Names That Mean Wind
Wind names feel free and restless in the best way. The Greeks gave us Zephyr, the gentle west wind, and Aura, “breeze.” Sanskrit has Anil, Pavan and Vayu; Arabic and Persian share Nasim, “fresh breeze”; Hawaiian parents choose Makani; and the Basque name Haizea simply means “wind.”
Below are 90+ names that mean wind, breeze or air, sorted by gender and language, along with wind gods and the famous named winds of the world — great material for characters and pets. For related ideas, see names that mean storm, names that mean sky and our weather names, or browse all name meanings.
Girl names that mean wind or breeze
Soft, airy and often musical, these feminine names describe a breeze more often than a gale.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Aura | Breeze, gentle wind | Greek |
| Aria | Air (also a solo melody) | Italian |
| Anemone | Windflower, “daughter of the wind” in folk etymology | Greek |
| Zephyrine | Feminine of Zephyr, the west wind | French, Greek |
| Haizea | Wind | Basque |
| Brisa | Breeze | Spanish, Portuguese |
| Breeze | A light wind | English |
| Anila | Wind (feminine of Anil) | Sanskrit |
| Nasima | Gentle breeze | Arabic |
| Saba | Morning breeze, the east wind | Arabic |
| Meltem | Summer breeze (the Aegean meltemi wind) | Turkish |
| Fūka | Wind and fragrance (風香), or wind-blown flowers (風花) | Japanese |
| Aella | Whirlwind; an Amazon warrior | Greek |
| Awel | Breeze | Welsh |
| Moani | Fragrant breeze | Hawaiian |
| Sameera | Breeze (feminine of Sameer) | Sanskrit |
| Zefira | Feminine of Zefiro, “west wind” | Italian |
| Aeolia | The floating island of Aeolus, keeper of the winds | Greek |
Boy names that mean wind
Several of these are popular in India today — see our Indian boy names for more.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Zephyr | The west wind | Greek |
| Zefiro | West wind | Italian |
| Anil | Wind, air | Sanskrit |
| Pavan | Wind, breeze; also “purifying” | Sanskrit |
| Pawan | Wind (Hindi/Punjabi spelling of Pavan) | Hindi, Punjabi |
| Vayu | Wind, air; the wind god | Sanskrit |
| Sameer | Breeze, wind (Sanskrit); “companion” in Arabic (Samir) | Sanskrit, Arabic |
| Samiran | Wind, breeze | Sanskrit, Bengali |
| Marut | Wind; the storm-wind gods | Sanskrit |
| Maruti | Son of the wind; a name of Hanuman | Sanskrit |
| Nasim | Breeze, fresh air | Arabic, Persian |
| Hayate | Swift wind, gale (疾風) | Japanese |
| Futa | Big wind (風太) | Japanese |
| Feng | Wind (风) | Chinese |
| Poyraz | Northeast wind | Turkish |
| Bora | Cold northern wind | Turkish, Croatian |
| Kári | Gust of wind; a Norse wind giant | Icelandic, Norse |
| Pavanputra | Son of the wind; an epithet of Hanuman | Sanskrit |
| Baram | Wind (바람), a native Korean word | Korean |
Unisex wind names
Short, nature-inspired and easy for any child. See our unisex names for more gender-neutral ideas.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Makani | Wind | Hawaiian |
| Kamakani | The wind | Hawaiian |
| Kona | Leeward side; the southerly Kona wind | Hawaiian |
| Rüzgar | Wind | Turkish |
| Gale | A strong wind; also short for Abigail | English |
| Mistral | The strong northwest wind of Provence | French |
| Storm | Storm, strong wind | English |
Wind gods and goddesses
In Greek myth each wind was a god — the Anemoi — ruled by Aeolus. Other cultures have their own wind spirits; more in our Greek god names and Egyptian god names.
| Name | Who they are | Tradition |
|---|---|---|
| Aeolus | Keeper and ruler of the winds | Greek |
| Boreas | The cold north wind | Greek |
| Notus | The warm, wet south wind | Greek |
| Eurus | The unlucky east wind | Greek |
| Zephyrus | The gentle west wind, herald of spring | Greek |
| Aurae | Nymphs of the breezes | Greek |
| Favonius | Roman west wind | Roman |
| Fujin | Wind god carrying a bag of winds | Japanese |
| Feng Bo | Earl of the Wind | Chinese |
| Stribog | God of the winds | Slavic |
| Njörðr | God of wind, sea and seafaring | Norse |
| Shu | God of air and wind | Egyptian |
| Enlil | Lord Wind, king of the gods | Sumerian |
| Ehecatl | God of wind, an aspect of Quetzalcoatl | Aztec |
| Oya | Orisha of wind, storms and change | Yoruba |
| Tāwhirimātea | God of winds and weather | Māori |
| Hanuman | Son of the wind god Vayu | Hindu |
| Pazuzu | Demon king of the southwest wind | Mesopotamian |
Famous named winds (great for pets and characters)
Winds with their own names make striking choices for horses, dogs, boats and fictional characters. Pair them with our boat names or horse names.
