The moon has been watching over us since before humans had words for it.
It controls the tides. It lights up the dark. It marks time in months and seasons. Every culture in the history of the world has had a name for it, a goddess or god tied to it, a mythology built around it. And all of those words and names and stories have filtered down into some of the most beautiful baby names you will ever find.
Luna has been in the US top 10 for years. But Luna is just the beginning. Moon names come from Sanskrit, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, Irish, Hawaiian, Maori, Egyptian, Norse, Greek, Roman, and dozens of other traditions. Some directly mean moon. Some carry moonlight. Some belong to actual moons orbiting Jupiter or Saturn. All of them carry that same luminous, mysterious energy.
Here are 133 baby names that mean moon for boys, girls, and any baby born under that glow.
Girl Names That Mean Moon
From ancient moon goddesses to quiet words for moonlight in languages most parents have never explored. These girl names carry the full, silver beauty of the moon in all its phases.
- Luna — Moon in Latin. The Roman goddess who drove her silver chariot across the night sky. Top 10 in the US for years and still the queen of all moon names.
- Selene — The Greek goddess of the moon. Ancient and luminous.
- Diana — The Roman goddess of the moon and the hunt. Already on multiple lists. Moon royalty.
- Phoebe — Shining and radiant. Also a moon of Saturn and a Titaness in Greek mythology.
- Cynthia — Another name for Artemis as the moon goddess. From Mount Cynthus where she was born.
- Artemis — The Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt. Twin of Apollo.
- Hecate — The Greek goddess of the moon, magic, and crossroads.
- Ayla — Halo of light around the moon in Turkish. Also a Hebrew name meaning oak tree. Currently in the US top 100.
- Esmeray — Dark moon in Turkish. Rare and beautiful.
- Aylin — Moon halo in Turkish. Soft and distinctive.
- Nuray — Bright moon in Turkish. Simple and memorable.
- Miray — A bright or shining moon in Turkish. Rarely heard outside Turkey.
- Aruna — Dawn or reddish glow of the rising moon in Sanskrit. Warm and soft.
- Chandra — Shining moon in Sanskrit. The Hindu moon god’s name used for girls too.
- Mahsa — Like the moon in Persian. Rare and striking.
- Sitara — Star and moon in Persian. Already on the space names list.
- Amaris — Child of the moon in Hebrew and Spanish. Lyrical and rare.
- Tsukiko — Moon child in Japanese. Magical and ethereal.
- Tsuki — Moon in Japanese. Short and soft.
- Yue — Moon in Chinese. Serene and peaceful.
- Neoma — New moon in Greek. Quietly unusual and completely beautiful.
- Ilona — Shining light and moon in Finnish and Hungarian. Made famous by rugby player Ilona Maher.
- Bianca — White in Italian. Connected to the white glow of the moon. Also a moon of Uranus and a Shakespeare character.
- Cordelia — Already on multiple lists. Also a moon of Uranus.
- Callisto — Fair and good in Greek. One of Jupiter’s largest moons and a nymph of Artemis.
More Girl Names That Mean Moon
The moon has so many faces. And so do the names inspired by it. These are the ones from cultures that do not always get enough attention on moon name lists.
- Iah — The ancient Egyptian moon god’s name. Short and ancient as a given name.
- Larissa — Already on the ocean names list. Also a moon of Neptune.
- Elara — A moon of Jupiter. Bright and airy. Already on the space names list.
- Portia — Already on the hunter and ocean lists. Also a moon of Uranus.
- Titania — The largest moon of Uranus. Grand and Shakespearean.
- Rosalind — Already on multiple lists. Also a moon of Uranus.
- Cressida — Already on the hard to pronounce names list. A moon of Uranus and a Shakespeare heroine.
- Despina — Already on the ocean names list. A moon of Neptune.
- Tethys — A moon of Saturn. Already on the ocean and space lists.
- Dione — A moon of Saturn and a Titaness in Greek mythology.
- Zira — Moonlight in African origin. Wisdom and inner calm.
- Masina — Moon in Samoan. Already on the Pacific Islander names list.
- Shashi — Moon in Sanskrit. Tranquility and peace.
- Balachandra — Young moon or crescent moon in Indian origin. A first sliver of new light.
