Baby Name of the Day: Blue

The baby name Blue caught our attention thanks to a high-profile birth announcement, but it’s steadily climbed in use since then for lots of reasons. 

Thanks to Louise for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME BLUE MEAN?

Blue is the color of the clear sky on a bright day. It came to English from French bleu, probably from a Germanic source. The German word for blue today is blau. 

Just in case you’re curious, it’s definitely not Latin. That’s caeruleus, at least in classical Latin. (It survives as cerulean today.) As for ancient Greek? It turns out that blue wasn’t a color at all. At least not the way we think of it, though cyan or kyanos comes close. 

Blue as a color has around since the year 1300, give or take. 

Cultural references abound, including: 

• It’s the color of constancy – true blue.
• It’s also the color of sorrow – you can have them or sing them.
• Little Boy Blue wears the color we associate with our sons, at least in the last century.
• Blue ruin is an old slang term for gin, though today Bombay Sapphire feels rather sophisticated.
• It’s the color of first place ribbons. Blue chip means high in value.
• If this it the color of your blood, then you’re a royal by birth, from the Spanish phrase sangre azul. (Worth noting: this ideas has racist origins, suggesting that a well-born person was pale enough for their blue veins to be visible in their skin.)
• Speaking of pale skin, “an azure vein” was a hallmark of beauty at different points in time.
• A moon this color signifies something that happens rarely.
• The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and good fortune. 
• A blue dahlia has never been produced – so it implies something unattainable. The Blue Dahlia is a 1946 film noir, and before that, a nineteenth century Russian ballet.
• Blue skies such optimism and the best of all possible outcomes.
• Speaking of the sky, it’s a nature name – the color of the stormy depth of the ocean, as well as the wild blue yonder.
• Lastly, add red and white, and it’s a patriotic name, too.

Blue might convey calmness or sincerity.

From navy to carolina, the color blue comes in many shades. 

COLOR NAMES ON THE RISE

Color names have dominated the early 21st century, from feminine favorites like ecovintage (FIXLINK) Violet or Ruby to more masculine choices like Jasper, Grayson, and Gray. Plenty of color names trend gender-neutral, too – think of Indigo or Sage.

When it comes to choosing a blue-inspired names, choices include:

• Nautical Navy
• Sapphire blue, as in the gemstone
• Azure, used in heraldry
• Skye or Cielo, as in the color of the sky or the heavens

Some blue-related baby names are more subtle, like Alice blue (from a former first daughter, as well as the Alice in Wonderland character), Tiffany blue (from the jeweler), and names like Neal/Neel, ultimately from a Sanskrit name meaning blue or Talia (a Hebrew name meaning “gentle dew” which is some shade of blue-green). 

The list goes on.

CELEBRITY BABY BLUES

Beyonce gets credit for boosting our awareness of Blue as a baby name, but she and Jay-Z weren’t the first. They welcomed daughter Blue Ivy in 2012.

There’s also:

• Way back in 1976, Cher used this name for son Elijah’s middle name.
• David Evans, better known as U2’s guitarist The Edge, is dad to Blue Angel.
• John Travolta and Kelly Preston used the French form of the name for daughter Ella Bleu.
• Rock musician Bret Michaels followed suit, with daughter Jorja Bleu.
• Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is mom to Bluebell.
• Rascal Flatt’s Joe Don Rooney also used Blue for his daughter Raquel’s middle.
• Alicia Silverstone left off the ‘e’ and named her son Bear Blu.
• Justin and Hailey Beiber welcomed a baby boy named Jack Blues in 2024. 

Speaking of Blues, the baby name Blue often appears as a middle name. Or so it seems – there’s really no consistent data on middle name use.

BLUE’S CLUES TO CALAMITY PHYSICS 

Beyond those celebrity baby Blues, a few others include:

• If you know your outlaws from the American West, Bluford “Blue” Duck – often called just Blue Duck – might come to mind. 
• Actor Blue Deckert’s career on television and film started in the 1980s. 
• Blue, the dog in long-running children’s television series Blue’s Clues. And now Bluey, the runaway hit about a Blue Heeler puppy and her family, continues the tradition.
• 2006’s much-lauded novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics introduced a girl called Blue Van Meer. The book is part-coming of age novel, part-murder mystery.
• Actor Corbin Bleu rose to fame in High School Musical. 
• Children’s author Blue Balliett was born Elizabeth, but uses her childhood nickname professionally.
• 2011 movie Sucker Punch gives us a villain named Blue Jones.
• Model, musician, and influencer Lucky Blue Smith is husband to Nara Smith and dad to several inventively-named children.

More variations include Bleuette, as in Bleuette Bernon, a French actress who appeared in a handful of early silent films. 

Blue occurs as a surname, too – once again, it’s often connected to either the color blue, or perhaps one of the many associations with the color.

So Blue baby names have been around, even if the name’s popularity remains modest – and relatively new.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME BLUE?

The United States Social Security Administration reports data from 1880 onward. Any name give to at least five girls or five boys is reported; the Top 1000 names are easily accessible on ther website. You’ll have to check background information for the rest of the files.

What you’ll find that Blue has never ranked in the Top 1000 boy or girl names, but:

• The baby name Blue debuted for girls with five births in the year 1971. As of 2024, it was given to 31 girls born in the US.
• As for boys names, Blue first appeared in the data in 1968 with 11 births. For 2024, 51 boys received the name.

The color provides plenty more baby name inspiration, though. Names like Indigo, Skye, Navy, Carolina, Celeste, and Jay all rank in the current US Top 1000. 

BLUE: THE NEW TRUE? 

Colorful Blue fits in with Ruby and Onyx. 

It’s also brief and complete, sharing sounds with Lucy and Jude. 

If you love the color or its symbolism, Blue might be the perfect name – upbeat and optimistic. And it’s a gorgeous middle name option, too, for all the same reasons.

What do you think of the baby name Blue? 

This post was originally published on January 9, 2012. It was revised on November 9, 2015 and November 7, 2025.