Names That Mean Moon

Moon names tend to feel calm and luminous, and many of them come from the goddesses who personified the moon in ancient myth. Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon and is also the Latin and Spanish word for it. Selene was her Greek counterpart, and Selena, Salina and Celena are later forms and spellings. Elara was a figure in Greek myth and is now also the name of a moon of a giant planet.

Turkish gives this list some of its most popular choices. Ayla is usually explained as a halo of light around the moon, and Aylin, Ailin, Aylah and Ayda share the Turkish word for moon, ay. Arabic offers Kamar, a word for the moon, and Hala, which refers to the halo around it. Kamaria, a Swahili name, is often translated as like the moon, and Yatziri is a name from the Purépecha people of Mexico that many families explain as daughter of the moon.

Because several of these names sound alike, spelling deserves a moment of thought. Ayla, Aylah and Ayda look similar but are pronounced differently, and Selena and Salina are easy to mix up in writing. Say the name aloud and write it out with your surname to make sure you have the version you want.