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Baby Name Luna: Shining and Magical

May 25, 2022 By appellationmountain 21 Comments

The baby name Luna shines, a nature name with vintage charm.

It’s also the Harry Potter character name most thoroughly embraced by Muggles.

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

MOON GODDESS

Long before JK Rowling imagined Hogwarts, ancient Romans considered Luna the name of the Roman goddess of the moon. She’s often shown driving a chariot through the night sky.

Sometimes other goddesses, like Diana and Juno. were called Luna; at other times it’s clear that Luna was separate.

It is the Latin word for moon. But Luna also shares roots with the Latin word for light, making it a cousin to lux and lumen. 

And our words lunar and lunacy come from the same origins. As goddess names go, it’s one of the most easily understood.

That’s especially true, as Luna is simply the Spanish word for moon, too.

In Greek mythology, the goddess is called Selene.

VINTAGE GEM

Some names from Greek and Roman mythology were seldom heard in American English until recent years.

That’s not the case with the baby name Luna.

In fact, it qualifies as a vintage revival. Back in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Luna regularly ranked in the US Top 1000, charting as recently as 1921.

LUNA PARK

Another vintage reference: Luna Park, opened at New York’s Coney Island in 1903.

Entrepreneurs Elmer Dundy and Frederic Thompson opened the amusement park. Some say the name was borrowed from Dundy’s sister, or possibly it was inspired by one of their flagship rides, A Trip to the Moon. Dozens of other parks borrowed the name, from Melbourne to Moscow, and across the US, too.

A fire destroyed the original park in the 1940s, but it was rebuilt and re-opened in 2010. You can still ride roller coasters and carousels there today.

LUNA LOVEGOOD

By the 1980s, the baby name Luna had become quite rare as a girl’s name, given to just a handful of children each year.

But then … magic.

In 1997, the world met Harry Potter. The orphaned boy wizard with a tragic backstory and a heavy destiny began his studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the world went with him.

In 2003, the fifth book in the series, The Order of the Phoenix, introduced us to a fellow student, Luna Lovegood.

At first, she more than earns her nickname – Looney – thanks to a love of conspiracy theories and unconventional accessories. But she ends up quite heroic by the series’ end.

The name re-entered the US Top 1000 the same year The Order of the Phoenix was published.

When the movie adaptation followed in 2007, the baby name Luna reached the Top 500.

TRUE BLOOD

Around the same time, a different supernatural series was about to put the spotlight on Luna.

Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries were bestsellers well before HBO adapted the story of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, her vampire love interest, and the whole world they inhabit.

It includes weres and shapeshifters. One of them? Luna Garza. She’s a skinwalker – someone who can shapeshift into any animal or person. She’s introduced in a 2002 novel, and debuts on the television series during the fourth season, in 2011.

While Luna wasn’t a major character, True Blood was a big hit. 2011 led to a big jump in the use of Luna, suggesting that the one-two punch of Lovegood and Garza deserves credit for putting Luna on the list of fast-rising baby girl names.

BY the NUMBERS

Celebrities have given this name to their daughters. Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson welcomed Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence in 2012. They shorten her many-syllables name to Luna.

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem gave the name to their daughter in 2013. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend also chose the name in 2016.

None of the high profile birth announcements really fueled the name’s rise, though.

The baby name Luna returned to the US Top 1000 in 2003, and reached #11 by 2021. That’s quite the climb!

While variations exist, like the French Lunette and Italian Lunetta, none are particularly well-used in the US.

MORE POP CULTURE LUNAS

Fans of My Little Pony might think of Princess Luna, the villain from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. (Or at least she’s the villain until they all make up and live happily ever after.) The series ran from 2010 through 2019.

South Korean singer Park Sun-young is known as Luna professionally.

And actor Luna Blaise has appeared in Manifest and Fresh Off the Boat.

SHINING + MAGICAL

The baby name Luna fits into so many trends.

It’s a nature name, a little more modern than Hazel, but still less novel than River.

Mythological names, like Orion, Aurora, and Penelope, continue to gain in use.

While it’s not always obvious, a name’s potential to cross between English and Spanish is important. The top boys’ name, Liam, is equally appealing in both languages. So is Luna.

Lou- names, from Luca to Lucia to Louis, are climbing in the popularity charts, too.

It fits with the Latin Stella, meaning star.

And to bring it back to where we started: a name with ties to the nature and myth? That’s a textbook Wizarding World name – even without Miss Lovegood.

An earlier version of this post read, ” … this celestial appellation is a stylish choice for parents in 2014. The only question is how popular (Luna) will become.”

The answer seems to be more popular than anyone might’ve guessed just a few short years ago.

All these years later, the answer seems to be very popular, indeed. And yet, this night sky name could rise even more. That means the question still remains: just how high will Luna go?

What do you think of the baby name Luna?

