Luna

Taken straight from our list of The Very Best L Names for Boys and Girls is the lovely name Luna.

While Luna is usually listed as either Italian, Spanish or both, it originates as a Latin name meaning "the moon". According to the ancient Roman mythology, the goddess Luna was considered the divine embodiment of the moon and was often portrayed as driving a white chariot through the sky. Her Greek counterpart is the goddess Selene.

As a baby name in the US, Luna dates back to the start of our modern records in the year 1880. Luna has been used on and off over the years, encountering a bit of a dry spell in the mid-60s. It was never popular until recently when it joined the Top 1000 names in 2003. It has been steadily rising on the popularity chart since then. 2,314 baby girls were given the name in 2014 for a ranking of #143. At this rate, it should continue to rise in popularity.

Luna is short and sweet. It carries beautiful imagery with it as it evokes peaceful vibes synonymous with the night sky. It works very well on Spanish and Italian girls but it is popular enough now to work on anyone without raising eyebrows.

Since it is relatively short, it best pairs with a longer-looking middle name, even if they might have the same amount of syllables. For more ideas of how to pair this name, view my suggestions for potential sibling names and middle names below:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurora, Cara, Maia, Molly, Sadie, Stella, Violet
Brothers: Asher, Damian, Jack, Marius, Paul, Ruben, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Luna Charlotte
Luna Delphine
Luna Mirabelle
Luna Penelope
Luna Tamsin

As a Middle Name:
Abigail Luna
Eleanor Luna
Marjorie Luna
Persephone Luna
Rafaela Luna

What do you think of the names I suggested? What would you pair with Luna? My favorite guilty pleasure pairing is Luna Sapphire for the image of a big blue moon.

Celestial Girl Names

Last week we saw a great selection of celestial names for baby boys. Now it is the girls' turn!  If you're looking for the perfect name for the little star in your life, perhaps you'll find it on this list! Included in the list are names of stars, constellations, planets, moons, satellites and more! It covers all things space-related. So if you're a fan of astronomy or astrology or you simply find yourself gazing up into the cosmos often, I think you'll love this list!

If you're unfamiliar with any of these names, I suggest doing some research before committing to it, as with any baby name.  Which of these lovely choices do you like best? What would you pair with it?

Adara                                         Adhara Adrastea Agena Alula Alya Andromeda Aquila Alhena Amalthea Ara Ariel Aries Aster Asterope Astra Atria Auriga Aurora Austrina Auva Belinda Bellatrix Betria Bianca Callirrhoe Callisto Calypso Capella Carina Cassiopeia Catalina Celeste Chara Columba Cordelia Corona Cressida Cyllene Delphin Desdemona Despina Dione Eartha Elara Electra Eris Eugenia Europa Euanthe Evanthe

Faye Galatea Gemini Gemma Halley Helene Helia Ida Io Juliet Lacerta Larissa Leda Libra Luna Lynx Lyra Maia Margaret Meissa Mensa Merope Metis Mimosa Mira Miranda Nebula Norma Nova Ophelia Pandora Perdita Phoebe Phoenix Portia Rhea Rosalind Sadira Shaula Sidra Sylvia Talitha Tania Thalassa Thebe Titania Vega Vela Venus Zaniah Zosma

Celestial Boy Names

From stars, moons and planets to comets, satellites and even the names of iconic scientists, here is a wonderful list of all things celestial. If you're into astronomy or astrology or you're simply a fan of the night sky, you're sure to find inspiration from this dazzling list of baby names.

However, I don't have the space to define each of these. If you're unfamiliar with one of the names, be sure to research it before writing it on a birth certificate. :)  Which of these names do you like best for a boy?

Acamar                             Aegir Aquila Altair Apus Ariel Atlas Beid Brooks Caliban Cassini Castor Caelum Celestin Cepheus Cetus Copernicus Corvus Crux Daniel Donati Dorado Draco Fenrir Ferdinand Finlay Fornax Francisco Galileo Hercules Herschel Holmes Hubble Indus Jupiter

Keid Kepler Leo Lupus Mars Mercury Miram Montani Naos Nash Neptune Newton Oberon Orion Pavo Perseus Phoenix Pluto Pollux Prospero Rigel Rossi Russell Saiph Sagan Saturn Sirius Stephano Suhail Taurus Triton Tucan West Wolf Zuben

Boy Name of the Week: Orion

The Boy Name of the Week has both mythical and celestial associations to it.

Orion is the name of a constellation of stars. Most visible to the naked eye is a line of three stars that form Orion's belt. The constellation was named after a legendary Greek hunter who is said to have been killed by a scorpion that was sent by Gaia.  However, here are many different tales about Orion and his origins in mythology.

The name Orion does not have a known meaning, but could be related to the Greek ‘οριον' (horion) which means "boundary" or "limit".

Orion has ranked in the US since 1880 but it was extremely rare and hardly used until it began gaining a bit of momentum in the 70s. It landed on the top 1000 chart for the first time in 1991 at #995 then fell back off for two years.

Starting in 1994, this name has been on an upward trajectory!  In 2012, there were 673 baby boys named Orion which ranked the name at #419. There were also 21 female births in 2012. There has been a handful of girls given this name since 1991 (and 5 random births in 1917) but this is an overwhelmingly male name.

Source

This name is categorized with nature names and celestial names as well as mythological names. I'm featuring it as my favorite name from yesterday's Nature Names post.

I would probably pair Orion with a traditional name like Orion James or Matthew Orion since it is a bold choice. What do you think of this name?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Aurora, Cassandra, Iris, Jasmine, Raven, Soleil, Xanthe

Brothers: Anthony, August, Griffin, Jared, Lennon, Oliver, Soren, Talon

Middle Name Ideas:
Orion James
Orion Carter
Orion Lucas
Orion Lee

As a Middle Name:
Matthew Orion
Dominic Orion
Andrew Orion
Blake Orion