Names That Mean Gold
Gold has stood for value, warmth and lasting worth in almost every culture, so it’s no surprise that nearly every language has a name built from its word for the metal. Latin gave us aurum and the Aurelia family, Greek has chrysos, Slavic languages have zlato, Hebrew has zahav and paz, and Sanskrit offers hema, kanaka and swarna.
Below are more than 95 names that genuinely mean gold or golden, grouped into girl names, boy names, unisex picks, “golden” compound names and gold surnames. Every entry shows its real root. For more sparkle, pair this list with our names that mean sun, names that mean light or the full name meanings collection.
Girl names that mean gold
From Roman classics to Slavic and Persian favorites, these girl names all trace back to a word for gold. Many overlap with our Latin girl names and Greek girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurelia | From Latin aureus, “golden” | Latin |
| Aurélie | French form of Aurelia, “golden” | French |
| Aurea | Latin, “golden” | Latin |
| Aurica | Romanian diminutive from aurum, “gold” | Romanian |
| Oriana | Probably from Latin aurum or Spanish oro, “gold” | Latin / Spanish |
| Oriane | French form of Oriana, “golden” | French |
| Orla | Anglicized Órfhlaith, “golden princess” | Irish |
| Orlaith | Ór “gold” + flaith “princess, ruler” | Irish |
| Goldie | English, “gold”; also a pet form of Golda | English / Yiddish |
| Golda | Yiddish, “gold” | Yiddish |
| Zahava | Hebrew, “gold” | Hebrew |
| Zehavit | Hebrew, “golden” | Hebrew |
| Pazit | Hebrew, from paz, “fine gold” | Hebrew |
| Ofira | Feminine of Ophir, the biblical land of gold | Hebrew |
| Zlata | Slavic, “gold” | Czech / Serbian / Russian |
| Zlatka | Diminutive of Zlata, “little gold” | Slavic |
| Zlatina | Bulgarian, “golden” | Bulgarian |
| Chrysa | From Greek chrysos, “gold” | Greek |
| Chrysoula | Greek diminutive, “little golden one” | Greek |
| Chryseis | “Golden one”; a figure in Homer’s Iliad | Greek |
| Xanthe | Greek, “golden, yellow” | Greek |
| Hema | Sanskrit, “gold” | Indian |
| Kanchana | Sanskrit, “gold” | Indian |
| Swarna | Sanskrit, “gold” | Indian |
| Sonali | Hindi, “golden” | Indian |
| Hiranmayi | Sanskrit, “golden, made of gold” | Indian |
| Rukmini | Sanskrit, “adorned with gold”; wife of Krishna | Indian |
| Zarina | Persian, “golden” (from zar, gold) | Persian |
| Zari | Persian, “golden, gold thread” | Persian |
| Tala | Persian, “gold” (also Tagalog for “star”) | Persian |
| Auksė | From auksas, “gold” | Lithuanian |
| Zelta | Latvian, “gold” | Latvian |
| Aranka | Hungarian, linked to arany, “gold” | Hungarian |
| Voski | Armenian, “gold” | Armenian |
| Kin | Japanese 金, “gold” | Japanese |
Boy names that mean gold
Aurelius was the family name of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, and his “golden” root lives on in a whole cluster of modern boy names. You’ll find more strong classics in our Roman boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurelius | Latin, from aureus, “golden” | Latin |
| Aurelio | Italian and Spanish form of Aurelius | Italian / Spanish |
| Aureliano | Spanish and Italian, “golden” | Spanish |
| Aurelian | From Aurelianus, “golden” | Latin |
| Aurèle | French, “golden” | French |
| Aurel | Romanian and German, “golden” | Romanian |
| Oriol | “Golden oriole,” from Latin aureolus, “golden” | Catalan |
| Orville | Possibly “gold town”; coined by novelist Fanny Burney | English / French |
| Ophir | The biblical land famed for its gold (1 Kings 9:28) | Hebrew |
| Zlatan | Slavic, “golden” | Bosnian / Serbian |
| Zlatko | Slavic, “gold” | Croatian / Bulgarian |
| Chryses | “Golden”; a priest of Apollo in the Iliad | Greek |
| Xanthus | Greek, “golden, yellow-haired” | Greek |
| Kanak | Sanskrit, “gold” | Indian |
| Hiranmay | Sanskrit, “golden” | Indian |
| Swarnim | Hindi, “golden” | Indian |
| Kintaro | Japanese, “golden boy”; a folk hero | Japanese |
| Eurig | From Welsh aur, “gold” | Welsh |
| Euros | Welsh, “gold” | Welsh |
| Altan | Mongolian, “golden” | Mongolian |
| Kuldar | From kuld, “gold” | Estonian |
| Dorado | Spanish, “golden, gilded” | Spanish |
Unisex names that mean gold
