Names That Mean Happy
A name that means happy is a small wish tucked into everyday life: every time someone calls your child, they’re saying “cheerful,” “glad” or “fortunate” in another language. Latin gives us Felix and Hilary, Hebrew has Asher, Arabic has Saeed and Farah, and Sotho and Zulu offer Thabo and Jabulani.
We’ve gathered more than 95 names with a genuine “happy” meaning and grouped them by region, with the usual gender for each. If you want names about pure delight and laughter, see our companion list of names that mean joy; for good fortune, try names that mean lucky. The complete name meanings hub has dozens more themes.
Latin, Greek and English names that mean happy
The Latin words felix (“happy, lucky”), hilaris (“cheerful”) and beatus (“happy, blessed”) sit behind many familiar Western names. For more classics see our Latin names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Felix | Latin, “happy, fortunate” | Boy |
| Felicity | Latin felicitas, “happiness, good fortune” | Girl |
| Felicitas | Latin, “happiness”; an early Christian martyr | Girl |
| Felicia | Latin, “happy, lucky” | Girl |
| Félicie | French form of Felicia | Girl |
| Feliciano | Spanish, from Felix, “happy” | Boy |
| Feliks | Polish and Russian form of Felix | Boy |
| Felice | Italian, “happy” | Boy in Italy, girl in the US |
| Hilary | Latin hilaris, “cheerful, happy” | Unisex |
| Hilaire | French form of Hilary | Unisex |
| Hilaria | Latin, “cheerful” | Girl |
| Hilario | Spanish, “cheerful” | Boy |
| Ilario | Italian, “cheerful” | Boy |
| Hilarion | Greek form of Hilarius, “cheerful” | Boy |
| Beatrix | Latin, “she who makes happy” | Girl |
| Beatrice | From Beatrix, “bringer of happiness” | Girl |
| Beatriz | Spanish and Portuguese form of Beatrix | Girl |
| Beata | Latin, “happy, blessed” | Girl |
| Beatus | Latin, “happy, blessed” | Boy |
| Leticia | Latin laetitia, “happiness, gladness” | Girl |
| Lettie | Pet form of Leticia, “gladness” | Girl |
| Letizia | Italian form of Leticia | Girl |
| Allegra | Italian, “cheerful, lively” | Girl |
| Gioconda | Italian, “happy, jocund”; La Gioconda is the Mona Lisa | Girl |
| Makaria | Greek, “blessed, happy” | Girl |
| Makarios | Greek, “blessed, happy” | Boy |
| Macario | Spanish form of Makarios | Boy |
| Eftychia | Greek, “happiness, good fortune” | Girl |
| Eutychus | Greek, “fortunate, happy” (Acts 20:9) | Boy |
| Blythe | Old English, “happy, carefree” | Unisex |
| Merry | English, “cheerful, happy” | Girl |
| Bliss | English word name, “perfect happiness” | Girl |
Hebrew, Arabic, Persian and Turkish names meaning happy
The Arabic root s-‘-d (happiness, good fortune) gives us Saeed, Saad and Masoud, and its Turkish forms Mesut and Saadet. More options are in our Arabic names and Persian names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Asher | Hebrew, “happy, blessed”; Leah says “Happy am I” (Genesis 30:13) | Boy |
| Osher | Hebrew, “happiness” | Unisex |
| Selig | Yiddish, “blessed, happy” | Boy |
| Saeed | Arabic, “happy, fortunate” | Boy |
| Saida | Arabic, “happy, fortunate” | Girl |
| Sadia | Arabic, “fortunate, happy” | Girl |
| Saad | Arabic, “happiness, good fortune” | Boy |
| Suad | Arabic, “happiness” | Girl |
| Masoud | Arabic, “happy, fortunate” | Boy |
| Masouda | Feminine of Masoud | Girl |
| Mesut | Turkish form of Masoud, “happy” | Boy |
| Saadet | Turkish, “happiness, bliss” | Girl |
| Masroor | Arabic, “happy, delighted” | Boy |
| Farah | Arabic, “happiness, joy” | Girl |
| Farhan | Arabic, “happy, glad” | Boy |
| Bahij | Arabic, “cheerful, joyful” | Boy |
| Bahija | Arabic, “cheerful, joyful” | Girl |
| Shadi | Persian, “happiness” | Girl (Iran) |
| Shadan | Persian, “happy, cheerful” | Girl |
| Shadmehr | Persian, “happy and kind” | Boy |
| Khurram | Persian, “cheerful, joyful”; birth name of Shah Jahan | Boy |
| Mutlu | Turkish, “happy” | Unisex |
| Neşe | Turkish, “cheer, merriment” | Girl |
Indian names that mean happy
Sanskrit has several words for happiness: harsha (delight), sukha (ease, happiness) and mudita (gladness). Browse more in Indian names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Harsha | Sanskrit, “happiness, delight” | Unisex |
