There is something genuinely ancient about naming a child after the moon. Long before cities and electric light erased the night sky from most human experience, the moon was the great companion of every life lived on earth. It governed the tides and the planting seasons. It provided the only light that made travel and work possible after dark. It marked the months and the years. It was worshipped as a god, feared as an omen, loved as a lantern, and studied as the most reliable clock in the sky. Every civilization that has ever existed has had a word for the moon, a story about the moon, a name drawn from the moon, and a deep, fundamental relationship with the light that comes from it.
What makes moon names for boys so extraordinarily varied is the sheer breadth of cultural traditions they draw from. The Japanese tradition gives us Tsuki and Mizuki with their poetic lunar beauty. The Arabic and Islamic traditions contribute names of celestial light and the night that are among the most beautiful in any language. The Norse tradition gives us Máni, the actual name of the moon god, and related names that carry the cool, silver quality of the Nordic night sky. The Hindu and Sanskrit traditions contribute names of extraordinary philosophical and mythological depth through the many lunar deities of the Vedic and Puranic traditions. The indigenous traditions of the Americas give us names that understand the moon as a living, breathing, active presence in the natural world. And from the Greek and Roman traditions whose astronomical vocabulary shaped the language of the sky across the Western world, moon names for boys arrive with a classical elegance and depth that has endured for thousands of years.
Quick Info: Names ranked above 1000 on the SSA database are considered truly rare and unique. Names closer to 1 are among the most popular in the US today.
Popular Boy Names That Mean Moon or Night
Orion
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Rising in the sky, the great hunter constellation
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great hunter constellation of the winter sky whose three-starred belt is one of the most recognizable features of the night sky worldwide and whose mythological story connects him to the moon goddess Artemis who accidentally killed him, Orion carries an extraordinary celestial and mythological heritage.
Cassius
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Empty, hollow, or related to the moon
- Popularity: #374
A name of genuine Roman heritage with connections to the lunar and celestial tradition through the hollow, void-like quality of the night sky, Cassius has been rising carefully in the national rankings with a warm, slightly literary quality through the great boxer Muhammad Ali who was born Cassius Clay.
Archer
- Origin: English
- Meaning: One who shoots with a bow
- Popularity: above 1000
While carrying the archer meaning, Archer belongs in the lunar tradition through the figure of Artemis, the moon goddess who was herself the great archer, whose brother Apollo also carried the bow, connecting the archery and the lunar traditions.
Lucian
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Light, born at dawn, of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meaning of light and of the dawning, Lucian has a warm, flowing quality and a connection to the lunar tradition through the great ancient writer Lucian of Samosata who wrote one of the first science fiction stories, A True Story, which included a journey to the moon.
Phoebe
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Bright, shining, radiant, or the moon
- Popularity: above 1000 for boys
While primarily a girl’s name in contemporary use, Phoebus, the masculine form, was an epithet of Apollo in his solar aspect and of the moon in certain traditions, carrying the bright and shining meaning with a deep classical heritage.
Silvanus
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Of the forest, but connected to the silver of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Roman god of forests whose name connects to the silver quality of moonlight that falls through the trees, Silvanus carries a deep Roman heritage and the lunar associations of the silver light.
Jericho
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: City of the moon, moon city
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the ancient city of Jericho whose Hebrew name literally means city of the moon, connecting to the ancient Canaanite moon god Yarikh whose worship made Jericho one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, Jericho carries an extraordinary lunar heritage.
Seraph
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Fiery, burning, celestial being
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the highest order of angels in the Jewish and Christian tradition, Seraph belongs in the lunar tradition through the celestial, night-sky quality of the angelic beings who exist in the space between earth and heaven.
Apollo
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Destroyer, or the god of the sun and sometimes the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The great god of the sun whose twin sister Artemis ruled the moon, Apollo carries an extraordinary mythological heritage through both the solar and lunar traditions of ancient Greece and through the great American space program that bore his name.
Endymion
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: To dive into, diver
- Popularity: above 1000
The beautiful young shepherd of Greek mythology whom the moon goddess Selene fell in love with and who was granted eternal sleep on Mount Latmos so she could visit him each night, Endymion carries one of the most romantic lunar mythological legacies in the entire classical tradition.
Japanese Lunar Boy Names
Tsuki
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Japanese word for moon itself used as a name, Tsuki carries the entire poetic tradition of Japanese moon worship in five clean letters, the moon being perhaps the single most celebrated natural phenomenon in all of Japanese literature and art from the haiku of Matsuo Bashō to the paintings of Hiroshige.
Mizuki
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Beautiful moon, water moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the beautiful Japanese compound meaning of beautiful moon and the moon reflected in water, one of the most celebrated images in Japanese aesthetics, Mizuki has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage in six letters of genuine lunar poetry.
Tsukito
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Moon person, moon companion
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the beautiful Japanese meaning of a person of the moon or a companion of the moon, Tsukito has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage in seven letters of genuine poetic depth.
Kouki
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Shining moon, bright moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Japanese meaning of a shining and bright moon, Kouki has a warm, clean quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage in five letters of genuine luminous beauty.
Riku
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Land, sky, or moon depending on the characters used
- Popularity: above 1000
Depending on the Japanese characters chosen, Riku can carry the meanings of land, sky, or the moon, giving it a genuine triple natural heritage and a clean, minimal quality in four letters.
