Baby Name of the Day: Juno

The baby name Juno combines a high energy sound with all the appeal of an ancient goddess.

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

WHAT DOES THE NAME JUNO MEAN?

When it comes to mythological names, a few brave namers have always found inspiration from gods and goddesses.

And yet rarely do they reach the heights of popularity. Even now, with ancient names very much in favor, few goddesses have left the heights of Olympus to appear in the US Top 1000.

That includes the given name Juno.

And yet we instantly recognize it.

The name comes from the same roots as the Latin juvenis – young.

In the Roman pantheon, she’s the wife of Jupiter, queen of the heavens. Theirs is not exactly a happy marriage, and too many tales of Juno focus on her husband’s philandering. Virgil’s Aeneid makes her quite cruel.

And yet, Juno is queen of the gods in Roman mythology. She’s considered the equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera. 

Her portfolio is diverse. She dresses for battle, serves as protector of women, a goddess of marriage and childbirth, too. 

That’s a thumbnail sketch of a complex figure, but suffice to say that the baby name Juno offers quite a legacy.

JUNE NAMES

The goddess also lent her name to the month of June.

It’s one of the (many) reasons June is a popular bridal month. 

As it happens, the baby name June is relatively common compared to the baby name Juno. 

From 1915 through the 1930s, it appeared in the US Top 100. From Leave it to Beaver’s homemaker extraordinaire mom, June Cleaver, in the late 1950s to the early 2000s Disney Channel’s adventure, art and classical-music loving Little Einsteins, the name has remained in steady use. Country music’s June Carter Cash lends it some style. 

Other June names – like Junia and Juniper – also have potential.

As of 2024, June and Juniper both sit just outside the US Top 100. 

You might also think of Juno as a place name.

There’s Juno Beach, a real town in Florida. It was also a designation the Allies gave to part of the D-Day landing site at Normandy during World War II.

Juneau is most familiar on the map.

The capital city of Alaska was named for settler Joe Juneau. It’s said Joe bought drinks for those who assembled to cast a vote for the new city’s name.

But as it happens, Juneau also traces its roots back to a word meaning young, so Juno and Juneau not only sound exactly the same, but they’re cousins, too.

O ENDING NAMES FOR GIRLS

Juno’s bright O ending that makes this name sound so full of energy.

It’s sparky and unexpected. June’s sister is Grace, but Juno’s sister is Tilly or Scout. 

SILVER SCREEN

Almost no one was choosing the baby name Juno for their daughters. Not until the late 1990s, when a handful of girls received the name.

1924 drama Juno and the Paycock was written by Irish playwright Sean O’Casey. It could’ve influenced a few parents, but the numbers don’t suggest that it did – at least not in the US.

Instead, it took an indie movie titled Juno to generate more interest in the name. No goddesses involved. 

Actor Elliot Page played a regular teenager, facing regular teenage challenges – until an unplanned pregnancy makes things even more complicated. Page earned an Oscar nomination as the would-be teen mom.

The movie came out in 2007. While movie character names aren’t often influential, when a name appears in the title of the film, it tends to attract more attention. 

While the name of a film concerning pregnancy seems like an obvious nod to the ancient Roman goddess, it’s not expressly mentioned in the movie.  

JUNO TEMPLE

In recent years, actress Juno Temple might be the best-known figure with the name.

The Ted Lasso star has also appeared in the fifth season of Fargo, as well as numerous other shows and movies. 

She’s won a BAFTA, as well as Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. 

While Temple’s name is uncommon in the UK, too, it’s more popular than in the US. The London-born actress might deserve some credit.

English musician Will Champion of Coldplay has three children: Ava, Rex, and Juno. 

IS JUNO UNISEX?

A small but steady number of boys also receive the name. 

Credit might go to Junot, as in the Dominican-American writer Junot Díaz. The ‘t’ is silent.

Many a ship, a few celestial objects, the Canadian music awards, and an old school Honda scooter have answered to the name Juno.

Juno can also read a little like a masculine form of June. Milo to Mila, maybe. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME JUNO?

Way back in the year 2000, just five girls were named Juno in the US. Fewer than five boys received the name that year. 

Post-movie, Juno started to trend. Around 100 girls received the baby name Juno annually. It was 103 births in 2019; 109 in 2018.

Lots of factors contributed to the name’s rise. We fell for Juniper and June, and so many names ending with O, regardless of gender. And in our Aurora-Athena-Orion moment, the goddess Juno potentially could become a popular choice.

As of 2024, 163 girls and 41 boys received the baby name Juno. That’s still well outside of the US Top 1000, especially for males. But it’s undeniably more common than previous decades. 

MODERN GODDESS NAME

Overall, the baby name Juno presents an intriguing choice for a daughter. It’s edgy and cool, a thoroughly modern name. But it’s ancient, too, a name borrowed from history and literature, with a handful of namesakes across the ages. 

If you’re after something just outside the mainstream, Juno could be the perfect name. 

What do you think of the baby name Juno? 

This post was originally published on May 11, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on February 13, 2012; June 1, 2021; and August 4, 2025.