| Harshita | Sanskrit, “happy, joyful” | Girl |
| Harshini | Sanskrit, “happy, joyful” | Girl |
| Harshit | Sanskrit, “happy” | Boy |
| Harshal | Sanskrit, “happy, joyful” | Boy |
| Khushi | Hindi, “happiness” | Girl |
| Khushal | Persian/Hindi, “happy, prosperous” | Boy |
| Mudita | Sanskrit, “happy”; the Buddhist virtue of sympathetic joy | Girl |
| Mudit | Sanskrit, “happy, pleased” | Boy |
| Prasanna | Sanskrit, “cheerful, pleased” | Unisex |
| Sukhada | Sanskrit, “giver of happiness” | Girl |
| Sukhdev | Sanskrit, “god of happiness” | Boy |
| Santosh | Sanskrit, “contentment, happiness” | Boy |
| Hasmukh | Gujarati, “cheerful face” | Boy |
Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Pacific names
Japanese uses 幸 (sachi, “happiness”) in many names, while Chinese names often feature 乐 (le, “happy”). See our Japanese girl names for more.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Sachi | Japanese 幸, “happiness, blessing” | Girl |
| Sachiko | Japanese, “child of happiness” | Girl |
| Miyuki | Japanese 美幸, “beautiful happiness” | Girl |
| Sachie | Japanese 幸恵, “blessed with happiness” | Girl |
| Sachio | Japanese 幸男, “happy man” | Boy |
| Le | Chinese 乐, “happy, cheerful” | Unisex |
| Huan | Chinese 欢, “happy, merry” | Unisex |
| Ligaya | Tagalog, “happiness, joy” | Girl |
| Hauʻoli | Hawaiian, “happy, glad” | Unisex |
| Koa | Māori, “happy, glad” (Hawaiian, “brave”) | Unisex |
African names that mean happy
In Southern Africa, the Sotho root -thaba- (be happy) and the Zulu jabula (rejoice) give some of the warmest names on this page. Find more in African names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Thabo | Sotho and Tswana, “happiness, joy” | Boy |
| Thabang | Sotho, “be happy, rejoice” | Boy |
| Nthabiseng | Sotho, “make me happy” | Girl |
| Jabulani | Zulu, “be happy, rejoice” | Boy |
| Jabulile | Zulu, “happy, rejoicing” | Girl |
| Jabu | Zulu short form of Jabulani or Jabulile | Unisex |
| Furaha | Swahili, “happiness, joy” | Girl |
Slavic, Finnish and Hungarian names meaning happy
The Slavic element rad means “glad, happy,” and it appears in many traditional names across Eastern Europe.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Radomir | Slavic rad “happy, glad” + mir “peace” | Boy |
| Radoslav | Slavic, “happy glory” | Boy |
| Radmila | Slavic, “happy and dear” | Girl |
| Rada | Slavic, “glad, happy” | Girl |
| Radka | Czech feminine name from rad, “glad” | Girl |
| Radek | Czech pet form of Radomír or Radoslav | Boy |
| Veselin | Bulgarian, “cheerful, merry” | Boy |
| Vesela | Bulgarian, “cheerful, happy” | Girl |
| Onni | Finnish, “happiness, luck” | Boy |
| Vidor | Hungarian, “cheerful” | Boy |
Tips for choosing a happy name
- Check the full meaning: many “happy” names also mean fortunate or blessed (Felix, Asher, Saeed), which doubles the good wishes.
- Try it out loud with siblings’ names; Felix and Beatrix, or Asher and Allegra, share the same upbeat energy.
- If you want a subtle nod, use a happy name in the middle slot. Our middle names list has pairing ideas.
- Think about how the name travels. Farah, Felix and Koa are easy to say in many languages.
- Pair meanings across siblings: a happy name with one from our names that mean hope list makes a lovely set.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular name that means happy?
Asher and Felix are the most popular boy names meaning happy in the US, and Beatrice, Felicity and Hilary are well-known girl options.
What girl name means happy?
Felicity, Beatrix, Leticia, Allegra, Farah, Sachi, Khushi and Ligaya all mean happy, cheerful or happiness.
Which boy name means happy?
Felix (Latin), Asher (Hebrew), Saeed (Arabic), Thabo (Sotho), Mesut (Turkish) and Radomir (Slavic) all carry a happy meaning.
Does Asher really mean happy?
Yes. In Genesis 30:13 Leah names her son Asher, saying “Happy am I,” and the name is usually translated as happy or blessed.
What is a unisex name that means happy?
Hilary, Blythe, Osher, Harsha, Mutlu and Koa work for any gender.