Names that mean moon include Luna, Selene, Chandra, Mahina, Tsukiko and Mingyue, each taken from a word for “moon” in Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese.
Parents have been looking up at the same glowing rock for thousands of years and thinking, “That would make a lovely name.” Names that mean moon are the result. They are old, global and surprisingly flexible.
This guide gives you the full list, sorted by gender, language and moon phase. It also gives you a simple test for choosing one without regret.
What Are Names That Mean Moon?
Names that mean moon are first names or surnames whose root word means “moon,” “moonlight,” or a lunar idea such as a crescent, a full moon or a moon goddess.
A few terms help here:
- Etymology: the history of where a word comes from. Luna traces back to Latin.
- Epithet: a descriptive title attached to a god or person. Cynthia began as a title for the Greek goddess Artemis.
- Theophoric name: a name that honors a deity. Selene and Chandra both qualify.
- Synodic month: the full cycle of lunar phases, about 29.5 days according to NASA.
If you’ve been asking “what are some names that mean moon?”, expect four families: direct words for moon (Luna, Yue), moonlight (Chandni, Mahtab), phases (Badr, Hilal) and moon deities (Selene, Artemis, Mani).
Also Read: WYO Meaning in Text
Why Names That Mean Moon Keep Trending in 2026
Three numbers explain the appeal:
- Luna is a modern American hit. Luna was the only newcomer in the girls’ top 10 in the Social Security Administration’s 2022 list, replacing Harper. By 2024 it had dropped out of the top 10, replaced by Sofia. It remains hugely popular, just no longer the freshest option. The less-common moon names below carry the same imagery with far less overlap in the classroom.
- The long tail is huge. SSA reports that its top 1,000 names covered about 72 percent of U.S. births in 2025. Roughly one baby in four gets a name outside that list, which is where Lusine, Mahina and Ilargi live.
- Cross-cultural names are rising fast. SSA noted that the boys’ name Kasai, meaning “fire” in Japanese and Swahili, jumped 1,108 positions to enter the top 1,000 at 639. Parents are clearly open to names with global roots.
The moon itself helps too. NASA puts its average distance from Earth at about 384,400 km. It is far away, yet it shows up on a predictable schedule every night.
Girl Names That Mean Moon
Looking for girl names that mean moon? These female names that mean moon come from nine languages, and most work as names that mean moon for girl in any English-speaking country.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Luna | Latin | Moon |
| Selene | Greek | Moon goddess |
| Chandni | Hindi | Moonlight |
| Chandrika | Sanskrit | Moonlight |
| Mahina | Hawaiian | Moon |
| Levana | Hebrew | Moon, white |
| Aylin | Turkish | Moon halo |
| Mahtab | Persian | Moonlight |
| Lusine | Armenian | Moon |
| Ilargi | Basque | Moon |
| Phoebe | Greek | Bright; linked to lunar myth |
| Cynthia | Greek | Epithet of the moon goddess |
| Artemis | Greek | Goddess of the moon and hunt |
| Diana | Latin | Roman moon and hunt goddess |
| Indu | Sanskrit | Moon (unisex) |
Author’s take: Choose a name your future teenager can say without a mini lecture. Luna and Diana need zero explaining. Mahtab and Ilargi need one sentence, which is usually a feature, because the story becomes part of the name.
Boy Names That Mean Moon
Searching boy names that mean moon? Many male names that mean moon come from Sanskrit and Arabic, and a few are used for both genders. Here are the names that mean moon for boy:
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chandra | Sanskrit | Moon |
| Soma | Sanskrit | Moon; Vedic deity |
| Shashank | Sanskrit | Marked with a hare, i.e. the moon |
| Himanshu | Sanskrit | Cool-rayed, the moon |
| Mrigank | Sanskrit | Marked with a deer, i.e. the moon |
| Chandrakant | Sanskrit | Beloved of the moon; moonstone |
| Badr | Arabic | Full moon |
| Qamar | Arabic | Moon |
| Hilal | Arabic | Crescent moon |
| Mani | Norse | Personified moon |
| Ayhan | Turkish | Lord moon |
| Aykut | Turkish | Blessed moon |
| Tsukito | Japanese | Moon person (e.g., 月人) |
| Mitsuki | Japanese | Full moon (満月), unisex |
Why Sanskrit dominates this list: Hindu tradition personifies the moon as Chandra, and a lunar calendar shapes festivals and naming charts. Parents there never stopped using moon names, so the tradition has several thousand years of continuous use behind it.
