When you look up into the night sky and see the big, beautiful moon, you might feel that mystical sense of wonder. You might feel a curiosity for the solar system, the Universe, and the meaning of life here on Earth. You might even feel a gravitational pull to naming your future children after the moon. If you’re curious about some of the unique and beautiful moon names out there, then you’ve come to the right place!
If you’re having a baby and are looking for some names to give them, this is where you’ll find a list of some of the best baby names, in relation to the moon. Maybe your baby was born during a Full Moon or a New Moon. Maybe you’re a space enthusiast or just someone who appreciates the magic of la lune. Maybe you are Native American and you want to name your baby after the history, knowledge, culture, and tribes of your ancestors.
Below you will find a little history of full moon names (and meanings) based on Native American culture and history. You will also find a collection of baby names that mean moon in another language or culture, are the names of other planets’ moons, or are inspired by the Full Moon/Blue Moon. At the end of the page, you will also find fun facts about the moon (or other planets’ moons), if that is of interest to you.
History of the Moon and Its Names
Moon names came from Native American culture and differed from tribe to tribe. The full moon names were passed down through generations and adopted by Colonial Americans. Different cultures (and tribes) gave names to the moon across the lunar calendar.
Below you will find a list of the many traditional names for the full moon and the new moon. This was done as a means of timekeeping, to track the cycles of the moon within each month and season. Here is the list of full moon names, alternative names, a bit of background information for how those names came to be.
January – Full Wolf Moon. Wolves were often heard howling during this time of year, due to gathering for hunting, locating pack members, and defining territory. Alternative names include Canada Goose Moon, Center Moon, Cold Moon, Great Moon, Spirit Moon.
February – Full Snow Moon. February is a month when it snows quite a lot, so that’s where that name came from! Alternative names include Bald Eagle Moon, Bear Moon, Eagle Moon, Groundhog Moon.
March – Full Worm Moon. This moon name refers to the “worm larvae” that came from tree bark that emerged after hiding in winter. Alternative names include Eagle Moon, Goose Moon, Snow Crust Moon, and Wind Strong Moon.
April – Full Pink Moon. This name came from the “moss pink” spring wildflower that starts to bloom. Alternative names include Breaking Ice Moon, Frog Moon, Moon of the Red Grass Appearing, Moon When The Streams Are Again, Sugar Maker Moon.
May – Full Flower Moon. Spring is here and all the flowers are blooming! Alternative names include Budding Moon, Egg Moon, Milk Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Frog Moon, Planting Moon.
June – Full Strawberry Moon. This is the time when gathering ripening strawberries is the best (especially in the northeastern United States). Alternative names include Berries Ripen Moon, Birth Moon, Blooming Moon, Hot Moon, Green Corn Moon, Flower Moon.
July – Full Buck Moon. At this time of year, a male deer’s antlers (a buck) are in full growth. Alternative names include Berry Moon, Halfway Summer Moon, Hay Moon, Moon of the Ripe Corn Moon, Thunder Moon.
August – Full Sturgeon Moon. Sturgeon is a fish that is caught frequently during this time in the Great Lakes. Alternative names include Black Cherries Moon, Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Flying Up Moon.
September – Full Corn Moon. This name refers to the time when it’s best to harvest the corn, which is why it is also considered to be called Harvest Moon. Alternative names include Autumn Moon, Moon of Brown Leaves, Mating Moon, and Leaves Turning Moon.
October – Full Hunter’s Moon. This is the month of hunting and laying in provisions for the winter months that are approaching. Alternative names include Drying Rice Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Migrating Moon.
November – Full Beaver Moon. This name refers to when beavers finished preparing for winter and start retreating into their homes. Alternative names include Deer Rutting Mon, Freezing Moon, Whitefish Moon.
December – Full Cold Moon. This name refers to when the nights become long, dark, and very, very cold. Alternative names include Frost Exploding Trees Moon, Long Night Moon, Mid-winter Moon, Snow Moon.
Native American Moon Names
Here are some unisex, female, and male baby names derived from the Native Americans and their culture.
Jaci – Native American name for the moon
Magena/Mitena – name meaning “coming moon” (aka New Moon)
Miakoda – name meaning “power of the moon”; nicknames can be “Mia” or “Koda”!
Mitexi – “holy moon”
Migina – “moon returning”
Nokomis – “moon princess”
Pamuy – “water moon”
Taini – “returning moon”
Tainn/Tayen – “new moon”
Unisex Moon Names
Artemis/Artemus – name from the Greek goddess of the moon. The name “Pheobe” is an epithet of this name. This can be a unisex name!
Ainar – Kazakh name meaning “moon”
Hang – Vietnamese name meaning “moon”
Indu – Hindi name for the moon
Io – Greek mythology name, one of Jupiter’s moons
Jace – American name meaning “moon”
Koray – Turkish name meaning “ember moon”
Luan – Portuguese name, means “moon”
London – Old English name meaning “fortress of the moon”
Ming Yue – Chinese name meaning “clear moon”
Yue – Chinese name meaning “moon”
Moon Names For Baby Boys
Armstrong – name is taken from astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was the first man on the moon in 1969.
Aldrin – name is taken from astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was the second man to land on the moon in 1969.
