Names That Mean Beautiful
Almost every language has a word for beauty that became a name. Italians gave us Bella, the Scots Bonnie, Arabic speakers Jamila and Jamal, Hawaiians Nani, and Chinese and Japanese parents use the character 美 (mei, mi) in countless names. It’s one of the oldest naming wishes there is.
This list collects over 90 names that genuinely mean “beautiful,” “pretty,” “lovely” or “handsome,” sorted by region so you can match a meaning to your heritage. We’ve included boys’ names too — “handsome” names are more common than you’d think. Looking for style rather than meaning? Try our pretty girl names, or browse more name meanings like names that mean flower.
Girl names that mean beautiful in European languages
From Latin bellus to Welsh teg and Irish aoibh, these are the classic choices. Irish options are pronounced very differently from how they look — see our Irish girl names for more guides.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Bella | Beautiful | Italian / Latin |
| Belle | Beautiful | French |
| Bonnie | Pretty, attractive | Scottish |
| Linda | Pretty (Spanish, Portuguese); originally Germanic “soft, tender” | Spanish / Germanic |
| Jolie | Pretty | French |
| Bonita | Pretty | Spanish |
| Pulcheria | Beautiful | Latin |
| Rosabel | Beautiful rose | Latin / French |
| Mirabel | Wonderful (Latin mirabilis); often read as “wondrous beauty” | Latin |
| Callista | Most beautiful | Greek |
| Calliope | Beautiful voice | Greek |
| Callie | Beautiful (short for Callista or Calliope) | Greek |
| Krasimira | Beautiful peace | Bulgarian |
| Lepa | Beautiful | Serbian |
| Aoife | Beauty, radiance (pronounced EE-fa) | Irish |
| Aoibheann | Radiant beauty (pronounced EE-veen) | Irish |
| Caoimhe | Gentle, precious, beautiful (pronounced KEE-va) | Irish |
| Tegan | Fair, beautiful | Welsh |
| Tegwen | Fair and blessed | Welsh |
Arabic, Persian and Hebrew names meaning beautiful
Beauty names are especially popular across the Arabic-speaking world, often in matched boy-girl pairs such as Jamal and Jamila. Explore our Arabic girl names and Hebrew girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Jamila | Beautiful | Arabic |
| Hasna | Beautiful | Arabic |
| Husna | Beauty, excellence | Arabic |
| Zaina | Beautiful, graceful (from zayn) | Arabic |
| Wasima | Pretty, graceful | Arabic |
| Rana | Lovely to gaze at | Arabic |
| Ghada | Graceful young woman | Arabic |
| Bahiya | Beautiful, radiant | Arabic |
| Nazanin | Lovely, delicate, sweetheart | Persian |
| Ziba | Beautiful | Persian |
| Dilber | Beautiful, beloved | Turkish / Persian |
| Yaffa | Beautiful | Hebrew |
| Yafit | Beautiful | Hebrew |
| Shifra | Beautiful; a Hebrew midwife in Exodus 1:15 | Hebrew |
| Tirzah | Delight; “beautiful as Tirzah” (Song of Songs 6:4) | Hebrew |
| Shayna | Beautiful | Yiddish |
| Hadar | Splendor, glory, beauty (unisex) | Hebrew |
| Noy | Beauty, ornament (unisex) | Hebrew |
Asian names that mean beautiful
In Chinese, Japanese and Korean names, “beautiful” is usually a single character combined with another — so meaning depends on the characters parents choose. Many Indian names draw on Sanskrit beauty words. More in our Japanese girl names and Indian girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Mei | Beautiful (美) | Chinese |
| Meili | Beautiful (美丽) | Chinese |
| Li | Beautiful (丽); many other meanings with other characters | Chinese |
| Xiu | Elegant, graceful (秀) | Chinese |
| Misaki | Beautiful blossom (美咲) | Japanese |
| Mika | Beautiful fragrance (美香) | Japanese |
| Miyu | Beautiful and gentle (美優) | Japanese |
| Emi | Blessed beauty (恵美) | Japanese |
| Areum | Beauty (native Korean word) | Korean |
| Mi-ok | Beautiful jade (美玉) | Korean |
| Diễm | Beautiful, glamorous (pronounced yee-em) | Vietnamese |
| Marikit | Pretty | Tagalog (Filipino) |
| Sundari | Beautiful woman | Sanskrit |
| Rupa | Beauty, form | Sanskrit |
| Rupali | Beautiful | Sanskrit / Hindi |
| Lavanya | Grace, loveliness | Sanskrit |
| Charu | Beautiful, lovely | Sanskrit |
| Shobha | Splendor, beauty | Sanskrit |
| Ramya | Beautiful, delightful | Sanskrit |
| Sushma | Very beautiful | Sanskrit |
African, Hawaiian and Native American names meaning beautiful
