This article shows you a list of baby names inspired by the ocean, sea, rivers and water for boys and girls.
From flowing rivers to turquoise blue oceans, baby names inspired by water are increasingly popular for baby boys and girls.
From classic names such as Marina, Lana and Dylan, to unique choices such as Caspian and Coralie, naming your little one after oceans, seas and rivers carries a sense of timeless charm and wonder.
Celebrities have been known to opt for water-inspired baby names, with the likes of Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix choosing River for their little one, named after the late actor River Phoenix. Meanwhile, Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid named their daughter Kai, which means “sea” in Hawaiian.
As you embark on the exciting journey of choosing a beautiful name name for your bundle of joy, you should consider diving into the vast and captivating world of ocean baby names.
Why should you choose an ocean-inspired baby name?
Whether you love the ocean, or want a name that holds a deep meaning, there are plenty of reasons why parents choose ocean-inspired baby names.
The sea, with its vastness and depth, has captivated human imagination for centuries, and water names can be seen throughout history for thousands of years. Cultures worldwide have drawn inspiration from the rhythmic ebb and flow of tides, the serenity of rivers, and the untamed power of oceans. While selecting a unique name, understanding its meaning and origin adds depth to the choice. For example, water, the source of life, symbolises purity, rejuvenation, and transformation.
Let’s set sail into the fascinating world of sea-inspired names.
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Caspian, for instance, pays homage to the largest enclosed body of water, the Caspian Sea, while Marina, a classic choice, means “of the sea” in Latin, embodying grace and beauty.
Gali, a name of Hebrew origins, means ‘my wave’, while the name Kai which originates from Hawaii – although has several meanings across different cultures – translates to “sea.” Coralie, a French name inspired by coral reefs, offers a delicate and charming option, while Isla, of Scottish origin, means “island,” evoking images of remote and rugged islands.
Parents may opt for names from ancient myths an legends, such as Naiad, derived from Greek mythology, which are a female spirit or nymph found over streams, brooks, fountains, wells and springs. Meanwhile, according to old German legend, the name Lorelei is after a maiden who lived on rock in the Rhine River and lured fishermen to their deaths with her song.
When searching for the perfect name, parents who are nature lovers increasingly turn to rivers, seas, brooks and streams to find a choice with a special meaning rather than a popular name. What’s more, ocean themed baby names are often unisex, meaning they can be a good choice for any gender.
Dive deeper into the history and significance of each name to find the perfect fit for your little one. Check out this list of baby names inspired by the ocean, sea and rivers.
75 baby names inspired by the ocean, sea and rivers and water
Sure, here are the names with their meanings, origins, genders, and pronunciations:
Cari
- Meaning: Of Turkish origin, meaning “flows like water.”
- Origin: Turkish
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: AH-ree
Aerwyna
- Meaning: Of Hebrew origin, meaning “friend of the sea.”
- Origin: Hebrew
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: AIR-win-ah
Gali
- Meaning: This popular Hebrew-origin name means “my wave.”
- Origin: Hebrew
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: GA-lee
Caspian
- Meaning: Originating from the Caspian Sea, this name is derived from the Latin term caspii meaning “white.” It’s also the name of Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: KAS-pee-ən
Marinus
- Meaning: Of Latin origin, meaning “of the sea”.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: mah-REE-nuhs
Nereus
- Meaning: In Greek mythology, Nereus is a god of the sea.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: NEER-ee-uhs
Morgan
- Meaning: The name Morgan is of Welsh origin, meaning “sea-born,” “sea-song,” or “sea-circle.”
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: MOR-gən
Adrian
- Meaning: Adrian is of Latin origin linked to the Adriatic Sea and may have been borrowed from an Illyrian word “adur” meaning “water, sea”.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: AY-dree-ən
Llŷr
- Meaning: A Welsh name that means The Sea. Llŷr is a sea god in Welsh mythology.