Apollo – this is a Greek name meaning “handsome”, but it also refers to the NASA Apollo space mission (the one that put humans on the moon!)
Arche – this is one of the moons of Jupiter
Atlas – this is one of Saturn’s moons
Badar / Bader – “full moon” in Arabic
Badru – Egyptian name meaning “born during the full moon”
Buzz – name is taken from astronaut Buzz Aldrin
Hyperion – Greek mythology name and also one of the moons of Jupiter
Jericho – Arabic name meaning “city of the moon”
Kale – one of Jupiter’s moons
Mani – Norse mythology name for a personified moon
Narvi – Norse mythology name; one of Saturn’s moons
Neil – name is taken from astronaut Neil Armstrong
Oberon – a moon of Uranus
Ramachandra – Hindu name; “Chandra” is derived from the Sanskrit word for moon. A variation of this baby name could be “Chan”
Triton – Greek name for the God of the sea; a moon of Neptune
Tunkay – Turkish name that means “copper moon”
Vikesh – an Indian name meaning “moon”
Moon Names For Baby Girls
Aitne – Greek name, a moon of Jupiter
Altalune – Latin name meaning “over the moon” or “higher than the moon.”
Amaris – Old Irish name meaning “moon child”
Ariel – one of Uranus’ moons
Aruna – Japanese name that means “moon love”
Aysel – Turkish name meaning “moon flood”
Bianca – Latin name for “white”; one of Uranus’ moons
Callisto – Greek name meaning “most beautiful”; one of Jupiter’s moons
Celimine – this name comes from Latin and Greek elements, meaning “heaven” and “moon”
Chandra – Hindi name for “moon goddess”
Chantara – Thai name meaning “moon water”
Charon – this name means “gazing” and is also one of Pluto’s moons
Crescent – French name meaning “growing”; one of the phases (shapes) of the moon
Cynthia – Greek name meaning “moon goddess”
Deva – the name of the Hindi moon goddess
Diana – meaning “goddess of childbirth and the moon”; also means “divine” or “heavenly”
Dione – Greek name meaning “divine queen”; one of Saturn’s moons
Elara – Greek mythology name, also one of Jupiter’s moons
Esmeray – Turkish name meaning “dark moon”
Larissa – Latin name; one of Neptune’s moons
Liviana – Hebrew name meaning “white moon”
Lua – Portuguese name for the moon
Lucine – Armenian name for the moon
Luna – Italian and Spanish name meaning “moon”
Lutana – Tasmanian name for the moon
Mahina – Hawaiian name for the moon
Mahrukh – Muslim name meaning “face like the moon”
Mona – Old English name for the moon
Neoma – Greek name for the New Moon
Nikini – Sri Lankan name for the full moon in August
Nuray – Turkish name for a bright moon
Portia – one of Uranus’ moons
Purnama – Indonesian name for the Full moon
Sasi – Thai name for the moon
Selene / Selena – In Greek and Roman religion, the moon was a goddess, especially worshipped during the new and full moons. This moon name, in both Latin and Greek, means “moon goddess”
Soma – Hindu name meaning “lunar nectar”
Stellaluna – Latin name meaning “star and moon”
Thebe – one of Jupiter’s moons
Names That Mean “Moonlight”
Ayla – Hebrew and Turkish name meaning “moonlight”
Aylin – Hebrew and Turkish name meaning “halo of the moon”
Chandrakant – Sanskrit name meaning “shining moon.” In Hindu mythology, it is the name of the moonstone created by moonlight.
Hala – Arabic name for “moon halo”
Jyotsna – Hindi name meaning “moonlight”
Kamaria – Swahili name for “moonlight”
Mayar – Arabic name meaning “glow of the moon”
Quacey – rare Scottish name meaning “moonlight”
Zira – African name for “moonlight”
Full Moon Names for Babies Born During the Blue Moon
We all know (and use) that saying “once in a Blue Moon,” but what does it really mean?
Well, Blue Moons are something special. It is when two full moons fall within a single calendar month. According to sky watchers, astrologists, and astronomists, this happens seven times in every 19 years. For example, if February doesn’t have a full moon, there will be two full moons in January and March.
Here are some dates over the next handful of years, when there are two full moons:
August 22, 2021
August 31, 2023
August 19, 2024
May 31, 2026
May 20, 2027
December 31, 2028
August 24, 2029
September 30, 2031
August 21, 2032
July 31, 2034
May 22, 2035
January 31, 2037
If your baby is born on any of those days — aka, when it’s (predicted to be) a Blue Moon — you could consider naming them after this event! It would make for a lovely story, picking a baby name based on a lunar, astronomical event. Here are some Full Moon names (Blue Moon names!) you might like:
Luna
Cynthia
Diana
May
Blue
Badar/Bader
Badru
Moon
Fun Facts About Moons
- The largest moon in the solar system is called Ganymede. It is one of Jupiter’s moons and is larger than the planet Mercury! It is the only moon known to have its own internally generated magnetic field.
- It takes our moon about 29.5 days to complete a cycle. As we know from our science classes growing up, our moon goes through phases. The moon is illuminated by the sun, depending on its shape and where it is in relation to the sun and the Earth. These are the phases of the moon: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent…and back to the New Moon again.
