Beach-Inspired Baby Names

Summertime means beach time. Whether you enjoy sipping tropical drinks on the shore, catching some waves, or taking in the natural beauty, you probably associate hot, sunny weather with trips to the ocean. Perhaps you prefer hanging out on the banks of a river or diving into a cool, clear lake. As long as you love beaches, it doesn’t matter where you go to enjoy them. And if you take your naming inspiration from the world around you, you’re probably looking for options.

In honor of the season, here’s a selection of names inspired by the beach! These maritime monikers are sure to delight.

• Amphitrite: Pronounced “am-phuh-TRY-tee,” this is a unique Ancient Greek girls’ name often given to ships in more modern times. In mythology, Amphitrite was the mother of Triton through her marriage to the sea god Poseidon and was herself a deity representing salt water or seawater. If she’s Triton’s mom…does that mean she’s Ariel’s grandmother?
• Ariel: We’re all thinking about The Little Mermaid right now, and who doesn’t love mermaids? Thanks to the new movie, expect Ariel to spike in the 2023 charts from its current 2022 ranking of #237.
• Bay: 12 girls were named Bay in 2022. Even at its peak in 2014, it’s never been given to more than 75 girls and a smaller handful of boys. Though if Bay is too similar to popular Bailey or Baylor for you, consider naming your child after your favorite bay directly. I personally like Chessie as a stand-in for Chesapeake. On that note, Old Bay seasoning makes for a pretty great food namesake…just leave out the “old” part.
• Beach only charted in the U.S. birth data once for 5 men born in 1915. Try it as a nickname for Beecher or Beauchamp! Alternatively, you may prefer Beech if you enjoy tree names.
• Coral is rare though familiar and less popular than Coraline. 116 girls were named Coral last year, though for something even more unique try Coralie (48 girls) or Coralia (fewer than 5 babies).
• Cove: 132 boys and 80 girls were named Cove in 2022, a trendy minimalist option making the rounds on baby naming social media. Use it now before it really takes off!
• Gal / Gali: You’ve probably heard of Gal through Gal Gadot, the actress who starred in Wonder Woman. Gal is a Hebrew name meaning “wave,” while Gali means “my wave.” 16 American girls were named Gal, 10 Gali, and 6 Galit in 2022.
• Isla: When pronounced the Spanish way (EES-luh), this name means “island.” I’d wager most Anglophones pronounce it like “EYE-luh,” however. Isla ranks #35 as of 2022.
• Kai: One translation for Kai (and there are many!) is “sea,” when derived from Hawaiian. Kai ranks #59 for baby boys and #790 for infant girls.
• Key: Not currently in use. I’m thinking of the Florida Keys…and Kokomo!
• Lake: When you can’t get to the ocean, the lake is probably your next best bet for a beach trip. Lake was given to 54 girls and 99 boys in 2022. It’s so similar to Blake that I’m surprised it’s not more popular! That said, inspired variants Lakelyn and Lakelynn were both new to the U.S. Top 1000 this year.
• Marina: A marina is both a shoreline locale to dock your boats and an old Roman name meaning “of the sea.” Marius and Marinus are traditional men’s forms of Marina. .
• Moana: The Disney character’s fitting name derives from Polynesian languages and refers to a “wide expanse of water,” namely the ocean! 44 girls were named Moana in 2022.
• Navy: Also a color, this ranks #478 for girls in the U.S.
• Ocean / Oceana / Oceane / Oceanus : Ocean is a popular gender-neutral choice for both boys (#604) and (#759) girls, but its longer alternatives are still unusual. Nor is Ocean necessarily strictly a modern name – it’s the English form of a Greek god’s name, Oceanus. Oceanus itself was the name of the only child born on the Mayflower voyage.
• Reef: 61 boys and 7 girls were named Reef in 2022.
• Rio: This Spanish and Portuguese form of River only recently became a trendy choice stateside, likely thanks to Money Heist. It ranks #561 for boys, though a decent number of babies (118 in 2022) named Rio are girls. I wonder how many of those are named after the Duran Duran song, however long ago it came out? And I’d bet quite a few children are named after Rio de Janeiro, considering the ongoing trendiness of place names.
• River: This fantastic gender-neutral option is about to reach the U.S. Top 100 for boys, and it looks like it isn’t far behind for baby girls. Current rank: #105 for boys, #150 for girls.
• Sailor: I can’t talk about beach names without mentioning Sailor! Sailboats might not be on the beach, but you can watch them glide by…or vice versa. This spelling is still fairly rare, but Saylor with a ‘y’ ranks #207 for girls. Could it be this generation’s Taylor?
• Sandy: These days, Sandy is an uncommon unisex baby name. If you prefer it as a nickname, consider swoonworthy Lysander and Lysandra!
• Shell: Not currently in use, and Shelly / Shelley is rare for new babies (just 28 and 6 girls, respectively). Michelle is a modern classic, making its place in the Top 1000 for nearly a century. For a boy, Shell is a good nickname for Dashiell, Sheldon, and Michael.
• Shore: Not in use, which means it’s perfect for beach-loving parents who enjoy unique names that nobody else has. My only suggestion is to avoid using this name if you pronounce “shore” the same way as you say “sure.”
• Thalassa: From a Greek word meaning “sea.” Thalassa only charted in the birth stats once in 1977 for 6 women. Fans of Romance novels may be familiar with author Laura Thalassa.
• Undine comes from a Latin word meaning “wave.” This isn’t currently in use, though French variation Ondine was given to 9 baby girls in the U.S. last year.
• Waverly: A popular choice for girls that nods to the sea while fitting perfectly on any playground without another thought. Waverly currently ranks #750 for girls nationally, but rare Wave was given to just 15 boys and 6 girls in 2022.

What are your favorite beach-inspired names?