There is no force in the natural world that has inspired more names for girls than the moon. Not the sun, which is too constant and too obvious to carry the particular quality of mystery that naming requires. Not the sea, which is too vast and too indifferent. Not the stars, which are too numerous and too distant. The moon is different. The moon is present. The moon changes and returns and changes again in a cycle so perfectly calibrated to the rhythm of human experience that every civilization that has ever existed on this earth has looked up at it, felt something, and reached for a name.
The moon is feminine in almost every culture that has ever named it. In Latin she is Luna. In Greek she is Selene. In Sanskrit she is Chandra. In Japanese she is Tsuki. In Arabic she is Qamar. In Swahili she is Mwezi. In every language, in every tradition, across every ocean and every mountain range and every desert that has ever separated one human community from another, the moon has been understood as a female presence, a light in the darkness that is not harsh but gentle, not constant but faithful, not blinding but illuminating, the kind of light that shows you what is there without demanding that you see it in a particular way.
These are not just pretty names. They are names with cosmological weight. Names that connect a girl to the oldest and most universal of human experiences, the experience of looking up at the night sky, seeing that white circle of reflected light, and feeling something that has no entirely adequate name in any language except the name of the moon itself.
Quick Note: Popularity rankings where noted are based on SSA data. Names ranked above 1000 are genuinely rare. The moon names closest to rank 1 have been embraced most widely by modern parents. Names without SSA rankings are either non-English in origin or too rare to have been assigned a ranking.
Classic Lunar Goddess Names
Luna Origin: Latin Meaning: Moon, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: #87
The Roman goddess of the moon herself, Luna is the name that Western civilization first gave to the feminine divine presence in the night sky and carries the full weight of that two-thousand-year legacy in a name of extraordinary simplicity and beauty. It is a name that says exactly what it means with complete, unhurried confidence and has been rising steadily in the American naming charts for years because every generation of parents rediscovers that there is simply no more beautiful or more complete way to give a daughter the moon.
Selene Origin: Greek Meaning: Moon, brightness SSA Popularity: #563
The great Greek moon goddess who drove her silver chariot across the night sky and who fell in love with the sleeping shepherd Endymion and asked Zeus to grant him immortal sleep so she could visit him forever, Selene carries one of the most beautiful and most romantically melancholy stories in Greek mythology and a name of clean, flowing beauty that has been rising steadily in modern use.
Diana Origin: Latin Meaning: Divine, heavenly, the huntress moon SSA Popularity: #241
The Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon whose silver bow and company of nymphs made her one of the most powerful and most independent female figures in the entire Roman pantheon, Diana carries both the lunar legacy and the fierce, independent huntress energy that makes it one of the most completely satisfying moon names available.
Artemis Origin: Greek Meaning: Safe, butcher, the huntress SSA Popularity: >1000
The Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon who ran through forests with her band of nymphs and punished any man who dared spy on her, Artemis carries an extraordinary mythological legacy and has the fierce, wild energy of the greatest female hunter in the Greek tradition alongside its lunar heritage.
Phoebe Origin: Greek Meaning: Bright, shining, the moon SSA Popularity: #267
One of the Titans in Greek mythology associated with the moon and prophecy, Phoebe carries a warm, bright quality and a genuine lunar heritage and has been beloved in the English-speaking world for centuries as a name that carries both classical depth and a clean, naturally flowing sound.
Hecate Origin: Greek Meaning: Far-reaching, the moon goddess of magic SSA Popularity: >1000
The great goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, and crossroads in Greek mythology who was associated with the dark moon and with the power of the liminal, between-worlds space, Hecate carries an extraordinary magical and lunar legacy and a cool, slightly sinister quality that belongs to the dark phase of the lunar cycle.
Cynthia Origin: Greek Meaning: From Mount Cynthus, the moon SSA Popularity: #821
One of the epithets of Artemis derived from Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos where she was born, Cynthia was one of the most beloved classical names for the moon in Renaissance poetry and carries a warm, flowing quality and a genuine lunar heritage that has been somewhat overshadowed by its mid-century popularity but retains its classical beauty.
Theia Origin: Greek Meaning: Goddess, divine, the mother of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Titaness who was the mother of Selene, Helios, and Eos in Greek mythology, the divine source from which the moon, the sun, and the dawn all descended, Theia carries an extraordinary mythological legacy as the origin of the lunar tradition itself and a clean, beautiful sound.
Noctiluna Origin: Latin Meaning: Night moon, she who shines at night SSA Popularity: >1000
One of the ancient Roman epithets of the moon goddess, Noctiluna carries the warm, slightly unusual Latin meaning of the night moon and the one who shines in darkness, a compound name of extraordinary beauty whose rarity makes it genuinely distinctive and whose meaning carries the full weight of the Roman lunar tradition.
Trivia Origin: Latin Meaning: Three roads, the triple moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The Roman epithet of the moon goddess in her three-fold aspect of new moon, full moon, and dark moon, Trivia carries the deep, slightly mysterious meaning of the goddess who presides over the crossroads where three roads meet and whose power was invoked in the most ancient and most serious magical practices of the Roman world.
Moon Names From Sanskrit and South Asian Traditions
Chandra Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moon, the shining one SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Sanskrit moon deity whose name means the shining one and who presides over the lunar cycle in Hindu cosmology, Chandra carries both the full weight of the Sanskrit theological and astronomical tradition and a warm, flowing sound that works beautifully in both South Asian and international contexts, connecting its bearer to the oldest continuous astronomical tradition in human history.