Short, bright and easy to wear for any child. Several of these are also popular as middle names; browse more in our unisex names list.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Jin | Chinese 金, “gold” | Chinese |
| Kim | Vietnamese “gold”; Korean 金, “gold, metal” | Vietnamese / Korean |
| Kanchan | Sanskrit, “gold” | Indian |
| Sona | Hindi, “gold” | Indian |
| Golden | English word name | English |
| Altin | Turkish altın, “gold” | Turkish |
| Altyn | “Gold” | Kazakh / Kyrgyz |
| Zarrin | Persian, “golden” | Persian |
| Oro | Spanish and Italian, “gold” | Spanish / Italian |
| Paz | Hebrew, “fine gold” (Spanish, “peace”) | Hebrew / Spanish |
| Thong | Thai, “gold” | Thai |
| Ofir | Modern Hebrew spelling of Ophir | Hebrew |
“Golden” compound names: flowers, moons and crowns
Many cultures combine gold with another image, giving names like “golden flower” or “golden moon.” These are especially good if you want a meaning with a little story to it.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Chrysanthe | “Golden flower” | Greek |
| Chrysanthos | “Golden flower” (masculine) | Greek |
| Chrysostomos | “Golden-mouthed,” after St. John Chrysostom | Greek |
| Jinhua | 金花, “golden flower” | Chinese |
| Jinlong | 金龙, “golden dragon” | Chinese |
| Altinay | “Golden moon” | Turkish |
| Sonakshi | “Golden-eyed” | Indian |
| Hemachandra | “Golden moon” | Indian |
| Swarnalata | “Golden vine” | Indian |
| Hemlata | “Golden creeper, golden vine” | Indian |
| Zarrintaj | “Golden crown” | Persian |
| Altynbek | “Golden lord” | Kazakh |
| Eurwen | Aur “gold” + gwen “white, blessed” | Welsh |
| Eurwyn | Aur “gold” + gwyn “white, fair” | Welsh |
| Zlatomir | Zlato “gold” + mir “peace” | Slavic |
| Goldwin | Old English, “gold friend” | English |
| Marigold | “Mary’s gold,” the golden-orange flower | English |
Last names that mean gold
Gold surnames usually began as occupational names for goldsmiths or as ornamental names chosen in 18th- and 19th-century Europe. See more in our Jewish last names and rich last names lists.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Goldberg | “Gold mountain” | Yiddish / German |
| Goldstein | “Gold stone” | Yiddish / German |
| Goldman | “Gold man,” often a goldsmith or trader | Yiddish / English |
| Goldsmith | Occupational name for a worker in gold | English |
| Goldschmidt | German form of Goldsmith | German |
| Goldblum | “Gold flower” | Yiddish |
| Goldfarb | “Gold color” | Yiddish |
| Zahavi | Hebrew, “golden” | Hebrew |
| Zolotov | From zoloto, “gold” | Russian |
| Zlatev | From zlato, “gold” | Bulgarian |
| Doré | “Golden,” often for a fair-haired ancestor | French |
| Kaneshiro | 金城, “gold castle” | Japanese / Okinawan |
How to choose a name that means gold
- Say it with your last name: long Latin forms like Aureliano flow best with short surnames, while one-syllable picks like Jin or Kin balance longer ones.
- Think about nicknames. Aurelia gives you Aura, Rae and Lia; Aurelio gives you Leo; Orlaith shortens naturally to Orla.
- Choose a root that reflects your heritage: Zlata for Slavic families, Zahava or Golda for Jewish families, Hema or Sonali for Indian families.
- Use a golden name as a middle name if you love the meaning but want a familiar first name, e.g. Emma Aurelia or James Oriol.
- Pair it with another bright meaning; see our names that mean star for sibling ideas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular girl name that means gold?
Aurelia is the best-known choice in the US, followed by Goldie and Orla. All three have risen in use over the past decade.
What boy name means golden?
Aurelius, Aurelio, Oriol, Zlatan and Chrysanthos all mean golden or come from a word for gold.
What name means gold in Hebrew?
Zahava and Zehavit come from zahav, “gold,” and Paz and Pazit come from paz, “fine gold.” Ophir is the biblical land of gold.
What Japanese name means gold?
Kin (金) means gold, and Kintaro means “golden boy,” the name of a famous Japanese folk hero.
Is Goldie a real name or a nickname?
Both. It began as an English and Yiddish pet form of Golda but has long been used as a full given name, as with actress Goldie Hawn.