Tsukiyomi
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Moon reader, moon bow, god of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Japanese god of the moon in Shinto mythology who was created from the right eye of the creator god Izanagi as he purified himself after visiting the underworld, Tsukiyomi carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Getsumen
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Surface of the moon, moon face
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Japanese meaning of the surface and face of the moon, Getsumen has a deeply poetic quality and a genuine Japanese cultural heritage in seven letters of lunar beauty.
Hiruki
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Sun and moon, day and night
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Japanese meaning of the combination of sun and moon and day and night, Hiruki has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage that carries both the solar and the lunar.
Mangetsu
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Full moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the full moon at its most spectacular, when the entire face of the moon is illuminated and its light is powerful enough to cast shadows, Mangetsu carries a warm, flowing quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage in seven letters of full lunar glory.
Setsuki
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Snow moon, moon of the snow season
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the moon of the snow season, one of the most celebrated and aesthetically perfect images in Japanese art and poetry, Setsuki carries a warm, slightly poetic quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage.
Norse and Germanic Lunar Boy Names
Máni
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Moon, the moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The actual name of the Norse moon god who drove his chariot across the night sky while pursued by the great wolf Hati, Máni carries an extraordinary mythological heritage as the literal divine personification of the moon in the Norse cosmological tradition.
Mani
- Origin: Norse/Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon in Norse, jewel in Sanskrit
- Popularity: above 1000
The anglicized form of the Norse moon god’s name, carrying the double heritage of the Norse lunar tradition and the Sanskrit meaning of jewel, Mani has a clean, minimal quality and a genuine cross-cultural depth.
Baldur
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Prince, brave, bold, or white as the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the most beloved of the Norse gods, the god of light and purity whose white, radiant quality connects him to the lunar tradition, Baldur carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Hjuki
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Increasing moon, waxing moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the boy who accompanied his sister Bil in the Norse myth that is believed to be the origin of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme, Hjuki represents the waxing moon in the Norse cosmological tradition.
Sköll
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Treachery, the wolf who chases the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great wolf of Norse mythology who pursues the moon across the sky and who will eventually catch and devour it at Ragnarök, Sköll carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a fierce, slightly dark quality.
Hati
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: He who hates, the wolf who pursues the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Norse wolf who pursues the moon across the night sky, the companion of Sköll who pursues the sun, Hati carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a fierce, minimal quality in four letters.
Nótt
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Night, the goddess of night
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily a goddess, Nótt in certain Norse traditions is used for boys and carries the entire depth and beauty of the Norse night in four letters of genuine Nordic darkness.
Mánagarm
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Moon hound, moon dog
- Popularity: above 1000
Another name for the great wolf Hati in Norse mythology, Mánagarm literally means moon hound, the celestial dog who pursues the moon, carrying an extraordinary mythological heritage in nine dramatic letters.
Ulfr
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Wolf, connected to the lunar wolf tradition
- Popularity: above 1000
The Old Norse word for wolf that connects to the lunar tradition through the wolves Sköll and Hati who pursue the sun and moon across the sky, Ulfr carries a fierce, elemental quality in four letters of genuine Norse power.
Hrimfaxi
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Frost mane, the horse of night who brings dew
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great horse who draws the chariot of Nótt, the Norse goddess of night, whose mane drips with the frost and dew that covers the earth each morning, Hrimfaxi carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Arabic and Islamic Lunar Boy Names
Qamar
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Moon, full moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Arabic word for moon and full moon used as a name, Qamar carries the entire tradition of Islamic lunar reckoning in five clean letters, the Islamic calendar being a lunar calendar that has oriented Muslim religious practice toward the moon since the beginning of the tradition.
Hilal
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Crescent moon, new moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the crescent moon whose appearance marks the beginning of each new month in the Islamic lunar calendar and whose symbol appears on the flags of numerous Muslim-majority countries, Hilal carries an extraordinary Islamic cultural and religious heritage.
Badr
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Full moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Arabic word for the full moon, one of the most celebrated natural phenomena in Arabic poetry and Islamic tradition, Badr carries a deep Arabic heritage and a warm, minimal quality in four letters of genuine lunar beauty.
Nour
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Light, the light of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the warm Arabic meaning of light, including the soft, reflected light of the moon, Nour has a clean, minimal quality and a deep Arabic and Islamic heritage in four letters of genuine luminous beauty.
Kamil
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Perfect, complete, as perfect as the full moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of perfect and complete, connected to the full moon whose completeness has been the standard of perfection in Arabic poetry for centuries, Kamil has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Arabic heritage.
Zuhair
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Bright, shining, the light of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of brightness and the shining quality of moonlight, Zuhair has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Arabic heritage through the great pre-Islamic poet Zuhair ibn Abi Sulma whose work is among the finest in the entire Arabic classical tradition.
Rayhan
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Fragrant herb, sweet basil, the scent of the night
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of the fragrant herb and the sweet scent that fills the night air, Rayhan connects the olfactory and the lunar through the particular quality of night fragrance that the moon seems to intensify.
Nayyir
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Luminous, bright, the moon’s light
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of luminous and bright, particularly connected to the light of the moon, Nayyir has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Arabic heritage in six letters of genuine lunar luminosity.
Khalid
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Eternal, immortal, permanent as the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of eternal and immortal, connected to the moon’s permanence as the one constant presence in the night sky across all of human history, Khalid has a deep Arabic heritage and a warm, clean quality.
Munir
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Luminous, radiant, giving light as the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Arabic meaning of luminous and radiant and giving light, connected to the reflected, gentle light of the moon rather than the direct brilliance of the sun, Munir has a warm, clean quality and a deep Arabic heritage.