- Levana — The moon in Hebrew. Also a Roman goddess who lifted newborns from the earth to present them to their fathers.
Boy Names That Mean Moon
The moon has always had male guardians too. Moon gods appear in Hindu, Egyptian, Norse, Japanese, Aztec, Maori, and dozens of other traditions. These boy names carry that same quiet, powerful lunar energy.
- Chandra — Already on the girl list. Moon in Sanskrit. Used for boys across India.
- Iah — The ancient Egyptian moon god. Ancient and completely rare.
- Khonsu — Traveler in ancient Egyptian. The name of the Egyptian moon god. Made famous through the Marvel character Moon Knight.
- Tecciztecatl — The Aztec lunar deity whose name means place of the conch. Grand and ancient.
- Tsukuyomi — To read the moon in Japanese. The moon god in Japanese mythology.
- Soma — The Hindu moon god. Already on multiple lists.
- Marama — The male lunar deity in Maori mythology.
- Mani — The Norse personification of the moon. Also means jewel in Sanskrit.
- Igaluk — The Inuit moon god. Rare and powerful.
- Rakesh — The Hindu god of the full moon. Also connected to the god Shiva.
- Elatha — A king associated with the moon in ancient Irish mythology. Lyrical and otherworldly.
- Jerah — The moon in Hebrew. From a Hebrew word for lunar month.
- Badar — Full moon in Arabic. Completeness and radiance.
- Badru — Another Arabic name meaning full moon. Popular in Egypt.
- Hilal — New moon in Arabic. New beginnings and fresh starts.
- Aibek — Moon chief in Kazakh. Bold and rare.
- Aisultan — Moon king or moon sultan in Kazakh. Regal and distinctive.
- Ayberk — Moon and mighty in Turkish. Strong and unusual.
- Dawa — Moon in Tibetan. Also given to children born on a Monday.
- Fati — The moon god in Polynesian mythology.
- Gidja — The Aboriginal moon god of Australia. Rare and powerful.
- Bahloo — Moon man in Australian Aboriginal tradition.
- Luan — Moon in Portuguese. Also lion in Albanian. Short and distinctive.
- Aadhira — Moon in Indian origin. Clarity and calmness.
- Jericho — City of the moon in biblical tradition. Strength and endurance.
Names Of Famous Moon Goddesses From World Mythology
Every civilization that has ever watched the night sky gave the moon a name and a face. These are the names of the women and goddesses who embodied the moon across human history. Each one is a name you can give your daughter today.
- Luna — Roman moon goddess. Already at the top.
- Selene — Greek moon goddess. Already on the list.
- Diana — Roman moon goddess. Already on multiple lists.
- Artemis — Greek moon goddess. Already everywhere.
- Hecate — Greek moon and magic goddess. Already mentioned.
- Ixchel — Maya moon goddess. Goddess of the moon, medicine, and weaving.
- Chang’e — Chinese moon goddess who lives on the moon with a jade rabbit. One of the most beloved figures in Chinese mythology.
- Tsukuyomi — Already on the boy list. Also a moon deity.
- Arianrhod — Silver wheel in Welsh. The Welsh goddess of the moon and stars.
- Mama Quilla — Mother moon in Incan tradition. The Incan goddess of the moon.
- Pah — The moon god of the Pawnee people of North America.
- Sin — The ancient Babylonian moon god. One of the oldest moon names in human history.
- Thoth — The Egyptian moon god of wisdom and writing.
- Khonsu — Already on the boy list. The Egyptian moon traveler.
- Nanna — The Norse moon god and the Sumerian moon god who share a name across completely different traditions.
Gender Neutral Moon Names
The moon does not belong to any one gender. It shines for everyone. These names work for any baby who comes into the world under its light.
- Luna — Already at the top. Used for boys occasionally too.
- Chandra — Already on both the boy and girl lists.
- Tsuki — Moon in Japanese. Already on the girl list. Works for any baby.
- Yue — Moon in Chinese. Works for any baby.
- Ariel — A moon of Uranus. Already on multiple lists. Works for any baby.
- Callisto — Already on the girl list. Works for any baby.
- Phoebe — Already on the girl list. Used for boys too in ancient times.
