These Ethereal Baby Names Are Pretty Damn Enchanting
Names straight out of the fairy realm.
Babies bring so much magic and mystery when they arrive. Maybe we’re sleep-deprived. Maybe we’re in love. But, no matter how you look at it, there’s just something… otherworldly about babies. Because of that mystical aura, you might be searching for ethereal names you can mull over for your little one. And, hey, that tracks. The very meaning of the word ethereal — “extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world” — just seems to embody that intangibly remarkable quality about babies.
But what does “otherworldly” mean? What other worlds are there? Well, if you open up your imagination, we can name a few. There’s the fairy realm, the elven world, and the wizarding world. That last one, in the case of Harry Potter, makes up the world of witchcraft, too. “Otherworldly” quite literally means “coming from other worlds.” Those worlds are the worlds created by authors and screenwriters. Tolkien’s Middle Earth might be, you know, Earth. But there are races of humans and layers of magic that don’t actually exist in our world. Hence, making it otherworldly. Adventuring somewhere new through travel can also offer a mystical feeling for many people, especially if the locale they visit has a strikingly different landscape and culture from their own.
Our list of ethereal names comprises those kinds of names. They’re a little ineffable feeling but still sound delicate. They’re often the names of some of our favorite magical or powerful beings. Yes, ethereal is a pretty subjective term. However, we think these names will appeal to anyone looking for that kind of vibe in a baby name.
Ethereal Baby Names, Explained
One of our favorite names on the list is Eris. She’s the Greek goddess of chaos. One infamous lore about Eris is that she once showed up at a wedding (uninvited). First, she caused a catfight when she tossed the golden apple of discord into the room and proclaimed it was for the most beautiful woman in attendance. Later, in an attempt to win the apple, Aphrodite bribed a young man into naming her the winner, and that bride launched an entire war. Imagine — over just an apple. While Eris certainly doesn’t seem “delicate,” she’s absolutely otherworldly, and the name itself sounds downright magical. Eris sounds a bit like a female Loki, and what’s not to love about that?
We also love the name Arwen which, in Sindarin, means “noble maiden.” We’re familiar with Arwen thanks to Tolkien and our visits to Middle Earth, both while reading and watching the movies. Arwen is a queen and half-elf, which seems like a pretty good indicator that she was ethereal. In Fellowship of the Rings, Arwen is described as a “lady fair to look upon… and the light of stars was in her bright eyes, grey as a cloudless night.” Liv Tyler, who could easily be described as ethereal, portrayed Arwen in the movies.
Finally, we included Oswin. We think of Oswin, meaning “divine friend,” as gender-neutral. Oswin comes from the world of Doctor Who, which is sometimes set on our planet and sometimes not. Sometimes it’s not even set in our universe or dimension. Clara Oswin Oswald was a formidable companion to the Doctor and appeared as herself but in many different forms and across many other plains. As such, how could we not think of Oswin as an ethereal name for a baby boy or baby girl?
With that added insight about ethereal baby names in mind, keep reading for all of our favorites.
