Top 101 Best Nautical Names Inspired By The Ocean

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Dec 12, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Nov 02, 2020
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
Baby boy sitting in a rustic boat
Age: 0-99
Read time: 9.0 Min

Oceans cover a major part of the planet.

Coastline-loving parents will really like calling their babies by names associated with the majesty of the ocean and water. The ocean has always been inspirational - for sailors to set on a journey or for poets wondering what lies at the horizon.

To make your search for names inspirational, we have come with a list of the best nautical names for your boys and girls. These names are especially associated with the ocean and its attributes such as water, nautical correlation, seas, oceanic creatures, etc. One of the expressions that sailors use when they set sail is "may you have fair winds" as a farewell and an expression of good luck. This ocean-based list of names will channelize your search for nautical names to the right place.

For more baby names, take a look at Names Meaning Water and Ocean Names For Girls.

Ocean Names For Girls

The turbulent yet calm and majestic ocean is the inspiration for many parents longing to raise girls as an inspiring figure. Below, we have crafted a list of some of the famous names meaning ocean.

1. Adira (Hebrew origin) meaning "strong and powerful". This is among the perfect oceanic names for a baby girl.

2. Asherah  (Semitic origin) meaning "she who walks on the sea". It is one of the classy beachy names for a little girl.

3. Aukai (Hawaiian origin) meaning "explorer of the sea".

4. Beryl (Greek origin) meaning "sea-green jewel".

5. Bloom (German origin) meaning "someone living near the grassland".

6. Coraline (English origin) meaning "from the corals of the sea".

7. Cordelia (Latin origin) meaning "daughter of the sea".

8. Eldoris (Greek origin) meaning "of the sea".

9. Ezili (African origin) meaning "goddess of beauty, war, and love".

10. Firtah (Scottish origin) meaning "arm of the sea".

11. Gali (Hebrew origin) meaning "my wave".  A loved and popular name for girls in the US.

12. Ginevra (Italian origin) meaning 'white shadow, white wave'.

13. Haf (Icelandic origin) meaning "sea".

14. Kaia (Hawaiian origin) meaning "the sea".

15. Marcellene (French origin) meaning "defender of the sea".

16. Maree (Irish and Latin origin) meaning "star of the sea".

17. Marina (Latin origin) meaning "of the sea".

18. Moana (Hawaiian origin) meaning "ocean".

19. Oceania (French origin) meaning "of the ocean".

20. Sereia (Portuguese origin) meaning "mermaid".

21. Ula (Celtic origin) meaning "gem of the sea".

22. Yara (Brazilian origin) meaning "water lady."

23. Zale (Greek origin) meaning "strength of the sea".

Water Names For Girls

Pretty little girl with small surfboard

Water is synonymous with self-control, strength, calmness, liveliness, and flexibility. Below are listed some water-inspired baby names for girls.

24. Anahita (Persian origin) meaning "water goddess". A unique name for your girl.

25. Aqua (Latin origin) meaning "water". It is a perfect and unique name meaning water.

26. Bayou (American origin) meaning "a small stream". One of the popular nautical baby names for your little girl.

27. Coral (Indo-European origin) meaning "underwater reefs". This name complements the names on the water list.

28. Evian (Latin origin) meaning "The Lord is gracious". A wonderful baby name. It can also be one of the boy names too.

29. Guadalupe (Spanish origin) meaning "river of black stones".

30. Hali (Greek origin) meaning "sea".  One of the most wonderful names for girls.

31. Kendall (English origin) "valley of the River Kent". Famous American model, Kendall Jenner made this name more popular among the natives.

32. Kendra (Old English origin) meaning  "clear water".

33. Lake (English origin) meaning "freshwater body".

34. Lynn (Irish origin) meaning "lake".

35. Marilla (Latin origin) meaning "shining sea".

36. Marinus (Latin origin) meaning "of the sea".

37. Maris (Latin origin) meaning "of the sea".

38. Maya (Hebrew origin) meaning "water".

39. Meredith (Welsh origin) meaning "sea lord".

40. Moselle (Hebrew origin) meaning "from the water".

41. Nixie (German origin) meaning "water spirit".

42. Neolani (Hawaiian origin)  meaning "mist of heaven".

43. Oceane (Greek origin)  referring to a water God.

44. Rainey  (Irish origin) meaning "rain".

45. Sedna (American origin) meaning "Goddess of the sea".

46. Shannon (Irish origin) meaning "old and wise river".

47. Talise (American origin) meaning "lovely water".

48. Zarya (Slavic origin) meaning "water priestess".

Nautical Baby Names For Boys

Nautical is a term used for navigation, sailors, or sea-related issues. This list includes the names of many brave explorers and oceanic terms and sailing terms that inspire parents to name their little ones.

49. Adrian (Latin origin) meaning  "sailor boy".  One of the loved nautical baby boy names.

50. Anchor (English origin) meaning "hook".  The name is the most sought after nautical baby names for the boys. The nautical cable is a rope on the naval ship that is used when the ship is anchored to sail deep.

51. Bertha (German origin) meaning "bright". The name is used to rank sailors and is also apt for baby girls.

52. Caspian (English origin) meaning "inspired by the sea". One of the fascinating nautical boy names.

53. Celeste (Latin origin) meaning "heavenly".  Sailors use stars to navigate their journey into the sea.

54. Charles (German origin) meaning "strong and manly". This name gets its popularity from Charles Bukowski, who was a renowned poet and novelist.

