Explore Unique Ancient Baby Names For Your Little One

Being called "ancient" might not be a compliment, but having an ancient baby name is a different story! Ancient baby names are the perfect choice for parents looking for a name unlikely to be repeated among their children's future classmates. In other words, choose an ancient baby name if you want your baby to stand out.

Beautiful names like Persephone and Timon have stood the test of time, but these ancient baby names aren't likely to be on the top 10 list of most popular baby names anytime soon. There's even an "X" ancient baby name: Xerxes.

There are a few exceptions: Among ancient baby boy names, Sebastian is ranked number 13 on the list of most popular baby boy names. Alexander (number 22), Jason (147), Felix (192), Julius (400), and Damon (424) all cracked the top 500 most popular baby boy names. Among ancient baby girl names, you'll find Mila (28), Valentina (49), Brianna (152), Aurelia (371), and Fiona (400) on the top 1,000 list.

What You Will Learn

The significance of choosing an ancient name for your baby.
A curated list of ancient baby names for boys and girls.
The origins and meanings behind these unique names.
How ancient names can help your child stand out in their future social circles.

If you want the most ancient of ancient baby names, consider Kushim. According to some historians, Kushim may be the oldest recording of a name. It was the name of an accountant and appears on tablets from ancient Persia as early as about 3400 B.C.E.

Here is a list of 155 ancient names and their origins and meanings:

Ancient Baby Names for Boys

Aarav: Hindi, peaceful
Alexander: from Greek, defending men
Amadeus: from Latin, lover of God
Amias: from French, loved
Andreas: Greek version of Andrew, strong and manly
Arit: Sanskrit, one worthy of praise
Arram: Hebrew, high
Atlas: from Greek, bearer of the heavens
Atticus: Latin, from Attica
Augustus: from Latin, great or magnificent
Aurelius: from Latin, the golden one
Balthasar: Baal, protect the king
Bharat: from Sanskrit, universal monarch
Bodhi: from Sanskrit, awakening or enlightenment
Bruce: from Latin, a man from the brushwood
Bruno: German, brown
Caesar: from Latin, long-haired. Caesar was also the title given to rulers of the Roman empire.
Caius: from Latin, rejoice
Cassius: from Latin, hollow
Castor: from Greek and Latin, beaver
Cato: from Latin, all-knowing
Caxton: Old Norse/Old English, lump settlement
Corbett: French, young crow
Cornelius: from Latin, horn
Cosmo: from Greek, Italian, and English, order and beauty
Cyrus: from Persian, sun
Damon: English, to tame or subdue
Decimus: from Latin, tenth
Demetrius: from Greek, follower of Demeter, the Greek goddess of harvest
Divit: from Sanskrit, heaven
Engjell: Albanian, English and Slavic, angel
Evander: Scottish, strong, or a good man
Felix: from Latin, happy
Flavius: from Latin, yellow or golden
Ivo: German, yew wood or archer
Hardik: from Sanskrit, heartfelt friendship
Helios: from Greek mythology, the sun god
Hiro: Japanese, large or widespread
Horatio: from Latin, hour or time
Icarus: from Greek mythology, a character who flew too close to the sun
Jason: from Greek, healer
Jasper: from Persian, bringer of treasure
Julius: from Greek, youthful
Jupiter: from Latin, supreme
Lazarus: Latinized from the Greek Eleazar, God is my helper
Leander: from Greek, lion-man
Loki: from Norse mythology, a trickster god
Lucius: from Latin, light
Magnus: from Latin, greatest
Marcellus: from Latin, young warrior
Marcus: from Latin, warlike
Marius: from Latin, related to Mars, the god of war
Maximus: from Latin, greatest
Mercury: from Roman mythology, the messenger god
Neptune: from Roman mythology, a variation of Neptunus, god of the sea
Nero: from Latin, stern
Obi: African, heart
Octavius: from Latin, eighth
Odysseus: from Greek, hero of Homer’s epic saga
Orion: from Greek mythology, a rising star
Orpheus: from Greek, the darkness of night
Osirus: Egyptian, with strong eyesight
Otto: from German, wealthy
Ozius: from Greek, salvation
Quintus: from Latin, fifth
Remus: from Latin, meaning unknown, one of the legendary wolf twins who, with brother Romulus, founded Rome
Rhodes: from Greek, where roses grow
Romulus: from Latin, a citizen of Rome, one of the legendary wolf twins who, with brother Remus, founded Rome
Rufus: from Latin, red-haired
Scorpius: Italian, a creature with a burning sting
Sebastian: from Greek and Latin, a person from the ancient city of Sebastia
Seneca: from Latin, people of the standing rock. Also, Seneca is the name of a Native American tribe.
Septimus: from Latin, the seventh son
Severus: from Latin, stern
Shadrack or Shadrach: Babylonian, command of Aku
Tarquin: Latin, Roman clan name
Theon: from Greek, godly
Thor: Norse, thunder
Tiberius: Latin, from the Tiber
Timon: from Greek, worthy or honorable
Titus: from Latin, title of honor
Urban: from Latin, of the city
Wolfgang: German, traveling wolf
Xerxes: Persian, a hero among heroes
Zephyr: from Greek, west wind
Zotikos: from Greek, full of life

Ancient Baby Names for Girls

Abelia: from Hebrew, sigh or breath
Aeliana: from Latin, sun
Aine: Gaelic, pronounced AWN-yah, radiance. Aine is the name of a legendary Irish fairy queen.
Anahita: Persian, river, and water goddess