How popular is the baby name Ra in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Ra.

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Popularity of the baby name Ra


Posts that mention the name Ra

Baby names associated with yellow: Sunny, Flavio, Xanthe, Sol

yellow daffodils

Looking for baby names that are associated with yellow — including baby names that mean “yellow”?

If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve collected dozens of options for you in this post.

Before we get to the names, though, let’s take a quick look at what the color yellow represents…

Symbolism of yellow

What does the color yellow signify?

In Western cultures in particular, yellow can be symbolic of:

  • Optimism
  • Cheer
  • Happiness
  • Warmth
  • Caution
  • Energy
  • Intellect

The color is primarily identified with the sun, which is the most important source of energy for life on Earth.

Interestingly, the sun’s light is actually white. It only appears yellow (or, sometimes, orange) from our perspective because particles in the Earth’s atmosphere scatter short-wavelength (e.g., blue) light more efficiently than long-wavelength (e.g., red) light.

yellow aspen leaves
Aspen trees in autumn

Baby names associated with yellow

All of the names below have an association with the color yellow. The names range from common to uncommon, and their associations range from strong to slight.

Those that have been popular enough to appear in the U.S. baby name data are linked to their corresponding popularity graphs.

Antu
Antu, the Mapuche word for “sun,” is the name of the Mapuche god of the sun.

Arevik
Arevik is an Armenian feminine name based on the word arev, meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Arevik.

Aspen
Aspen trees (in particular the North America species Populus tremuloides) are famous for their golden-yellow autumn foliage. The word aspen is derived from the Old English word for the tree, æspe. Here’s the popularity graph for Aspen.

Beryl
Beryl is a mineral that can be yellow. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the Ancient Greek word beryllos. Here’s the popularity graph for Beryl.

Blaine
Blaine comes from a Scottish surname that can be traced back to the Old Irish word blá, meaning “yellow.” Here’s the popularity graph for Blaine.

Boglárka
Boglárka is the Hungarian word for “buttercup.”

Børka
Børka is a Faroese feminine name based on the word børkuvísa, which refers to the tormentil (a plant with yellow flowers).

Bowie
Bowie comes from a Scottish surname that can be traced back to the Gaelic word buidhe, meaning “yellow.” Here’s the popularity graph for Bowie.

Buff
Buff is a light brownish-yellow color — the hue of buff leather, which was often obtained from the European buffalo. Here’s the popularity graph for Buff.

Buttercup
Buttercup flowers are yellow. “Buttercup” is the common name of several species of flowering plants in the genus Ranunculus.

Canna
Canna flowers are sometimes yellow. The genus name Canna is derived from the Latin word canna, meaning “reed.” Here’s the popularity graph for Canna.

Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum flowers are commonly yellow. The genus name Chrysanthemum is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words khrysos, meaning “gold,” and anthemon, meaning “blossom, flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Chrysanthemum.

Citrine
Citrine, a variety of the mineral quartz, is often yellow. The adjective citrine can be traced back to the Latin word citrus. Here’s the popularity graph for Citrine.

Daffodil
Daffodil flowers are frequently yellow. “Daffodil” is the common name of plants in the genus Narcissus.

Dahlia
Dahlia flowers are sometimes yellow. The genus Dahlia was named in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Here’s the popularity graph for Dahlia.

Dandelion
Dandelion flowers are yellow. “Dandelion” is the common name of the plant species Taraxacum officinale. The common name is derived from the Latin phrase dens leonis, meaning “lion’s tooth” — a reference to the shape of the leaves. Here’s the popularity graph for Dandelion.

Diell
Diell is an Albanian masculine name based on the word diell, meaning “sun.”

Diellza
Diellza is the feminine form of Diell. Here’s the popularity graph for Diellza.

Dorothy
Dorothy Gale, the main character of the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939), was told to “follow the yellow brick road.” The movie was based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum. The name Dorothy is ultimately derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words doron, meaning “gift,” and theos, meaning “god.” Here’s the popularity graph for Dorothy.