These names are rarer in the US, which makes them stand out. Find more island names on our Hawaiian names page.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Buhle | Beauty | Zulu / Xhosa |
| Nobuhle | Beautiful one, with beauty | Zulu |
| Ewa | Beauty | Yoruba |
| Konjit | Beautiful | Amharic |
| Hasina | Good, beautiful | Swahili |
| Nani | Beautiful | Hawaiian |
| Kanani | The beauty (unisex) | Hawaiian |
| Leinani | Beautiful lei; beautiful child | Hawaiian |
| Nohea | Lovely, handsome (unisex) | Hawaiian |
| Nizhoni | Beautiful | Navajo |
Boy names that mean handsome
Handsome is the masculine flip side of beautiful, and it hides in some very familiar names — Kevin and Kenneth among them. See also our boy names with meaning.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Beau | Handsome | French |
| Bellamy | Fine friend (bel ami) | Old French |
| Beaumont | Beautiful mountain | French |
| Jamal | Beauty | Arabic |
| Jamil | Handsome | Arabic |
| Hasan | Handsome, good | Arabic |
| Hussein | Little handsome one | Arabic |
| Hasani | Handsome | Swahili |
| Wasim | Handsome, graceful | Arabic |
| Kevin | Gentle, handsome birth (Caoimhín) | Irish |
| Kenneth | Handsome (from Gaelic Coinneach) | Scottish |
| Alan | Possibly “handsome” or “little rock” | Breton / Celtic |
| Kallias | Beauty | Greek |
| Krasimir | Beautiful peace | Bulgarian |
| Sundar | Handsome, beautiful | Sanskrit |
| Manohar | Captivating, charming | Sanskrit |
| Abhiram | Pleasing, handsome | Sanskrit |
| Jun | Handsome, talented (俊) | Chinese |
| Junjie | Handsome and outstanding (俊杰) | Chinese |
Gods and goddesses of beauty
These names are tied to beauty through myth rather than etymology — the meaning column shows what the name itself means. More in our goddess names.
| Name | Who they are | Name meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Venus | Roman goddess of love and beauty | Love, desire |
| Aphrodite | Greek goddess of love and beauty | Uncertain; ancient Greeks linked it to aphros, “foam” |
| Freya | Norse goddess of love and beauty | Lady |
| Lakshmi | Hindu goddess of fortune and beauty | Sign, mark; good fortune |
| Hathor | Egyptian goddess of love, music and beauty | House of Horus |
| Aglaea | One of the three Graces, goddess of splendor | Splendor, beauty |
| Psyche | Mortal whose beauty rivaled Venus | Soul |
| Helen | Helen of Troy, “the face that launched a thousand ships” | Possibly “torch” |
| Adonis | Youth loved by Aphrodite; byword for male beauty | Lord (Semitic adon) |
| Balder | Norse god known as the fairest of all | Lord, prince |
Tips for choosing a name that means beautiful
- Check the characters. For Chinese, Japanese and Korean names, the same sound can mean very different things, so confirm the characters with a native speaker.
- Think about pronunciation. Aoife and Caoimhe are gorgeous but will be misspelled in the US; decide if you’re happy to spell them often.
- Balance it with substance. Pair a beauty name with a middle name that means strength or wisdom — Bella Minerva, Tegan Valentina. Our names that mean brave list is a good place to look.
- Use the meaning as a hidden gift. Names like Kenneth or Kevin wear their meaning quietly — nobody will guess it until you tell them.
- Honor your roots. A beauty name in your family’s language (Jamila, Sundari, Nani) connects a child to heritage while staying easy to say.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular name that means beautiful?
Bella is the best-known name in the US that literally means “beautiful.” Belle, Callie, Jamila and Mei are also widely used.
What boy name means beautiful?
Beau (French, “handsome”), Jamal (Arabic, “beauty”), Kenneth (Gaelic, “handsome”), Kevin (Irish, “handsome birth”) and Hasan (Arabic, “handsome, good”) are the best-known.
What name means beautiful in Hebrew?
Yaffa, Yafit and Shifra all mean “beautiful” in Hebrew, and Shayna means “beautiful” in Yiddish.
What Irish name means beautiful?
Aoife (EE-fa) means “beauty” or “radiance,” Aoibheann (EE-veen) means “radiant beauty” and Caoimhe (KEE-va) means “gentle, precious, beautiful.”
What name means beautiful soul?
No common name translates exactly, but Psyche means “soul” and pairs naturally with a beauty name such as Bella.