Originally published on July 14, 2008, the post was revised substantially revised and re-posted on January 13, 2014; May 1, 2019; and May 25, 2022.

baby name Luna

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Comments

  1. Imogen says

    May 2, 2019 at 2:00 PM

    I love Luna, and I love the fact that you remembered the date of the Battle of Hogwarts! I’ve just read the AM Newsletter while drinking a glass of strawberry wine. Nothing to beat it!

    Reply
  2. Zeffy says

    January 14, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    I think Luna is such a sweet, pretty name. I love seeing it being used but don’t think I could use it myself. It’s one of those names that reminds me too much of something else; in this case I would always be thinking Luna, and then adding a silent ‘-tic’ to the end of it in my head. I guess I would choose Altalune, or Celeste, instead.

    Reply
  3. Acne During/Post Pregnancy? 100% FREE access to all-natural clear skin tips says

    January 14, 2014 at 1:37 AM

    I loveeee this name!!

    Reply
  4. Blue Juniper says

    January 13, 2014 at 6:41 PM

    We recently adopted a cat and named her Luna, because she’s white like the moon and just a little bit crazy! It also rhymes with tuna (which she is crazy for), so sometimes she gets Luna, Looney, Luna Tuna or Miss Luna.

    My husband also calls her Luna Berry, which is so cute!

    I love the name and would have definitely considered it for a child if I hadn’t already given it to our cat

    Reply
  5. Maeve says

    August 13, 2013 at 8:36 PM

    We have our second daughter due in December and we are naming her Luna. I have always loved the sweetness, simplicity and earthiness of Luna. It makes me think of moonlight 🙂

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      August 13, 2013 at 8:53 PM

      Lovely name, Maeve! Congrats on daughter #2. 🙂

      Reply
  6. lm2703 says

    January 27, 2010 at 1:09 PM

    I have to say, it’s a great name!

    lovess

    Luna
    xxxx

    check out my blog!

    http://www.urbanoptimist.wordpress.com

    Reply
  7. Juliet says

    December 23, 2009 at 9:48 AM

    Personaly, I love the serene sound of the name.The name just sounds so peaceful and beautiful

    It’s not a name I’d use- but, I see nothing wrong in using it

    I just don’t love it enough to use

    Beautiful name, though

    Reply
  8. Mookie says

    July 9, 2009 at 3:47 AM

    This name has been on my top ten list for a while now, with Lulu as the nickname. I have a feeling that if I do ever have a little Luna, I’ll lovingly call her my little Lunatic! And yes, I did first love this after reading HP. Lovegood is probably one of my favorite characters in the book, alongside Sirius and Lupin. But this is just showing how I’m both a name nerd and a bookworm.

    Reply
  9. appellationmountain says

    July 16, 2008 at 12:58 AM

    Another, Celeste is gorgeous! And Unknown, Calla is great, too. It’s one of those names that is so simple and lovely that you can’t believe it isn’t more popular. (Though I’m sure you’re pleased that there isn’t a Calla on every block.)

    Personally, whenever I hear Luna, I find myself singing along to that old Duran Duran song with the chorus, “Last time la luna, I light my torch and wave it for the New Moon on Monday …” But see, I’m just showing my age. 😉

    Reply
  10. Stephanie says

    July 15, 2008 at 3:27 AM

    I have a puppy named Luna. If I had had a duaghter first, her name would be Luna. I always give my pets human names.

    It is a love-it-or-hae-it name. Most love it.. But those who don’t, hate it.

    We call her Luna Toons when she acts crazy.. Like Looney Toons.

    Reply
  11. Katharine says

    July 14, 2008 at 5:11 PM

    I like the idea of Luna but overall, it’s just too looney for me!

    Reply
  12. Another says

    July 14, 2008 at 4:51 PM

    Luna is great, but being a little more conservative than the rest of you, I’d probably go with Celeste if I wanted something to represent the heavens (and I do love Celeste!). Unfortunately my husband is quite more conservative than I am and would almost certainly never even allow Celeste. 🙁

    Reply
  13. Lola says

    July 14, 2008 at 2:55 PM

    Awww, Looney’s unfortunate. Luna’s gorgeous! I don’t think she needs a nickname, being so simple herself but Lulu steers away from looney quite nicely. My Dad had some fond childhood memories of Luna Park along with some pictures of him and his brothers there on the boardwalk. Funny seeing them all under 15!

    I would be pleased to hear or see Luna being used, I think she’s beautifully feminine and sweetly simple. Beats a handful of top 20 names, in my book. And I’d never, ever call her looney!

    Reply
  14. Unknown says

    July 14, 2008 at 1:55 PM

    I love Luna. She ranked pretty high on my baby name list, but I just don’t like possibility that she may be called Loony Luna or the fact that this name’s used in Harry Potter and that’s what most people, unfortunately, think of first. So for our second daughter, we went for Calla instead.

    Reply

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