100+ Names That Mean Water for Girls and Boys (2026)

This list has more than 100 names that mean water, sorted into girl, boy and unisex sections, then names that mean sea, river, rain or lake, and a last group of water deities. Each entry gives the origin language and the accepted meaning, and where the etymology is disputed the entry says so.

How to use this list

Water names split into two kinds. A few are the plain word for water in some language, like Mayim, Nero or Jala. Far more mean a particular kind of water: the sea (Marina, Kai, Morgan), a river (Jordan, Ganga), rain (Varsha, Ame) or a lake (Laken). The sections below keep those apart so you can decide how literal you want to be. Moses is the famous name most often listed here with the least support, and its entry says why.

If none of these fit, the Baby Name Generator can take a meaning like "water" or "ocean" and a style you like and suggest names with the origin attached. For other themes, start with the hub of more names by meaning.

Girl names that mean water

The most literal choices for girls are Mayim, Jalaja, Mizuki, Nerida and Ula. Marina and Maren are the popular sea options.

The sea and the ocean

Marina — Latin, “of the sea”
Maren — Scandinavian, from Latin marinus, “of the sea”
Marisa — Spanish and Italian, a blend of Maria and Luisa; often glossed as “of the sea”, so debated
Maris — Latin, “of the sea”, from Stella Maris
Oceane — French, “ocean”
Oceana — Latinised form of Ocean, “ocean”
Pelagia — Greek, “of the open sea”
Thalassa — Greek, “sea”, a primordial sea goddess
Nerissa — Greek, from Nereus, the old man of the sea; coined by Shakespeare
Doris — Greek, a sea nymph and mother of the Nereids
Muriel — Irish Muirgheal, “bright sea”
Morwenna — Cornish, usually “maiden”; the sea reading is popular but unsupported, so debated
Delmar — Spanish, “of the sea”; used for girls and boys
Kailani — Hawaiian, “sea and sky”
Moana — Maori and Hawaiian, “ocean, wide expanse of water”
Nalani — Hawaiian, “calm of the heavens”; usually miscopied as “calm sea”
Umi — Japanese 海, “sea”
Kaiya — Japanese, often written 海矢 with “sea”; the meaning depends on the kanji
Samudra — Sanskrit, “ocean”
Sagarika — Sanskrit, “born of the ocean, wave”
Yamaa — Arabic, “sea”; rare
Deniz — Turkish, “sea”; used for girls and boys

Rivers, lakes and springs

Nerida — Aboriginal Australian, often given as “water lily” or “blossom”; meaning uncertain
Ula — Celtic, “jewel of the sea” is the usual gloss; the source is unclear, so debated
Ganga — Sanskrit, the river Ganges, personified as a goddess
Yamuna — Sanskrit, the river Yamuna, sister of Yama
Kaveri — Sanskrit, a river of South India
Narmada — Sanskrit, a sacred river, “giver of pleasure”
Sarayu — Sanskrit, a river of Ayodhya
Nadia — Sanskrit nadī is “river”; the name Nadia is usually Slavic, “hope”, so the river reading is weak
Brook — English, “small stream”
Brooke — variant of Brook
Rivers — English, “river”; a surname used as a first name
Shannon — Irish river name, “old goddess”
Afton — Scottish river name from Burns’s Sweet Afton
Llyn — Welsh, “lake”
Laken — American, from lake; modern
Loch — Scottish, “lake”; rare as a name
Fontaine — French, “fountain, spring”
Fontana — Italian, “fountain”

Water and rain

Mayim — Hebrew, “water”
Jalaja — Sanskrit, “born in water”, a name of the lotus and of Lakshmi
Neeraja — Sanskrit, “born of water, lotus”
Varsha — Sanskrit, “rain”
Varuni — Sanskrit, a goddess of water and wine
Mizuki — Japanese, often written 水樹 with “water”; many kanji combinations exist
Ame — Japanese 雨, “rain”
Ondine — French, from Latin unda, “wave”, a water spirit
Undine — Latinised form of Ondine, a water elemental named by Paracelsus
Chalchiuhtli — Nahuatl, “jade”, part of the water goddess’s name
Talulah — Choctaw, usually “leaping water”; the source is disputed
Minnehaha — Dakota, often glossed “laughing water”; more exactly “waterfall”
Nixie — Germanic, a water sprite
Rain — English, “rain”
Raine — variant of Rain; also French reine, “queen”
Hyades — Greek, “the rainy ones”, a star cluster