Chandrika Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moonlight, the moonlit one SSA Popularity: >1000
The Sanskrit name for moonlight itself, the quality of illumination that the moon produces rather than the moon as an object, Chandrika carries a warm, slightly luminous quality and a flowing sound that belongs to the great tradition of Sanskrit names that describe the moon’s effects on the world rather than merely naming the moon itself.
Indu Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moon, drop, bright drop SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Sanskrit meaning of the moon and the bright drop of lunar light, Indu has a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the oldest layer of the Sanskrit lunar vocabulary and carries the full weight of the Vedic tradition’s understanding of the moon as a source of nourishment, fertility, and the dew that sustains life.
Purnima Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Full moon, the complete moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the full moon in the Sanskrit tradition, the purnima that is the most celebrated and most auspicious night of the lunar month in Hindu religious practice, Purnima carries a warm, deeply spiritual quality and a flowing sound that suits any girl born on a full moon night or whose parents wish to invoke the complete, perfect luminosity of the moon at its fullest.
Sashi Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moon, having a hare SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly unusual Sanskrit meaning of the moon and the one who has a hare, a reference to the ancient Indian tradition of seeing a hare in the pattern of the moon’s surface rather than a man as the Western tradition sees, Sashi has a clean, minimal quality and a beautiful sound that carries this ancient astronomical observation.
Rohini Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Red, the red cow, the lunar mansion SSA Popularity: >1000
The name of one of the twenty-seven lunar mansions in the Vedic astronomical tradition, the nakshatra Rohini is the most beloved of the moon god’s wives and the one he visits most frequently, Rohini carries an extraordinary astronomical and mythological legacy and a warm, flowing quality.
Nisha Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Night, the night time SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly mysterious Sanskrit meaning of the night itself, the time when the moon reigns and the stars appear and the world takes on the particular quality of darkness illuminated that the night sky has always possessed, Nisha has a clean, minimal quality and a beautiful sound that carries genuine depth.
Jyotsna Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moonlight, the lunar radiance SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful, slightly luminous Sanskrit meaning of moonlight and the radiance that the moon produces, Jyotsna has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Sanskrit names that celebrate the quality of the moon’s light as one of the most beautiful and most benevolent natural phenomena.
Himani Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Snow, covered in snow, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Sanskrit meaning of the snow and the moon’s cold, white light whose quality resembles the clean brightness of fresh snow, Himani has a warm, flowing quality and a genuine lunar heritage rooted in the ancient Sanskrit tradition of describing the moon through the natural phenomena that share its quality of cool, white, reflected brilliance.
Kumudini Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: The white water lily, the moon lotus SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the white water lily that blooms by moonlight in the Indian botanical tradition, the flower that opens its petals specifically in response to the moon’s light and that has been associated with the lunar feminine in Sanskrit poetry for three thousand years, Kumudini carries an extraordinary natural and lunar beauty.
Chandravati Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Possessing the moon, the moon blessed SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly magnificent Sanskrit meaning of the one who possesses the moon, who carries the lunar quality within herself as a permanent condition rather than as an occasional illumination, Chandravati has a flowing, beautiful quality and a deep Sanskrit heritage.
Taramati Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Star minded, of the celestial mind SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Sanskrit meaning of the star-minded one, the person whose consciousness is oriented toward the celestial bodies and whose thinking has the quality of the night sky’s clarity and depth, Taramati has a warm, flowing quality and a genuine celestial heritage.
Shashiprabha Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Moon light, the radiance of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
A compound Sanskrit name combining shashi, the moon, with prabha, the radiance and light, Shashiprabha carries a flowing, beautiful quality and an extraordinary Sanskrit depth that places it firmly within the great tradition of Sanskrit compound naming that builds meanings of extraordinary precision from beautiful components.
Moon Names From Japanese Tradition
Tsuki Origin: Japanese Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Japanese word for the moon itself, Tsuki carries a clean, minimal quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the Japanese tradition of nature names drawn directly from the natural phenomena they describe without metaphor or embellishment, the name that simply is the thing it names and carries all the beauty of that directness.
Tsukiko Origin: Japanese Meaning: Moon child, child of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Japanese compound name meaning the child of the moon, Tsukiko carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that suits any girl whose parents want to establish her relationship to the moon as fundamental rather than incidental, not a child who is like the moon but a child who belongs to it.
Mizuki Origin: Japanese Meaning: Beautiful moon, water moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Japanese meaning of the beautiful moon or the moon reflected on water, one of the most celebrated images in the entire Japanese aesthetic tradition, Mizuki has a flowing, clean quality and a beautiful sound that works with particular grace in both Japanese and international contexts.
Haruki Origin: Japanese Meaning: Spring child, radiant moon SSA Popularity: >1000
While primarily known as a masculine given name through Haruki Murakami, Haruki has been used for girls in certain Japanese contexts and carries the beautiful meaning of the radiant moon or the spring child with equal grace across genders.
Mitsuki Origin: Japanese Meaning: Beautiful moon, full moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Japanese meaning of the beautiful moon and the full moon, Mitsuki has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Japanese moon-related names that celebrate the aesthetic quality of the moon’s beauty rather than merely its physical presence.
Ruka Origin: Japanese Meaning: Moon flower, the lunar blossom SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the moon flower in the Japanese natural tradition, the flower that blooms in the light of the moon and whose opening is itself a lunar event, Ruka carries a warm, slightly botanical quality and a clean, minimal sound that works beautifully in both Japanese and international contexts.