Japanese Names That Mean Moon
Japanese is the richest source here because the kanji 月 (tsuki, moon) combines easily with other characters. This section covers Japanese names that mean moon, names that mean moon in Japanese, and the Japanese girl names and Japanese boy names that use it.
Japanese girl names that mean moon:
- Tsukiko (月子): moon child
- Mizuki (美月): beautiful moon
- Mitsuki (満月): full moon
- Runa (ルナ): the Japanese rendering of Luna
- Kaguya: the moon princess of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Japanese boy names that mean moon:
- Tsukito (月人)
- Mitsuki (満月)
- Mizuki (美月)
The mistake I see most: Sound is not meaning. Mizuki can be written 美月 (“beautiful moon”) or 瑞希 (“auspicious hope”). Same pronunciation, no moon in the second one. Always confirm the kanji, the Chinese-derived characters that carry the meaning, before you commit.
Also Read: GTS Meaning in Text
Korean and Chinese Names That Mean Moon
Korean names that mean moon:
- Dal (달): moon
- Dalbit (달빛): moonlight
- Boreum (보름): the fifteenth day of the lunar month, which means the full moon
Chinese names that mean moon:
- Yue (月): moon
- Mingyue (明月): bright moon
- Meiyue (美月): beautiful moon
Chinese is tonal, so pronunciation changes meaning. Yuè (月, moon) is a different word from other “yue” syllables, so write the character alongside the romanization.
Last Names That Mean Moon
If you’re tracing a family tree or naming a fictional character, here are last names that mean moon.
Japanese last names that mean moon:
- Mochizuki (望月): full moon, a well-known samurai-era clan name
- Tsukioka (月岡): moon hill
- Tsukimoto (月本): moon origin
- Tsukishima (月島): moon island
Other surnames:
- Luna / De Luna: Spanish and Italian, often from a place name
- Mond: German for moon
Moon surnames are rarer than moon first names. That makes them useful if you want a middle name that stands out.
Also Read: TMP Meaning in Text
Names That Mean Moon or Stars
Many parents don’t want to choose between the two, so here are names that mean moon or stars. If you arrived from a search like “names that mean moon Bellabeat” or “names that mean moon or stars Bellabeat.com,” this section covers the same ground and then some.
Names that mean moon or stars for girl:
- Stella: star (Latin)
- Estelle: star (French)
- Esther: star (Persian roots)
- Tara: star (Sanskrit)
- Sitara: star (Urdu/Hindi)
- Seren: star (Welsh)
- Citlali: star (Nahuatl)
Names that mean moon or stars for boy:
- Tarak: star (Bengali)
- Lucero: bright star (Spanish)
- Orion: a constellation, from Greek myth
- Sirius: the Dog Star
- Seren: also used for boys
Pairing idea: Use a moon name as the first name and a star name as the middle name. Luna Stella and Chandra Tarak both work.
Pick by Moon Phase: A Different Way to Choose
Most lists stop at “moon.” You can also choose by phase, which gives the name a built-in story.
| Phase | Idea | Name options |
|---|---|---|
| New moon | Fresh starts | Soma, Dal |
| Crescent | Growth, promise | Hilal |
| Full moon | Completeness, joy | Badr, Boreum, Mitsuki, Mochizuki |
| Moonlight | Calm, glow | Chandni, Mahtab, Dalbit |
| Moon goddess | Strength | Selene, Artemis, Diana, Kaguya |
Parents tend to love this angle because it answers the question every child eventually asks: “Why did you pick my name?”
The MOON Test: A 4-Step Framework
Use this on any shortlist. Each letter is one check.
- M, Meaning verified. Confirm it in the native script (kanji, hanzi, Devanagari) or a trusted etymology source, not only a baby-name site.