Fífill
Fífill is the Icelandic word for “dandelion.”

Flavia
Flavia was the feminine form of Flavius. Here’s the popularity graph for Flavia.

Flavian
Flavian was an Ancient Roman name based on Flavius. Here’s the popularity graph for Flavian.

Flavio
Flavio is the modern Spanish and Italian form of Flavius. Here’s the popularity graph for Flavio.

Flavius
Flavius was an Ancient Roman name derived from the Latin word flavus, meaning “yellow, golden.” Here’s the popularity graph for Flavius.

Forsythia
Forsythia (commonly pronounced for-SITH-ee-uh) flowers are yellow. The genus Forsythia was named in honor of Scottish botanist William Forsyth.

Fulvia and Fulvio
Fulvia (feminine) and Fulvio (masculine) are the modern Italian forms of the Roman family name Fulvius, which was based on the Latin word fulvus, meaning “deep yellow, reddish-yellow, gold-colored, tawny.” Here’s the popularity graph for Fulvio.

Ginger
Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) often has yellowish flesh. The word ginger is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word sringavera. Ginger is also a diminutive form of the name Virginia. Here’s the popularity graph for Ginger.

Gladiola
Gladiola refers to Gladiolus, a genus of plants with flowers that are sometimes yellow. The genus name, meaning “little sword” (a diminutive of the Latin word gladius, “sword”) refers to the shape of the leaves. Here’s the popularity graph for Gladiola.

Günes
Günes (pronounced goo-NESH) is a Turkish feminine name meaning “sun.”

Haetbit
Haetbit is a Korean feminine name meaning “sunlight.”

Haru
Haru is a Japanese gender-neutral name that can mean “sun,” or “sunny,” depending upon the kanji being used to write the name. Here’s the popularity graph for Haru.

Haruki
Haruki is a Japanese name that can include the element Haru. Here’s the popularity graph for Haruki.

Haruna
Haruna is another Japanese name that can include the element Haru. Here’s the popularity graph for Haruna.

Helen
Helen is part of Helenium, a genus of plants with flowers that are sometimes yellow. The genus was named in honor of Helen of Troy. Here’s the popularity graph for Helen.

Helia and Helio
Helia (feminine) and Helio (masculine) are the modern Spanish forms of Helios. Here are the popularity graphs for Helia and Helio.

Helios
Helios, the Ancient Greek word for “sun,” was the name of the Greek god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Helios.

Helius
Helius is the Latinized form of Helios. Here’s the popularity graph for Helius.

Heulwen
Heulwen is the Welsh word for “sunshine.”

Honey
Honey can be yellow. The Old English word for “honey” was hunig. Here’s the popularity graph for Honey.

Inti
Inti, the Quechua word for “sun,” was the name of the Inca god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Inti.

Jonquil
Jonquil flowers (which, like daffodils, are part of the genus Narcissus) are frequently yellow. The species name, jonquilla, means “little rush” (ultimately derived from the Latin word iuncus, meaning “rush, reed”) and refers to the shape of the leaves. Here’s the popularity graph for Jonquil.

Ketut
Ketut is a Balinese gender-neutral name associated with the word kitut, which refers to a small banana.

Khurshid and Khorshid
Khurshid, also spelled Khorshid, is a Persian gender-neutral name derived from the word xorshid, which means “sun.”

Lemon
The word lemon — which can be traced back (via Old French limon and Arabic limun) to the Persian word limu — refers to the citrus fruit of the lemon tree (Citrus limon). By extension, it also refers to the yellow color of this fruit. That said…most of the U.S. babies named Lemon during the 20th century (and earlier) were not named after the fruit. Instead, their names were inspired by the surname Lemon, which was derived from the Middle English word leman, meaning “sweetheart, lover” (from the Old English elements leof, “dear, beloved,” and mann, “person, man”). Here’s the popularity graph for Lemon.