Tsukimi Origin: Japanese Meaning: Moon viewing, moon watching SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the tsukimi, the Japanese tradition of moon viewing that takes place on the night of the harvest moon and that is one of the most beloved cultural practices in the Japanese calendar, Tsukimi carries an extraordinary cultural depth and a warm, flowing quality that belongs to the tradition of Japanese names drawn from the great cultural practices that define the Japanese aesthetic life.
Kaguya Origin: Japanese Meaning: Radiant night, the shining princess SSA Popularity: >1000
The name of the legendary moon princess of the great Japanese folk tale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, who was found as a tiny infant inside a glowing bamboo stalk and who turned out to be a celestial being from the moon who eventually returned to her home in the sky, Kaguya carries one of the most beautiful and most melancholy stories in Japanese literary tradition.
Otsuki Origin: Japanese Meaning: The honorable moon, great moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The honorific form of the Japanese moon name, Otsuki carries the warm, slightly ceremonial quality of a name that adds the honorific prefix to the moon’s name and thereby places the bearer in an explicit relationship of reverence with the great celestial body whose light has always been understood in Japan as worthy of the deepest aesthetic appreciation.
Yuzuki Origin: Japanese Meaning: Gentle moon, evening moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Japanese meaning of the gentle moon or the evening moon, the quality of lunar light in its most soft and most intimate expression, Yuzuki has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Japanese names that describe the moon in its most tender and most personal aspect.
Moon Names From Arabic and Middle Eastern Traditions
Qamar Origin: Arabic Meaning: Moon, the full moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Arabic word for the moon, particularly the full and brilliant moon, Qamar carries a clean, commanding Arabic quality and a minimal, beautiful sound that belongs to the Arabic astronomical tradition whose precise vocabulary for lunar phenomena reflects the extraordinary sophistication of medieval Islamic astronomy.
Hilal Origin: Arabic Meaning: Crescent moon, the new moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the hilal, the crescent moon whose first sighting marks the beginning of each new month in the Islamic calendar and whose appearance ends the Ramadan fast, Hilal carries both astronomical precision and deep theological significance and a clean, minimal sound that works beautifully in both Arabic and international contexts.
Badr Origin: Arabic Meaning: Full moon, the brilliant moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the full moon at its most brilliant in the Arabic astronomical tradition, Badr carries a clean, commanding Arabic quality and a minimal, decisive sound that belongs to the tradition of Arabic moon names drawn from the precise astronomical vocabulary of the medieval Islamic scientific world.
Qamarun Origin: Arabic Meaning: Moon, the luminous one SSA Popularity: >1000
The extended form of Qamar carrying the same brilliant moon meaning with a slightly more flowing sound, Qamarun has a warm, beautiful quality and a genuine Arabic heritage that belongs to the tradition of Arabic names that describe the moon with the precision of astronomers and the beauty of poets.
Aylin Origin: Turkish/Arabic Meaning: Moon halo, the moonlit one SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Turkish-Arabic meaning of the moon halo, the ring of light that surrounds the full moon on clear nights and that the Turkish tradition has always associated with feminine grace and beauty, Aylin has a flowing, clean quality and a warm sound that works beautifully in both Turkish and international contexts.
Zubaidah Origin: Arabic Meaning: Cream, the moonlike one SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly luminous Arabic meaning of the cream and the moonlike quality of smooth, pale brilliance, Zubaidah has been one of the most beloved names in the Arabic tradition and is associated with Zubaidah the wife of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid whose extraordinary generosity and cultural patronage made her one of the most celebrated women in Islamic history.
Bader Origin: Arabic Meaning: Full moon, the brilliant full moon SSA Popularity: >1000
A variant of Badr carrying the same brilliant full moon meaning in a slightly different form, Bader has a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that carries genuine Arabic astronomical depth and the full weight of the Arabic lunar tradition’s celebration of the full moon as the highest expression of the moon’s beauty and power.
Nour Origin: Arabic Meaning: Light, the lunar light SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, clean Arabic meaning of light itself, the luminosity that the moon provides across the darkness of the night, Nour has a minimal, beautiful quality and a warm sound that carries both the general Arabic tradition of light-related names and the specific lunar heritage of a name associated with the moon’s most essential quality.
Leila Origin: Arabic/Persian Meaning: Night, the dark beauty SSA Popularity: #244
Carrying the beautiful, slightly mysterious Arabic-Persian meaning of the night and the dark beauty, the loveliest and most celebrated name in Arabic romantic poetry whose bearer was the great love of Majnun and whose story is one of the founding romances of the Arabic literary tradition, Leila carries both the night’s connection to the moon and one of the most powerful love legacies in world literature.
Samira Origin: Arabic Meaning: Entertaining companion in the evening, moonlit SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly sociable Arabic meaning of the entertaining companion of the evening, the person whose company makes the moonlit night beautiful, Samira has a flowing, clean quality and a warm sound that carries the Arabic tradition’s understanding of the moon-lit evening as the ideal time for the most pleasurable forms of human companionship.
Moon Names From Celtic and Norse Traditions
Áine Origin: Irish Gaelic Meaning: Radiance, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Irish goddess of summer, wealth, and sovereignty whose name carries the meaning of radiance and whose association with the moon makes her one of the most significant lunar figures in the Celtic tradition, Áine has a warm, luminous quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the oldest layer of Irish mythological naming.
Rhiannon Origin: Welsh Meaning: Great queen, divine queen SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Welsh goddess who rode her white horse across the moonlit sky and whose story in the Mabinogion connects her to the lunar tradition of the divine feminine in the Celtic world, Rhiannon carries an extraordinary mythological legacy and the beautiful, flowing sound that belongs to the Welsh naming tradition at its most musical.