- O, Origin respected. Check whether the name fits your family or heritage, and what the culture it comes from thinks of it.
- O, Out-loud test. Say it with your surname, the likely nickname and a full “Time to eat, [name]!” shout.
- N, Numbers checked. Look up the name in SSA’s database. As a rule of thumb, ranks 1–100 are very common, 100–500 familiar, 500–1,000 distinctive and anything beyond that rare.
A Simple Scoring Template
Rate each name 1–5 on each factor, then multiply by the weight.
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Meaning clarity | ×3 |
| Family fit | ×3 |
| Pronounceability | ×2 |
| Uniqueness | ×2 |
Maximum score: 50. Anything over 38 is a keeper.
Copy This 5-Step Workflow
- Pick a lane: moon, moonlight, phase or goddess.
- Pull 8–10 names from the tables above.
- Run the MOON test and cut to 4.
- Score the four with the template.
- Sleep on the top two for three days, then say each aloud with your surname.
Mini Case Study: From “Something Moony” to a Decision
This is an illustrative example of the workflow in action.
Before: Meera and Arjun wanted “something moony.” Their list was Luna, Selene, Luna-with-a-K and a few spellings found on a forum. They had no criteria and no favorite.
After: They used the MOON test:
| Name | Meaning (×3) | Family fit (×3) | Pronounce (×2) | Unique (×2) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luna | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 38 |
| Chandni | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 46 |
| Mahina | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 37 |
Both sets of grandparents speak Hindi and Chandni scored highest, so it became the winner. They added “Luna” as a middle name for the friends who preferred the Latin version.
Also Read: Another Word for Equitable
Common Mistakes With Names That Mean Moon
- Trusting spelling without meaning. “Luna” is Latin, but “Lunah” isn’t a recognized variant of anything.
- Skipping the native script. This is the Mizuki problem from earlier.
- Mixing up gender conventions. Chandra is male in Sanskrit usage but female in some other contexts. Check before you assume.
- Following the SSA list blindly. A top-10 name is common. Check the rank if uniqueness matters to you.
- Ignoring initials and nicknames. Run the full name through the out-loud test.
Conclusion
Names that mean moon fit nearly every culture and taste, from Luna to Chandni to Mochizuki. The best one is the one whose meaning you can verify, whose sound suits your family and whose story you enjoy telling. Run the MOON test on your shortlist, score honestly and trust the result.
Key Takeaways
- Names that mean moon cover direct words, moonlight, phases and moon deities.
- Luna is hugely popular in the U.S., so rarer options like Lusine, Mahina and Chandni stand out more.
- Japanese names need kanji verification because one sound can carry several meanings.
- Sanskrit and Arabic offer the richest boy options.
- The MOON test and scoring template turn a vague list into a decision.
- Pairing a moon name with a star name gives you a built-in story.
Short Summary
This guide covered names that mean moon across languages and genders, including Japanese, Korean and Chinese options, last names, and moon-or-star pairings. It also included a phase-based picker, the MOON test, a scoring template and a five-step workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are some names that mean moon?
Popular names that mean moon include Luna, Selene, Chandra, Mahina, Tsukiko, Mingyue, Yue and Qamar. They come from Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.
2. What are girl names that mean moon?
Common girl names that mean moon are Luna, Selene, Chandni, Mahina, Levana, Lusine, Tsukiko and Mizuki. Chandni and Mahtab both mean “moonlight.”
3. What are boy names that mean moon?
Boy names that mean moon include Chandra, Soma, Badr, Qamar, Hilal, Mani and Ayhan. Himanshu and Shashank are also moon names in Sanskrit.
4. What are Japanese names that mean moon?
Japanese names that mean moon are built on the kanji 月 (tsuki): Tsukiko, Mizuki, Mitsuki, Tsukito and the surname Mochizuki. Always check the kanji, since identical sounds can have different meanings.
5. Are there last names that mean moon?
Yes. Japanese examples are Mochizuki, Tsukioka, Tsukimoto and Tsukishima. Luna, De Luna and the German Mond also relate to the moon.
