Easter Names: the Ultimate Guide

Updated Sun Mar 31 2024

Easter names are Springy, symbolic, and spiritual. They include common names connected to nature, such as Lily and Willow, as well as rare names with meanings related to rabbits (Arley), rebirth (Renata), palms (Tamar) — even eggs! (Looking at you, Bezai.)

Look here for our guide to the best Easter names for girls and boys. Happy Easter!

Top Easter Names

The top Easter baby names work for babies born any time of year but feel most significant when borne by an Eastertide child.

For girls, names like Lily, Willow, and Palmer connect to the natural elements of Easter, while those such as Anastasia and Aurora are linked to the concept of resurrection and renewal.

Popular Easter names for boys are dominated by the classics. Choices like Simon, John, and Joseph are featured in the Biblical story of Easter, and Christian represents the religious roots of the holiday.

Below, Easter baby names that rank within the official US Top 500 most popular baby names.

Easter Names for Girls

Among early English and Germanic peoples, Easter was originally a festival honoring Ostara, the goddess of Spring, fertility, and the dawn. The name Easter is derived from the Anglo-Saxon translation, Eostre. Ostara has a stylish sound and fits in with the current trend of mythological names, yet remains exceedingly rare. Only eleven baby girls were given the name in 2022, the last year on record.

Also among the best Easter names for girls are those related to lilies, which are connected to new life and purity. Of course, Lily itself is a worthy choice, but you may also consider elaborations such as Lilia, Lilias, or Liliwen. There are also names that mean “lily,” like Susanna, as well as international options Yuri and Shoshana.

Here, a selection of our favorite Easter girl names.

Easter Names for Boys

What would Easter be without bunnies? Cool Easter names for boys include many rabbit-related choices. There are names of famous hares — Peter, of course, but how about Oswald, Roger, or Harvey? For a subtler connection, try a name with a meaning linked to bunnies, like Arlen “hare land,” Harley “hare clearing,” or Warren (a connection of rabbit burrows).

Other Easter boy names include Springy names like Haruki, Aviv, and Jarek, and names associated with natural Easter symbolism such as Tamir and Wilford.

Below, our picks for the best Easter names for boys.

Unique Easter Names

Easter itself is a totally unique baby name, but that wasn’t always the case. It ranked in the Top 1000 from 1880, when records begin, all the way to 1942. Easter was a relatively common name among enslaved people, who brought the practice of day-naming with them from West Africa to America.

A related name is Pascha, which is commonly used internationally as the name for the Easter holiday. Ozanne “Palm Sunday,” and Parasha “born on Good Friday,” are other unique day names for babies born this time of year.

There are many unique international names connected to Easter and the Spring season. Some of our favorites include the Armenian Caroun and Sanskrit Madhavi, both meaning “springtime,” the Greek Anatole, “rising sun,” and Ebrel, the Cornish word for April.

Here, unusual but usable Easter names, each given to fewer than five American children in 2022.

Names with Symbolic Meanings

Easter is bursting with symbolism, including animals such as rabbits, lambs, and butterflies, and botanical elements like lilies, birches, willows, and palms.

Link your child’s name to Easter botany with names like Arava “willow,” Tomer “palm,” or Berkley “birch.” Animal-lovers may instead opt for names like Yareli “butterfly,” Cordero “lamb,” or Bunny (that one is self-explanatory).

There are even names to consider if your favorite part of Easter is the egg hunt. Hunt and Hunter, naturally, but also Bezai (it means “eggs!”).

Below, a collection of names with meanings related to the symbols of Easter.

Spring Nature Names

These Springtime nature names don’t have explicit connections to the Easter holiday, but are just as fitting for an Eastertide baby!

Names of flowers that bloom in the early Spring, like Daffodil, Magnolia, and Primrose, are prime options for girls, and names related to trees, such as Branch, Arbor, and Oak, work for people of any gender.

Here are our top picks of Spring nature names for an Easter baby.

Find more ideas on our complete list of Easter names for babies.

About the Author

Sophie Kihm

Sophie Kihm's Personal Website

Sophie Kihm has been writing for Nameberry since 2015. She has contributed stories on the top 2020s names, Gen Z names, and cottagecore baby names. Sophie is Nameberry’s resident Name Guru to the Stars, where she suggests names for celebrity babies. She also manages the Nameberry Instagram and Pinterest.

Sophie Kihm's articles on names have run on People, Today, The Huffington Post, and more. She has been quoted as a name expert by The Washington Post, People, The Huffington Post, and more. You can follow her personally on Instagram or Pinterest, or contact her at sophie@nameberry.com. Sophie lives in Chicago.

View all of Sophie Kihm's articles