Names That Mean Rain
In much of the world rain means life — a good harvest, a full well, a green season — so it’s no surprise that it shows up in baby names. Persian and Kurdish Baran, Turkish Yağmur, Sanskrit Varsha, Arabic Ghaith and Zulu Nomvula all speak of rain, and in Botswana the word Pula means both “rain” and “blessing.”
Below are 90 names that mean rain, rain cloud, mist or dew, followed by gods and spirits of the rain. For related weather, try names that mean storm, names that mean water and names that mean sky, or see our weather names.
Girl names that mean rain
Rain names for girls come from India, Turkey, the Arab world, Japan and Southern Africa. Find more in Indian girl names and Turkish girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Yağmur | Rain | Turkish |
| Deema | Rain cloud; gentle, steady rain | Arabic |
| Varsha | Rain, the rainy season | Sanskrit |
| Varshini | She who brings rain | Sanskrit |
| Vrishti | Rain | Sanskrit |
| Brishti | Rain (Bengali form of Vrishti) | Bengali |
| Barkha | Rain, monsoon | Hindi |
| Rimjhim | The pitter-patter of rain | Hindi |
| Lluvia | Rain | Spanish |
| Amaya | Night rain (雨夜) in Japanese; “the end” in Basque | Japanese, Basque |
| Puleng | In the rain | Sotho |
| Nomvula | Mother of rain | Zulu, Xhosa |
| Fon | Rain; a common Thai nickname | Thai |
| Raine | Linked with “rain” today; historically from French <em>reine</em>, “queen” | English |
Boy and unisex names that mean rain
From Hebrew to Japanese, these names bring a fresh, rainy mood. More in Persian names and African names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Baran | Rain | Persian, Kurdish |
| Ghaith | Rain, especially rain after drought | Arabic |
| Raviv | Rain shower, drizzle | Hebrew |
| Yoreh | The early autumn rain (Deuteronomy 11:14) | Hebrew |
| Malhar | The monsoon raga said to summon rain | Sanskrit |
| Sawan | Monsoon month, rainy season | Hindi |
| Shravan | The monsoon month; also a devoted son in the Ramayana | Sanskrit |
| Ame | Rain (雨); rare as a given name | Japanese |
| Shigure | Passing autumn shower (時雨) | Japanese |
| Yu | Rain (雨) — one of many meanings | Chinese |
| Lin | Continuous rain, when written 霖 | Chinese |
| Vũ | Rain (雨); also “martial” (武) | Vietnamese |
| Bi | Rain (비); stage name of the singer Rain | Korean |
| Pula | Rain; also “blessing” and Botswana’s currency | Tswana |
| Pule | Rain | Sotho |
| Mpule | Born in the rain | Sotho, Tswana |
| Mvula | Rain | Zulu |
| Rain | The English word, used for boys and girls | English |
Names that mean cloud and mist
Rain clouds are a promise of rain, so many cultures treat cloud names as lucky. See more Hebrew girl names and Japanese names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Megha | Cloud | Sanskrit |
| Meghana | Cloud, rain cloud | Sanskrit |
| Megh | Cloud | Sanskrit |
| Neerad | Cloud; “giver of water” | Sanskrit |
| Jalad | Cloud; “water-giver” | Sanskrit |
| Ghanashyam | Dark as a rain cloud; a name of Krishna | Sanskrit |
| Muzna | Rain cloud | Arabic |
| Sahab | Clouds | Arabic |
| Anan | Cloud (Nehemiah 10) | Hebrew |
| Bulut | Cloud | Turkish |
| Nefeli | Cloud; popular modern Greek name | Greek |
| Nube | Cloud; rare as a given name | Spanish |
| Kumo | Cloud (雲); rare as a given name | Japanese |
| Yun | Cloud (云) | Chinese |
| Mek | Cloud; a Thai nickname | Thai |
| Nebula | Mist, cloud | Latin |
| Nimbus | Rain cloud; a halo | Latin |
| Cloud | The English word | English |
| Misty | Covered in mist | English |
| Noe | Mist, misty rain | Hawaiian |
Names that mean dew
Dew is the gentlest form of water from the sky, and dew names tend to be soft and pretty.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Tal | Dew | Hebrew |