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: LLEER
Nami
- Meaning: The name Nami is a girl’s name meaning “ocean wave”.
- Origin: Japanese
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: NAH-mee
Nile
- Meaning: Of Greek origin, meaning “winner of people”; also named after the Nile River.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: NIEL
Dylan
- Meaning: Of Welsh origin, meaning “son of the sea,” Dylan has a poetic and melodic quality.
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: DIL-ən
Murray
- Meaning: The name Murray is name of Celtic origin meaning “settlement by the sea”.
- Origin: Celtic
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: MER-ee
Cove
- Meaning: Of English origin, a charming name inspired by small, sheltered inlets, suggesting coziness and warmth.
- Origin: English
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: KOHV
Mira
- Meaning: This Latin-origin name has several beautiful meanings, of which one is “ocean.”
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MEE-rah
Ula
- Meaning: Of Scandinavian origin. This given name means “gem of the sea”.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: OO-lah
Jennifer
- Meaning: The name Jennifer is derived from the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which means “white wave” or “fair lady.”
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: JEN-nə-fər
Mar
- Meaning: The name Mar is primarily a gender-neutral name of Spanish origin that means The Sea.
- Origin: Spanish
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: MAHR
Arnav
- Meaning: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning “ocean” or “sea”.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: ahr-NAHV
Morgana
- Meaning: Originating from Welsh, the girl’s name Morgana means “circling sea” and “bright sea dweller.”
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: mor-GAH-nə
Athena
- Meaning: After the Greek goddess who was better known as the ruler of wisdom, war, and crafts, but once put Poseidon to the test for the ruler of the sea.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: ah-THEE-nə
Delmar
- Meaning: Has origins in both Spanish and French, and it means “of the sea.”
- Origin: Spanish/French
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: DEL-mahr
Delja
- Meaning: As a baby name originated in Poland and means ‘the daughter of Sea’.
- Origin: Polish
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: DEL-yah
Maren
- Meaning: The name Maren is a girl’s name of Latin origin meaning “sea“.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MAHR-en
Irving
- Meaning: More common as a surname, this Scottish name means ‘sea friend’.
- Origin: Scottish
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: UR-ving
Coral
- Meaning: Of Latin origin, and was popularly used in the Victorian era. It means ‘growth of the sea’.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: KOR-əl
Lir
- Meaning: The Irish god of the sea, the equivalent of the Welsh Llyr which some equate with Shakespeare’s King Lear.
- Origin: Irish
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: LEER
Nerissa
- Meaning: A feminine name of Greek origin that means “sea nymph.”
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: nə-RIS-ə
Lana
- Meaning: In Hawaiian, Lana means ‘afloat; calm as still waters.’
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: LAH-nə
Neri
- Meaning: Of Hebrew or Greek origin, meaning “my candle; ocean spirit.”
- Origin: Hebrew/Greek
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: NEHR-ee
Meara
- Meaning: A girl’s name with Irish origins. Meaning “pool” or “lake,”
- Origin: Irish
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MEE-ə-rə
Triton
- Meaning: Greek roots, meaning “messenger of the sea.”
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: TRY-tən
Talay
- Meaning: Of Thai origin meaning “sea.”
- Origin: Thai
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: tah-LAY
Lorelei
- Meaning: German roots, meaning “alluring water spirit.”
- Origin: German
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: LOHR-ə-lie
Ariel
- Meaning: Of Hebrew origin, meaning “lion of God”. It’s associated with water in literature and was famously known from Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: AIR-ee-əl
Maris
- Meaning: A feminine name of Latin origin meaning “of the sea.”
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MAR-is
Undine
- Meaning: Of Latin origin meaning “water nymph.”
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: UN-deen
Talia
- Meaning: Greek origin, meaning blooming or flourishing; associated with dewdrops.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: TAL-ee-ə
Vannora
- Meaning: Of Welsh origin, is a girl’s name meaning “white wave.”
