Names That Mean Earth
Some of the world’s most familiar names are secretly earth names. Adam comes from the Hebrew adamah, “ground” — in Genesis the first man is formed from the dust of the earth. George is Greek for “earth-worker,” in other words a farmer. And the Greek Gaia, the Roman Terra and the Sanskrit Prithvi are the planet itself.
We’ve gathered over 90 names tied to the earth: goddesses from Europe and beyond, a rich set of Sanskrit names (Indian parents have dozens of words for earth), the Adam and George families, earth words from other languages and English nature names drawn from the land. If you like this theme, explore nature names and names that mean water, or see all name meanings.
Earth goddesses of Greek, Roman, Norse and Celtic myth
Mother Earth has many European names. Several, like Gaia and Rhea, work well as modern girls’ names. More in our goddess names.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Gaia | Primordial Greek goddess and personification of Earth | Greek |
| Terra | Roman personification of the earth; Latin for “earth” | Roman |
| Tellus | Roman earth mother goddess, Tellus Mater | Roman |
| Ops | Roman goddess of the earth’s plenty | Roman |
| Demeter | Goddess of the harvest; name possibly “earth mother” | Greek |
| Ceres | Roman goddess of grain; from a root meaning “to grow” | Roman |
| Chthonia | “Of the earth”; a title of Demeter | Greek |
| Rhea | Mother of the Olympians; name possibly “ground” or “flow” | Greek |
| Cybele | “Mother of the mountain”; great earth mother | Phrygian |
| Jord | Earth; the giantess who is mother of Thor | Norse |
| Fjörgyn | Another name of Thor’s mother; “earth” | Norse |
| Hlodyn | Earth goddess named in the Völuspá | Norse |
| Erda | Earth goddess in Wagner’s Ring cycle | German |
| Nerthus | “Mother Earth” worshipped by Germanic tribes (Tacitus) | Germanic |
| Mokosh | Mother goddess of earth, fertility and weaving | Slavic |
| Žemyna | Earth goddess, from žemė, “earth” | Lithuanian |
| Ériu | Goddess of the land of Ireland, source of the name Éire | Irish |
| Banba | Sister goddess of Ireland’s land | Irish |
| Fódla | Third sister goddess of Ireland | Irish |
Earth deities from around the world
Nearly every culture gave the earth a name and a personality, often as a nurturing mother.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Ki | Earth goddess | Sumerian |
| Kishar | “Whole earth”; mother of the sky god Anu | Babylonian |
| Ninhursag | “Lady of the sacred mountain”; mother goddess | Sumerian |
| Geb | God of the earth, often shown lying beneath the sky | Egyptian |
| Aker | God of the earth and the horizon | Egyptian |
| Houtu | “Queen of the Earth” | Chinese |
| Pachamama | “Mother Earth” or “world mother” | Inca (Quechua) |
| Tonantzin | “Our revered mother”; earth mother | Aztec |
| Coatlicue | “Serpent skirt”; mother of the gods | Aztec |
| Tlaltecuhtli | “Earth lord”; monster from whose body the earth was made | Aztec |
| Haumea | Goddess of the earth, fertility and childbirth | Hawaiian |
| Papatūānuku | The Earth Mother | Māori |
| Asase Yaa | Earth goddess, honored on Thursday | Akan (Ghana) |
| Ala | Earth goddess of fertility and morality | Igbo (Nigeria) |
| Onile | “Owner of the earth” | Yoruba |
Sanskrit and Indian names that mean earth
Sanskrit has an unusually rich vocabulary for the earth, and many of these words are popular girls’ names across India. Browse more Indian girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Prithvi | Earth; “the broad one” | Unisex |
| Bhumi | Earth | Girl |
| Dharti | Earth | Girl |
| Dhara | Earth; also “stream” | Girl |
| Dharani | Earth | Girl |
| Dharitri | Earth, the bearer | Girl |
| Vasudha | Earth, bearer of wealth | Girl |
| Vasundhara | Earth, holder of treasures | Girl |
| Avani | Earth | Girl |
| Ila | Earth; speech | Girl |
| Urvi | Earth, the wide one | Girl |
| Medini | Earth | Girl |
| Mahi | Earth; great | Girl |
| Kshiti | Earth, dwelling place | Girl |
| Achala | Immovable; the earth | Girl |
| Bhuvana | Earth, world | Girl |
| Bhuvan | World, earth | Boy |
