You guys know the world is ending in two weeks, right?
At least, that’s how popular culture has misinterpreted the ending of the 13th b’ak’tun of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar on December 21, 2012.
If your due date is December 21, why not commemorate the date with an “end of the world”-inspired baby name?
No, I’m not suggesting you go with something ridiculous like Armageddon or Apocalypse. (Though I have seen both used as names. Examples: Armageddon James Margerum, born in England in 1833, and Ulysses Apocalypse Johnson, born in California in 1992.)
Instead, try a name with a less obvious “end of the world” connection. Perhaps one of these:
- Maya – the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is most commonly associated with the Maya
- Jeremiah – inspired by Maya
- Nehemiah – inspired by Maya
- Deedee – short for doomsday
- Ann – short for annihilation
- Catherine – inspired by cataclysm
- Calypso – inspired by apocalypse
- Arma – short for armageddon
- Armand – inspired by armageddon
- Armando – inspired by armageddon
- Gideon – inspired by armageddon
- Don – short for armageddon
Or try one of the dozens of names that happen to contain the word “end” (short for “end of the world,” of course).
- Aviendha
- Brenda
- Brendan
- Enda
- Ender
- Endia
- Erendira
- Glenda
- Glendon
- Glendora
- Gwendolen/Gwendolyn
- Henderson
- Hendrik/Hendrick
- Hendrika
- Hendrix
- Kendall
- Kendra
- Kendrick
- Lavender
- Legend
- Mendel
- Nagendra
- Penda
- Pendleton
- Rajendra
- Rosenda
- Rosendo
- Surendra
- Townsend
- Vendela
- Wendell
- Wendy
- Zenda
- Zendaya
What other “end of the world” baby names can you think of?
Image: Adapted from Mayan Zodiac Circle by theilr under CC BY-SA 2.0.
[Latest update: Feb. 2023]
They’re from a different mythology but how about Lif and Lifthrasir? In Norse Mythology these two humans will survive the events of Ragnarök (‘final destiny of the gods’) and will repopulate the reborn world.
Lifthrasir (Lífþrasir) = ‘the one striving after life, lover of life’
Líf = ‘life’
Lifthrasir isn’t used in modern Scandinavia. But thanks to Liv Tyler and the popularity of Olivia, Lif (or Liv, the modern equivilant) would work very well in the US.
Great suggestions!
Beginning with End: Endellion/Endelienta/Endelyn (Female Saint in Cornwall)
Finisterre (A french department, meaning land’s end)
Finn or its variants (based on the latin word for end, as in final, finite…)
Amaia (“the end”, basque)
Omega (last letter in the Greek alphabet)
and for something a little more morbid:
Casimir (“destroy peace”)
Persephone (“destroy, murder”)
Perseus (“destroy”)
With another idea:
Little Apple Tree
or, in original german: Apfelbäumchen
alluding to the (alledged) Luther quote “Wenn ich wüßte, daß morgen die Welt unterginge, würde ich heute noch ein Apfelbäumchen pflanzen.” [If I knew that the end of the world were tomorrow, I’d plant a little apple tree today.]
I really like those “Fin-” suggestions!