Linden
Linden tree flowers are typically light yellow. The word linden is derived from the Old English word for the tree, lind. Here’s the popularity graph for Linden.

Lillesol
Lillesol is a Swedish feminine name meaning “little sun.”

Marigold
Marigold flowers are sometimes yellow. “Marigold” is the common name of plants in the genera Tagetes and Calendula. Here’s the popularity graph for Marigold.

Mehr
Mehr is a Persian gender-neutral name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Mehr.

Meli
Meli is the Ancient Greek word for “honey.” Here’s the popularity graph for Meli.

Meyer
Meyer lemons are a cross between citron and hybridized mandarin/pomelo. They were named after Dutch-American agricultural explorer Frank N. Meyer (born Frans N. Meijer), who discovered the cultivar while in China in 1907. The occupational surnames Meyer and Meijer are both derived from the Middle High German word meier, meaning “administrator, steward.” Here’s the popularity graph for Meyer.

Mzia
Mzia is a Georgian feminine name meaning “sun.”

Naran
Naran is a Mongolian gender-neutral name meaning “sun.”

Neven
Neven is a masculine name meaning “marigold” in Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, and other Slavic languages. Here’s the popularity graph for Neven.

Nevena
Nevena is the feminine form of Neven. Here’s the popularity graph for Nevena.

Nou
Nou is a Hmong feminine name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Nou.

Nurit
Nurit (pronounced noo-REET) is a Hebrew feminine name meaning “buttercup.” Here’s the popularity graph for Nurit.

Nyima
Nyima is a Tibetan gender-neutral name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Nyima.

Orchid
Orchid flowers are sometimes yellow. Orchids are all members of the Orchidaceae family of plants. Here’s the popularity graph for Orchid.

Oriole
Oriole is a type of bird that often has yellow plumage. “Oriole” is the common name of birds in the genera Icterus and Oriolidae. The common name is derived from the Latin word aureolus, meaning “golden.” Here’s the popularity graph for Oriole.

Ra
Ra, the Ancient Egyptian word for “sun,” was the name of the Egyptian god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Ra.

Ravi
Ravi, a Sanskrit word for “sun,” is one of the alternate names of Surya, the Hindu god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Ravi.

Samson
Samson is the Biblical (Late Latin) form of Shimshon. Here’s the popularity graph for Samson.

Seqineq
Seqineq is a Greenlandic gender-neutral name meaning “sun.”

Sequssuna
Sequssuna is a Greenlandic masculine name meaning “egg yolk.”

Shams
Shams is an Arabic gender-neutral name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shams.

Shimshon
Shimshon is a Hebrew masculine name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shimshon.

Sol
The word sol means “sun” in Latin and in several of the languages that descend from Latin, including Spanish and Portuguese. Sol is also a short form of the name Solomon, which explains why it was a popular choice for baby boys in the early 20th century. Here’s the popularity graph for Sol.

Solar
Solar is a modern word (used in English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and other languages) based on solaris. Here’s the popularity graph for Solar.

Solara
Solara is an elaboration of Solar. Here’s the popularity graph for Solara.

Solaria
Solaria is another elaboration of Solar. Here’s the popularity graph for Solaria.

Solaris
Solaris comes from the Latin word solaris, meaning “of the sun” or “pertaining to the sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Solaris.

Soleil
The word soleil (pronounced soh-lay, roughly) means “sun” in French. Here’s the popularity graph for Soleil.

Sóley
Sóley is the Icelandic word for “buttercup.” Here’s the popularity graph for Sóley.

Sunny
The word sunny simply means “having plenty of bright sunlight.” In Middle English, it was spelled sonni. Sunny is also a homophone of the name Sonny, which is based on the English word son. Here’s the popularity graph for Sunny.

