100 magical, moon-inspired baby names

Celestial baby names are flying high right now, and the brightest star of them all? Well, it’s actually Luna, the name of the Roman goddess of the moon, and the Latin word for “moon.”

At #23 in the US in 2019, Luna’s rise has been, well, astronomical ever since it re-entered the Top 1000 in 2003, for the first time in almost a century. That was the year that “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” was first published, featuring the kooky but courageous Luna Lovegood.

Related: 100+ unique baby names

The once-unique baby name has since been picked up by stylish celebrity parents such as Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman and John Legend, and now ranks in the Top 100 in at least 18 other countries, including Australia, Chile, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway and Slovenia.

Here are 100 more magical baby names that mean moon.

Related: 75+ gender-neutral baby names

Girl names that mean moon

Girls’ names that mean “moon” include a multitude of attractive Turkish names containing the element ay, meaning (you guessed it!) “moon.” These range from rising international star Ayla to popular picks like Miray, Belinay and Aysima, which are all in the current Turkish Top 50 for girls.

1. Aruna

This pretty Japanese name, which can mean “moon love” (depending on the kanji characters used), is a perfect underused alternative to popular A-sandwich choices like Aria and Aurora.

2. Esmeray

A beautiful Turkish name with the evocative meaning of “dark moon”, which might appeal to lovers of rapid riser Esme.

3. Lusine

Also spelled Lucine or Lusineh, this sophisticated Armenian choice could make for an unexpected route to Lucy or Lou.

4. Mahina

A moon goddess in Hawaiian mythology, whose attractive name literally means “moon” in the Hawaiian language.

5. Sasithorn

This poetic word for the moon is also used as a name in its native Thailand, pronounced “sah-see-TAWN”. Sweet short form Sasi also means “moon”.

6. Adzumi

Of Japanese origin meaning “moon,” “heart” and “affection.”

7. Aysel

Turkish for “moon flood.”

8. Channary

Khmer for “moon girl.”

9. Hala

Arabic for “moon halo.”

10. Indu

Hindi for “moon.”

11. Livana

Hebrew for “the moon” and “white.”

12. Lua

Portuguese for “moon.”

13. Mahrukh

Urdu for “face like the moon.”

14. Miray

Turkish for “shining like the moon.”

15. Neoma

Greek for “new moon.”

16. Orana

Australian for “moon.”

17. Quilla

 Spanish for “goddess of the moon.”

18. Runa

Of Scandinavian and Japanese origin meaning “moon.”

19. Saran

Mongolian for “beautiful moon.”

20. Sihana

Albanian for “like the moon.”

21. Tsuki

Japanese for “moon.”

22. Vinterny

Swedish name meaning “new moon in wintertime.”

23. Volana

Of African Madagascar origin meaning “moon.”

24. Zira

Berber for “moonlight.”

25. Zulay

Turkish for “possessing the moon.”

Related: Popular boy names & their meanings

Boy names that mean moon

Boy names that mean “moon” include dozens of dynamic Japanese names like Michika, Reito and Tsukio, which can all be formed from different kanji combinations to give various moon-related meanings.

26. Ainar

This strong-sounding Kazakh name is actually unisex, meaning “male moon”, “fire moon” or “pomegranate moon” (what a great image!).

27. Isildur

A literary lunar name from J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, in which it belongs to a heroic king.

28. Jerah

A rare Biblical boys’ name with a contemporary sound, which could make for a great underused alternative to the likes of Noah and Jeremiah.

29. Mani

Properly spelled Máni, this energetic mini name belongs to the personification of the moon in Norse mythology.

30. Vikesh

A strong and striking Hindu name which is fairly common in India, but virtually unknown elsewhere.

31. Asaki

Japanese for “morning moon” or “morning blossom.”

32. Aydemir

Turkish for “iron moon.”

33. Badar

Arabic for “full moon.”

34. Chandria

Of Sanskrit origin meaning “moon shining.”

35. Dal

Korean for “moon.”

36. Ehaan

Of Arabic origin meaning “full moon.”

37. Hilal

Of Turkish and Arabic origin meaning “crescent moon.”

38. Iyar

Babylonian origins meaning “light.”

39. Kamer

Turkish name for “moon.”

40. Koray

Turkish for “ember moon.”

41. Luan

Portuguese for “moon.”

42. Mahan

Persian for “moon.”

43. Maziar

Of Persian origin meaning “protector of the moon.”

44. Naito

Japanese for “night,” “evening,” “moon” and “month.”

45. Nantu

Meaning “moon” in Shuar—the ancient rainforest language from Ecuador.

46. Qamar

Arabic for “moon.”

47. Rakesh

Hindi for “lord of the full moon.”