Sanskrit and Hindu Lunar Boy Names
Chandra
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon, shining, glittering
- Popularity: above 1000
The Sanskrit name for the moon and the great Hindu lunar deity who drives his chariot across the night sky, Chandra carries an extraordinary spiritual and mythological heritage as one of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon, associated with the mind, emotions, and the tides of the inner life.
Soma
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: The moon, the sacred drink, essence
- Popularity: above 1000
The Sanskrit name for both the moon and the sacred ritual drink of the Vedic tradition whose connection to the moon made them inseparable in the ancient Indian understanding, Soma carries an extraordinary dual heritage of lunar divinity and sacred ritual.
Indu
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon, drop, the moon drop
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sanskrit meaning of the moon and the lunar drop, connecting the moon to the dew and moisture that were believed to flow from it, Indu has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage in four letters of genuine lunar depth.
Sashi
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon, hare of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sanskrit meaning of the moon and the hare within the moon, the great image seen in the moon’s surface that Indian tradition understood as a hare rather than the Western man in the moon, Sashi has a warm, clean quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage.
Shashi
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon, containing the hare
- Popularity: above 1000
The fuller form of Sashi carries the same moon and hare meaning with a slightly more flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit and broader South Asian heritage in six letters of genuine lunar depth.
Nishanth
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Dawn, end of night, the time just before the moon sets
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sanskrit meaning of the dawn and the end of night, the moment when the moon is at its most poignant just before the sun rises, Nishanth has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage.
Chandrahas
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Laughter of the moon, smile of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the beautiful Sanskrit meaning of the laughter and smile of the moon, the moonlight seen as the moon’s expression of joy, Chandrahas has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit and Hindu heritage.
Rajanikant
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Beloved of the night, cherished by the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sanskrit meaning of one who is beloved of the night and cherished by the moon, Rajanikant has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage in ten letters of genuine nocturnal devotion.
Nishant
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: End of night, night’s end
- Popularity: above 1000
The shorter form of Nishanth carries the dawn and end of night meaning with a warm, clean quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage in seven letters of genuine transitional beauty.
Chandrabhan
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: Moon’s light, the light of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sanskrit meaning of the moon’s light, the particular quality of reflected, silvery illumination that only moonlight produces, Chandrabhan has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage.
Greek and Roman Lunar Boy Names
Endymion
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: To dive into, diver
- Popularity: above 1000
Already celebrated above, Endymion belongs emphatically in this classical section as the most romantic lunar mythological figure in the entire Greek tradition, the beautiful shepherd loved by the moon goddess Selene who petitioned Zeus to grant him eternal sleep.
Menes
- Origin: Greek/Egyptian
- Meaning: He who endures, the moon king
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the legendary first pharaoh of a united Egypt whose name connects to the moon god Min and the enduring quality of the lunar cycle, Menes carries an extraordinary ancient heritage.
Lucius
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Light, born at dawn, of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meaning of light and the dawn, connected to the lunar tradition through the soft light of the moon that precedes the dawn, Lucius has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Roman heritage in six letters.
Silvius
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Of the forest, the moonlit forest
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the moonlit forest and carrying the Latin meaning of the woods, Silvius has a warm, slightly mysterious quality and a deep Roman heritage in seven letters of genuine lunar forest depth.
Menelaus
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Might of the moon, power of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great Greek king who was the husband of Helen of Troy and whose name combines the moon element men with the power element laos, Menelaus carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Pallas
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Wisdom, young woman, or the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
In Greek mythology Pallas was a Titan connected to certain astronomical bodies, and as a name it carries both the wisdom and the celestial heritage in six letters of genuine classical depth.
Artemios
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Of Artemis, belonging to the moon goddess
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great moon goddess Artemis in a masculine form, Artemios carries the entire lunar divine tradition of the Greek world in eight letters of genuine mythological depth.
Selenius
- Origin: Greek/Latin
- Meaning: Of the moon, of Selene
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the moon meaning through the name of the great Greek moon goddess Selene, Selenius has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical heritage in eight letters of genuine lunar devotion.
Phoebus
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Bright, shining, radiant
- Popularity: above 1000
The masculine form of the moon-bright epithet, Phoebus was used as a name for Apollo in his solar aspect and appears in the lunar tradition through the brilliant, shining quality that both the sun and moon share, Phoebus carries an extraordinary classical heritage.
Cynthios
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Of Mount Cynthus, connected to the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos where Artemis and Apollo were born, Cynthios carries the lunar heritage of the moon goddess Artemis whose epithet Cynthia derived from this sacred mountain.
Celtic and Welsh Lunar Boy Names
Arianrhod
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Silver wheel, the silver disc of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
While traditionally a goddess name, Arianrhod carries the most direct and beautiful lunar meaning in the Welsh tradition, the silver wheel being the moon itself seen as a rotating disc of silver light.
Gwyn
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: White, fair, blessed, the white of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Welsh meaning of white and fair and the luminous whiteness of the moon’s light, Gwyn has a clean, minimal quality and a deep Welsh heritage in four letters of genuine lunar pallor.
Lleuad
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Welsh word for moon itself used as a name, Lleuad carries the entire Welsh lunar tradition in six letters of genuine Celtic depth, the moon being a central figure in Welsh mythology and poetry.
Alun
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Harmony, or connected to the moon river
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Welsh meaning of harmony and connected to the River Alun whose moonlit quality in Welsh poetry makes it a lunar name, Alun has a warm, clean quality and a deep Welsh heritage.
