16 Baby Names Inspired By The Moon

If you've been hoping to find the perfect nature-inspired baby name but want to expand your horizons, consider looking to the night sky. In our galaxy alone, there are thousands of beautiful potential namesakes, from stars to planets and everything in between — including and especially the moon. But even if you narrow your focus to moon-inspired names only, your list might not get much shorter. Between our singular moon and the hundreds surrounding our neighboring planets, there are plenty of ways to honor these mystical spheres in all their glory and phases.

As far as celestial muses go, Earth's moon might be one of the most worthy. Steady and sure, our moon helps stabilize the planet on its axis, guides biological rhythms, and drives our tides. Quite simply, the moon is a beautiful and awe-inspiring force of nature — and this is exactly how you'll feel about your tiny new arrival.

One of the most popular names that means "moon" is Luna, which has Latin and Roman origins. The name is so beloved, she has landed in the top 30 of the Social Security Administration's popular names list every year since 2018, even climbing as high as No. 10 in 2022 and 2023. Alternatively, while the boy's name Apollo doesn't mean moon by definition, it's closely linked to the celestial body thanks to NASA's Apollo program that first landed men on the moon. Although not quite as popular as Luna, Apollo has been comfortably in the top 500 baby boy names since 2019. But your options certainly don't stop here. 

For truly unique moon-related names for your baby, you might want to look a few hundred million miles away. Jupiter alone has 115 moons, many of which have stunning names. Potential options include Amalthea, which means "tender goddess," or Leda, who was also the mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology. As a gender-neutral option, consider Arche, one of Jupiter's smaller moons, whose name means "beginning" or "origin." 

While it doesn't boast as many moons as Jupiter, Uranus is known for having 29 of its own — five of which are called "The Literary Moons" because they have the same names as characters in works by William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Miranda, Uranus's smallest and closest moon and a character in Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and Ariel, the brightest of the five with the same name as a magical, mythical creature in the famous play, are two common options. But you could also draw inspiration from the other three, opting for the unique names of Oberon, Titania, or Umbriel.

Other potential lunar options include Zohal, a Muslim name meaning "moon of another planet," or one of Saturn's moons — Phoebe, Titan, Dione, Helene, and Atlas among the 145 known celestial bodies. Whichever you choose, one thing's certain. Any name linked to the vastness of space is sure to be a perfect fit for your little moonbeam.