Ethereal Girl Names
- Aerin: atmosphere or sky
- Aine: brightness, splendor
- Aisling: dream, vision
- Alba: white
- Amarantha: unfading
- Andromeda: ruler of men
- Angeni: angel
- Anwen: very beautiful
- Aoife: beauty
- Arwen: noble maiden
- Arianrhod: huge or round wheel
- Asteria: of the stars
- Astraea: star-maiden or starry night
- Aurora: dawn
- Aziza: beloved precious, mighty
- Bronwen: fair
- Calla: beautiful
- Calliope: beautiful-voiced; the most prominent of the Greek Muses
- Callista: most beautiful
- Cassandra: helper of men
- Cassiopeia: she who chooses to excel
- Celeste: heavenly, celestial
- Celia: heavenly
- Celica: heavenly, celestial
- Chessa: at peace
- Cressida: gold; mythological and Shakesperean heroine
- Cardea: protectress of hinges, axis
- Dahlia: Dahl’s flower
- Danae: she who judges; in Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus and founder of Ardea
- Deevitha: one who has powers; blessing
- Delyth: pretty
- Devas: divine, shining one
- Diana: divine, heavenly; Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth
- Eira: snow; name of the Sanskrit goddess of wisdom
- Elowen: elm tree
- Epiphany: revelatory manifestation of divine being; shining forth
- Eris: strife; Greek goddess of discord and chaos
- Fauna: young deer; Roman goddess of nature and animals
- Freya: a noble woman; Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility
- Galadriel: maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance; Elven queen in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series
- Galatea: she who is milk-white
- Guinevere: white ghost; phantom
- Gwendolyn: blessed ring
- Gwyneira: blessed snow
- Idris: fiery leader, prophet
- Iris: rainbow; Greek goddess of the rainbow
- Isla: name of a Scottish island also known as “the Queen of Hebrides”
- Ilithyia: the ready-comer
- Imogen: maiden; innocent
- Isidora: gift of Isis
- Isolde: ice ruler; Irish princess from medieval Arthurian legend
- Ivelisse: life
- Kailani: sea and sky
- Lesedi: light
- Ling: sound of jade
- Luna: moon
- Lúthien: daughter of flowers
- Lyra: lyre, harp
- Meliora: better; honey
- Melisande: strong in work; fierce character on Game of Thrones
- Morgana: circling sea, bright sea dweller; great brightness
- Morwenna: waves of the sea
- Mellonia: gift of God
- Nahamana: peak
- Nimue: the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend
- Noa: movement
- Nova: new; a star with sudden and increasing brightness
- Nortia: lucky; name of an Etruscan goddess of time, fate, destiny, and chance
- Ophelia: help; tragic heroine in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
- Orenda: Iroquois name for the spiritual energy inherent in all natural objects
- Rhiannon: great queen or goddess
- Rhonwen: fair lance; white-haired
- Rowena: white spear or famous friend; the founder of Ravenclaw house in Harry Potter
- Semira: the highest heaven
- Seraphina: fiery or burning
- Seraphine: fiery or burning
- Serena: tranquil, serene
- Sofina: wisdom
- Talitha: young girl; one of two stars in the Ursa Major constellation
- Titania: land of giants; character from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Triss: blessed, happy
- Ulloriaq: star-like
- Ursa: little she-bear
- Ursula: bear
- Vesper: evening time
- Vespera: evening star
- Yara: water lady; small butterfly
- Ygraine: maiden; the wife of Uther Pendragon in Arthurian legend
- Yvaine: evening star
- Zephyrine: west wind
- Zora: dawn
Ethereal Boy Names
- Ailin: little rock
- Amadi: free man
- Anil: wind
- Anjum: stars
- Apollo: destroyer; Greek god of the sun
- Arden: great forest; high
- Bevan: son of Evan
- Caspian: from the Caspian Sea; a character in the C.S. Lewis series Chronicles of Narnia
- Cassiel: speed of God
- Chang: unrestrained
- Chi: spiritual being
- Emrys: immortal; a Romano-British warlord who was the uncle of King Arthur
- Ephraim: fruitful
- Erkin: free
- Evander: good of man
- Everett: brave boar
- Ezra: help
- Felix: lucky or successful
- Flynn: red
- Gideon: feller, hewer
- Jasper: treasurer
- Jether: surplus, excellence
- Leander: lion man
- Leonidas: lion
- Lysander: a release
- Malachi: my angel, my messenger
- Mandeep: spirit light
- Manoja: born of the mind
- Manpreet: spirit joy
- Mishal: bright flame
- Neven: everlasting
- Niall: champion
- Oberon: elf ruler; king of the fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Oren: pine tree; fair, pale
- Orion: rising in the sky, dawning; hunter and son of Poseidon in Greek mythology
- Oswin: friend of the gods
- Percival: pierce the valley; legendary knight of the Round Table who sought the Holy Grail
- Puck: mischievous sprite; trickster figure in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Pule: waterfall
- Raphael: God heals
- Rhydian: red
- Ricmod: mighty spirit
- Ridge: the narrow elevation of a mountain
- River: a natural flowing path of water
- Rowan: red-haired
- Tristan: sad; tragic hero of Arthurian legend
- Xerxes: ruler of the heroes
- Yaksha: representative of God
- Zenith: the very top
- Zephyr: west wind
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