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: və-NOR-ə
Meli
- Meaning: A girl’s name meaning “honeybee; drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved”.
- Origin: Various
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MEH-lee
Ondine
- Meaning: Of French origin, meaning “little wave.”
- Origin: French
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: AHN-DEEN
Ripley
- Meaning: Of English origin, meaning “strip of clearing by the water.”
- Origin: English
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: RIP-lee
Darya
- Meaning: Of Persian origin, meaning “sea.”
- Origin: Persian
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: DAHR-yah
Cordelia
- Meaning: Of Celtic origins, meaning “daughter of the sea.” The name of King Lear’s one daughter.
- Origin: Celtic
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: kawr-DEE-lee-ə
Brooke
- Meaning: Of English origin, meaning “small stream.”
- Origin: English
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: BROOK
Tallulah
- Meaning: A Native American name, meaning “leaping water.”
- Origin: Native American
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: tə-LOO-lə
Adriana
- Meaning: Latin, meaning “woman of the Adriatic (Adriatic Sea).”
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: ay-dree-AH-nə
Maya
- Meaning: Of Sanskrit origin, meaning “water.”
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MAY-ə
Meredith
- Meaning: Of Welsh origin, meaning “great chief or sea lord.”
- Origin: Welsh
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: MER-ə-dith
Marlowe
- Meaning: Marlowe is a gender-neutral name with English and French origins, meaning “from the hill by the lake.”
- Origin: English/French
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: MAR-loh
Kai
- Meaning: This Hawaiian name means “sea,” capturing the essence of the ocean’s boundless spirit.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: KAH-ee
Sereia
- Meaning: A girl’s name meaning “mermaid”. It’s the Portuguese word for mermaid but can also be used as a name.
- Origin: Portuguese
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: seh-RAY-uh
Murphy
- Meaning: A gender-neutral name of Gaelic origin. This name refers to “warrior of the sea”.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: MUR-fee
Hudson
- Meaning: Derived from the mighty Hudson River in New York City.
- Origin: English
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: HUD-sən
Neptune
- Meaning: Named after the Roman god of the sea, Neptune is a powerful and regal choice.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: NEP-toon
Oceanus
- Meaning: An ancient Greek name. Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: oh-SEE-ə-nəs
Thalassa
- Meaning: This Greek name translates to “sea,” perfect for a little adventurer.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: thə-LAS-ə
Marina
- Meaning: A classic choice, Marina means “of the sea” in Latin, embodying grace and beauty.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: mə-REE-nə
Coralie
- Meaning: A delicate name of French origin inspired by coral reefs, Coralie is both unique and charming.
- Origin: French
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: kawr-uh-LEE
Selene
- Meaning: Meaning “moon” in Greek, Selene reflects the moon’s influence on the tides.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: sə-LEE-nee
Isla
- Meaning: Of Scottish origin, Isla means “island,” evoking images of tranquil waters.
- Origin: Scottish
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: EYE-lə
Oceana
- Meaning: A poetic choice, of Greek origin. This name translates to “ocean” and is derived from Oceanus, who was the Titan that ruled over rivers and sea nymphs in Greek mythology.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: oh-SEE-ah-nə
Marcellus
- Meaning: Meaning “little warrior of the sea,” of Latin origin.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: mahr-SEL-əs
River
- Meaning: Simple yet powerful, River is a unisex name representing the flowing waters.
- Origin: English
- Gender: Unisex
- Pronunciation: RIV-ər
Naida
- Meaning: Derived from Greek mythology, Naida refers to water nymphs, embodying enchantment.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: NAY-də
Liana
- Meaning: A name of French origin, Liana means “to climb like a vine,” reminiscent of riverside flora.
- Origin: French
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: lee-AHN-ə
Maris
- Meaning: With Latin roots, Maris translates to “of the sea,” offering a timeless and elegant option.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MAR-is
Delta
- Meaning: A name associated with river deltas, symbolising convergence and unity.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: DEL-tə
Misty
- Meaning: Evoking the soft, ethereal quality of mist, this name has a dreamy and enchanting feel.