Gwydion
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Born of trees, or connected to the sky and moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Welsh wizard of the Mabinogion whose magical powers connected him to the celestial realm including the moon, Gwydion carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a cool, slightly mysterious quality.
Taliesin
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Shining brow, radiant brow
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the greatest of all Welsh bards whose poetry is among the oldest in the Welsh language and whose shining brow meaning connects him to the lunar tradition of radiant, reflected light, Taliesin carries an extraordinary literary heritage.
Morfran
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Great crow, sea crow
- Popularity: above 1000
A figure from Welsh mythology whose darkness and association with the night sky connects him to the lunar tradition, Morfran carries a deep mythological heritage and a fierce, slightly unusual quality.
Culhwch
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Pig run, from the night
- Popularity: above 1000
The hero of one of the earliest Welsh tales in the Mabinogion whose name connects to the night and whose adventures in the court of King Arthur are among the oldest Arthurian narratives, Culhwch carries a deep Welsh heritage.
Rhun
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Moon, great, powerful
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Welsh meaning of the moon and the qualities of greatness and power associated with it, Rhun has a clean, minimal quality and a deep Welsh heritage in four letters of genuine lunar authority.
Lleu
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Light, the shining one, brightness
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Welsh divine figure whose name means light and brightness, connected to both the solar and lunar traditions through the quality of divine radiance that he embodies, Lleu carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Slavic and Eastern European Lunar Boy Names
Myesyats
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Moon, the moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the Slavic moon god in certain traditions, Myesyats carries an extraordinary pre-Christian Slavic religious heritage and the direct lunar meaning in the Slavic linguistic tradition.
Jarilo
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Spring, youth, connected to the lunar cycle
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic god of spring and vegetation whose cycle of death and resurrection mirrors the lunar cycle of waxing and waning, Jarilo carries an extraordinary Slavic mythological heritage.
Mesyats
- Origin: Slavic/Russian
- Meaning: Month, moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Russian and Slavic word for both month and moon reflects the ancient understanding that the moon is the measure of time, Mesyats carrying the lunar calendar tradition in a name of genuine Slavic depth.
Perun
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Thunder, but connected to the night sky
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic thunder god whose cosmic battles were understood to take place in the night sky alongside the moon, Perun carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a fierce, powerful quality.
Veles
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Ox, or the god of the underworld
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic underworld god whose domain included the darkness of the night and whose battles with Perun were connected to the cycles of the sky including the lunar phases, Veles carries an extraordinary mythological heritage.
Dazbog
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Giving god, the giving celestial deity
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic solar deity whose celestial heritage connects him to the broader sky tradition including the moon, Dazbog carries an extraordinary pre-Christian Slavic religious heritage.
Svarog
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Sky, fire, the celestial smith
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic sky god and divine smith whose celestial domain includes both the sun and moon, Svarog carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a deep connection to the lunar tradition through his governance of the night sky.
Stribog
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Wind god, spreader of the sky
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Slavic wind god whose celestial domain connects him to the sky and the moon through the winds that move the clouds that sometimes obscure the lunar light, Stribog carries an extraordinary pre-Christian heritage.
Triglav
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Three-headed, the three-faced god
- Popularity: above 1000
The three-headed Slavic deity whose three faces were interpreted by some traditions as representing the new, full, and waning moon, Triglav carries an extraordinary lunar mythological heritage.
Volos
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Ox, cattle, the woolly one
- Popularity: above 1000
A variant of Veles in the Slavic tradition, Volos carries the same underworld and night sky heritage and a deep pre-Christian Slavic religious depth.
African Lunar Boy Names
Kofi
- Origin: Akan/Ghanaian
- Meaning: Born on Friday, connected to the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily a day name meaning born on Friday, Kofi carries a connection to the lunar tradition through the Akan understanding of celestial time and the role of the moon in marking the days and weeks.
Eze
- Origin: Igbo/Nigerian
- Meaning: King, connected to the moon king tradition
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Igbo meaning of king, Eze connects to the lunar tradition through the many African cultures that understood the moon as a king of the night sky whose sovereignty was expressed through the cycle of its phases.
Kamaria
- Origin: Swahili
- Meaning: Like the moon, moon-like
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Swahili meaning of moon-like and possessing the quality of the moon, Kamaria has a warm, flowing quality and a deep East African cultural heritage in seven letters of genuine lunar beauty.
Mwezi
- Origin: Swahili
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Swahili word for moon itself used as a name, Mwezi carries the entire tradition of East African lunar understanding in five letters of genuine Swahili depth.
Ngonda
- Origin: Lingala/Congolese
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Lingala word for moon used as a name, Ngonda carries the lunar tradition of Central Africa in six letters of genuine depth.
Aku
- Origin: Babylonian/African
- Meaning: Moon god, the ancient lunar deity
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Aku, the ancient Babylonian moon god whose worship spread across the ancient Near East and whose name appears in various forms across multiple traditions, Aku carries an extraordinary ancient lunar heritage in three letters.
Thabo
- Origin: Sotho/South African
- Meaning: Happiness, joy, connected to the full moon’s celebration
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Sotho meaning of happiness and joy, Thabo connects to the lunar tradition through the celebrations of joy that accompanied the full moon in many African traditions.
Osei
- Origin: Akan/Ghanaian
- Meaning: Noble, connected to the moon’s nobility
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Akan meaning of noble, Osei connects to the lunar tradition through the regal, kingly quality of the full moon as it rules the night sky.