Arianrhod Origin: Welsh Meaning: Silver wheel, silver circle SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Welsh goddess whose name means the silver wheel or the silver circle, the image of the full moon seen as a spinning disc of brilliant silver light, Arianrhod carries an extraordinary mythological legacy as one of the most powerful female figures in the Welsh mythological tradition and a name of extraordinary beauty.
Máni Origin: Old Norse Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Old Norse personification of the moon who drove the lunar chariot across the night sky, Máni carries the full weight of the Norse cosmological tradition in a name of clean, minimal beauty that belongs to the oldest layer of the Scandinavian naming world.
Nótt Origin: Old Norse Meaning: Night, the night goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The Old Norse goddess of the night who was the mother of the earth, the sea, and the day in Norse cosmology and whose relationship with the moon makes her one of the most significant night-sky figures in the Norse tradition, Nótt carries an extraordinary mythological legacy and a clean, slightly dark quality.
Elain Origin: Welsh Meaning: Fawn, the moonlit deer SSA Popularity: >1000
The Welsh name of the fawn, the young deer who moves through the moonlit forest with the particular delicacy and grace that the Welsh tradition associated with the moon’s own quality of movement across the night sky, Elain carries a warm, slightly wild quality and a beautiful, flowing sound.
Sirona Origin: Celtic/Gaulish Meaning: Star, the stellar one SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Gaulish goddess associated with healing springs and the celestial bodies including the moon, Sirona carries an extraordinary ancient Celtic legacy and a clean, flowing quality that belongs to the pre-Roman Celtic tradition of divine names whose meanings connect the human world to the cosmic order.
Brigid Origin: Irish Gaelic Meaning: Exalted one, the bright one SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Irish goddess of fire, poetry, and healing who is associated with the moon’s light and with the quality of inspired luminosity that the Celtic tradition connected to the moon, Brigid carries an extraordinary spiritual and mythological legacy and a warm, clean quality that belongs to the oldest layer of Irish cultural naming.
Nemetona Origin: Celtic/Gaulish Meaning: Sacred grove, the moon sanctuary SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Gaulish goddess of the sacred grove whose worship was conducted in the moonlit clearings of the Celtic forest and whose name carries the meaning of the sacred sanctuary, Nemetona carries an extraordinary ancient Celtic legacy and a flowing, slightly unusual quality.
Morgause Origin: Arthurian/Celtic Meaning: Great phantom, the moon spirit SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Arthurian queen and moon figure whose name carries the Celtic meaning of the great phantom or the moon spirit and whose complex role in the Arthurian tradition as both queen and magical woman connects her to the ancient Celtic tradition of the moon goddess as a figure of power and mystery.
Moon Names From African Traditions
Mwezi Origin: Swahili Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Swahili word for the moon itself, Mwezi carries a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the East African linguistic tradition whose Swahili became the lingua franca of the entire East African coast and whose vocabulary for the natural world carries the full depth of centuries of careful observation of the African sky.
Ife Origin: Yoruba/Nigerian Meaning: Love, the moon of love SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly tender Yoruba meaning of love and the moon of love, Ife has a minimal, beautiful quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Yoruba tradition of moon-related names that connect the lunar cycle to the most fundamental human emotional experiences.
Nguyệt Origin: Vietnamese Meaning: Moon, the lunar one SSA Popularity: >1000
The Vietnamese word for the moon, Nguyệt carries a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Vietnamese tradition of moon-related naming and carries the full weight of the Vietnamese cultural celebration of the moon that reaches its peak at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Amara Origin: African/Sanskrit Meaning: Moon, eternal, grace SSA Popularity: #130
Carrying multiple beautiful meanings across different African and Sanskrit traditions including the moon, the eternal, and grace, Amara has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that works with extraordinary grace in both African and international contexts and carries a depth of meaning that rewards the attention of anyone who asks what it means.
Tanith Origin: Phoenician/North African Meaning: Serpent lady, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Phoenician and Carthaginian moon goddess whose worship was central to the religious life of ancient Carthage and whose name carries an extraordinary ancient North African legacy, Tanith carries both the lunar heritage and the slightly mysterious quality of a name from one of the great lost civilizations of the ancient world.
Nyambe Origin: Lozi/Zambian Meaning: Moon, the sky god SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Lozi meaning of the moon and the sky deity, Nyambe has a clean, slightly unusual quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Zambian tradition of names drawn from the celestial bodies that governed the agricultural and ritual life of the Lozi people of the Zambezi floodplain.
Osupa Origin: Yoruba/Nigerian Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Yoruba word for the moon, Osupa carries a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the great West African tradition of Yoruba moon-related naming and carries the full weight of the Yoruba cosmological understanding of the moon as a presence of fundamental significance in the regulation of time, agriculture, and spiritual practice.
Nandipha Origin: Xhosa/South African Meaning: They are with us, the moon’s company SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly communal Xhosa meaning of the company that is with us, the presence that accompanies the community through the darkness, Nandipha has a flowing, beautiful quality and a genuine South African heritage rooted in the tradition of Xhosa names that describe the moon’s relationship with the human community rather than merely naming the moon as an object.
Dalila Origin: Swahili/Arabic Meaning: Gentle, the moonlit one SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly gentle Swahili-Arabic meaning of the gentle and the moonlit one, Dalila has a flowing, beautiful quality and a warm East African heritage that belongs to the tradition of Swahili names that absorbed Arabic lunar vocabulary through centuries of the Indian Ocean trading civilization.