Boy names that mean water

Kai — Hawaiian, “sea”; the name also has separate Japanese, Scandinavian and Frisian origins
Morgan — Welsh, usually “sea-born” or “sea circle”; debated
Dylan — Welsh, often glossed “son of the sea” from the sea god Dylan ail Don; the literal meaning is debated
Murdoch — Scottish Muireadhach, “seaman, mariner”
Murray — Scottish, from the region Moray, “sea settlement”
Mervyn — Welsh Merfyn, “eminent marrow”; often listed as “sea hill”, so debated
Marino — Italian, “of the sea”
Marin — Croatian and French, “of the sea”
Nereus — Greek, the old man of the sea
Triton — Greek, a sea god, son of Poseidon
Neptune — Latin, the Roman god of the sea
Poseidon — Greek, god of the sea; meaning debated
Oceanus — Greek, the Titan of the world-ocean
Pontus — Greek, “sea”, a primordial sea god
Jordan — Hebrew Yarden, “descend, flow down”, the river
Nile — English form of the river; Greek Neilos, meaning uncertain
Tyne — English river name, “river”
Trent — English river name, “trespasser”, for its flooding
Clyde — Scottish river name; meaning uncertain
Tigris — the river; Old Persian, “swift”
Varun — Sanskrit, from Varuna, the god of water and the ocean
Neer — Hindi, “water”
Jalaj — Sanskrit, “born of water, lotus”
Sagar — Sanskrit, “ocean”
Mizuto — Japanese 水斗, with “water”; depends on the kanji
Kaito — Japanese 海斗, “sea” plus “big dipper”; depends on the kanji
Kaiyo — Japanese 海洋, “ocean”
Hai — Vietnamese and Chinese 海, “sea”
Moses — Egyptian, likely “son”; the Hebrew story ties it to “drawn out of the water”, so debated
Dover — English town, from Brythonic dubras, “waters”
Douglas — Scottish, “dark water”, from dubh glas
Kelvin — Scottish river name, “narrow water”
Beck — Old Norse bekkr, “stream”
Brooks — English, “of the brook”
Lachlan — Scottish, “from the land of lakes”, meaning Norway
Irmak — Turkish, “river”
Derya — Turkish, “sea, ocean”

Unisex names that mean water

River — English, “river”
Ocean — English, “ocean”
Marlowe — English, “driftwood” or “lake remnant”; debated
Delta — Greek letter; the river mouth
Bay — English, “bay”
Cove — English, “sheltered inlet”
Reef — English, “reef”
Tide — English, “tide”
Wade — English, “to cross a river”
Eddy — English, “whirlpool”; also a pet form of Edward

Water gods, goddesses and spirits

Varuna — Vedic god of the waters and cosmic order
Tlaloc — Aztec god of rain
Chalchiuhtlicue — Aztec goddess of water, “she of the jade skirt”
Yemaya — Yoruba mother of the sea
Oshun — Yoruba goddess of rivers and fresh water
Sedna — Inuit goddess of the sea
Ran — Norse goddess of the sea who nets drowned sailors
Aegir — Norse god of the sea and brewing
Njord — Norse god of the sea and wind
Manannán — Irish god of the sea
Llyr — Welsh god of the sea, “sea”
Tefnut — Egyptian goddess of moisture and rain
Anuket — Egyptian goddess of the Nile
Tiamat — Babylonian primordial goddess of the salt sea
Ea — Mesopotamian god of fresh water and wisdom
Ryujin — Japanese dragon god of the sea
Mazu — Chinese goddess of the sea and sailors
Tangaroa — Maori god of the sea
Amphitrite — Greek queen of the sea
Tethys — Greek Titaness of fresh water
Naiad — Greek, nymph of springs and rivers

Frequently asked questions

What girl names mean water?

The literal ones are Mayim (Hebrew), Jalaja and Neeraja (Sanskrit, “born of water”), Mizuki (Japanese, depending on kanji) and Ondine (“wave”). For sea, the most used are Marina, Maren, Moana, Oceane and Pelagia.

What boy names mean water?

Varun, Neer, Jalaj, Sagar, Kai, Marino, Murdoch and Douglas (“dark water”) are the clearest. Dylan and Morgan are popular sea names but their literal meanings are debated.

Does Moses mean drawn from the water?

That is the meaning the Book of Exodus gives, through the Hebrew verb mashah, “to draw out”. Most scholars think the name is Egyptian, from the same root as Ramesses and Thutmose, meaning “son” or “born of”.

What name means water spirit?

Undine, Ondine, Naiad and Nixie all name water spirits. Yemaya and Oshun are the Yoruba sea and river goddesses, and Sedna is the Inuit sea goddess.

Which water names go well with other elements?

Pair this list with names that mean fire for a four-element theme across siblings or characters, or with names that mean storm and names that mean snow for a weather set.