Tau
- Origin: Sotho/South African
- Meaning: Lion, connected to the night hunter
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the lion, the great nocturnal hunter of the African savanna whose activity is governed by the phases of the moon, Tau connects to the lunar tradition through the intimate relationship between the night hunter and the light of the moon.
Siku
- Origin: Swahili
- Meaning: Day, connected to the lunar cycle of day and night
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Swahili meaning of day and connecting to the cycle of light and darkness that the moon governs alongside the sun, Siku has a clean, minimal quality and a deep Swahili heritage.
Indigenous American Lunar Boy Names
Kimi
- Origin: Ojibwe/Native American
- Meaning: Secret, connected to the hidden face of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Ojibwe meaning of secret and connecting to the hidden face of the moon that is never seen from earth, Kimi has a warm, clean quality and a deep indigenous American heritage.
Tonatiuh
- Origin: Nahuatl/Aztec
- Meaning: Movement of the sun and moon, the celestial deity
- Popularity: above 1000
The Aztec sun god whose celestial movement was understood in relation to the moon’s cycle, Tonatiuh carries an extraordinary indigenous Mexican heritage and a deep lunar cosmological connection.
Coyolxauhqui
- Origin: Nahuatl/Aztec
- Meaning: Golden bells, the moon goddess
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily a goddess name, the lunar deity of the Aztec tradition whose dismembered body became the moon carries one of the most dramatic lunar mythological stories in any tradition.
Tecuciztecatl
- Origin: Nahuatl/Aztec
- Meaning: He from the place of the sea slug, the moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The Aztec moon god who became the moon by leaping into a divine fire, though a rabbit was thrown at his face to dim his light to be less bright than the sun, Tecuciztecatl carries an extraordinary cosmogonic heritage.
Ixchel
- Origin: Maya
- Meaning: Goddess of the moon and medicine
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily a goddess name, the great Maya moon deity whose influence extended over medicine, weaving, and the tides connects the lunar tradition to the healing and creative arts.
Nanook
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Polar bear, connected to the Arctic moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Inuit name meaning polar bear carries a deep connection to the Arctic lunar tradition where the moon’s phases were essential guides for hunting and travel across the ice.
Maka
- Origin: Lakota/Sioux
- Meaning: Earth, connected to the moon’s governance of the earth
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Lakota meaning of earth, Maka connects to the lunar tradition through the moon’s profound governance of the earth’s tides, seasons, and living cycles.
Hania
- Origin: Hopi/Native American
- Meaning: Spirit warrior, connected to the night sky spirits
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Hopi meaning of spirit warrior, Hania connects to the lunar tradition through the Hopi understanding of the night sky as populated by spirit beings including the moon.
Ohanzee
- Origin: Lakota/Sioux
- Meaning: Shadow of the moon, shade
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Lakota meaning of shadow, particularly the shadow cast by moonlight which is the most mysterious and beautiful of all shadows, Ohanzee has a warm, slightly unusual quality and a deep indigenous American heritage.
Kachada
- Origin: Hopi/Native American
- Meaning: White man, connected to the pale light of the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Hopi meaning of whiteness and paleness, Kachada connects to the lunar tradition through the pale, white quality of moonlight.
Chinese and Korean Lunar Boy Names
Yuèliàng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Moon, moonlight
- Popularity: above 1000
The standard Chinese term for the moon and moonlight used as a name, Yuèliàng carries the entire Chinese lunar tradition in eight letters including its extraordinarily rich history of moon festival celebration and moon poetry.
Hao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Good, correct, connected to the moon’s perfect cycle
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Chinese meaning of good and correct, Hao connects to the lunar tradition through the perfect, mathematical regularity of the moon’s cycle which has always been the model of correctness in Chinese thinking.
Yue
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Moon, moonlight
- Popularity: above 1000
The Chinese word for moon itself used as a name, Yue carries the entire tradition of Chinese moon worship and poetry in three letters of clean, minimal beauty, one of the most direct and beautiful lunar names in any language.
Mingzhu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Bright pearl, the moon as a pearl
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Chinese meaning of bright pearl, the traditional Chinese image of the moon as a luminous pearl hanging in the sky, Mingzhu has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Chinese cultural heritage.
Haoran
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Vast, expansive, like the moonlit sky
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Chinese meaning of vastness and expansiveness, Haoran connects to the lunar tradition through the vast, moonlit sky that seems to expand to its maximum when the full moon illuminates it.
Jae-won
- Origin: Korean
- Meaning: Talented, connected to the moon’s talent for illuminating
- Popularity: above 1000
A Korean compound name carrying the meaning of talent and ability, Jae-won connects to the lunar tradition through the moon’s extraordinary talent for illuminating the darkness with reflected light.
Byeol
- Origin: Korean
- Meaning: Star, but connected to the lunar and stellar traditions
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily meaning star, Byeol belongs in the lunar tradition through the intimate relationship between the stars and the moon in the Korean celestial tradition.
Dal
- Origin: Korean
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Korean word for moon used as a name, Dal carries the entire Korean lunar tradition in three letters of absolute minimal beauty, one of the most direct and clean lunar names in any language.
Hang
- Origin: Vietnamese/Chinese
- Meaning: Moon, the moon goddess
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Vietnamese and Chinese meaning of the moon and the moon goddess, Hang has a clean, minimal quality and a deep East Asian cultural heritage in four letters of genuine lunar depth.
Yuichi
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Moon one, first moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Japanese meaning of the first moon and combining the lunar and ordinal traditions, Yuichi has a warm, clean quality and a deep Japanese cultural heritage.