Thandi Origin: Zulu/South African Meaning: Beloved, the moonlit beloved SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, intimate Zulu meaning of the beloved one, the person who is cherished with the particular quality of love that the Zulu tradition associates with the gentle, constant, faithful light of the moon, Thandi has a minimal, beautiful quality and a warm sound that belongs to the tradition of Zulu names that celebrate love as one of the moon’s most fundamental associations.
Moon Names From the Americas
Metztli Origin: Aztec/Nahuatl Meaning: Moon, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The Aztec goddess of the moon and the night whose name is the Nahuatl word for the moon, Metztli carries an extraordinary ancient Mexican legacy and a clean, flowing quality that belongs to the tradition of Aztec divine names whose beauty reflects the extraordinary sophistication of the Aztec cosmological and theological tradition.
Kiona Origin: Native American Meaning: Brown hills, the moonlit hills SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly geographic Native American meaning of the brown hills in the moonlight, Kiona has a clean, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Native American nature names that describe the landscape in its most beautiful and most atmospheric moments.
Mariposa Origin: Spanish/Native American influence Meaning: Butterfly, the moonlit dancer SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the butterfly whose nighttime dancing in the moonlight has made it one of the most beautiful images in the traditions of the American Southwest, Mariposa has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that carries both the Spanish and the Native American traditions of moonlit nature naming.
Quilla Origin: Incan/Quechua Meaning: Moon, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The name of the Inca moon goddess Mama Quilla whose worship was central to the Inca religious calendar and whose name is simply the Quechua word for the moon, Quilla carries an extraordinary ancient Andean legacy and a clean, minimal quality that makes it one of the most elegant moon names available from any tradition.
Komala Origin: Native Hawaiian Meaning: Moon, the gentle one SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly gentle Hawaiian meaning of the moon and the gentle one, Komala has a flowing, beautiful quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Hawaiian tradition of lunar naming whose connection to the Pacific Ocean tides gave the moon a particularly intimate relationship with the Hawaiian people’s daily and spiritual life.
Mahina Origin: Hawaiian Meaning: Moon, moonlight SSA Popularity: >1000
The Hawaiian word for the moon and moonlight, Mahina carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that works with extraordinary grace in international contexts and carries the full weight of the Hawaiian cultural tradition’s deep relationship with the moon whose cycles governed fishing, planting, and the most significant ritual activities of traditional Hawaiian life.
Kälani Origin: Hawaiian Meaning: The heavens, the sky SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Hawaiian meaning of the heavens and the sky, the great space through which the moon moves on its nightly journey, Kälani has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Hawaiian sky-related names that connect their bearers to the celestial world that was the most constant and most beautiful presence in the Hawaiian natural environment.
Nitika Origin: Native American Meaning: Moon bear, the lunar spirit SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly fierce Native American meaning of the moon bear and the lunar spirit, the combination of the moon’s gentle light with the bear’s strength and independence, Nitika has a clean, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Native American names that connect the moon to the most powerful animals of the natural world.
Talitha Origin: Aramaic/broader usage Meaning: Little girl, the rising star SSA Popularity: >1000
While primarily Aramaic in origin, Talitha has been adopted into broader usage as a moon-related name because of its association with the star Talitha in the Great Bear constellation and carries a warm, slightly unusual quality and a beautiful sound that suits any girl born with the particular quality of gentle, steady, rising brilliance that both the star and the moon possess.
Moon Names From Slavic and Eastern European Traditions
Marzanna Origin: Polish/Slavic Meaning: Moon goddess, the winter moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Slavic goddess of winter, death, and the moon whose effigy is burned at the spring equinox in the Polish tradition to celebrate the end of winter and the return of light, Marzanna carries an extraordinary mythological legacy and a flowing, beautiful quality that belongs to the deep Slavic tradition of lunar goddess naming.
Zorya Origin: Slavic Meaning: Dawn star, the morning moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Slavic goddess of the morning star who guards the gates of the sky at dawn, Zorya carries a beautiful, slightly astronomical quality and a flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of Slavic celestial names whose bearers were understood as guardians of the transition between night and day.
Mesyats Origin: Russian/Slavic Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Russian and Slavic word for the moon, Mesyats carries a clean, slightly unusual quality and a warm sound that belongs to the oldest layer of the Slavic lunar vocabulary and carries the full weight of the Slavic tradition’s deep engagement with the moon as a presence of agricultural, spiritual, and aesthetic significance.
Lunara Origin: Slavic/Latin Meaning: Moon woman, the lunar one SSA Popularity: >1000
The Slavic-Latin compound name carrying the beautiful moon meaning in a feminine form of extraordinary flowing beauty, Lunara has a warm, slightly unusual quality and a clean sound that works beautifully in both Slavic and international contexts and carries the full depth of the Latin lunar tradition in a distinctly Slavic phonological form.
Vesna Origin: Slavic Meaning: Spring, the spring moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Slavic goddess of spring whose connection to the moon’s role in the agricultural calendar makes her one of the most significant lunar figures in the Eastern European tradition, Vesna carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Slavic nature-goddess naming whose bearers were understood as expressions of the seasonal cycle governed by the moon.
Zirka Origin: Ukrainian Meaning: Star, the starry moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Ukrainian word for star, Zirka carries a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Ukrainian astronomical tradition and whose connection to the moon comes through the ancient Slavic understanding of the stars as the companions and children of the moon in the night sky.
