20 Baby Names That Mean Father

Of course, Axel gets its cool factor from Guns N’ Roses’ lead singer Axl Rose. But Axel, which is Scandinavian in origin, means “father of peace.” Hopefully, with this rock n’ roll name, your little rocker will rock his cradle right to sleep.

When your baby is the apple of her daddy’s eye, there’s no better name than Abigail. It means “the father’s joy” in Hebrew, and has a slew of spellings (think Abigael, Abagail, Abigayle, Abbegail, etc.) Plus, the nickname Abby is super cute, and Abigail is one of the most popular girl’s names right now.

Eliab is another Biblical name; he was the son of Helon and eldest brother of King David. Eliab is a boy’s name of Hebrew origin and means “God is father.” Not feeling the B at the end of the name? You can always shorten it to Elia (for a girl), or Eli, for a boy. You could even give your child the nickname Ellie, which can be gender-neutral, too.

Abner is a Hebrew name, meaning “father of light.” It comes from the Bible, where Abner was the army chief for King Saul, who was known for being a true warrior. The name is pronounced Ab-ner, but it can also have the nickname Aby.

Whether you’re a history buff (think Abraham Lincoln) or a bibliophile, you might adore Abraham. It is a Hebrew name meaning “father of multitudes.” It’s typically a boy’s name, and can be either Abraham or Abram, which was Abraham’s original name.

A version of Aviela or Abiela, Avielle is a Hebrew name that means “God is my father.” It’s not a common name, which means you won’t find too many Avielle’s in your kiddo’s pre-K class, and it’s a name that honors a father as well.

A gender-neutral name, Abital is a name for both boys and girls in Israel, where it’s still popular. Abital, which means “my father is dew,” comes from the Old Testament, where she was one of King David’s wives.

Of course, visions of the Ancient Queen of Egypt might come to mind when you think of the name Cleopatra. But Cleopatra actually means “glory of the father” and is of Greek origin. If you’re in de-Nile (get it?) about naming your kid Cleopatra, Cleo is pretty cute for a boy or a girl and still has the same significance.

Abra is a girl’s name that is of Hebrew origin. It means “father of multitudes” which could be a cute name if you’re having twins.

Pronounced Ah-vee, Avi is a Hebrew name meaning “father.” It is often used as a prefix in many father-centric names, but can be used as a stand-alone name, too. While it’s often considered a boy’s name, Avi can be gender-neutral as well.

An African name, Zaci means “god of fatherhood.” It can be either for a boy or a girl, and can also be pronounced a multitude of ways (think: “Zay-sigh” or “Zah-chee”), too.

Meaning “my father is strong,” Avirama is a Hebrew name. It’s a girl’s name, which can be cute, especially if her daddy is the big, strong type.

Although it is more common as a last name, Abbott (which means father in Hebrew) can be a gender-neutral first name. And Abbott joins the list of names that end with a double T, (think Everett, Barrett, Wyatt, for example), and can be gender-neutral, too.

Sure, you think your baby is out of this world amazing, and that’s why a name like Jupiter works. With the Latin element of “pater” which means “father,” Jupiter isn’t quite a common name, and that’s why you might find it astronomically appealing.

Sure, it might sound like that Swedish group from the 70s, but Abba is a Hebrew name which means “father.” You can always switch it up and name your baby Abby, but Mamma Mia, you just might fall in love with this melodic name.

The name Nnamdi means “my father lives,” and is a traditional male name. It hails from the Igbo people of Nigeria, and is pronounced “nahm-dee.” Even though it’s more common for a boy, it can easily be a gender-neutral name.

If “the Hun” comes to mind upon hearing Attila, well, that’s not surprising. But what might be is that Attila, which is of Hungarian origin, means “little father.” It’s still pretty popular in parts of Europe, but with possible nicknames like Ati, or even Tilly, Attila can become a gender-neutral name for your little leader.

Not to be confused with Donna or Dana, Adanna is a Western African name. It means “she is her father’s daughter,” so if your little one looks just like her daddy, this would be a fitting name.

Abijah is a Hebrew name, and it means “Yahweh is my father.” It has various spellings (such as Abia or Abiyyahu) and can be used for either a baby boy or girl. It’s pronounced “Ah-bye-jah”, and not “Abby-jah.”

Known as a boy’s name, Abiel is a Hebrew name. It means “my father is the Lord” or “God is my father.” Nicknames for Abiel could be Abe (for a boy), and Abby or Bibi for a girl.