With the 2025 Oscars only days away, and the yearly Road to the Oscars coming to an end once again, all eyes are on one major category: the Best Actress Oscar. Every year, we love to see which actress takes home the coveted Best Actress Oscar; and in the past 25 years, it’s been a wild ride. In honor of this, we wanna take a look back at the Best Actress winners, and their beautiful names for baby name inspo!
This year, the nominees are Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Mikey Madison for Anora, Demi Moore for The Substance, and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here. No matter who wins, it’ll be a first; and we’re so excited to see which one of them will become a first-time Oscar winner.
Before this, so many of our favorite actresses have won Oscars, sometimes their first ever in the 21st century. While the Oscars have been around for nearly a century now, we’re going to look at Best Actress winners in the 21st century and what each of their names means.
Below, see the names and the meanings behind the names of each Best Actress winner.
Julia
While the name “Julia” means “youthful” in Latin, many think of the gorgeous actress, Julia Roberts, who won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2001 Academy Awards for her role in Erin Brokovich.
Halle
Halle Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball, becoming the first Black actress to win in the category. So not only is she legendary, but so is her name, which is actually Norse for “Hay’s meadow.”
Nicole
Nicole Kidman became an Oscar-winning actress for her role in The Hours back in 2003, which is totally cosmic when you remember her name is Greek for “people of victory.”
Charlize
Did you know that Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Oscar back in 2004 for her role in Monster? And did you know that her ultra-unique name means “free man”?
Hilary
At the 77th Annual Academy Awards, Hilary Swank was on Cloud 9 after she won the Oscar for her role in Million Dollar Baby — which totally makes sense when you remember her name means “cheerful, happy.”
Reese
Reese Witherspoon was a household name long before she won the Oscar for her role in Walk the Line. And people have loved her name for decades, but many may not know it means “ardor” in Welsh.
Helen
Helen Mirren finally won her first Oscar back in 2007 for her iconic role in The Queen. Fun fact: along with being a pillar of light herself, her name is literally Greek for “torch; shining light.”
Marion
Actress Marion Cotillard has always been quite “beloved,” including when she was the Best Actress Oscar for her role in La Vie en Rose. And yes, her name literally means “beloved,” but it also means “drop of the sea, bitter” so there’s a lot of meanings all in one.
Kate
Back in 2008, Kate Winslet won the Oscar for her role in The Reader. Fast forward to today, she remains an icon, and so many people wanna name their own kids “Kate,” which is actually an English name meaning “pure.”
Sandra
Y’know what’s kinda crazy? Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for her role in The Blind Side, playing Leigh Anne Tuohy, an mother who defends her adoptive son throughout it all. And Sandra’s name literally means “defending men!”
Natalie
Who could forget when Natalie Portman won the Oscar for her role in Black Swan? While she’s continued to work diligently in the entertainment industry, many have since been inspired by her. And if you’re really inspired, you should check out her first name, Natalie, which is actually Russian for “birthday of the Lord.”
Meryl
Meryl Streep won her second Best Actress Oscar, and third Oscar total, back in 2012 for her role in The Iron Lady. And did you know that her unique name has an even more unique meaning? It means “blackbird!”
Jennifer
Jennifer Lawrence won her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, and fans are still obsessed with the big moment today. Something pretty cool is that it’s Cornish for “white shadow, white wave” — which is pretty cool when you remember the dress she wore looked like white waves!
Cate
Cate Blanchett won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Oscar back in 2014 for her role in Blue Jasmine. While her name also means “pure,” her unique spelling has become a favorite amongst new parents.
Julianne
As for Julianne Moore, who won the Oscar for her role in Still, Alice, her first name means “youthful” in Latin.
Brie
Back in 2016, Brie Larson won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for her powerful performance in Room. Her name is French for “strength” or “exalted one,” which goes right along with the strength of her award-winning character.
Emma
Emma Stone is one of two actresses who’ve won the Best Actress oscar twice in the 21st century so far. She won for her roles in La La Land, and Poor Things! (Fun fact: her name, Emma, means “universal” in German!)
Frances
Frances McDormand is the other actress to hit this milestone too, winning for her roles in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Nomadland. And as you can imagine, her name, Frances, means “from France; free man!”
Olivia
Not only do we love the fact that Olivia Colman won the Oscar for The Favourite, but her beautiful name is Latin for “olive tree.”
Renee
Remember when the beloved actress Renée Zellweger won the Oscar for her leading role in Judy? It was truly a defining moment in her career, showing a new act in her life; totally fitting, since Renée means “reborn.”
Jessica
Jessica Chastain felt on top of the world when she won the Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. And what’s pretty cool is that her beautiful, iconic name is Hebrew for “behold” or “wealthy.”
Michelle
Michelle Yeoh made history when she won the Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once. And for those who adore her name, we got a cool fun fact: her name is French for “who is like God.”
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