| Name | Where it blows | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Sirocco | Hot wind from the Sahara to southern Europe | Fiery, warm personality |
| Chinook | Warm winter wind of the Rockies; “snow eater” | Big friendly dogs |
| Levante | Easterly wind of the Strait of Gibraltar | Elegant, Mediterranean |
| Foehn | Warm, dry wind down the Alps | Unusual and crisp |
| Tramontane | Cold wind “from beyond the mountains” | A dramatic horse name |
| Zonda | Dry wind of the Argentine Andes | Short and punchy |
| Harmattan | Dusty dry-season wind of West Africa | Epic, larger-than-life |
| Khamsin | Hot spring wind of Egypt | Strong, sandy-colored dogs |
| Monsoon | Seasonal rain wind of South Asia | Water-loving pets |
| Etesian | Summer winds of the Aegean (meltemi) | Literary, rare |
| Santa Ana | Hot autumn winds of Southern California | Fun for a Californian pup |
| Williwaw | Sudden violent wind of cold coasts | Playful and quirky |
| Simoom | Hot, suffocating desert wind | A cat with attitude |
| Squamish | Strong gusts in British Columbia inlets | Outdoorsy dogs |
| Nor’easter | Storm wind of the US East Coast | A New England sailboat |
| Bise | Cold, dry north wind of Switzerland and France | Crisp and chic |
| Pampero | Cold wind sweeping the Argentine pampas | Energetic ranch dogs |
| Haboob | Wall-of-dust wind of Sudan and the Sahara | Funny for a messy puppy |
| Solano | Hot easterly wind of southern Spain; also a surname | Warm, sunny pets |
Names that mean air, breath and sky
Close cousins of wind names, these focus on air and breath rather than moving weather.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Ruach | Wind, breath, spirit | Hebrew |
| Pneuma | Breath, spirit | Greek |
| Aether | The bright upper air | Greek |
| Hava | Air (Turkish); Hebrew form of Eve, “life” | Turkish, Hebrew |
| Ilma | Air | Finnish |
| Ilmari | Of the air, from <em>ilma</em>; related to the smith Ilmarinen | Finnish |
| Sora | Sky (空) | Japanese |
| Prana | Breath, life force | Sanskrit |
| Anilesh | Lord of the wind | Sanskrit |
Tips for choosing a wind name
- Gentle or wild? Aura, Brisa and Nasim are soft breezes; Boreas and Hayate are gales. Pick the mood you want.
- Check pronunciation. Haizea is “eye-SEH-ah,” Meltem is “mel-TEM,” and Kári is “KOW-ree.”
- Combine the elements. Wind names make lovely sibling sets with names that mean fire, water and earth.
- Know the stories. Zephyr is gentle and springlike, but Pazuzu is a demon — look up a mythic name before you commit.
- Named winds are best for pets and boats. Sirocco or Chinook suit a horse or a sailboat better than a baby.
Frequently asked questions
What name means wind?
Anil, Pavan and Vayu (Sanskrit), Haizea (Basque), Makani (Hawaiian), Rüzgar (Turkish), Feng (Chinese) and Kári (Icelandic) all mean wind.
What girl name means breeze?
Aura (Greek), Brisa (Spanish), Nasima and Saba (Arabic), Meltem (Turkish) and the English word name Breeze all mean breeze.
What does Zephyr mean?
Zephyr comes from Zephyrus, the Greek god of the west wind. The west wind was the mildest of the four winds and was linked with spring.
What Japanese name means wind?
Hayate (疾風, “swift wind”) is the best-known. Futa (風太) and Fūka (風香) use the kanji 風, “wind.”
Who is the god of wind?
In Greek myth Aeolus keeps the winds, with Boreas, Notus, Eurus and Zephyrus as the four directional winds. Vayu is the Hindu wind god, Fujin the Japanese one and Stribog the Slavic.