Celestian Names

Always the less common spelling of Irish classic Neil, Neal has been on a fifty-year slide, and now doesn't even make the Top 1000. It has a streamlined, surnamey appeal in this spelling.

Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.

A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.

This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.

An obscure yet on-trend name with two wonderful meanings associated with it. Neoma is one of the freshest celestial girl names with moon-related meanings, rarer than Luna or Phoebe but with the same fluid sound.

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

Because of its meaning, this is a symbolic name given to girls born on Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.

American parents are just becoming aware of Welsh names like this one, similar to Carys, which was chosen by Welsh-born Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Short but energetic and substantial, Nia has special meaning for African-American parents, as it's one of the days of Kwanza. Nia also benefits by its similarity to (yet differentness from) the megapopular Mia.

Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool.

Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who falls in love with Finn's son Oisin and takes him to the Land of Promise, where they stayed for three hundred years. Niamh can be Anglicized as Neve, Nieve, or Neave.

An interesting and unusual member of the "Nic" family--far more distinctive than NICOLE or NICOLA.

Closer to Nike than to Nicholas, this is an attractive, viable import. It's also one of several Italian and Spanish baby names that get you to the stylish and attractive nickname Nico.

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin is a character in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend.

Russian forms, like Russian supermodels, are hot these days. This is a strong, worldly way to make Nicholas new; it was chosen for his son by Barry Bonds, Jr. Nikolai also comes with several attractive nickname options, including approachable Nik, spunky Niko, or even hip Kai. A traditional nickname for Nikolai in Russia is Kolya.

Symbolic name given to girls born on TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?

Has a pleasantly fizzy, effervescent feeling.

Okay, this is going to be confusing...