Sunflower
Sunflower petals are usually yellow. “Sunflower” is the common name of plants in the genus Helianthus, particularly the species Helianthus annuus. The common name is a reference to the sun-like flower heads. Here’s the popularity graph for Sunflower.

Sunshine
The word sunshine refers to the light (and warmth) of the sun. In Middle English, it was spelled sonne-shin. Here’s the popularity graph for Sunshine.

Surya
Surya, a Sanskrit word for “sun,” is the name of the Hindu god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Surya.

Susan
Susan is part of “black-eyed Susan” — the common name of the plant species Rudbeckia hirta, which has flowers that are typically yellow. Here’s the popularity graph for Susan.

Taeyang
Taeyang is a Korean masculine name meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Taeyang.

Tonatiuh
Tonatiuh, the Nahuatl word for “sun,” is the name of the Aztec god of the sun. Here’s the popularity graph for Tonatiuh.

Topaz
Topaz is a mineral that comes in several different colors, most notably golden-yellow. Its name is based on the Middle English word topas, which referred to any yellow-colored gemstone (not just topaz). The earliest known form of the word, the Ancient Greek topazion, referred to a specific yellow gemstone (possibly yellowish olivine). Here’s the popularity graph for Topaz.

Tulip
Tulip flowers are sometimes yellow. The name of the flower can be traced back to the Ottoman Turkish word tülbent, meaning “turban.” Here’s the popularity graph for Tulip.

Xanthe
Xanthe (pronounced ZAN-thee) is a feminine form of Xanthus. Here’s the popularity graph for Xanthe.

Xanthia
Xanthia is an elaboration of Xanthe. Here’s the popularity graph for Xanthia.

Xanthos
Xanthos was an Ancient Greek name derived from the word xanthos, meaning “yellow.”

Xanthus
Xanthus is the Latinized form of Xanthos. Here’s the popularity graph for Xanthus.

Zinnia
Zinnia flowers are sometimes yellow. The genus Zinnia was named in honor of German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. Here’s the popularity graph for Zinnia.


Can you think of any other names that have a connection to the color yellow?

P.S. Want to see more color-related baby names? Here are lists of red, orange, green, blue, and purple names.

Sources:

Images:

[Latest update: Nov. 2023]

Baby names from Egyptian gods

Recent posts have mentioned both Isis and Anubis, and these names made me wonder — which other ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses are hiding in the U.S. baby name data?

After some searching, here’s what I came up with:

  • Aker, a god of the earth and underworld.
  • Amun or Amon, king of the gods; later combined with the sun god Ra to become…
  • Amunra (Amun-Ra), chief deity of the Egyptian Empire.
  • Amunet, a primordial goddess.
  • Anat, originally a Semitic war goddess.
  • Ash, the god of oases and vineyards.
  • Aten, a solar deity represented by “the solar disk emitting rays terminating in human hands.”
  • Atum, a god of creation.
  • Horus, the falcon-headed god of the sky; symbol of kingship.
  • Imhotep, a priest of Heliopolis who was later deified.
  • Khepri, the scarab-headed god of the morning sun.
  • Maat (Ma’at), the goddess of truth, justice, and cosmic order.
  • Meret (meaning “beloved”), a goddess associated with rejoicing.
  • Osiris, the (often green-skinned) god of fertility; ruler of the underworld.
  • Ptah, a god of creation.
  • Ra, sun god.
  • Set or Seth, god of storms, disorder, warfare — “in general, a trickster.”
  • Shai, a god of fate.
  • Tayt, goddess of weaving.

Which Egyptian god/goddess name makes the best baby name, do you think?

Sources: List of Egyptian Deities, Egyptian Gods – The Complete List, Aton – Egyptian god – Britannica, Seth – Egyptian God – Britannica

Baby names inspired by the solar eclipse: Helios, Mahina, Blake

Total solar eclipse (August 2017)
Total solar eclipse

On August 21, the United States will see its first coast-to-coast solar eclipse since 1918. If you’re planning to have (or conceive!) a baby around the time of the eclipse, you might be interested in a name that marks the event (but that perhaps isn’t as obvious as Eclipse itself).