| Prithviraj | King of the earth | Boy |
| Mahipal | Protector of the earth; king | Boy |
| Bhupati | Lord of the earth; king | Boy |
The Adam and George families
Two of the most common names in the Western world have earthy roots. George and its forms mean “farmer” (Greek gē, earth + ergon, work); Demetrius comes from the harvest goddess Demeter. See more biblical boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Adam | Earth, ground (from adamah) | Hebrew |
| Adán | Spanish form of Adam | Spanish |
| Adem | Turkish and Albanian form of Adam | Turkish |
| Adamo | Italian form of Adam | Italian |
| Adama | Earth (Hebrew); West African form of Adam | Hebrew / West African |
| George | Farmer, earth-worker | Greek |
| Georgia | Farmer (feminine) | Greek |
| Georgina | Farmer (feminine) | Greek / English |
| Jorge | Farmer | Spanish / Portuguese |
| Giorgio | Farmer | Italian |
| Jordi | Farmer | Catalan |
| Jürgen | Farmer (Low German form of George) | German |
| Yuri | Farmer (Russian form of George) | Russian |
| Yegor | Farmer (Russian form of George) | Russian |
| Demetrius | Follower of Demeter, the earth goddess | Greek |
| Demetria | Follower of Demeter | Greek |
| Dimitri | Follower of Demeter | Russian / Greek |
| Demi | Short for Demetria | Greek / English |
Names meaning earth or land in other languages
Direct words for earth, soil and land, used as given names. Japanese Daichi (大地, “great earth”) is a particularly popular boys’ name.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Daichi | Great earth, ground (大地) | Japanese |
| Riku | Land (陸) | Japanese |
| Kun | Earth (坤, the earth trigram) | Chinese |
| Toprak | Soil, earth | Turkish |
| Aina | Land (ʻāina) | Hawaiian |
| Honua | Earth, land | Hawaiian |
| Tierra | Earth, land | Spanish |
| Erin | Ireland; from Ériu, goddess of the land | Irish |
English nature names from the land
These English names come from landscape words — valleys, heaths, clay and stone. They’re a natural fit with other nature boy names and nature names for girls.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | Clay, earth | English |
| Clayton | Settlement on clay soil | English |
| Dale | Valley | English |
| Dell | Small wooded valley | English |
| Glen | Valley | Scottish Gaelic |
| Heath | Heathland | English |
| Heathcliff | Cliff by the heath | English |
| Moss | Moss; also a form of Moses | English |
| Stone | Stone | English |
| Landon | Long hill | English |
| Ridge | Ridge of land | English |
How to choose an earth name
- Pick your register. Gaia and Terra say “earth” loudly; Adam and George say it quietly — most people won’t know the meaning.
- Look to your heritage. Indian families have a deep bench of earth names (Avani, Bhumi, Vasudha); Japanese families might choose Daichi or Riku.
- Balance the elements. Earth names pair beautifully with sky or water names for siblings — try Terra and Skye, or Clay and River. See names that mean sky.
- Mind nicknames. Georgia becomes Georgie, Demetria becomes Demi, Heathcliff becomes Heath.
- Use a goddess name as a middle. Pachamama or Papatūānuku are powerful but long; they shine as a middle name or pet name.
Frequently asked questions
What name means earth?
Gaia (Greek), Terra (Latin), Prithvi, Bhumi and Avani (Sanskrit), Daichi (Japanese), Toprak (Turkish) and Honua (Hawaiian) all mean earth. Adam means “earth, ground” in Hebrew.
What girl names mean earth?
Gaia, Terra, Avani, Bhumi, Dhara, Vasudha, Urvi and Ila are popular girls’ names meaning earth. Georgia means “farmer” or “earth-worker.”
What boy names mean earth?
Adam, Daichi, Bhuvan, Prithviraj and Toprak mean earth or land. George and its forms (Jorge, Giorgio, Yuri) mean “earth-worker.”
Does Adam mean earth?
Yes. Adam comes from the Hebrew word adamah, meaning “ground” or “earth,” possibly linked to adom, “red,” for the color of the soil.
Who is the goddess of the earth?
In Greek myth it’s Gaia; in Roman myth, Terra or Tellus. Other earth goddesses include Jord (Norse), Pachamama (Inca), Papatūānuku (Māori) and Prithvi (Hindu).