Mardi Gras Names: Let The Good Times Roll!

Updated Tue Feb 13 2024

Mardi Gras Names: Let The Good Times Roll!

Mardi Gras baby names are full of carnival joy and festivity, and inspired by New Orleans and the Bayou.

New Orleans is one of the carnival capitals of the world. In the weeks around Mardi Gras (also known as Shrove Tuesday, or pancake day), the streets are filled with parades, music, dancing, feathers and beads.

If you’re expecting a baby at this time of year, or just love Mardi Gras, you might want to consider a name that celebrates it. We’ve drawn inspiration from the festivities, and from the history and geography of Louisiana — plus the most popular names there today.

The state is a unique melting pot of cultures: Cajuns from Canada, Creoles and others of Haitian, African, Native American and European descent, mixed with a big measure of the French language and Catholicism. And that’s reflected in the unique mix of names found there.

So laissez les bons temps rouler, and join the name parade!

Carnival Krewe Names

Krewes are the organizing teams behind the Mardi Gras parades. This spelling is very rarely used as a name, but Crew and Krew are both soaring in popularity, accelerated by the birth of Crew Gaines, the youngest Fixer-Upper child, in 2018.

New Orleans’ krewes have whimsical, bohemian names — many of which can be baby names too. Some of the most festive are:

Carnival Royalty Names

The Rex parade is one of the biggest highlights, featuring the His Majesty Rex, King of the Carnival, and his Queen and court. There have been some fabulous names on the roster of people in their courts over the years. They showcase the fabulously diverse mix of styles in Louisiana, especially family surnames. Here are some standouts from the last 30 years:

Rex and his dukes and pages:

Queen and her maids:

New Orleans and Louisiana-Inspired Names

Love this part of the world? These names from the culture, history and geography of New Orleans and Louisiana would be stylish ways to celebrate it.

Boys

Amos — Amos Moses was a fictional Cajun alligator poacher, in a song by Jerry Reed. His biblical first name is slowly making a comeback, and his surname even more so.

Beauregard — Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Civil War soldier from New Orleans, who fought in the Battle of Shiloh. His ghost is said to roam the city streets whispering “Shiloh” (itself a stylish spiritual name).

Charles — A classic name that appears in place names all over the state, from a street in New Orleans to the western city of Lake Charles to St. Charles Parish in the east

Dagobert — Père Dagobert was a well-respected 18th century priest who made great contributions to the city of New Orleans and is still said to be heard singing “Kyrie” while keeping a watchful eye over the city.

Jean-Baptiste — Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville founded Nouvelle-Orleans in 1718.

Louis — Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima are both Louisiana natives.

Parish — Where other states have counties, Louisiana has parishes.

Philippe — The city was named for Philippe II, Duc d’Orleans.

Girls

Acadia — A parish named after the home of the Acadians (or Cajuns) who migrated from Canada.

Calliope — A steam organ to be heard on the Steamboat Natchez in New Orleans. The city also has streets named after the nine Muses of Greek myth, of which Calliope is one.

Evangeline — An epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose heroine is a deported Acadian.

Magnolia — The state flower of Louisiana.

Mahalia — The queen of gospel, Mahalia Jackson, was a New Orleans native.

Marie — For renowned Voodoo practitioner, herbalist and midwife Marie Laveau.

Nola — An abbreviation for New Orleans, Louisiana, and a girl name that’s at its highest ever popularity.

Ruby — Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist who helped to de-segregate the state’s schools.

Sabine — A river that forms part of the state border.

Stella — The most stylish name in A Streetcar Named Desire, set in New Orleans.

Popular Names in Louisiana

The most popular names in Louisiana in 2022 were similar to the national favorites: Liam, Elijah, and Noah were top for boys, and Olivia, Amelia, and Ava for girls. But even in the Top 10 there are several names that are less popular nationwide, like Avery, John, and Asher.

Further down the rankings, there are plenty more names that parents in the Pelican State love more than your average.

They include positive word names like Ace, Harmony, and Legend; respellings like Emersyn and Karter; last names like Bentley and Parker; and a long-lasting love for Mary.

These names were in the Top 100 in Louisiana in 2022, but not in the US Top 100.

Got a name story to tell? If you'd like to write about your personal experience with your own name, your child's name, names in your family or your culture, we'd love to consider your story for publication on Nameberry. Email us a sentence or two about your idea at clare@nameberry.com

About the Author

Clare Green

Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at clare@nameberry.com

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