Radmila Origin: Serbian/Slavic Meaning: Joyful laborer, the moon worker SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly industrious Slavic meaning of the joyful laborer, Radmila has a flowing, beautiful quality and a genuine Serbian heritage rooted in the tradition of Slavic women’s names that connect feminine virtue to the quality of joyful, sustained work whose rhythm was governed by the lunar calendar.
Moon Names Meaning Moonlight and Glow
Ayasha Origin: Native American Meaning: Moonlight, little one SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the warm, slightly tender Native American meaning of moonlight and the little one, Ayasha has a flowing, beautiful quality and a warm sound that belongs to the tradition of Native American moon-related names that describe the quality of the moon’s light rather than naming the moon itself.
Selenite Origin: Greek/mineralogy Meaning: Moon stone, the lunar crystal SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after selenite, the crystalline form of gypsum whose translucent, slightly luminous quality has always been associated with the moon’s own light, Selenite carries both the mythological legacy of Selene and the natural mineral tradition and a clean, flowing quality that suits any girl born with the particular quality of cool, translucent, deeply interior brilliance.
Moonbeam Origin: English Meaning: Beam of moonlight SSA Popularity: >1000
The English compound name carrying the warm, slightly poetic meaning of the individual beam of moonlight, the specific directed quality of lunar illumination that the moon sends down in columns through the trees or across the water, Moonbeam has been used as a given name in certain communities and carries a warm, slightly unusual quality.
Poya Origin: Persian Meaning: Moonlight, the running light SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Persian meaning of moonlight and the running light, the quality of lunar illumination that seems to move across the surface of water or across a field of grass when the moon is at its fullest, Poya has a warm, minimal quality and a beautiful sound that carries the full depth of the Persian aesthetic tradition’s engagement with the moon.
Niamh Origin: Irish Gaelic Meaning: Bright, the lustrous one SSA Popularity: >1000
The name of the great Irish fairy queen whose radiance was compared to moonlight in Irish mythology, Niamh carries a warm, luminous quality and a genuinely beautiful sound that belongs to the oldest layer of Irish mythological naming and whose moonlit quality is entirely inherent in the brightness of the name’s meaning.
Lumi Origin: Finnish Meaning: Snow, the moonlit snow SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the snow in the Finnish tradition, the white, luminous, moon-reflecting surface that covers the Finnish landscape in winter and that carries the moon’s own quality of cool, white, brilliant light, Lumi has a minimal, beautiful quality and a clean sound that works with extraordinary grace in international contexts.
Ayla Origin: Turkish/Hebrew Meaning: Moonlight, halo of light around the moon SSA Popularity: #177
Carrying the beautiful Turkish meaning of moonlight and the halo of light that surrounds the moon on clear nights, Ayla has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that works with particular grace in international contexts and carries a genuine lunar heritage rooted in the Turkish tradition of moon-related naming.
Chiara Origin: Italian Meaning: Clear, bright, the luminous one SSA Popularity: #636
Carrying the warm, bright Italian meaning of the clear and luminous one, the quality of light that the moon produces on a cloudless night when the air is perfectly still and every shadow is sharp and every surface glows, Chiara has a flowing, beautiful quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Italian tradition of names that celebrate the quality of luminosity as one of the highest feminine virtues.
Lusine Origin: Armenian Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Armenian word for the moon, Lusine carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the Armenian tradition of lunar naming whose connection to the Armenian Apostolic Church’s calendar gave the moon a particularly significant role in the regulation of the community’s sacred time.
Mahtab Origin: Persian Meaning: Moonlight, the moon’s radiance SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Persian meaning of moonlight and the moon’s radiance, Mahtab has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the great tradition of Persian poetry whose celebration of moonlight is one of the most sustained and most beautiful in any literary tradition.
Moon Names From Chinese Tradition
Chang’e Origin: Chinese Meaning: Moon goddess, the moon fairy SSA Popularity: >1000
The great Chinese moon goddess who lives in the Moon Palace with her jade rabbit companion and whose story of drinking the elixir of immortality and floating up to the moon is one of the most beloved tales in Chinese mythology, Chang’e carries an extraordinary cultural legacy and is celebrated every year at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Yue Origin: Chinese Meaning: Moon, the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Chinese word for the moon, Yue carries a clean, minimal quality and a warm sound that belongs to the Chinese tradition of nature-related naming and carries the full weight of the Chinese literary and artistic tradition’s celebration of the moon as one of the most beautiful and most emotionally resonant natural phenomena.
Yueling Origin: Chinese Meaning: Moon spirit, the moon goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The compound Chinese name meaning the moon spirit, Yueling carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Chinese moon-related compound names that build precise and beautiful meanings from elegant components.
Mingzhu Origin: Chinese Meaning: Bright pearl, the moon pearl SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Chinese meaning of the bright pearl, the lustrous sphere whose white brilliance has always been associated with the full moon in the Chinese aesthetic tradition, Mingzhu has a flowing, beautiful quality and a warm sound that carries the full weight of the Chinese jade and pearl aesthetic tradition.
Liuyue Origin: Chinese Meaning: June moon, the sixth moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the sixth moon of the Chinese lunar calendar, the moon of early summer whose light falls on the most lush and beautiful phase of the Chinese agricultural landscape, Liuyue carries a warm, slightly seasonal quality and a flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of Chinese lunar calendar naming.
