with the perpetually popular James, Jayden is one of the more enduring members of the -ayden trend.
- Gia
Origin:
ItalianMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Gia is a cute if slight name that calls to mind stylish sisters Mia, Lea, Pia, Tia, and Nia. One of the most familiar Italian baby names in the US, Gia is a short form of Gianna, which in turn is a diminutive of Giovanna, the feminine form of Giovanni, the Italian equivalent of John—all of them meaning "God is gracious."
- Gianna
Origin:
Italian, diminutive of Giovanna or feminization of Gianni, forms of JohnMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
The Italian Gianna undoubtedly owes much of its popularity in the US to its status as an honor name for John. Before the importation of Gianna, there was no truly workable feminine form of John, so Gianna found widespread favor among American parents with Italian roots and far beyond.
- Judah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be attributable to the similarly named Jude Law.
- Sena
Origin:
Korean; Hindi; Turkish; Arabic; EweMeaning:
"this world's beauty or grace; army; to praise; bringing heaven to earth"Description:
Sena is one of those names that is as obscure in the Western World as it is simple and straightforward. Sena exists as a name in a range of languages and cultures and may be pronounced like Senna (with a soft e) or Sienna.
- Ayra
Origin:
Arabic, Urdu or SanskritMeaning:
"respectable, awe-inspiring; or a name for the goddess Saraswati"Description:
A beautiful name which is well used in India, and certainly has the potential to catch on elsewhere too.
- Judith
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"He will be praised or woman from Judea"Description:
The biblical Judith, the fourth most popular name in 1940, may be getting ready for a comeback in its full, elegant, if somewhat solemn form. Many of those earlier Judiths were called Judy—some after Judy (born Frances) Garland—preferring it over their more formal proper name. Today, Judith, like Deborah, may have shaken off just enough to appeal to parents looking for a traditional, yet under-the-radar biblical name. And Jude would be a likelier nickname these days than the Judge Judy connection.
- Aeneas
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"the praised one"Description:
He was the legendary son of Venus, hero of Troy and Rome, and broke the heart of Queen Dido of Carthage. Sure, its more challenging than Charlie - but if you're looking this name up, that's probably part of its appeal.
- Zendaya
Origin:
ShonaMeaning:
"to give thanks"Description:
Zendaya has propelled her unusual African name into the spotlight and up the popularity charts. Zendaya is one of the major baby name influencers of our era.
- Jude
Origin:
Latin diminutive of Judith or variation of Judah, HebrewMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Jude may be a popular boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but boyish nicknames for girls - like Frankie and Teddy - are on trend and Jude is also a new way to spin Judy or Judith. It's long been used quietly for girls as well as boys, and may start to pick up steam.
- Zimri
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my music, my praise"Description:
This unusual and spunky biblical name was one of the Kings of Israel as well as one of Judah's grandsons and has a wonderful meaning. We'd like to see Zimri being used more, and we think it has potential — "traveling lite" names, or 2 syllable names ending in -i, such as Zuri, Ezri, and Rafi are red-hot right now.
- Muhammad
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"praiseworthy"Description:
There are over five hundred names for the Arab prophet who founded the Muslim religion, making it the most common boys' name in the world and explaining the Muslim adage, "If you have a hundred sons, name them all Muhammad."
- Judas
Origin:
Greek variation of JudahMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Though there were two apostles named Judas, everyone remembers the one who betrayed Jesus, and the name has been permanently shunned.
- Odelia
Origin:
Hebrew, GermanMeaning:
"I will praise the Lord or wealth"Description:
Pretty Hebrew name that would create a strong but feminine impression, as well as a variant of the Germanic name Odilia or Ottilie.
- Yoshi
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"good, respectful"Description:
A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character.
- Erwin
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"respected friend"Description:
One of the many names with a strong "er" sound, like Bertram and Ernest, that was huge in the 1920s and is languishing in style limbo now. One famous bearer is the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, as in Schrödinger's cat.
- Oksana
Origin:
Russian from HebrewMeaning:
"praise to God"Description:
Ukrainian figure-skating champion Oksana Baiul made it known here.