55. Christopher (Greek origin) meaning "carrying Christ in the heart". Christopher Columbus is the navigator who discovered America'. It is the most sought after name for boys in the US.

56. Crew (English origin) meaning "group of people who operate a vessel". A very popular sailing term.

57. Davey (Celtic origin) meaning "Bottom of the sea". It is one of the sailor terms for the bottom of the sea.

58. Duffle (Dutch origin) meaning "seabag".  One of the few unique boy names.

59. Erasmus (Biblical origin) meaning "beloved". It was the name of a patron sailor who lived in the 4th century.

60. Ferdinand (Spanish origin) meaning "brave journey". The name is associated with Ferdinand Magellan, the first sailor to set sail to go around the whole world. It is also a popular baby boy name.

61. Finn (Old Norse origin) meaning "fin reminiscent". An attractive creature of the ocean.

62. Fisher (English origin) meaning "one who catches fish".

63. Galiot (English origin) meaning "name of the ship". It is one of the nautical baby names as many ships were named so.

64. Hawkins (English origin) meaning "falconry".

65. Heron (Old English origin) meaning "bird that moves around water".

66. Jacques (Latin origin) meaning "supplanter". Jacques Cousteau, a naval officer.

67. James (French origin) meaning "heel".  Naomi James is the first woman sailor who sailed solo around the world.

68. Jason (Greek origin) meaning "healer".

69. Leif (Scandinavian origin) meaning "heir".

70. Morwenna (Cornish origin) meaning "waves of the sea". Also one of the nautical names for girls.

71. Nerissa (Greek origin) meaning "from the sea".

72. Nicholas (Greek origin) meaning "victory". A famous sailor patron was the namesake and one of the popular nautical baby names.

73. Ortun (English origin) meaning "from the shore".

74. Pearl (Latin origin) meaning "bead formed by a mollusk".  The author of The Good Earth referred to as the best-selling fictional book was Pearl S. Buck.

75. Sailor (English origin) meaning "boatman". It is a popular nautical baby name for boys.

Gender-Neutral Nautical Baby Names

Many parents choose not to know the gender of the baby before their birth so they pick the meaningful, trendy, and unique names that go well with both boys and girls. Some of them associated with the ocean are summed up below.

76. Bay (French origin) meaning "recess in the shore of a sea".

78. Blue (Germanic origin) meaning "shimmering".  Blue is the color of the ocean and a great name for both boys and girls.

79. Clove (German origin) meaning "a nail".

80. Gale (English origin) meaning "pleasant". The 'Hunger Game' series popularity included it in nautical baby unisex names.

81. Harbor (Old English origin) meaning "wave of the future". It is among the top nautical unisex name for boys and girls.

82. Fjord (Norse origin) meaning "where one fares through". A great name for a baby boy.

83. Kai (Hawaiin origin) meaning "sea".  It is a small most kept unisex nautical baby name.

84. Marin (Spanish origin) meaning "of the sea". It is among the favorite unisex nautical baby name.

85. Morgan (Welsh origin) meaning "circling sea". This nautical name is gaining popularity after the actress, Morgan Fairchild, and actor, Morgan Freeman.

86. Ray (Old English origin)  meaning "ray fish".

87. Ripley (English origin) meaning "strip of land".

88. Sandy (English origin) meaning "man's defender".

Names After Beaches And Rivers

New born baby boy sleeping

Serene beaches with an abundance of nature are loved by all. The serenity, tranquillity, and scenic beauty inspire parents to name babies on this basis. We have featured some names associated with this theme.

89. Athena (F)(Greek origin) meaning "Goddess of Wisdom and War". Athens city was named after this Goddess.

90. Bondi (M/F)(Italian origin) meaning "blond". The name corresponds to a popular beach in Australia.

91. Cali (F)(American origin) meaning "beautiful". It is a short name for California which has many beautiful beaches. It is one of the loved girl names as well as one of the emerging names for boys.

92. Como (F)(Italian origin) meaning "province".  In Northern Italy, there is a lake named Como.

93. Delta (F)(Greek origin) meaning "mouth of a river".  It is one of the most considered girl names.

94. Iluka (F)(Aboriginal origin) meaning "near the sea".

95. Isla (F)(Scottish origin) meaning "island and a river in Scotland is named Isla". It is one of the popular girl names.

96. Laguna (F)(Spanish origin) meaning "pool or pond". It is the name of a famous Californian beach and popular beach-inspired baby girl names of the US.

97. Loire (F)(French origin) meaning "silt".  It is a baby girl name kept after a French River.

98. Lucerne (F)(French origin) meaning "lamp". It is a famous picturesque Swiss lake. The beauty of the lake can inspire the right baby name for your girl.

99. Mary Rose (F)(English origin) meaning "sea of sorrow ". It was a famous shipwreck in history and a popular baby girl name. Shipwreck is a sailing term.

100. Rio (M/F)(Spanish origin) meaning "river". Rio is a place in Brazil famous for the beaches. It is one of the unisex beach-inspired baby names and is popular as one of the names of boys.

101. Zambzi (F)(English origin) meaning "Great River". It is a famous exotic river in South Africa. This baby name is for the female child.

Kidadl has lots of great baby names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Nautical Names then why not take a look at boat names and Geographical Names, or for something different take a look at Names Meaning Kind.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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