So what are your options?

Names with “celestial” associations

A solar eclipse involves the alignment of three celestial bodies — the sun (a star), the moon, and the Earth — in the sky. You could use a name that is associated in some way with one of these elements, such as…

“Sun” names

  • Haru (Japanese)
  • Helios (ancient Greek)
  • Hina (Japanese)
  • Inti (Quechua)
  • Nou (Hmong)
  • Ra (ancient Egyptian)
  • Ravi (Sanskrit)
  • Shams (Arabic)
  • Sol (Spanish & Portuguese, ultimately from Latin)
  • Solaris (Latin)
  • Soleil (French)
  • Sunniva (Old English)
  • Sunny (English)
  • Surya (Sanskrit)

“Star” names

  • Aster (ancient Greek)
  • Astra (based on the ancient Greek word)
  • Citlalli (Nahuatl)
  • Estelle (French)
  • Estrella (Spanish)
  • Hoshi (Japanese)
  • Najm & Najma (Arabic)
  • Seren (Welsh)
  • Star (English)
  • Starla (based on the English word)
  • Stjarna (Icelandic)
  • Stella (Latin)
  • Tähti (Finnish)
  • Tara (Sanskrit)

“Moon” names

  • Aylin (Turkish)
  • Badr (Arabic)
  • Chandra (Sanskrit)
  • Dal (Korean)
  • Dawa (Tibetan)
  • Ilargi (Basque)
  • Luna (Latin)
  • Lusine (Armenian)
  • Mahina (Hawaiian & Tongan)
  • Máni (Icelandic)
  • Metztli (Nahuatl)
  • Moon (English)
  • Qamar (Arabic)
  • Selene (ancient Greek)

“Earth” names

  • Avani (Sanskrit)
  • Bhumi (Sanskrit)
  • Eartha (based on the English word)
  • Gaia (ancient Greek)
  • Ki (Sumerian)
  • Tierra (Spanish)
  • Tlalli (Nahuatl)

“Sky” names

  • Akash (Sanskrit)
  • Alya (Arabic)
  • Anu (Sumerian)
  • Caelus (Latin)
  • Céleste (French)
  • Ciel (French)
  • Cielo (Spanish)
  • Lani (Hawaiian)
  • Ortzi (Basque)
  • Sky (English)
  • Skyla (based on the English word)
  • Sora (Japanese)

You could even look for a name that contains more than one of these elements. I’ve come across a handful of names that happen to contain both an element meaning “sun” and an element meaning “moon,” for instance. Examples include Ravichandra (Sanskrit), Künnei (Yakut), Aygün (Turkish), and Günay (also Turkish).

Names with “dark” associations

The main event, from an Earthling’s perspective, is the darkening of the sun thanks to the moon getting in the way and casting its shadow over us. So you could use a name associated in some way with darkness, such as…

“Shadow” names

  • Chhaya (Sanskrit)
  • Shade (English)
  • Shadow (English)
  • Umbra (Latin)
  • Zalaph (Hebrew)
  • Zillah (Hebrew)

“Dark” or “Black” names

  • Adham (Arabic)
  • Blake (English surname)
  • Charna (Yiddish)
  • Ciar & Ciara (Irish)
  • Ciarán (Irish)
  • Dubhán (Irish)
  • Duff (Irish surname)
  • Jett (English)
  • Kara (Turkish)
  • Krishna (Sanskrit)
  • Melaina (ancient Greek)
    • Melania (Latin, based on melaina)
    • Mélanie (French form of Melania)
  • Raven (English)
  • Sullivan (Irish surname)

“Night” names

  • Layla (Arabic)
  • Nisha (Sanskrit)
  • Njóla (Icelandic)
  • Noctis (Latin)
  • Nox (Latin)
  • Nyx (ancient Greek)
  • Rajani (Sanskrit)
  • Rajnish (Sanskrit)
  • Tuta (Quechua)
  • Yoalli (Nahuatl)

I think Blake and Sullivan are particularly intriguing choices.