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Lunar Boy Names
Yarikh
- Origin: Canaanite/Ugaritic
- Meaning: Moon, the Canaanite moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the ancient Canaanite moon god whose worship at Jericho, the city of the moon, made him one of the most important deities of the ancient Near East, Yarikh carries an extraordinary ancient heritage.
Sin
- Origin: Sumerian/Akkadian
- Meaning: The moon god, the Mesopotamian lunar deity
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the great Mesopotamian moon god whose worship at Ur and Harran made him one of the most important deities of the ancient world, whose name appears in Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, Sin carries an extraordinary ancient heritage.
Nanna
- Origin: Sumerian
- Meaning: Illuminator, the Sumerian moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The name of the Sumerian moon god, one of the oldest named deities in human history, whose worship at Ur preceded the Old Testament tradition, Nanna carries an extraordinary ancient heritage as the literal personification of the moon in the world’s first literate civilization.
Thoth
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: He who is like the ibis, the moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The great Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, and the moon whose measurements of time using the lunar calendar made him the divine scribe of the gods, Thoth carries an extraordinary ancient Egyptian heritage.
Khonsu
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Traveler, the wandering moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The ancient Egyptian moon god whose name means traveler, reflecting the moon’s nightly journey across the sky, Khonsu carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a warm, flowing quality in six letters.
Iah
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The ancient Egyptian word for moon itself used as a divine name, Iah was one of the oldest Egyptian moon deities and carries an extraordinary ancient heritage in three letters of genuine Egyptian depth.
Mentu
- Origin: Egyptian
- Meaning: Connected to the moon and war
- Popularity: above 1000
The Egyptian god of war whose crescent moon headdress connects him to the lunar tradition, Mentu carries an extraordinary ancient Egyptian heritage.
Aglibol
- Origin: Aramaic/Palmyrene
- Meaning: Calf of Bel, moon god of Palmyra
- Popularity: above 1000
The moon god of the ancient city of Palmyra in modern Syria, Aglibol was depicted with a crescent moon on his shoulders and carried the lunar tradition of the ancient Aramaic speaking world.
Wadd
- Origin: Ancient Arabian
- Meaning: Love, the ancient Arabian moon god
- Popularity: above 1000
The ancient South Arabian moon god whose name means love, Wadd was one of the most important deities of pre-Islamic Arabia and carries an extraordinary ancient heritage.
Hubal
- Origin: Ancient Arabian
- Meaning: Vapor, spirit, the moon deity
- Popularity: above 1000
A deity of ancient Arabia associated with the moon whose worship at Mecca before Islam made him one of the most important pre-Islamic Arabian deities, Hubal carries an extraordinary ancient heritage.
Poetic and Literary Lunar Boy Names
Silvano
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: Of the forest, the moonlit woods
- Popularity: above 1000
The Italian form of Silvanus carries the moonlit forest meaning with a warm, flowing quality and a deep Italian and Latin heritage in seven letters of genuine nocturnal beauty.
Serafino
- Origin: Italian/Hebrew
- Meaning: Fiery, burning, celestial
- Popularity: above 1000
The Italian form of Seraphim carries the celestial fire meaning with a warm, flowing quality and a deep Italian and Hebrew heritage in eight letters, connecting the angelic and the lunar through the celestial realm.
Crepuscolo
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Twilight, the time between sun and moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Italian word for twilight, the magical time between day and night when the sun has set and the moon is about to rise, Crepuscolo carries a warm, flowing quality and a deep Italian heritage in ten letters of genuine transitional poetry.
Nocturno
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: Nocturnal, of the night, the moon’s domain
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Latin meaning of the nocturnal and the night, the moon’s essential domain, Nocturno has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical and Italian heritage.
Vespertino
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: Evening, of the evening star
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Latin meaning of the evening and the evening star, the moment when the moon begins to dominate the sky, Vespertino has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical heritage.
Lunario
- Origin: Italian/Spanish
- Meaning: Lunar, of the moon, moon almanac
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Spanish meaning of the lunar and of the moon, Lunario has a warm, flowing quality and a deep Romance language heritage in seven letters of genuine lunar depth.
Stellario
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: Of the stars, stellar, among the moon and stars
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Latin meaning of the stars and the stellar realm in which the moon moves, Stellario has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical and Italian heritage.
Meridiano
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: Midday, but also the midnight moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Latin meaning of the meridian, the highest point of the sun by day and the moon by night, Meridiano has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical heritage.
Selenio
- Origin: Italian/Greek
- Meaning: Of the moon, lunar
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Italian and Greek meaning of the moon through the name of the Greek moon goddess Selene, Selenio has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical and Italian heritage.
Lunate
- Origin: Latin/English
- Meaning: Crescent-shaped, like the new moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meaning of the crescent shape that is the moon’s most characteristic and beautiful form, particularly at its new and waxing phases, Lunate has a clean, slightly unusual quality and a deep classical heritage.
Celestial and Astronomical Lunar Boy Names
Perigee
- Origin: Greek/English
- Meaning: The point in the moon’s orbit closest to Earth
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the perigee, the point in the moon’s elliptical orbit when it is closest to Earth and appears largest in the sky, creating the spectacular supermoon, Perigee carries a deep astronomical heritage.
Apogee
- Origin: Greek/English
- Meaning: The point in the moon’s orbit farthest from Earth
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the apogee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it is farthest from Earth and appears smallest in the sky, Apogee carries a deep astronomical heritage in six letters of genuine orbital science.
