Dreaming of a baby name inspired by the sea? Ocean names for babies like Kai and Kaia are on the rise.
According to baby naming consultant Pamela Redmond of the baby name website Nameberry, ocean names for babies are more popular than ever before.
"There’s such high awareness of the environment and appreciation for nature that many parents have strong feelings for wanting to identify the majesty of the ocean with their child," Redmond told TODAY Parents.
Redmond paralleled the draw of ocean names to that of religious names.
"It’s almost like people naming a child after someone they admire or someone in the Bible or the Quran their child can emulate," Redmond said. "The ocean has that same inspirational power."
Ocean name trends
Nature names, and water names as a subset of nature names, are both trending right now.
"Calm, soothing names with positive meanings have been especially popular with parents having new babies during the pandemic," Redmond told TODAY.
Popular ocean names for babies
The top ocean names on Nameberry are:
Kai — A gender-neutral Hawaiian name meaning “sea”
Caspian — A boy's name taken from the large salty sea between Europe and Asia
Cordelia — Celtic girl name meaning “daughter of the sea”
Mira — A multicultural name with many origins and meanings, one of which is Sanskrit for ocean
Dylan — Welsh name meaning “son of the sea”
Kaia — Feminine form of Kai
Guinevere — Welsh, “white wave”
Miriam — Hebrew, “drop of the sea”
Marina — Latin name meaning “from the sea”
Rosemary — Derived from the Latin terms “ros” meaning “dew” and “marinus” meaning “of the sea”
Top 100 ocean names for babies:
"Parents who love the beach and the ocean, who like to surf or sail, will be drawn to ocean names," Redmond said. "Parents who live near the sea might also choose an ocean-related name."
Here are the top 100 ocean baby names:
- Kai
- Caspian
- Cordelia
- Mira
- Dylan
- Kaia
- Guinevere
- Miriam
- Marina
- Rosemary
- Rafferty
- Mary
- Maren
- Jenna
- Ocean
- Mariah
- Jennifer
- Marilyn
- Murphy
- Marie
- Tiberius
- May
- Morgan
- Maria
- Marnie
- Moira
- Wade
- Mariana
- Irving
- India
- Malik
- Doris
- Naia
- Marin
- Marissa
- Mariam
- Nixie
- Marley
- Morgana
- Maris
- Marvin
- Maryam
- Maribel
- Murray
- Khai
- Marion
- Muriel
- Nori
- Merlin
- Ginevra
- Fisher
- Marisa
- Marian
- Nerissa
- Morwenna
- Mariella
- Beryl
- Marianne
- Neptune
- Kailani
- Llyr
- Darya
- Masha
- Zale
- Kehlani
- Kairi
- Mariel
- Saga
- Kia
- Ondine
- Oceane
- Halcyon
- Moana
- Maelyn
- Thalassa
- Marilla
- Pike
- Oceana
- Rosemarie
- Anahita
- Mar
- Nerida
- Hurley
- Marine
- Sereia
- Marietta
- Maire
- Maryjane
- Neri
- Meara
- Lir
- Ula
- Havelock
- Hali
- Zealand
- Marlee
- Coast
- Stellamaris
- Pelagia
- Iluka
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