Biyue Origin: Chinese Meaning: Jade moon, the green moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Chinese meaning of the jade moon, the moon seen through the greenish cast of jade and associated with the most precious stone in the Chinese aesthetic tradition, Biyue has a clean, flowing quality and a warm sound that carries the full depth of the Chinese jade aesthetic tradition’s connection to the moon.
Yuexin Origin: Chinese Meaning: Moon heart, the lunar soul SSA Popularity: >1000
The compound Chinese name meaning the moon heart or the lunar soul, the quality of having the moon’s own beauty and faithfulness at the very center of one’s being, Yuexin carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Chinese compound names that build extraordinary meanings from beautiful components.
Moon Names Meaning Full Moon
Purnama Origin: Malay/Indonesian Meaning: Full moon, the complete moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Malay and Indonesian word for the full moon, Purnama carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the Southeast Asian tradition of lunar naming and carries the full weight of the Malay cultural celebration of the full moon as the most beautiful and most auspicious night of the lunar month.
Badriya Origin: Arabic Meaning: Full moon, the moonlike SSA Popularity: >1000
Carrying the beautiful Arabic meaning of the full moon and the moonlike quality of brilliant, rounded perfection, Badriya has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the Arabic tradition of moon-related names that celebrate the full moon as the highest expression of the moon’s beauty.
Plenilunio Origin: Italian/Latin Meaning: Full moon, the complete lunar circle SSA Popularity: >1000
The Italian word for the full moon, Plenilunio carries a warm, slightly unusual quality and a flowing sound that belongs to the Italian-Latin tradition of lunar naming and carries the full weight of the ancient Roman understanding of the full moon as a time of particular power and particular beauty.
Tsukimino Origin: Japanese Meaning: Full moon night, the complete moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The Japanese compound name meaning the night of the full moon, Tsukimino carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the tradition of Japanese moon-related names that describe not just the moon but the particular atmospheric quality of the night when the moon is at its fullest and most beautiful.
Poornima Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: Full moon, the complete moon SSA Popularity: >1000
A variant of Purnima carrying the same complete and full moon meaning in a slightly different phonological form, Poornima has been one of the most beloved moon-related names in South India and carries a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the great tradition of Sanskrit lunar naming.
Moon Names From Modern and Literary Tradition
Endymion Origin: Greek/literary Meaning: The diver, the sleeping beloved of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
While primarily masculine in its classical form, Endymion has been used for girls in certain modern contexts and carries the extraordinary romantic legacy of the beautiful youth who was loved by the moon goddess Selene and granted eternal sleep so she could visit him forever, a name that carries one of the greatest love stories in Greek mythology.
Lunette Origin: French/English Meaning: Little moon, the small moon SSA Popularity: >1000
The diminutive form of Luna carrying the same moon meaning in a warm, slightly intimate form, Lunette has a clean, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that suits any girl whose parents want to give her the moon in its most gentle and most intimate expression rather than in its full, commanding presence.
Moonstone Origin: English/mineralogy Meaning: The moonstone gem, the lunar crystal SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the moonstone, the adularescent feldspar gem whose blue-white shimmer has always been associated with the moon’s own light and which was believed in ancient times to be formed from the solidified rays of the moon, Moonstone carries a warm, slightly unusual quality and a clean compound sound.
Solange Origin: French Meaning: Solemn, the moon angel SSA Popularity: >1000
The name of a French saint whose connection to the moon comes through the medieval tradition of the luna in religious iconography, Solange has a warm, flowing quality and a beautiful sound that belongs to the French tradition of names that carry both religious significance and natural beauty.
Serenity Origin: English/Latin Meaning: Peaceful, the serene one SSA Popularity: #71
While not directly lunar in its etymology, Serenity carries the quality of moonlit calm, the particular peace that falls over the world on a clear, quiet night when the moon is full and everything is still and luminous, and has been embraced as a moon-related name by parents who understand that the moon’s most powerful quality is not its brilliance but its peace.
Calypso Origin: Greek Meaning: She who conceals, the moon nymph SSA Popularity: >1000
The sea nymph of Greek mythology who kept Odysseus on her island for seven years and whose name carries the slightly mysterious meaning of the one who conceals, a quality associated with the dark phase of the moon when it withdraws its light from the world, Calypso carries an extraordinary mythological legacy and a warm, flowing quality.
Nyx Origin: Greek Meaning: Night, the night goddess SSA Popularity: >1000
The primordial goddess of night in Greek mythology whose children included the moon, the stars, sleep, and death, Nyx carries an extraordinary cosmological legacy as the mother of the night sky and a clean, minimal quality that suits the most fundamental and most ancient of the lunar tradition’s presiding deities.
Lunaria Origin: Latin/botanical Meaning: Moon plant, the honesty flower SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the lunaria plant, also called honesty, whose silvery circular seed pods have always been compared to the full moon and which was believed in medieval Europe to be governed by the moon’s influence, Lunaria carries a warm, slightly botanical quality and a flowing sound that combines the Latin lunar tradition with the natural world’s own moon-related vocabulary.
Rare and Extraordinary Moon Names
Albedo Origin: Latin/astronomical Meaning: Whiteness, the moon’s reflective light SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the albedo, the scientific term for the amount of light a surface reflects, which is the fundamental quality that makes the moon visible from earth since the moon produces no light of its own but reflects the sun’s light with extraordinary efficiency, Albedo carries a cool, slightly scientific quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the intersection of the astronomical and the poetic.
Perigee Origin: Greek/astronomical Meaning: Near earth, the moon at its closest SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to the earth and appears largest and most brilliant in the sky, Perigee carries a cool, slightly astronomical quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of astronomical terms used as names for their particular combination of scientific precision and natural beauty.