Selene
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Moon, the Greek moon goddess
- Popularity: above 1000
While primarily used for girls in contemporary naming, Selene in its masculine associations carries the entire Greek lunar divine tradition through the great moon goddess whose name became the scientific element selenium and whose heritage pervades the Western lunar tradition.
Tycho
- Origin: Danish/Greek
- Meaning: Hitting the mark, the great lunar crater
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Tycho Brahe, the great Danish astronomer whose naked-eye observations of the stars and planets were the most accurate in the pre-telescope era, and whose name is carried by one of the most distinctive craters on the lunar surface, Tycho carries an extraordinary astronomical heritage.
Copernicus
- Origin: Polish/Latin
- Meaning: Coppersmiths, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Nicolaus Copernicus whose heliocentric model of the solar system revolutionized human understanding of the cosmos and whose name is carried by a prominent lunar crater, Copernicus carries an extraordinary scientific heritage.
Kepler
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Hat maker, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Johannes Kepler whose three laws of planetary motion described the elliptical orbits of the planets and the moon around the sun, Kepler carries an extraordinary astronomical heritage and a clean, crisp quality.
Galileo
- Origin: Italian/Latin
- Meaning: From Galilee, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Galileo Galilei who first turned a telescope on the moon and described its mountains and craters, revolutionizing humanity’s understanding of the lunar surface, Galileo carries an extraordinary scientific and Italian heritage.
Cassini
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Cassino, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Giovanni Cassini who mapped the moon and discovered the division in Saturn’s rings, Cassini carries an extraordinary astronomical heritage and a warm, flowing quality in seven letters.
Herschel
- Origin: German/Hebrew
- Meaning: Deer, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after William and Caroline Herschel who discovered Uranus and made extraordinary contributions to the mapping of the moon and stars, Herschel carries an extraordinary astronomical heritage.
Brahe
- Origin: Danish
- Meaning: Broad, the great astronomer
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after Tycho Brahe the great Danish astronomer, Brahe carries an extraordinary astronomical heritage and a clean, minimal quality in five letters of genuine scientific cool.
Word and Concept Lunar Boy Names
Lumen
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Light, the unit of luminous flux
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meaning of light and serving as the scientific unit of the total amount of light emitted by a source, including the moon, Lumen has a warm, clean quality and a deep classical and scientific heritage in five letters.
Nimbus
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Rain cloud, divine cloud, halo
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meanings of the rain cloud, the divine cloud surrounding the gods, and the halo of light that surrounds the moon when clouds partially obscure it, Nimbus has a cool, slightly unusual quality and a deep classical heritage.
Crescent
- Origin: Latin/English
- Meaning: Growing, the crescent moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the crescent shape of the waxing moon, Crescent carries the beautiful image of the moon in its most characteristic and universally recognized form in eight letters of genuine lunar poetry.
Solstice
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Sun stands still, the turning point of the year
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the great turning points of the solar and lunar year, Solstice carries the astronomical heritage of the moment when the sun and moon reach their extreme points of the year.
Eclipse
- Origin: Greek/Latin
- Meaning: The blocking of the sun or moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the extraordinary astronomical phenomenon when the moon blocks the sun in a solar eclipse or enters the earth’s shadow in a lunar eclipse, Eclipse carries a dramatic celestial heritage.
Zenith
- Origin: Arabic/English
- Meaning: The highest point in the sky
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the zenith, the highest point in the sky directly overhead, the point where the full moon at its highest appears most spectacular, Zenith carries a deep astronomical heritage.
Luminary
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: A source of light, a celestial body
- Popularity: above 1000
Carrying the Latin meaning of a source of light and a celestial body, the classical term for the sun and moon as the two great luminaries of the sky, Luminary has a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical heritage.
Nocturne
- Origin: French/Latin
- Meaning: A musical piece of the night, nocturnal
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the nocturne, the musical form associated with the night and the moon, most famously by Chopin whose moonlit piano pieces defined the genre, Nocturne carries an extraordinary musical and lunar heritage.
Equinox
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Equal night, the balance of day and night
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the equinox when day and night are in perfect balance and the moon rises precisely at sunset and sets precisely at sunrise, Equinox carries a deep astronomical heritage.
Aureole
- Origin: Latin/French
- Meaning: The halo of light, the corona
- Popularity: above 1000
Named after the aureole, the halo of light that surrounds the moon when thin clouds partially obscure it, one of the most beautiful and mysterious lunar phenomena, Aureole carries a warm, flowing quality and a deep classical and French heritage.
Rare and Unusual Lunar Boy Names
Aningan
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: The moon god, the Inuit lunar deity
- Popularity: above 1000
The Inuit moon god whose relationship with the sun goddess Malina involves an eternal chase across the sky, Aningan carries an extraordinary indigenous Arctic heritage and a deep lunar mythological tradition.
Igaluk
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Moon, the Inuit moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Another name for the Inuit moon spirit, Igaluk carries the entire tradition of Arctic lunar understanding in six letters of genuine indigenous depth.
Alignak
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Moon god, lunar deity
- Popularity: above 1000
The Inuit moon deity in certain Arctic traditions, Alignak carries an extraordinary indigenous heritage and a deep connection to the Arctic lunar tradition.
Tecciztecatl
- Origin: Nahuatl/Aztec
- Meaning: The old moon god who became the moon
- Popularity: above 1000
Another name for the Aztec moon god whose story of becoming the moon through self-sacrifice is one of the most dramatic lunar origin myths in any tradition.
