The moon is steeped in spirituality and science. It’s a symbol for mythological gods and goddesses. It’s responsible for the creation of our ocean’s tides. It’s used as a compass for so many who have looked to the skies to navigate life on earth. So, why is a baby name that means moon right for you? Maybe you love astrology. Maybe you want a name that references a universal force that guides our every way of being. (No pressure, baby.) Or maybe you just want something that sounds downright adorable. Either way, here are 27 of our favorite baby names, inspired by the one, the only moon.
27 Baby Names That Mean Moon
1. Apollo
Yes, it’s a reference to the handsome son of Zeus, but this masculine name of Greek origin also pays tribute to the NASA space program that landed the first-ever humans on the moon.
2. Callisto
One of the moons of Jupiter, , this gender-neutral name of Greek origin also means “most beautiful.”
3. Nikini
In Sinhala, the main language spoken in Sri Lanka, Nikini is a girl’s name that means “full moon in August.” (The month she’s destined to shine the brightest, perhaps?)
4. Ayla
In Turkish, this girl's name means “halo of light around the moon.”
5. Helene
“Bright, shining one” is the meaning of this feminine name of Greek origin. It’s also the name of one of the moons rotating around Saturn.
6. Luna
No guesswork here, this girl’s name is the Latin translation of “moon.”
7. Portia
This feminine name of Latin origin is a nod to the moon of Uranus, and the heroine of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
8. Celena
Celena is a Latinized version of the Greek girl’s name Selene and a spelling variation on Selena with the same meaning of “moon.”
9. Esmeray
Here, a feminine name of Turkish origin that means “dark moon.”
10. Aruna
This gender-neutral Japanese name has many meanings, one of which is “second moon.”
11. Calypso
The name of a “trailing moon” in Saturn’s orbit, this gender-neutral moniker of Greek origin also has mythological ties to a nymph whose name means, ‘I hide.’
12. Amaris
In Spanish, this feminine moniker means “child of the moon.”
13. Rosalind
Rosalind, a moon of Uranus, is a feminine name of German and Spanish origin that means “pretty horse” and “beautiful rose,” respectively.
14. Larissa
This feminine Greek name belongs to one of Neptune’s moons and has a meaning of “citadel.”
15. Titan
Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn, is a masculine Greek moniker that means “powerful big man”—with a kind heart, of course.
16. Hala
This soft-sounding, gender-neutral name has Arabic origins and a meaning of “moon halo.”
17. Perdita
Another tribute to Shakespeare—and one of the moons circling Uranus—Perdita is a Latin girl’s name that means “lost.”
18. Francisco
This Latin moniker for boys means “free man” and is the name of a moon that orbits Uranus.
19. Luan
In Portuguese, this masculine name means “moon.”
20. Elara
Elara, one of the moons of Jupiter, is a girl’s name with Greek, Italian and Arabic roots and mythological ties to one of Zeus’s lovers.
21. Mona
This feminine moniker of Italian origin means “aristocratic,” but in Old English it translates to “moon.”
22. Cressida
Cressida is a feminine name that means “gold” in Greek, and yet another moon closely orbiting Uranus.
23. Atlas
This gender-neutral, Greek name belongs to the mythological figure who famously carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, as well as one of the moons of Saturn.
24. Chandra
This gender-neutral name means “moon” in Sanskrit.
25. Diana
Yes, this feminine name of Latin origin pays homage to the Princess of Wales—but also to the Roman goddess of the moon.
26. Jericho
Jericho is a strong, gender-neutral name of Arabic origin that means “city of the moon.”
27. Crescent
Here, a girl’s name of Old French origin and one of the moon's varying shapes.