Day Names for Babies

March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January to December, Sunday to Easter, Winter to Midnight, coming to the fore, March is beginning to seem eminently baby-ready.

A possible Christmas name for a baby boy, if you find Noel too mundane. But we fear it doesn't sound very festive.

Used in France as a male name, this would make an appealing and unusual choice, as would two other Gallic month names, Avril and Mai.

Otieno is more commonly seen as a surname among the Luo people of Kenya and Eastern Africa. The surname was derived from the given name — Atieno is the feminine version.

This name from the Akan language of Ghana in West Africa is traditionally given to baby girls born on a Tuesday. The male version is Kwabena or Kobena.

Lots of charm.

Easter has been used as a name for several hundred years, as part of the day-naming tradition; now, this rarely heard holiday celebration name would make a novel choice for a springtime baby. Background:The early Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar Bede took the name of a goddess--Eostre-- whose feast was celebrated at the vernal equinox and gave it to the Christian festival of the resurrection of Christ.

A lively and engaging Scottish surname with an outdoorsy feel, Lundy (almost) coincides with the French word for Monday.

Typical African day-of-the-week name.

November is one of a growing list of month names that can work for a baby boy, and is also one of the ideal names for November babies.

Midcentury macramé-maker.

This sweet and straightforward Finnish name could be an ideal choice for a daughter born at night.

Hespera is a variation of Hesperia, the feminine form of Hesperus. In Greek mythology, Hesperus is the Evening Star or the planet Venus. Hesperus is the son of the dawn goddess Eos or her Roman equivalent Aurora.

Shirina is most commonly seen as a name among Hindi-speakers in India and Pakistan, but it could also be considered a variation of the Persian name Shirin, meaning "sweet."

Hemera was the personification of day and one of the Greek primordial deities. She is the goddess of the daytime and,said to be the daughter of Erebus and Nyx (the goddess of night).

There are many lovely day/month/seasonal names -- and this is one of the most intriguing.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

Among the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, Yao is the name for babies born on Thursday.

Atieno is the feminine equivalent of Otieno, which is now more commonly seen as a surname in Eastern Africa.

A name commonly used in India; Vasant Panchami is a Hindu festival dedicated to the goddess of learning.