Tsohanoai
- Origin: Navajo
- Meaning: Sun carrier, connected to the moon cycle
- Popularity: above 1000
The Navajo sun carrier whose relationship with the moon is central to Navajo cosmology, Tsohanoai carries an extraordinary indigenous American heritage.
Hanwi
- Origin: Lakota/Sioux
- Meaning: Moon, night sun
- Popularity: above 1000
The Lakota name for the moon as the night sun, the great light of the darkness whose relationship with the sun was understood as a marriage in Lakota cosmology, Hanwi carries an extraordinary indigenous American heritage.
Tatanka
- Origin: Lakota/Sioux
- Meaning: Buffalo, connected to the lunar calendar
- Popularity: above 1000
The Lakota name for the buffalo whose seasonal movements were tracked by the lunar calendar, Tatanka connects to the lunar tradition through the intimate relationship between the bison’s life cycle and the moon.
Metzli
- Origin: Nahuatl/Aztec
- Meaning: Moon
- Popularity: above 1000
The Nahuatl word for moon itself used as a name, Metzli carries the entire Aztec lunar tradition in six letters of genuine indigenous depth.
Raijin
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Thunder, connected to the night sky
- Popularity: above 1000
The Japanese god of thunder and lightning whose domain in the night sky connects him to the lunar tradition through the dramatic interplay of storm, thunder, and moonlight.
Kuutar
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Moon, the Finnish moon spirit
- Popularity: above 1000
The Finnish moon spirit whose name derives from the Finnish word for moon, Kuu, Kuutar carries an extraordinary Finnish mythological heritage and a deep connection to the Finnish lunar tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the most beautiful boy names that mean moon?
A: Some of the most genuinely beautiful boy names meaning moon or connected to the lunar tradition include Endymion from Greek mythology, Chandra from the Sanskrit tradition, Khonsu from ancient Egypt, Máni from Norse mythology, Tsukiyomi from Japanese Shinto, Badr from the Arabic tradition, Hilal from the Islamic lunar calendar tradition, Gwyn from the Welsh tradition meaning white as the moon, and Rhun from Welsh meaning moon and power. Each carries extraordinary depth from its tradition and a sound that captures a different quality of the moon’s beauty.
Q: What are the rarest boy names meaning moon on this list?
A: The rarest choices include Mánagarm, Hrimfaxi, Yarikh, Aglibol, Wadd, Tecciztecatl, Aningan, Alignak, Tsohanoai, Hanwi, and Chandrahas, all of which rank well above 1000 in SSA data or do not appear at all in contemporary records. These names carry extraordinary lunar depth from Norse mythological, Canaanite, Mesopotamian, Nahuatl, Inuit, Lakota, and Sanskrit traditions while being virtually unknown on modern birth certificates.
Q: What short boy names mean moon?
A: The best short boy names meaning moon include Dal from Korean meaning moon, Yue from Chinese meaning moon, Iah from ancient Egyptian meaning moon, Sol from Latin and Norse traditions, Mani from Norse meaning the moon god, Gwyn from Welsh meaning the white of moonlight, Rune from Norse connected to the magical lunar tradition, Kai from Japanese meaning sea which is governed by the moon, and Badr from Arabic meaning full moon. All of these carry genuine lunar depth in four letters or fewer.
Q: What middle names pair well with a moon-inspired first name?
A: Moon-inspired names tend to pair beautifully with nature-inspired or classical middle names that complement the celestial theme without competing with it. Consider pairing Chandra with River or Stone, Endymion with James or Cole, Badr with Alexander or William, Tsuki with River or Oak, or Orion with James or Lee. For the shorter lunar names like Yue or Dal, a longer middle name like Sebastian, Nathaniel, or Alexander creates a beautiful and well-balanced combination.
Q: What cultures have the richest traditions of boy names meaning moon?
A: The richest traditions of boy names meaning moon come from several different cultural directions. The Sanskrit and Hindu tradition has perhaps the deepest and most varied moon naming heritage, with Chandra, Soma, Indu, and dozens of related names. The Japanese tradition has extraordinary lunar poetry embedded in names like Tsuki and Mizuki. The Arabic and Islamic tradition has beautiful lunar names reflecting the importance of the lunar calendar. The Norse tradition has the actual moon god Máni and related names. And the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the pre-Columbian Americas all have extraordinarily rich lunar naming traditions.
Conclusion
Baby boy names that mean moon carry a richness, a mystery, and a depth of cultural heritage that makes them some of the most genuinely meaningful names you can give a son. Whether you choose a Greek mythological name like Endymion, a Sanskrit name like Chandra, a Japanese name like Tsukiyomi, an Arabic name like Badr or Hilal, a Norse name like Máni, an Egyptian name like Khonsu, a Celtic name like Rhun or Gwyn, a Slavic name like Myesyats, an indigenous American name like Metzli or Ohanzee, an astronomical name like Tycho or Kepler, or a poetic name like Lunario or Nocturne, you are giving your son a name that carries the mystery, the beauty, and the ancient, irreplaceable presence of the moon in human life and human imagination.
Take your time with this list, let the names move through you the way moonlight moves through clouds, now hidden, now brilliant, always present, and trust that the right lunar name will find you in exactly the way the best names always do, with a quiet, silver certainty that feels as old and as inevitable as the moon itself.

Olivia Lane is a devoted Christian writer and faith blogger at PrayerPure.com, where she shares heartfelt prayers, Bible verses, and spiritual reflections to inspire believers around the world. Her gentle words help readers find peace, purpose, and strength in God’s presence every day. When she’s not writing, Olivia enjoys reading devotionals, spending time outdoors, and connecting with her church community.
