Moon names for babies are evergreen, but they're especially resonant during the Lunar New Year. Today marks the first day of the Lunar New Year — the largest holiday in China, with celebrations around the world.

If you're expecting a Lunar New Year baby, you're in luck. Names that mean moon and other lunar names are flying at an all-time high right now, led by the lovely Luna – the Roman goddess of the moon.

Now officially in the US Top 10, Luna’s rise has been truly astronomical since it re-entered the Top 1000 in 2003, for the first time in almost a century. That was the year Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published, introducing the kooky but courageous character of Luna Lovegood.

The name has since been picked up by stylish celebrity parents like Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman, and John Legend, and now ranks in the Top 50 in a dozen other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

But if its meteoric rise to the top of the baby name charts puts you off, there is a multitude of other magical moon names to consider.

From names that mean moon to those belonging to real faraway moons, we explore 100+ of the best lunar names for babies.

Names That Mean Moon

Girl Names Meaning Moon

Girl names meaning moon include a vast array of attractive Turkish names containing the element ay, which means – you guessed it – “moon”. These include rising international favorite Ayla with its evocative meaning of “moonlight” or “moon halo”, as well as rarer choices like Miray, Belinay, and Aysima – all in the current Turkish Top 50 for girls.

Also included in this category are options relating to the phases of the moon or the twelve full moon names, such as Crescent, Harvest, and Snow.

Boy Names Meaning Moon

Boy names meaning moon include dozens of dynamic Japanese options like Asaki, Reito, and Tatsuki, which can be formed from different kanji combinations to give various moon-related meanings.

Modern favorite Hunter and almost-Kardashian baby name Wolf also make the list by virtue of their lunar connections – they are the traditional names for the full moons of October and January, respectively.

Faraway Moon Names

Moon Names for Girls

The names of real astronomical moons are mostly drawn from literature and legend – particularly Greco-Roman mythology and the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. 

Jupiter’s moons are all named after relatives or lovers of the god, including Amalthea, Elara, Io, and Leda. And the 27 moons of Uranus include Shakespearean character names from Cressida to Juliet to Rosalind.

Moon Names for Boys

Faraway moon names for boys include the literary sprites Ariel, Umbriel, and Puck, as well as names from Greek and Norse mythology, like Atlas, Hyperion, Fenrir, and Narvi.

Some distant moons, including Nix, Neso, and Sao, are actually named after female mythical figures – the Greek goddess Nyx and two of the Nereids, daughters of the early sea god Nereus. But their striking sounds feel eminently wearable for modern baby boys as well.

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