The English surname Blake can come from either of two similar Middle English words that happen to have opposite definitions: blac, meaning “black,” or blac, meaning “wan, pale, white, fair.” So it manages to encapsulate the concepts of both darkness and lightness — two key elements of an eclipse.

And the Irish surname Sullivan, “descendant of Súileabhán,” is based on the Gaelic personal name Súileabhán, meaning “little dark eye” — which sounds a lot like a poetic description of an eclipse.

Name pairings with both “celestial” and “dark” associations

You could combine some of the “celestial” and “dark” names above to get something more specific, like…

  • Layla Soleil: “night” and “sun”
  • Jett Helios: “black” and “sun”
  • Ciarán Sol: “black” and “sun”
  • Mélanie Stella: “dark” and “star” (“Dark Star” is also a Grateful Dead song)
  • Luna Zillah: “moon” and “shadow” (“Moon Shadow” is also a Cat Stevens song)

Names (or name pairings) featuring the letters “S” and “E”

This is as inconspicuous as it gets. Commemorate the solar eclipse simply by using the letters “S” and “E” in combination. You could choose a single name that starts with “Se-,” like…

Sela
Selene (“moon” in Greek)
Selma
Seraphina
Seren (“star” in Welsh)
Serenity
Sean
Sebastian
Sefton
Sergio
Seth
Severino

Or, you could use a pair of names that start with “S-” and “E-,” such as…

Sabrina Eden
Sydney Elise
Sarah Evangeline
Susanna Elizabeth
Simon Elijah
Spencer Ellis
Shane Everett
Samuel Edward

Which of the above names (or combos) do you like most? What other solar eclipse-themed ideas would you add to this list?

P.S. Did you know that Cleopatra gave her twins the middle names Selene and Helios?

Update, 5/15/2018: The baby name Eclipse debuted in the 2017 SSA data! The baby name Moon also more than tripled in usage last year.

Update, 12/31/2022: The rare Icelandic name Myrkvi can mean “eclipse” (also “darkness”).

Update, 2/28/2023: Actress Soleil Moon Frye‘s given names mean “sun” and (of course) “moon.”

Sources:

Image: Adapted from 2017 Total Solar Eclipse by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center under CC BY 2.0.

Where did the baby name Thembi come from in 1971?

The Pharoah Sanders album "Thembi" (1971)
Pharoah Sanders album

The name Thembi first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1971:

  • 1973: 6 baby girls named Thembi
  • 1972: 7 baby girls named Thembi
  • 1971: 10 baby girls named Thembi [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

Why?

Because, in mid-1971, free-jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders released a song called “Thembi” on an album also called Thembi. The title track was “named in honor of his South African wife.”

The name Thembi (pronounced TEM-bee) is typically short for Zulu and Xhosa names like Thembisa, Thembisile and Thembekile.

Thembi came out several albums after Pharoah Sanders’ most successful album, Karma (1969), which was likely the thing that gave the baby name Karma a boost in 1970.

Pharoah Sanders himself was born in Arkansas in 1940 with the name Farrell Sanders:

Mr. Sanders assures me that the myths about his nickname “Pharoah” […] are false — it didn’t come from space traveler Sun Ra or from the music criticism of poet/playwright Amiri Baraka. “It was just a matter of paperwork. When I joined the union in New York City, they had a space for the artist’s name, so I just put [Pharoah] down.”

Because he altered the spelling of the Egyptian word pharaoh, it’s pretty easy to attribute the 1970s usage of the baby name Pharoah to him. (The traditional spelling, Pharaoh, didn’t emerge in the data until the end of the decade.)

Sources: