Frank Zappa named his daughter Moon Unit in 1967, and she has spent decades explaining it. The good news for parents today: the moon has been giving names to girls for thousands of years, and most of them wear far better than that one.
This list covers 45 moon names for girls from Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian and a handful of other traditions. Every entry has the meaning, a pronunciation, nickname options, and a label that most lists skip: whether the name literally means “moon” or is only tied to the moon through a goddess, a place or a poem. Plenty of popular lists blur that line. Helen, Zephyr and Samson, for example, show up on “moon names” pages and have nothing to do with the moon.
Table of contents
- Quick picks
- What counts as a moon name
- Moon goddess names
- Latin, Romance and European moon names
- Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew moon names
- South and East Asian moon names
- Polynesian moon names
- Modern and invented moon names
- How popular are moon names for girls
- Middle names and sibling matches
- All 45 names at a glance
Quick picks
Short on time? Start here.
- Classic: Diana, Phoebe, Cynthia, Selena. All familiar, all easy to spell, all with a lunar story behind them.
- Rare but easy to pronounce: Selene, Lunetta, Mahina, Lusine.
- Rare and distinctive: Ilargi, Quilla, Mene, Aygül.
- Shortest: Lua, Yue, Indu, Mene, Hina.
- Best as a middle name: Selene, Luna, Mahina, Marama, Lua.
- Most literal “moon” meaning: Luna (Latin), Selene (Greek), Qamar (Arabic), Yue (Chinese), Indu (Sanskrit).
- Most popular right now: Luna, by a wide margin.
What counts as a moon name
Two labels run through the whole list.
Moon meaning means the name, or a clear part of it, is the word for moon, moonlight or a moon-related image in its source language. Luna, Selene and Qamar are in this group.
Lunar link means the name has no moon meaning but is tied to the moon by mythology, geography or tradition. Artemis is the standard example: she became a moon goddess in Greek and Roman thought, but her name’s origin is unknown and doesn’t mean “moon.”
We left out names that appear on other lists without solid support. Helen is sometimes connected to Selene by folk etymology, but linguists don’t agree on its root. Zephyr is the west wind. Samson relates to the Hebrew word for sun. Hunter is an English job title. Celeste means “heavenly” and Stella means “star,” so both are sky names rather than moon names.
Moon goddess names
Greek and Roman myth gave the West most of its moon vocabulary. Selene and Mene are the literal ones. The rest got their lunar reputation from the goddesses who rode the moon’s light.
1. Selene
Moon meaning. Greek selēnē, “moon,” and the name of the Titan goddess who drove the moon’s chariot across the sky. Her siblings were Helios (the sun) and Eos (the dawn), which makes her a useful anchor for a sibling set. Rare in the US compared with Luna, which gives it a lot of room.
Say it: seh-LEE-nee. Nicknames: Sel, Lena, Lina, Neenie.
2. Mene
Moon meaning. Greek mēnē, “moon,” used for the personified moon and often treated as another name for Selene. The word shares an ancient root with “month,” which is why moon and month sound related in English too. Very rare as a given name.
Say it: MEH-neh or MEE-nee. Nicknames: Mena, Nee.
3. Artemis
Lunar link. The Greek goddess of the hunt, wild places and young girls was later merged with Selene and treated as a moon goddess. Her name’s origin is unknown. NASA gave the name a modern lunar job with the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. A strong pick for parents who want the name to read as bold.
Say it: AR-tuh-miss. Nicknames: Artie, Temi, Tessa, Mimi.
4. Diana
Lunar link. Artemis’s Roman counterpart, worshipped as goddess of the hunt and the moon. The name is generally linked to an old root for “heavenly” or “divine.” A classic that has never gone out of use.
Say it: dy-AN-uh or dee-AN-uh. Nicknames: Di, Dee, Annie, Dana.
5. Phoebe
Lunar link. From Greek phoibē, “bright” or “radiant.” Phoebe was a Titan, grandmother of Artemis and Apollo, and the name was also used as a poetic epithet for Artemis as moon goddess. Saturn has a moon named Phoebe too. The meaning is “bright,” not “moon,” so it belongs in the association column.
Say it: FEE-bee. Nicknames: Pheebs, Bee, Phoe.
6. Cynthia
Lunar link. Artemis was born on Delos, under Mount Cynthus, and was called Cynthia (“the Cynthian”) for it. Roman and later English poets used Cynthia as a stand-in name for the moon. The name was at its US peak in the middle of the 20th century, which now makes it unusual for a baby.
Say it: SIN-thee-uh. Nicknames: Cyn, Cindy, Thea, Thia.
7. Delia
Lunar link. “Of Delos,” the island where Artemis was born, making Delia another epithet of the moon goddess. It is also used as a short form of Cordelia and Adelia. Soft, vintage, and uncommon.
Say it: DEEL-yuh. Nicknames: Dee, Lia, Dell.
8. Ixchel
Lunar link. The Maya goddess Ixchel is linked to the moon, childbirth, medicine and weaving. Her name is usually translated “Lady Rainbow,” though scholars debate how much of her moon-goddess profile is ancient and how much comes from later sources. A pick for parents who want something rare with real cultural roots.
Say it: ee-SHEL. Nicknames: Ixi, Chelly, Shel.
9. Quilla
Moon meaning. Quechua killa means “moon,” spelled quilla in Spanish-influenced writing. Mama Quilla was the Inca moon goddess, sister and wife of Inti, the sun. Extremely rare as a given name, which is part of the appeal.
Say it: KEE-yah. Nicknames: Quil, Killa, Kiki.
Latin, Romance and European moon names
This is the home of the most popular moon name there is. It also holds some quieter alternatives for parents who like Luna but not the odds of a classmate sharing it.
10. Luna
Moon meaning. Latin for “moon,” and the Roman goddess of the moon. Luna Lovegood debuted in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2003, and the name has climbed since, helped along by celebrity babies such as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s daughter in 2016. Details on its rise are in the popularity section below.
Say it: LOO-nuh. Nicknames: Lu, Lulu, Luni, Lunie.
11. Selena
Moon meaning. The Spanish and English form of Selene, so it carries the same Greek “moon” root. Two famous bearers shaped its use in the US: the singer Selena Quintanilla and, later, Selena Gomez, born in 1992.
Say it: seh-LEE-nuh. Nicknames: Sel, Lena, Lenny, Selly.
12. Lunetta
Moon meaning. An Italian diminutive of luna, so “little moon.” Italian also uses lunetta for a half-moon shape, like the arched panel above a church door. It sounds like a vintage name that never got its turn.
Say it: loo-NET-uh. Nicknames: Netta, Lulu, Luna.
13. Lunita
Moon meaning. Spanish for “little moon,” built from luna plus the -ita diminutive. Used as an affectionate term as well as a name.
Say it: loo-NEE-tah. Nicknames: Luni, Nita, Lulu.
14. Lua
Moon meaning. Portuguese for “moon,” and a given name in Brazil and Portugal. Short enough to work as a first or a middle name. In Hawaiian, lua means “two,” so it has a double life if you’re in Hawaii.
Say it: LOO-ah. Nicknames: Lu, Lulu.
15. Ilargi
Moon meaning. Basque for “moon.” The word is often analyzed as “light of the dead,” from hil (death) and argi (light), though the origin is debated. It is a rare name outside the Basque Country, and a good one for parents who want something no one else on the playground has.
Say it: ee-LAR-gee. Nicknames: Ila, Largi, Illa.
16. Lusine
Moon meaning. From Armenian lusin, “moon.” Lusine is a widely used girls’ name in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.
Say it: loo-SEE-neh. Nicknames: Lusi, Lucy, Sine.
Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew moon names
The moon runs the calendar in much of the Islamic world, since each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent. It also fills Persian and Turkish poetry as the comparison for a beautiful face, and that shows up in dozens of girls’ names.
17. Qamar
Moon meaning. Arabic qamar, “moon.” It is also the title of the 54th chapter of the Quran, Surat al-Qamar. The opening sound is made at the back of the throat, so English speakers often say it as “Kamar.”
Say it: KAH-mar. Nicknames: Qami, Mari.
18. Badra
Moon meaning. The feminine form of Arabic badr, “full moon.” The name has a gentle, rounded sound that works well in English.
Say it: BAHD-rah. Nicknames: Bada, Dara, Badi.
19. Hilal
Moon meaning. Arabic hilāl, the crescent or new moon. Hilal is a common girls’ name in Turkey, where it is pronounced with a longer final vowel.
Say it: hee-LAHL. Nicknames: Hili, Lali, Lal.
20. Mahtab
Moon meaning. Persian for “moonlight,” from mah (“moon”) and tab (“light”). Used across Iran, Afghanistan and South Asia.
Say it: mah-TAHB. Nicknames: Mahi, Tabby, Tabi.
21. Mahsa
Moon meaning. Persian, usually glossed as “like the moon,” from mah plus a suffix meaning “like.” Common in Iran.
Say it: MAH-sah. Nicknames: Mahi, Sasa.
22. Mahnaz
Moon meaning. Persian, “pride of the moon,” from mah plus naz, a word that covers pride, grace and charm. A name that compliments a girl by comparing her to the moon.
Say it: mah-NAHZ. Nicknames: Mahi, Naz, Nazzy.
23. Mahrukh
Moon meaning. Persian and Urdu, “moon-faced,” from mah plus rukh, “face” or “cheek.” In classical poetry, a round, luminous face was the highest compliment, and this name is that compliment turned into a name.
Say it: mah-ROOKH. Nicknames: Mahi, Rukhi.
24. Aylin
Moon meaning. Turkish, usually explained as “the halo around the moon.” Ay is the Turkish word for moon. Popular in Turkey and with Turkish families in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Say it: EYE-leen. Nicknames: Ayli, Lin, Lini.
25. Ayla
Moon meaning. In Turkish, Ayla is built on ay (“moon”) and is glossed as “moonlight” or “halo of the moon.” The same spelling also has a Hebrew origin meaning “oak tree,” so the lunar meaning depends on the family’s background. Say which story applies if you choose it.
Say it: EYE-lah. Nicknames: Ay, Lala, Ayli.
26. Aysel
Moon meaning. Turkish, ay (“moon”) plus sel (“flood” or “torrent”), a poetic image of a flood of moonlight.
Say it: EYE-sel. Nicknames: Ayse, Sel, Seli.
27. Aysu
Moon meaning. Turkish, ay (“moon”) plus su (“water”), the picture of the moon reflected on a lake or the sea.
Say it: EYE-soo. Nicknames: Ay, Su, Susu.
28. Aygül
Moon meaning. Turkish, ay (“moon”) plus gül (“rose”), so “moon rose.” The ü is a rounded vowel, close to the “ew” in “few.”
Say it: eye-GEWL. Nicknames: Ayi, Gülü.
29. Levana
Moon meaning. Hebrew levanah, “the white one,” a poetic word for the moon. There is also a Roman goddess named Levana, but she watched over newborns and is unrelated. The Hebrew meaning is the lunar one.
Say it: leh-VAH-nah. Nicknames: Levi, Vana, Lena.
South and East Asian moon names
The moon sits at the center of festivals and poetry across Asia, from Diwali-season Sharad Purnima in India to the Mid-Autumn Festival in China and Vietnam. These names reflect that.
30. Chandni
Moon meaning. Hindi and Urdu for “moonlight.” It is also the title of a 1989 Bollywood film starring Sridevi, which kept the name in circulation.
Say it: CHUND-nee. Nicknames: Chand, Chandu, Nini.
31. Chandrika
Moon meaning. Sanskrit candrikā, “moonlight.” Related to candra, the Sanskrit word for moon, which means “shining.” A traditional name in India.
Say it: chun-DREE-kah. Nicknames: Chandi, Rika, Chanda.
32. Indu
Moon meaning. Sanskrit for “moon,” traditionally understood as “bright drop.” Short, easy to say, and used for girls across India.
Say it: IN-doo. Nicknames: Indi, Dudu.
33. Yue
Moon meaning. Mandarin 月 (yuè), “moon.” Yue can also be written with other characters meaning things like “joyful,” so check the characters if you want the lunar one. Yue is also the name of the moon spirit princess in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Say it: YWEH. Nicknames: Yueyue, a doubled form that Chinese families use affectionately.
34. Mingyue
Moon meaning. Mandarin 明月 (míngyuè), “bright moon.” The phrase appears in Li Bai’s well-known poem “Quiet Night Thought,” where the speaker looks up at the bright moon and thinks of home. A name with a literary pedigree.
Say it: ming-YWEH. Nicknames: Ming, Yueyue.
35. Nguyệt
Moon meaning. Vietnamese, from the Sino-Vietnamese word for “moon.” It commonly appears as a middle name, as in Minh Nguyệt, “bright moon.” Pronunciation varies by region.
Say it: roughly NWEE-et. Nicknames: Nguyet, Nụ.
36. Tsukiko
Moon meaning. Japanese 月子, “moon child,” from tsuki (“moon”) plus ko (“child”). A traditional name that has faded in recent decades.
Say it: tsoo-KEE-koh. Nicknames: Tsuki, Kiko, Kiki.
37. Mitsuki
Moon meaning. Japanese 美月, “beautiful moon.” Kanji choices vary, but 美月 is the common spelling. Mitsuki is used for girls and boys.
Say it: MEET-soo-kee. Nicknames: Mitsu, Mimi, Tsuki.
Polynesian moon names
Across the Pacific the moon is a calendar. Traditional Hawaiian reckoning gives each night of the lunar month its own name, such as Hilo for the first night and Hoaka for the crescent of the second. The vocabulary for “moon” is shared across island languages in several forms.
38. Mahina
Moon meaning. Hawaiian for “moon,” and the same word in Tongan and Tahitian forms. A friendly, easy name that works in English without respelling.
Say it: mah-HEE-nah. Nicknames: Mahi, Hina, Nina.
39. Marama
Moon meaning. Māori for “moon.” The word also means “light” and “clarity.” Used in Aotearoa New Zealand for girls and boys.
Say it: mah-RAH-mah. Nicknames: Mara, Rama, Mari.
40. Mahealani
Moon meaning. Hawaiian, usually glossed as “heavenly moon” or “full moon of the heavens.” Sources vary slightly on the breakdown, so ask a Hawaiian speaker if you want the exact reading. A long name with a musical rhythm.
Say it: mah-HAY-ah-LAH-nee. Nicknames: Mahe, Lani, Mahi.
41. Masina
Moon meaning. Samoan for “moon.” Rare outside Samoa and diaspora communities.
Say it: mah-SEE-nah. Nicknames: Masi, Sina, Nina.
42. Hina
Lunar link. Hina is a goddess in many Polynesian traditions, and in several of them she is tied to the moon. The word hina in Māori means “grey” or “silvery,” which suits the moon even though the word doesn’t mean moon. Other names spelled Hina, such as Japanese or Urdu ones, have unrelated origins.
Say it: HEE-nah. Nicknames: Hini, Nana.
Modern and invented moon names
Modern parents keep building moon names out of luna plus something else. These are a few that work, and for more names drawn from the wider sky, see space names for girls.
43. Stellaluna
Moon meaning. Latin stella (“star”) plus luna (“moon”). It became familiar through Janell Cannon’s 1993 picture book Stellaluna, about a baby fruit bat. The nicknames Stella and Luna are built in, so it works for a child who wants a choice.
Say it: stel-uh-LOO-nuh. Nicknames: Stella, Luna, Stellie, Lulu.
44. Adaluna
Moon meaning. A modern compound of Ada, a Germanic name meaning “noble,” plus Luna. It gets you the vintage charm of Ada with the lunar reading of Luna.
Say it: AD-uh-LOO-nuh. Nicknames: Ada, Addie, Luna, Lu.
45. Lunaria
Moon meaning. Latin, “of the moon.” It is also the name of a plant genus, including honesty (Lunaria annua), whose translucent seed pods look like small full moons. A floral name and a lunar name in one.
Say it: loo-NAIR-ee-uh. Nicknames: Luna, Ria, Nari.
How popular are moon names for girls
Luna is the one that moved. It first entered the US top 10 for girls in 2022 at No. 10, and the Social Security Administration’s 2023 list kept it at No. 10. It slipped out of the top 10 in the 2024 data. Even so, it is the most popular moon name in the US by a large margin and one of the most popular girls’ names overall.