- Origin: English
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: MIS-tee
Naiad
- Meaning: Borrowed from Greek mythology, Naiads were water nymphs associated with freshwater sources, adding a touch of mythology to your baby’s name.
- Origin: Greek
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: NAY-ad
Rainelle
- Meaning: A sweet and whimsical name, Rainelle combines “rain” with a charming suffix.
- Origin: English
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: RAY-nel
Marilla
- Meaning: A variant of the Latin name Mary, meaning “shining sea.”
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: mə-RIL-ə
Ondine
- Meaning: Derived from French, Ondine means “little wave,” capturing the delicacy and movement of water.
- Origin: French
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: AHN-deen
Riviera
- Meaning: A name that brings to mind the picturesque coastal regions, Riviera exudes elegance and sophistication.
- Origin: Italian/French
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: riv-ee-ER-ə
Selkie
- Meaning: Inspired by Celtic folklore, Selkies are mythical creatures that transform from seals to humans, symbolizing fluidity and transformation.
- Origin: Celtic
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: SELL-kee
Nixie
- Meaning: The name Nixie is a girl’s name of German origin meaning “water nymph”.
- Origin: German
- Gender: Female
- Pronunciation: NIK-see
Fluvius
- Meaning: Translates to “river” in Latin, evoking the steady flow of water.
- Origin: Latin
- Gender: Male
- Pronunciation: FLOO-vee-əs
Meanings of ocean-inspired baby names
For those thinking about an ocean-baby name, let’s delver deeper into the meanings behind them. For example, Latin baby names inspired by water carry a timeless and classical allure, reflecting the influence of ancient Roman culture. Latin water-inspired names not only sound melodious but also carry a sense of historical richness, making them a splendid choice for parents seeking both tradition and fluidity in their baby’s name.
Names derived of Latin origin often embody elegance and sophistication. Consider a Latin name like Aquila, meaning “eagle” and associated with the expansive skies, or Fluvius, which translates to “river” in Latin, evoking the steady flow of water. Marcellus, means “little warrior of the sea,” while Aqua, a direct translation for “water,” is a simple and graceful option.
For a touch of mythology, consider Nereus, named after the ancient sea god, or Thalassa, meaning “sea” and representing the vastness of the ocean. Neptune, a powerful and regal choice, pays homage to the Roman god of the sea.
Oceanus, an ancient Greek name, symbolises the vastness of the ocean, while Dylan, of Welsh origin, with its meaning “son of the sea,” has a poetic quality. Cordelia has both Latin and Celtic origins, and means “daughter of the sea” and “heart.” This timeless name belonged to King Lear’s loving daughter in Shakespeare’s play.
For baby girl names, Marina, a perfect choice and means “of the sea” in Latin, embodying grace and beauty. Coralie, a French name inspired by coral reefs, offers a delicate and charming option. Meanwhile, Oceana, a poetic choice, captures the vastness and mystery of the ocean, while River, a unisex name, represents the flowing waters and the continuity of life.
Maris, with Latin roots, translates to “of the sea,” offering a timeless and elegant option for your little sea princess. Tidal, a modern and distinctive choice, conveys a sense of strength and influence, reflecting the unstoppable force of the tides. Vannora, of Welsh origin, is a girl’s name meaning “white wave.”
As you navigate the vast seas of baby name possibilities, may these sea-inspired names serve as a beacon of inspiration. Whether you’re drawn to the power of Kai, the tranquility of Isla, or the enchantment of Naida, each name carries a unique story waiting to be told. Sail forth with confidence as you choose a name that resonates with the beauty, resilience, and boundless wonder found in the world’s oceans and rivers.
This article showed you a list of baby names inspired by the ocean, sea and water for boys and girls.
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