baby names

These Ethereal Baby Names Are Pretty Damn Enchanting

Names straight out of the fairy realm.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 
A baby stares up at a butterfly in front of its face.
Layland Masuda/Getty Images

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

  1. Aerin: atmosphere or sky
  2. Aine: brightness, splendor
  3. Aisling: dream, vision
  4. Alba: white
  5. Amarantha: unfading
  6. Andromeda: ruler of men
  7. Angeni: angel
  8. Anwen: very beautiful
  9. Aoife: beauty
  10. Arwen: noble maiden
  11. Arianrhod: huge or round wheel
  12. Asteria: of the stars
  13. Astraea: star-maiden or starry night
  14. Aurora: dawn
  15. Aziza: beloved precious, mighty
  16. Bronwen: fair
  17. Calla: beautiful
  18. Calliope: beautiful-voiced; the most prominent of the Greek Muses
  19. Callista: most beautiful
  20. Cassandra: helper of men
  21. Cassiopeia: she who chooses to excel
  22. Celeste: heavenly, celestial
  23. Celia: heavenly
  24. Celica: heavenly, celestial
  25. Chessa: at peace
  26. Cressida: gold; mythological and Shakesperean heroine
  27. Cardea: protectress of hinges, axis
  28. Dahlia: Dahl’s flower
  29. Danae: she who judges; in Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus and founder of Ardea
  30. Deevitha: one who has powers; blessing
  31. Delyth: pretty
  32. Devas: divine, shining one
  33. Diana: divine, heavenly; Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth
  34. Eira: snow; name of the Sanskrit goddess of wisdom
  35. Elowen: elm tree
  36. Epiphany: revelatory manifestation of divine being; shining forth
  37. Eris: strife; Greek goddess of discord and chaos
  38. Fauna: young deer; Roman goddess of nature and animals
  39. Freya: a noble woman; Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility
  40. Galadriel: maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance; Elven queen in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series
  41. Galatea: she who is milk-white
  42. Guinevere: white ghost; phantom
  43. Gwendolyn: blessed ring
  44. Gwyneira: blessed snow
  45. Idris: fiery leader, prophet
  46. Iris: rainbow; Greek goddess of the rainbow
  47. Isla: name of a Scottish island also known as “the Queen of Hebrides”
  48. Ilithyia: the ready-comer
  49. Imogen: maiden; innocent
  50. Isidora: gift of Isis
  51. Isolde: ice ruler; Irish princess from medieval Arthurian legend
  52. Ivelisse: life
  53. Kailani: sea and sky
  54. Lesedi: light
  55. Ling: sound of jade
  56. Luna: moon
  57. Lúthien: daughter of flowers
  58. Lyra: lyre, harp
  59. Meliora: better; honey
  60. Melisande: strong in work; fierce character on Game of Thrones
  61. Morgana: circling sea, bright sea dweller; great brightness
  62. Morwenna: waves of the sea
  63. Mellonia: gift of God
  64. Nahamana: peak
  65. Nimue: the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend
  66. Noa: movement
  67. Nova: new; a star with sudden and increasing brightness
  68. Nortia: lucky; name of an Etruscan goddess of time, fate, destiny, and chance
  69. Ophelia: help; tragic heroine in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
  70. Orenda: Iroquois name for the spiritual energy inherent in all natural objects
  71. Rhiannon: great queen or goddess
  72. Rhonwen: fair lance; white-haired
  73. Rowena: white spear or famous friend; the founder of Ravenclaw house in Harry Potter
  74. Semira: the highest heaven
  75. Seraphina: fiery or burning
  76. Seraphine: fiery or burning
  77. Serena: tranquil, serene
  78. Sofina: wisdom
  79. Talitha: young girl; one of two stars in the Ursa Major constellation
  80. Titania: land of giants; character from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
  81. Triss: blessed, happy
  82. Ulloriaq: star-like
  83. Ursa: little she-bear
  84. Ursula: bear
  85. Vesper: evening time
  86. Vespera: evening star
  87. Yara: water lady; small butterfly
  88. Ygraine: maiden; the wife of Uther Pendragon in Arthurian legend
  89. Yvaine: evening star
  90. Zephyrine: west wind
  91. Zora: dawn

Ethereal Boy Names

  1. Ailin: little rock
  2. Amadi: free man
  3. Anil: wind
  4. Anjum: stars
  5. Apollo: destroyer; Greek god of the sun
  6. Arden: great forest; high
  7. Bevan: son of Evan
  8. Caspian: from the Caspian Sea; a character in the C.S. Lewis series Chronicles of Narnia
  9. Cassiel: speed of God
  10. Chang: unrestrained
  11. Chi: spiritual being
  12. Emrys: immortal; a Romano-British warlord who was the uncle of King Arthur
  13. Ephraim: fruitful
  14. Erkin: free
  15. Evander: good of man
  16. Everett: brave boar
  17. Ezra: help
  18. Felix: lucky or successful
  19. Flynn: red
  20. Gideon: feller, hewer
  21. Jasper: treasurer
  22. Jether: surplus, excellence
  23. Leander: lion man
  24. Leonidas: lion
  25. Lysander: a release
  26. Malachi: my angel, my messenger
  27. Mandeep: spirit light
  28. Manoja: born of the mind
  29. Manpreet: spirit joy
  30. Mishal: bright flame
  31. Neven: everlasting
  32. Niall: champion
  33. Oberon: elf ruler; king of the fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  34. Oren: pine tree; fair, pale
  35. Orion: rising in the sky, dawning; hunter and son of Poseidon in Greek mythology
  36. Oswin: friend of the gods
  37. Percival: pierce the valley; legendary knight of the Round Table who sought the Holy Grail
  38. Puck: mischievous sprite; trickster figure in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  39. Pule: waterfall
  40. Raphael: God heals
  41. Rhydian: red
  42. Ricmod: mighty spirit
  43. Ridge: the narrow elevation of a mountain
  44. River: a natural flowing path of water
  45. Rowan: red-haired
  46. Tristan: sad; tragic hero of Arthurian legend
  47. Xerxes: ruler of the heroes
  48. Yaksha: representative of God
  49. Zenith: the very top
  50. Zephyr: west wind

This article was originally published on