What that means in practice: if you choose Luna, expect to meet other Lunas at daycare. If you like the sound and want fewer duplicates, the close alternatives are Lua (same sound, different spelling and origin), Selene (the Greek word for the same thing), Lunetta (“little moon”), and Mahina (Hawaiian).
Other moon names are far less common in the US. Diana and Phoebe are familiar but not crowded, and most of the names from Arabic, Turkish, Sanskrit and Polynesian languages are rare in US records. Use the SSA name search to check any name you’re considering.
Middle names and sibling matches
Moon names for girls work well in the middle slot, where they add meaning without making a first name hard to spell. A few pairings:
- Selene as a middle: Clara Selene, Josephine Selene, Nora Selene.
- Luna as a middle: Violet Luna, Hazel Luna, Maya Luna.
- Mahina or Marama as a middle: Eleanor Mahina, Ruby Marama.
- A moon name as the first name, a plain middle: Selene Grace, Phoebe Rose, Diana Mae.
For siblings, matching the theme is easier than it looks, because the sun, dawn and stars have their own name traditions. A brother can share the theme too, with moon names for boys. Some pairings:
- Greek myth: Selene’s siblings were Helios and Eos, so Selene with Eos or Helios is a literal family reunion.
- Sun and moon pairs: Luna with Soleil (French for “sun”), or Chandra with Surya in Sanskrit.
- Turkish: Aylin or Aysu with Güneş, the Turkish word for sun.
- Persian: Mahtab with Aftab, the Persian word for sun (more often used for boys).
- Sky names: Luna with Stella (“star”) or Aurora (“dawn”).
All 45 names at a glance
| # | Name | Origin | Link to the moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selene | Greek | Moon meaning |
| 2 | Mene | Greek | Moon meaning |
| 3 | Artemis | Greek | Lunar link |
| 4 | Diana | Roman | Lunar link |
| 5 | Phoebe | Greek | Lunar link |
| 6 | Cynthia | Greek | Lunar link |
| 7 | Delia | Greek | Lunar link |
| 8 | Ixchel | Maya | Lunar link |
| 9 | Quilla | Quechua | Moon meaning |
| 10 | Luna | Latin | Moon meaning |
| 11 | Selena | Spanish, English | Moon meaning |
| 12 | Lunetta | Italian | Moon meaning |
| 13 | Lunita | Spanish | Moon meaning |
| 14 | Lua | Portuguese | Moon meaning |
| 15 | Ilargi | Basque | Moon meaning |
| 16 | Lusine | Armenian | Moon meaning |
| 17 | Qamar | Arabic | Moon meaning |
| 18 | Badra | Arabic | Moon meaning |
| 19 | Hilal | Arabic, Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 20 | Mahtab | Persian | Moon meaning |
| 21 | Mahsa | Persian | Moon meaning |
| 22 | Mahnaz | Persian | Moon meaning |
| 23 | Mahrukh | Persian, Urdu | Moon meaning |
| 24 | Aylin | Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 25 | Ayla | Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 26 | Aysel | Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 27 | Aysu | Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 28 | Aygül | Turkish | Moon meaning |
| 29 | Levana | Hebrew | Moon meaning |
| 30 | Chandni | Hindi, Urdu | Moon meaning |
| 31 | Chandrika | Sanskrit | Moon meaning |
| 32 | Indu | Sanskrit | Moon meaning |
| 33 | Yue | Chinese | Moon meaning |
| 34 | Mingyue | Chinese | Moon meaning |
| 35 | Nguyệt | Vietnamese | Moon meaning |
| 36 | Tsukiko | Japanese | Moon meaning |
| 37 | Mitsuki | Japanese | Moon meaning |
| 38 | Mahina | Hawaiian | Moon meaning |
| 39 | Marama | Māori | Moon meaning |
| 40 | Mahealani | Hawaiian | Moon meaning |
| 41 | Masina | Samoan | Moon meaning |
| 42 | Hina | Polynesian | Lunar link |
| 43 | Stellaluna | Modern (Latin roots) | Moon meaning |
| 44 | Adaluna | Modern (Germanic and Latin roots) | Moon meaning |
| 45 | Lunaria | Latin | Moon meaning |
