The moon is an object of wonder for those who love science and exploration, as well as those who are more tied to the mystical and spiritual side of life. Having been a source of wonder and inspiration throughout the ages, many cultures have worshiped the moon as a god or goddess, while many more have used the heavens as a means of navigation, or kept track of moon cycles to understand when to plant crops and nurture vineyards.
The moon creates our oceans' tides, and it has guided how people do things throughout history, including the many persistent rumors that it also affects humans. There are myths and folklore about the full moon causing strange behavior — although there's probably little truth to that.
Given the many moon-related gods and goddesses — who are also often associated with peace and fertility — and the long scientific relationship with the moon, what would make more sense as an object of admiration worthy of a baby's name? Whether the parents are both interested in mythology or are both fans of space exploration (or they're one of each!) a moon-related name is a great place to start (or a great compromise).
We've scoured the world to make this list of moon-inspired names for boys and girls (as well as some gender neutral names) to give expecting parents inspo for their little ones.
LUNA
In ancient Roman mythology, the goddess Luna was the goddess of the moon — and in Latin, the word for moon is simply "luna." For parents who want a name that's easy to pronounce and feels familiar, Luna is a great choice for girls.
HUNTER
The first moon after the harvest moon, usually in October, is known as the hunter's moon. It's especially bright, and traditionally allowed hunters to ride over the fields to spot their prey at night. It's a great name, and gender-neutral to boot.
CAROLYN
Carolyn Porco is an extremely cool astronomer. Among her many accomplishments, she's an expert on the planetary rings and moons that circle the outer planets of our solar system, and is responsible for the discovery of icy geysers on one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus.
BADAR
Badar is a beautiful Arabic name with the meaning "full moon." This is a strong name in terms of its sound, and it carries a romantic image of a full moon overhead. This is a traditional boy's name.
JERICHO
The meaning behind the name of the ancient city of Jericho is "city of the moon." The city remains one of the oldest continuous settlements in the world, possibly dating from 9,000 B.C. In the Bible, Jericho is the site of a great battle. It's a strong and unusual name, especially suited for a boy.
ARMSTRONG
Yes, one could also choose "Neil," which is a fine name and strong, but "Armstrong" is such a cool name, and it's also good for either a boy or a girl. Of course, we're referring to the American astronaut who was the first person in history to walk on the moon.
SHI
For babies with Chinese heritage, a remarkable namesake is Shi Shen, the early Chinese astronomer who wrote several books on the stars, and who the crater Shi Shen on the moon is named after.
KENNEDY
We love the gender-neutral baby name Kennedy just sort of generally, but we especially love getting to honor President John F. Kennedy, who spearheaded the national effort to have Americans land first on the moon.
AYDAN
This name, traditionally from Turkish and Azerbaijani cultures, is historically a girls' name that literally translates to "from the moon" ("ay" means moon, and "dan" means from). We love the sound of this name — not to mention the meaning.
CLEMENTINE
Launched in 1994, Clementine was a spacecraft sent to make observations of our moon, including assessing the mineral components of the moon, and gathering multi-spectral images of the moon's surface.
HADLEY
Hadley is a mountain on the moon, just to the southwest of which was a landing site for the Apollo 15 expedition. Named for the English mathematician John Hadley, we adore the name Hadley for either a boy or a girl.
GIOVANNI
Giovanni Battista Riccioli was an Italian astronomer and Catholic priest born in 1598. He extensively studied the moon. He was also among the first to note that he believed the moon to be uninhabited.
SELENE
In Greek mythology, Selene is the goddess of the moon. This goddess drives her chariot across the heavens every night, and is considered a personification of the moon. This peaceful goddess is considered beautiful with lustrous hair.
KHONSU
Khonsu is the name of the ancient Egyptian god of the moon. Khonsu is known for healing people, and is considered instrumental in the creation of new life, as well as protecting people from wild animals.
PORTIA
Discovered from images taken by Voyager 2 in 1986, Portia is a moon of Uranus named after the heroine of William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. This makes this name a great double-whammy of Shakespearean and lunar themed.
EUROPA
Europa orbits Jupiter, and as it is just smaller than our own Earth's moon, it is the sixth-largest moon in our solar system. Europa was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, and named after a Phoenician noblewoman from Greek mythology.
RORIS
Sinus Roris, or the "Bay of Dew," is a feature on the moon, similar to a bay (but without the water). We think that Roris would be adorable shortened to "Rory," and would be perfect for either a boy or a girl.
EDWIN
Better known as "Buzz," Edwin Aldrin is a great American engineer and astronaut who is famous for being the second person to set foot on the moon. While we love "Buzz" as a nickname, Edwin is such an elegant classic.
ROOK
The Montes Rook is a ring-shaped mountain range that crosses from our side to the far side of the moon. Named for the English astronomer Lawrence Rooke, we think the name is cool for a boy or a girl, and also calls to mind crows and the game of chess.
JURA
The Montes Jura is a mountain range on the moon, named after the Jura Mountains here on Earth, in eastern France and crossing over into western Switzerland. We think it would be a great name for a boy or a girl.
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