Names That Mean Water

Names meaning sea, river, wave, rain or water. The sea names are the oldest and the most literal — in a coastal naming culture the sea was a place of work, not a view.

Every name here has a researched page whose stated meaning carries this sense.

Rankings for

10 names, rare — 25 to 99 a year, in United States

Very Rare Rare Uncommon

Girls Boys Unisex

Irving Irving names a Scottish river valley, and it reached American use largely through one writer — Washington Irving, who gave English both Rip Van Winkle and the nickname Gotham for New York.
Boy Scottish 90 in 2025
Irvin Irvin names a Scottish river valley, and the green water reading describes the water rather than the banks — Brittonic river names usually record color or behavior, not the land beside them.
Boy Scottish 80 in 2025
Marnie Marnie is a girl's name of Hebrew origin, usually given as "of the sea."
Girl Latin 85 in 2025
Ria Ria is a girl's name with two unrelated sources — a Spanish word for a river mouth, and a Dutch and German short form of Maria.
Girl Spanish 78 in 2025
Lynn Lynn is a name from a Welsh and Gaelic word for a lake or a pool below a waterfall.
Unisex Welsh 84 in 2025
Murray Murray is a boy's name of Scottish origin from Moray, the northern province, whose name means "sea settlement."
Boy Scottish 58 in 2025
Moussa Moussa is a boy's name meaning "drawn out of the water," the Arabic form of Moses, who is named more often in the Quran than any other prophet.
Boy Arabic 39 in 2025
Tasnim Tasnim is a girl's name of Arabic origin naming a spring in paradise that the Quran describes.
Girl Arabic 39 in 2025
Muriel Muriel means bright sea, from Gaelic, and it reached English twice — once through Irish and Scottish settlement and once through Breton, carried back across the Channel by the Normans.
Girl Irish 32 in 2025
Magali Magali is Occitan rather than French, and it means of Magdala — a town on the Sea of Galilee, so the name is a place several removes back rather than any quality of its bearer.
Girl French 31 in 2025

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Names That Mean Water

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