Synodic Origin: Greek/astronomical Meaning: Meeting, the lunar cycle SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the synodic month, the 29.5-day cycle of the moon from new moon to full moon and back to new moon, Synodic carries a cool, slightly technical quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of astronomical terms whose precision and beauty make them worthy of the naming tradition.
Selenic Origin: Greek/chemical Meaning: Of the moon, lunar SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the element selenium which takes its name from Selene the moon goddess because it was discovered alongside tellurium which was named after the earth, Selenic carries a cool, slightly scientific quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the intersection of chemistry and mythology.
Aphelion Origin: Greek/astronomical Meaning: Away from the sun, the lunar distance SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the aphelion, the point in an orbit farthest from the sun, Aphelion carries a cool, slightly astronomical quality and a clean, flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of astronomical terms used as names for their particular combination of scientific precision and cosmic scale.
Gibbous Origin: Latin/astronomical Meaning: Humped, the waxing moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the gibbous moon, the phase between the half moon and the full moon when the moon is more than half illuminated but not yet full, Gibbous carries a clean, slightly unusual quality and a warm sound that belongs to the tradition of lunar phase names used as names for their extraordinary precision in describing the exact quality of the moon’s light at a particular moment in its cycle.
Clair de Lune Origin: French/musical Meaning: Moonlight, the light of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after Debussy’s great piano piece whose title means moonlight and whose music has become the definitive musical expression of the quality of moonlight, the cool, shimmering, slightly melancholy quality of the moon’s light falling on a still landscape, Clair de Lune carries an extraordinary musical and lunar legacy.
Noctua Origin: Latin Meaning: Night bird, the owl of the moon SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the night bird in the Latin tradition, the owl whose wisdom and whose connection to the night sky made it one of the moon’s most sacred animals in the Roman tradition where the owl was the companion of Athena and the symbol of wisdom illuminated by the moon’s own light, Noctua carries a warm, slightly mysterious quality.
Umbra Origin: Latin/astronomical Meaning: Shadow, the moon’s shadow SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the umbra, the darkest part of a shadow cast by the moon during a solar eclipse, Umbra carries a cool, slightly dark quality and a clean, minimal sound that belongs to the astronomical tradition of naming the most dramatic and most beautiful phenomena of the lunar cycle.
Penumbra Origin: Latin/astronomical Meaning: Almost shadow, the partial lunar shadow SSA Popularity: >1000
Named after the penumbra, the partial shadow that surrounds the full shadow during a lunar or solar eclipse and that creates the gradual, beautiful transition from full light to full darkness, Penumbra carries a cool, slightly atmospheric quality and a flowing sound that belongs to the tradition of astronomical terms used as names for their extraordinary precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why are so many moon names traditionally feminine? A: The association between the moon and the feminine is one of the most universal patterns in human cultural history. In the vast majority of world cultures the moon is understood as feminine because of the correspondence between the 29.5-day lunar cycle and the average length of the human menstrual cycle, a connection that ancient peoples understood as a fundamental bond between the female body and the celestial body. The moon’s qualities of cyclical change, of light that reflects rather than generates, of influence that is gravitational and tidal rather than direct and solar, have all been understood across cultures as expressing a distinctly feminine mode of power and presence.
Q: Which moon names are most popular for baby girls right now? A: According to the most recent SSA data, the most widely used moon-related names for girls are Luna at number 87, Serenity at number 71, Diana at number 241, Phoebe at number 267, Leila at number 244, Ayla at number 177, and Chiara at number 636. Luna has been the fastest riser among moon names and shows no sign of slowing its ascent. Selene at number 563 and Cynthia at number 821 are the other classical moon goddess names with significant modern usage.
Q: What are the rarest moon names on this list? A: The genuinely rare moon names on this list include Noctiluna, Arianrhod, Metztli, Marzanna, Plenilunio, Albedo, Perigee, Synodic, Selenic, Gibbous, Umbra, Penumbra, Noctua, and Clair de Lune, all of which are virtually unknown on modern birth certificates. These names carry extraordinary lunar depth while being completely distinctive, the kind of names that will never be shared with another child in any classroom.
Q: Are moon names from non-English traditions appropriate for families without heritage from those cultures? A: Moon names from non-English traditions carry genuine beauty and depth and many families without specific cultural heritage choose them for their children with complete appropriateness when they do so with genuine understanding and respect for the tradition the name comes from. The most important thing is to understand the meaning and cultural context of the name you choose and to carry that knowledge with respect. Names like Mahina, Quilla, Metztli, and Mwezi carry specific cultural traditions that warrant genuine engagement rather than merely aesthetic adoption.
Q: What middle names pair best with moon names? A: Moon names pair with particular grace alongside middle names that either reinforce the celestial theme or provide a grounding earthly contrast. Luna pairs beautifully with terrestrial nature names like River, Willow, or Sage. Selene pairs well with short, decisive names like Mae, Rose, or Jane. Chandra pairs beautifully with Sanskrit names that carry complementary cosmic meanings. Diana pairs well with classic names that reinforce its timeless, slightly aristocratic quality. The key is to create a rhythm where the first name and the middle name complement rather than compete, each one giving the other the space to carry its full meaning.
Conclusion
Baby girl names that mean moon carry something that no other category of names quite replicates, the full weight of humanity’s oldest and most universal conversation with the night sky, the conversation that has been going on since the first human being looked up at the full moon on a clear night and felt something that required a name.
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.