48. Rua

Of Japanese origin meaning “love,” “affection” and “moon.”

49. Zoro

Of Japanese origin meaning “sky” or “moon.”

50. Zunair

Urdu for “light of the moon.”

Related: 31 popular girl names & their meanings

Galactic moon-inspired girl names

How about the names of other planets’ moons? There are some stellar options out there, mostly drawn from myth, legend and literature—right on trend, but rarely used.

51. Amalthea

A moon of Jupiter, named for the goat (or goat-keeper) who raised the infant Zeus. It would make a lovely longer form for the fashionable mini-name Thea.

52. Calypso

A fun-filled name with a lively rhythm and musical links to the West Indies. Callie and Cleo could make for great nicknames.

53. Leda

The name of the beautiful mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology is surprisingly underused, despite its simple, international appeal: it was given to just 17 baby girls in 2018.

54. Thebe

Far rarer than Phoebe, but with the same light and simple sound, Thebe is another moon of Jupiter.

55. Skathi

This tiny moon of Saturn is named for Skaði, the Norse goddess of winter and archery.

56. Anthe

A tiny moon of Saturn.

57. Belinda

A tiny moon of Uranus.

58. Bianca

A tiny moon of Uranus. Named after the sister of Katherine in Shakespeare’s play, “The Taming of the Shrew.”

59. Carme

A retrograde non-spherical moon of Jupiter.

60. Cressida

One of the smaller, inner moons of Uranus.

61. Despina

One of the closest inner moons of Neptune.

62. Elara

A non-spherical moon of Jupiter.

63. Galatea

One of the closest inner moons of Neptune.

64. Helene

A moon of Saturn, named after Helen of Troy.

65. Io

One of Jupiter’s moons.

66. Larissa

One of Neptunes inner moons and named after one of Poseidon’s lovers.

67. Mab

One of Uranus’s inner moons and named after Queen Mab, a fairy queen from English folklore.

68. Miranda

The innermost and the smallest of the five major moons of Uranus.

69. Ophelia

One of the smaller moons in the solar system and named after Polonius’s daughter in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

70. Pandora

Named after the “Pandora” from Greek mythology and an inner moon Saturn.

71. Perdita

A closer moon to Uranus.

72. Rhea

One of Saturn’s major moons.

73. Rosalind

An inner moon of Uranus.

74. Thalassa

One of Neptune’s inner moons. Named after the sea goddess, Thalassa, from Greek mythology.

75. Titania

The largest of Uranus’s moons.

Galactic moon-inspired boy names

76. Ariel

This handsome Hebrew name may have become far more popular for girls in the US, thanks to a certain little mermaid, but it’s a truly unisex choice in Israel: #4 for boys and #23 for girls in the last year on record (2016).

77. Fenrir

The name of a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology, and of an evil werewolf in the Harry Potter books—but if Wolf itself can catch on.

78. Hyperion

One of the Titans in Greek mythology, Hyperion lends his majestic name to another of Saturn’s moons.

79. Narvi

Also spelled Narfi, this quirky Norse mythology name belongs to the father of Nótt, the personification of the night.

80. Umbriel

A moon of Uranus, named (along with Ariel and Belinda) for a character from Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock.” The name was probably inspired by Latin umbra “shadow.”

81. Aegir

A retrograde moon that orbits Saturn. Named after a giant from Norse mythology.

82. Atlas

One of Saturn’s moons. Named after a Titan.

83. Caliban

The second-largest retrograde moon of Uranus.

84. Ferdinand

A small, dark moon that orbits Uranus. Named after the son of the King of Naples in Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest.”

85. Francisco

A small, dark moon that orbits Uranus. Named after one of the lords in Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest.”

86. Janus

A potato-shaped moon of Saturn.

87. Loge

A moon of Saturn.

88. Neso

A retrograde, irregular moon of Neptune.

89. Nix

One of Pluto’s moons. Named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night.

90. Oberon

One of Uranus’s moons. Named after the King of the Fairies in Shakespeare’s, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

91. Pan

One of Saturn’s moons.

92. Prospero

A small, retrograde irregular moon of Uranus. Named after the sorcerer in Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest.”

93. Proteus

The second-largest Neptune moon.

94. Puck

An inner moon of Uranus.

95. Sao

One of Neptune’s moons.

96. Stephano

One of Uranus’s moons.

97. Surtur

One of Saturn’s moons.

98. Titan

The largest moon of Saturn, named after the Greek Titans.

99. Trinculo

The smallest of Uranus’s moons.

100. Ymir

The second-largest, retrograde irregular moon of Saturn.

A version of this post was published by Nameberry. It has been updated.