Baby Names For When You Love Luna, But Not How Popular It’s Become

Like Luna, Selene is a name that means “moon,” but instead of Latin it’s Greek. In fact, in Ancient Greece, Selene was the goddess and personification of the moon itself. (It wasn’t until the post-classical that we get the more familiar Artemis.)

This unique Gaelic baby name can also be spelled “Una” or “Oonagh” and means “lamb.” It’s not as celestial as Luna, but it’s a name that sounds like Luna, which is also pretty cool.

If Luna is moon, why not go in the completely opposite direction with Aurora, a Greek name meaning “dawn.” As with Selene, Aurora was the personification of daybreak.

The Roman goddess of the moon and the hunt was Diana, whose name means “divine.”

This Latin name means “star,” which has the same kind of heavenly feel as Luna, but is somewhat less popular. (Keep in mind, this name has been climbing the charts for the past twenty years.)

Perhaps best known as the name of Hamlet’s ill-fated beloved, Ophelia comes from Greek and means “help.” It has a sweet meaning and the same romantic vibe as Luna.

If you’re looking for a celestial baby name, you can just cut to the chase and go with Celeste, which means “heavenly.” It’s a great name that’s like Luna but is doing its own thing.

In Sanskrit and Nepali, this name means “moon.” It’s also a gender neutral baby name, so whether you’re having a boy or girl it works pretty well.

This whimsical, musical sounding name can refer to either the instrument of the lyre or harp, or the constellation of the same name which is in the shape of... you guessed it. A lyre.

While New Age folks might think of aura as an energy that radiates from living things, in Latin, Aura means “breeze,” and can refer to the Greek goddess of breezes (yes, there was such an entity). Like Luna, this name gives a sense that your baby girl is a force of nature.

This Latin name means “new” and in astronomy refers to the sudden appearance of a star in the sky. Not only does it have a space-y vibe like Luna, but it sounds like Luna (kind of) with its “a” ending.

Lilith is an ancient name meaning “belonging to the night” or “night monster” which thematically goes with Luna as a name that means moon. (It’s also goth AF.) In some traditions, Lilith was the Biblical Adam’s first wife who was banished to become a demon of the night. In the 1960s, however, some feminists reclaimed Lilith as a hero who refused to submit to a man.

No one is certain on the origin of this whimsical baby name, but best guesses suggest it’s either of Celtic origin meaning “maiden” or Greek for “beloved child.” In any case, it has a similar magical-feeling vibe similar to Luna.

Gaia (pronounced guy-uh) was the primordial earth goddess who gave birth to the powerful Titans. Her name means “earth.” And since the moon ad the Earth are celestial BFFs, this is a unique name either in place of, or to go with, Luna.

This name sounds like Luna, but isn’t nearly as popular (it’s barely in the Top 300). While often a nickname for Dolores, in recent years it’s become more popular on its own merits and means “sorrow” or “our lady of sorrows.”

This Italian name derives from Madonna and means “noble or aristocratic lady.” Like Luna, it’s short, sweet, and powerful and, while it doesn’t mean moon, it sounds like moon to English speakers.

This name pops up in multiple cultures and languages and is thought to derive from the Greek name Helena, meaning “bright” or “shining.” Obviously, this is one that sounds like Luna, but Lena is #251 on the SSA list as opposed to #10.

The Eastern European spelling of the Italian name Luca means “bringer of light.” This unisex name is only one letter off from Luna and has similar energy while bringing something truly unique to the table... in this case a K.

You’re going to love the meaning of this Indian girl’s name. Are you ready? It means “starlight.” Isn’t that sweet? It’s a perfect unique correllary to Luna.

The Greek goddess of the moon, associated with the aforementioned Selene, Artemis is a lovely moon-like name to consider. The name itself actually means “butcher,” which is probably because Artemis is also the goddess of hunting.

Obviously, this name is just one letter off from Luna, and his has a similar, somewhat mysterical feel to it. Coming from Old Norse, Runa means “secret lore,” and is related to the concept of runestones, which were used in Nordic cultures to foretell the future and interpret events.

In Greek mythology, Io (pronounced “eye-oh”) is one of Zeus’ lovers. Io is now one of Jupiter’s moons, so this name is great if you like Luna but want a different sort of moon.

In Swahili and Lingala, this beautiful name means “star.” It’s not a moon, but you can do worse than a star.

This Scandinavian name means “noble lady,” and while it’s been wildly popular in the UK for years, in the US it’s gaining ground, but still fairly esoteric. In Norse mythology, Freya (also spelled Freyja) is the goddess of love, war, fertility, beauty, sex, magic, and gold.

Pronounced car-mee, this name comes from both Galician and Catalan meaning “garden” and Greek, meaning “she who cuts grain.” Carme also just so happens to be a moon of Jupiter which orbits the giant planet in the opposite direction of Jupiter’s rotation.

Not only are the first two letters the same as Luna, it has similarly excellent energy. And no wonder: it is the Latin word for “light.”

Yet another moon of Jupiter, Leda is a (currently rare) Greek name that means “happy” or “woman.”

This name is a popular surname with Spanish and Arabic origins and means “meadow dweller.”

Meaning “most beautiful,” Callisto just brings it all to the table: beauty, uniqueness, versatility, and a sweet meaning. Perfect for those looking for a name more unusual than Luna.

Meaning “night” in Greek, the goddess Nyx was the personification of darkness (which is, after all, when the moon likes to come out). And if you like Luna but want to steer clear of something so popular, good news: Nyx isn’t even in the Top 1,000 baby names in the US.