With a bright, luxurious feel, golden baby names are poised to be super-popular this year — especially now that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Kansas City Current co-owner Brittany Mahomes, have just given the gorgeous name Golden Raye to their third child! Whether the name itself means gold or golden, or just invokes an opulent vibe, more and more parents are opting to give their babies these gilded monikers. And for good reason: gold is precious, just like our little ones. It’s the stuff of wedding rings that symbolize eternal love, and religious artifacts that symbolize the most revered deities, its presence a clear sign of wealth and luxury. Gold is strong; one of the most durable metals, it is impervious to rust, tarnish, and oxidation. With all these wonderful attributes, what’s not to love about choosing a golden baby name for the most valuable thing in your life?
The names we’ve picked here are definitely not names you’ll meet coming and going — there won’t be three other Zehavas or Orianas in your daughter’s kindergarten class. They’re unique, special, and giving high-end extravagance. From ultra-feminine to gender-neutral to strong and masculine, these golden baby names encompass all types of aesthetic. Like the element that inspired them, they’re glowing and glittery, but also strong and timeless.
Orla
Orla is the Anglicized version of the Irish name Órlaith, which combines the Old Irish words ór and flaith to mean “golden princess.” How perfectly regal is that?!
Chrysa
You could go with the floral name Chrysanthemum, which comes from the Greek roots chryseos and anthos, meaning “gold” and “flower” — but shortening it to Chrysa makes it sound fresh and unique (and easier to spell!).
Ophira
This is the elegant-sounding female version of the traditionally-male name Ophir. And while it doesn’t directly mean gold, Ophir is the name of a Biblical city said to be full of gold and other precious treasures — so we think it fits in well with our list of golden names!
Sona
The beautiful name Sona means “gold” in Hindi … and also Urdu, Armenian, and Azerbaijani!
Zarina
Z names have an unmistakable cool-kid vibe to begin with, but considering that Zarina stems from the Persian word zarin — “golden” — that makes it little bit edgy and a lot elegant.
Aurelia
From the Latin word aureus, meaning gold, Aurelia is a gorgeous and sophisticated-sounding choice.
Oriana
Oriana possibly comes from the Latin aurus (which means “gold”) — but it could also come from the Spanish oro or the French or, which mean the same. Any way you look at it, this gilded name glitters … and the nickname Ori is cute as well!
Goldie
There’s no need to explain the meaning behind Goldie — its meaning is as straightforward as it gets! It’s often associated with the iconic actress Goldie Hawn, which in our opinion only makes it better! There’s also the option to use the slightly more fomal-sounding Golda, made recognizable by former Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir.
Tala
Tala — or its alternate spelling, Talah — means “gold” in Persian. It also has another similarly-sparkling meaning in a different language: “star” in Tagalog, a language spoken predominantly in the Philippines.
Millaray
A hit on the Chilean popularity charts, Millaray comes from two words in the indigenous Mapuche language: milla, meaning “gold,” and rayen, meaning “flower.”
Areli
This name has a couple of different meanings. In Hebrew, it means “lion of God.” Or it could be a short form of Araceli, meaning “altar of the sky.” But it can also be a short form of Aurelia, from the Latin aureus, meaning “gold!”
Cressida
The Greek name Chryses is where the glamorous Cressida originates. Derived from χρύσεος, meaning “gold,” it morphed into several forms: Chryseis, then to Chriseida, and finally to Cressida. Both Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare have used this name — in one of its forms — in their works.
Gilda
Though it may seem like Gilda is just a variation of the word “gilded” — which means “covered in gold” and therefore would be entirely appropriate — it actually comes from a much longer root name: Ermenegilda, which itself is the feminine form of the Gothic name Hermenegildo. It was combined from the elements airmans and gild, which together mean “great payment.” The more you know!
Zehava
Another strikingly beautiful Z-name, this one is alternately spelled Zahava — as it stems from the Hebrew zaháv, meaning “gold.”
Ottilie
The lovely Ottilie comes from the Old German root name Odilia, meaning “wealthy” or “prosperous” — so it fits right in with our golden names category! As a bonus, it comes along with two adorable built-in nicknames: Ottie or Tillie.
Xanthe
An exotic X-name (that’s definitely unique!), the English pronunciation is typically ZAN-thee. Xanthe comes from the Greek ξανθός (xanthos), meaning “golden” or “yellow,” and was often given to fair-haired girls.
Dior
Opulence abounds in this unisex name choice, not only because of its automatic association with designer Christian Dior, but also because Dior likely comes from the French doré, meaning “golden.”
Auryn
Though Auryn is typically seen for boys, it could definitely be a strong unisex choice! According to some sources, it’s derived from a Welsh or Celtic word meaning “gold,” while according to others, its root lies in the Latin aureus, which means “golden” or “gilded.” From either origin, though, this name shines!
Ari
Ari is one of those really multifaceted names. First of all, it’s great for any gender. And secondly, it has a ton of great meanings. In Hebrew, it means “lion.” In Old Norse, it means “eagle.” In Armenian, it means “brave.” But for the purposes of this golden name roundup, we’re focusing on the fact that it’s the word for “gold” in the Albanian language!
Elio
Elio is the uber-handsome Italian form of the Greek name Helios, meaning “sun” — and nothing is more golden than that! In Greek mythology, Helios was a god of the sun, riding across the sky daily in a chariot pulled by four horses.
Blaine
Blaine, meaning “yellow,” is derived from a Scottish surname — which itself comes from an Old Irish name, Bláán. It has long been considered a male name, but we think it would work equally well for a girl!
Zarin
Like Zarina, that we mentioned previously in this list, the masculine form of this name — Zarin — comes from the Persian word زرین (zarin), meaning “gold.” It’s a distinctive and unique choice!
Aurelius
Like its female counterpart, Aurelia, Aurelius is a Roman family name that comes to us via the Latin aureus, meaning “golden.” Strong, gladiator-sounding names like this one are also on the rise in popularity, which makes Aurelius somewhat of a double-whammy.
Altan
This name, which is exotic but has the familiar quality of names like Alton, has two possible meanings: from a Mongolian root, it means “golden,” and in Turkish, it means “red dawn.”
Orville
It may call to mind a certain pioneer of early aviation (and maybe even popcorn!), but the name Orville has a stately meaning. It was coined by the 18th-century author Fanny Burney for her novel Evelina, and meant to be a combination of the French or, meaning “gold,” and ville, meaning “city.” Hence, it is widely regarded to mean “golden city.”
Aurek
This name is another diminutive of the Latin name Aurelius, meaning “golden,” but it’s the Polish version!
Goldwyn
Surnames-as-first-names are all the rage: just look at Jackson, Maxwell, Archer, and Sullivan as examples! In that same vein, Goldwyn is a surname derived from the Old English name Goldwine, which is comprised of elements meaning “gold” and “friend.”
Oro
This rare and short-but-sweet choice is literally the Spanish word for “gold” — and with just two letters, O and R, it couldn’t get much easier to spell or pronounce, which is a plus!
Bowie
This one’s got a definite rockstar vibe thanks to the legendary David Bowie, but it also has ties to gold, too. Bowie is derived from the Gaelic word buidhe, meaning “yellow.”
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