- Dawa — Already on the boy list. Works for any baby.
- Nuray — Bright moon in Turkish. Used for boys and girls.
- Hilal — Crescent moon in Arabic. Gender neutral across Arabic-speaking communities.
- Kahurangi — Already on the Pacific Islander and Hawaiian lists. Precious blue. Works for any baby.
- Aytac — Moon and crown in Turkish. Regal and gender neutral.
- Gidja — Already on the boy list. The Aboriginal moon. Works for any baby.
- Moon — The English word name itself. Bold, direct, and completely open to any baby.
Moon Names From The Actual Moons Of Our Solar System
Our solar system has hundreds of named moons. Jupiter alone has 95. Saturn has 146. Many of those moons were named after mythological figures, Shakespeare characters, and ancient gods. These are the ones that work beautifully as baby names.
- Callisto — A moon of Jupiter. Already on the list.
- Elara — A moon of Jupiter. Already on the list.
- Io — A moon of Jupiter. Already on the ocean names list. Two letters and volcanic fire.
- Ganymede — The largest moon in the solar system. A beautiful youth taken to Olympus in Greek mythology.
- Europa — A moon of Jupiter thought to harbor liquid water under its icy surface.
- Titan — The largest moon of Saturn. Already on the space names list.
- Phoebe — A moon of Saturn. Already everywhere on this list.
- Tethys — A moon of Saturn. Already on multiple lists.
- Dione — A moon of Saturn. Already on the list.
- Bianca — A moon of Uranus. Already on the list.
- Cordelia — A moon of Uranus. Already on multiple lists.
- Portia — A moon of Uranus. Already on the list.
- Ariel — A moon of Uranus. Already everywhere.
- Titania — A moon of Uranus. Already on the list.
- Oberon — A moon of Uranus and a Shakespeare fairy king. Noble and magical.
- Puck — A moon of Uranus and a mischievous fairy. Already on multiple lists.
- Triton — The largest moon of Neptune. Already on the ocean names list.
- Larissa — A moon of Neptune. Already on the ocean names list.
- Despina — A moon of Neptune. Already mentioned.
- Proteus — A moon of Neptune. Already on the ocean names list.
- Phobos — A moon of Mars. Fear in Greek. Bold and rare.
Rare And Unusual Moon Names Worth Discovering
These are the moon names most parents have never encountered. All of them are real. All of them carry genuine lunar meaning. And almost none of them are being used as given names right now.
- Tsukuyomi — Already on the boy list. To read the moon. Almost never used outside Japan.
- Ixchel — Already on the mythology list. Maya moon goddess. Rare and extraordinary.
- Arianrhod — Silver wheel in Welsh. The Welsh moon goddess. Rarely used but deeply beautiful.
- Mama Quilla — Already on the mythology list. Incan mother moon.
- Esmeray — Already on the girl list. Dark moon in Turkish.
- Neoma — Already on the girl list. New moon in Greek.
- Mahsa — Already on the girl list. Like the moon in Persian.
- Badru — Already on the boy list. Full moon in Arabic. Born under a full moon.
- Bahloo — Already on the boy list. Moon man in Aboriginal Australian tradition.
- Igaluk — Already on the boy list. Inuit moon god.
- Getsumei — Moonlight in Japanese. Written with the kanji for moon and bright.
- Tunkay — Bronze moon in Turkish and Azerbaijani.
- Luan — Already on the boy list. Moon in Portuguese.
- Jerah — Already on the boy list. The moon in Hebrew.
- Levana — Already on the list. Moon in Hebrew.
- Chang’e — Already on the mythology list. The Chinese goddess who lives on the moon.
- Zira — Already on the girl list. Moonlight in African origin.
- Qamar — Moon in Arabic. Already on the space names list. Warm and poetic.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. 133 baby names that mean moon.
From the ancient Egyptian Iah to the modern Turkish Ayla. From the Japanese Tsukuyomi to the simple, perfect Luna. From the Mayan Ixchel to the Welsh Arianrhod. Every single name on this list carries that same light inside it.
The moon has been watching over every baby ever born on this earth. A name that means moon is a way of saying your baby belongs to something that has always been there, always will be, and will always be beautiful.
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