Most of the babies conceived during 2019 will be born during 2020 — a year that happens to mirror 20/20 (twenty-twenty), the term we use for perfect vision. It’s such a strong association that, just for fun, I put together a list of vision-related baby names for all those parents anticipating the arrival of 2020 babies…
- Aisling, Irish, “vision” or “dream.”
- Basar, Arabic, “sight.”
- Butta-kuz, Mongolian, “camel eyes.” Implies “wide, beautiful eyes” like Maha and Najla, below.
- Charopus, ancient Greek, “glad-eyed” or “bright-eyed.” Also spelled Charops.
- Daisy, from Old English dægeseage, “day’s eye.” Daisies open during the day and close at night.
- Drishti, Hindi, “gaze.”
- Hawkeye, originally a character in The Last of the Mohicans (1826).
- Hitomi, Japanese, “pupil [of the eye].” Can mean other things as well, though, depending on the kanji.
- Lochan/Lochana, Hindi, “eye.”
- Maha, Arabic, “wide, beautiful eyes.” Refers to either wild cow eyes or oryx eyes specifically.
- Maka, Hawaiian, “eyes.” Also: Namaka, “the eyes,” and Makanui, “big eyes.”
- Mantius/Manto (masc./fem.), from ancient Greek mantis, “seer, prophet.”
- Najla, Arabic, “wide, beautiful eyes.” Refers to either wild cow eyes or oryx eyes specifically. Also spelled Nagla.
- Nayan, Hindi, “eye.”
- Nayra, Aymara, “eye,” “sight,” or “past.”
- Nazir, Arabic, “observant” or “spectator.” Can mean other things as well, though.
- Panope/Panopea, ancient Greek, “all-seeing.”
- Rana, Arabic, “eye-catching.”
- Ruya, Arabic, “vision” or “dream.”
- Sibyl, ancient Greek, “prophetess.” Also spelled Sybil.
- Sullivan, anglicized Irish surname, “descendant of the little dark-eyed one.”
- Tarisai, Shona, “look at, behold.”
- Vision, which began appearing in the U.S. baby name data nearly 20 years ago.
And here are some names that simply begin with the word see:
- Seeley/Seely
- Seerat/Seerit
- Seela
- Seema
- Seena
- Seeta
- Seeya
Finally, a few Esperanto words that could potentially be used as baby names:
- Vidi, “see.”
- Vidinda, “worth seeing.”
- Vido, “sight, view.”
- Vizio, “vision.”
Which of the names above do you like best?
If you’re expecting a baby in 2020, will you consider using a vision-themed baby name?
Image: Adapted from Arterio Rough by Faoflex under CC BY-SA 4.0.
My brother is an optometrist … I keep suggesting ‘Seymour’ for his pets
@FE – Hahaha that’s perfect. I hope he uses it one day. :)
I throw in Glaukopis “bright-eyed” or “owl-eyed”, an epithet of the goddess Athene.
I love Maya and Najla. Love all the names that (admiringly) refer to oryx, cow, and camel eyes! This is a great list. I’ll add my little cousin’s name, Makanani (beautiful eyes).
*Maha
Thanks for the additions, elbowin and Alex!