| Tali | My dew | Hebrew |
| Talia | Dew of God | Hebrew |
| Nada | Dew; also “generosity” | Arabic |
| Shabnam | Dew | Persian |
| Şebnem | Dew (Turkish form of Shabnam) | Turkish |
| Jaleh | Dew, hail | Persian |
| Rocío | Dew; from Nuestra Señora del Rocío | Spanish |
| Kehau | The dew | Hawaiian |
| Kehaulani | Dew of heaven | Hawaiian |
| Tsuyu | Dew (露); also the rainy season (梅雨) | Japanese |
| Iseul | Dew (이슬) | Korean |
| Tushar | Frost, dew, fine spray | Sanskrit |
| Dew | Morning moisture on the grass | English |
Raindrop, drizzle and rainbow names
Small, sparkly names for the moments during and after a shower.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Damla | Drop, raindrop | Turkish |
| Çisem | My drizzle | Turkish |
| Shizuku | Drop of water (雫) | Japanese |
| Bindu | Drop, dot | Sanskrit |
| Ualani | Heavenly rain | Hawaiian |
| Petrichor | The earthy scent after rain | English (from Greek) |
| Rainbow | The arc of color after rain | English |
| April | The month of spring showers | Latin |
Rain gods, goddesses and spirits
Many cultures prayed to a rain deity, and several of these names are still used today. See also goddess names and Greek god names.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Tlaloc | God of rain and fertility | Aztec |
| Chaac | Rain god who strikes clouds with his axe | Maya |
| Cocijo | God of rain and lightning | Zapotec |
| Illapa | God of thunder, lightning and rain | Inca |
| Indra | King of the gods, bringer of rain | Hindu |
| Parjanya | Vedic god of rain | Hindu |
| Tefnut | Goddess of moisture and rain | Egyptian |
| Adad | God of storms and rain | Mesopotamian |
| Ishkur | Sumerian god of rain and storms | Sumerian |
| Mbaba Mwana Waresa | Goddess of rain, harvest and the rainbow | Zulu |
| Anzar | God of rain; used as a boy’s name among Amazigh people | Berber (Amazigh) |
| Modjadji | The Rain Queen of the Balobedu people | South African |
| Kuraokami | Dragon deity of rain and snow | Japanese (Shinto) |
| Hyades | Rain-bringing nymphs, now a star cluster | Greek |
| Nephele | Cloud nymph | Greek |
| Iris | Goddess of the rainbow | Greek |
| Pluvius | “Rain-bringer,” a title of Jupiter | Roman |
Tips for choosing a rain name
- Rain means blessing in many cultures. In dry regions, names like Pula, Ghaith and Baran celebrate good fortune, not gloomy weather.
- Go soft or bold. Dew names (Talia, Rocío, Kehau) are delicate; storm-god names (Indra, Tlaloc, Illapa) are powerful.
- Use a rain name for a spring or monsoon baby. Sawan, Varsha and April suit babies born in the rainy season.
- Build a weather set for siblings. Combine with names that mean snow, names that mean wind or names that mean sun.
- Check the spelling. Rain, Raine and Rayne look similar but have different histories — pick the one that feels right.
Frequently asked questions
What name means rain?
Baran (Persian/Kurdish), Yağmur (Turkish), Varsha and Vrishti (Sanskrit), Ghaith (Arabic), Lluvia (Spanish), Mvula (Zulu), Pula (Tswana) and Ame (Japanese) all mean rain.
What girl name means rain?
Popular choices include Yağmur, Varsha, Varshini, Barkha, Rimjhim, Deema, Nomvula (“mother of rain”), Puleng (“in the rain”) and Lluvia.
What boy name means rain?
Baran, Ghaith, Raviv, Malhar, Sawan, Mvula, Pule and Mpule are boy names associated with rain.
Does Rainer mean rain?
No. Rainer (and Rainier) comes from the Germanic element ragin, “counsel,” with heri, “army.” The link to rain is only in the spelling.
What name means rain in Hebrew?
Raviv means rain shower and Yoreh is the early autumn rain. Tal, Tali and Talia mean dew, and Anan means cloud.