Water Names
Water has inspired names in nearly every language: the Welsh Dylan is tied to the sea, the Hawaiian Moana means ocean, and the Scottish Douglas describes a dark stream. These names tend to feel calm, fluid and a little adventurous — a good fit for babies, pets and boats alike.
Below you’ll find more than 90 water names with real meanings, grouped into girls, boys and unisex picks, rivers, rain and snow, water deities, and the word for “water” around the world. For closely related lists, see names that mean water, ocean names and river names.
Water names for girls
Many girls’ water names come from Latin mare, “sea”, or from the sea nymphs of Greek myth.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Marina | Of the sea | Latin |
| Maris | Of the sea, as in Stella Maris | Latin |
| Maren | Of the sea (Scandinavian form of Marina) | Latin, via Danish and Norwegian |
| Nerissa | Sea nymph, from Nereus | Greek |
| Moana | Ocean, wide sea | Hawaiian / Māori |
| Kailani | Sea and sky | Hawaiian |
| Ondine | Water spirit; Latin unda, “wave” | French |
| Talia | Dew of God | Hebrew |
| Nahla | A drink of water | Arabic |
| Brooke | Small stream | English |
| Marisol | Sea and sun | Spanish |
| Océane | Ocean | French |
| Muriel | Bright sea (Muirgel) | Irish |
| Thalassa | Sea; primordial sea goddess | Greek |
| Meri | Sea | Finnish |
| Lorelei | Siren of a Rhine river rock | German |
| Nixie | Water sprite | Germanic folklore |
Water names for boys
From Welsh legend to Scottish lochs, these boys’ names all carry water in their roots. See nature boy names for more.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan | Son of the sea, great tide | Welsh |
| Murphy | Sea warrior (Ó Murchadha) | Irish |
| Irving | Place name, possibly “green water” | Scottish |
| Brooks | Small streams | English |
| Douglas | Dark stream (dubh glas) | Scottish Gaelic |
| Moses | Possibly “drawn out of the water” (Exodus 2:10) | Hebrew / Egyptian |
| Beck | Brook, stream | Old Norse |
| Clyde | The River Clyde in Scotland | Scottish |
| Marino | Of the sea | Italian, Spanish |
| Lachlan | From the land of lochs (Norway) | Scottish Gaelic |
| Delmar | Of the sea (del mar) | Spanish |
| Kai | Sea | Hawaiian |
| Morgan | Possibly “sea-born” | Welsh |
Unisex water names
Short, simple and gender-free.
| Name | Water link | Note |
|---|---|---|
| River | Flowing water | A top-200 name for boys |
| Ocean | The sea | Big, open and bold |
| Rain | Falling water | Soft and simple |
| Bay | A coastal inlet | One syllable, easy to pair |
| Delta | A river mouth | Also the Greek letter Δ |
| Marlowe | Remnant of a lake | Old English place name |
| Wade | To ford a river | Old English |
| Harbor | A safe haven for boats | Warm and protective |
| Cove | A sheltered bay | Short and cozy |
| Lake | A body of fresh water | Surprisingly stylish |
| Isla | Island (Spanish); Scottish Islay | Mostly girls |
River names used as first names
Some of the world’s rivers have become well-loved names. For a full atlas of river names, see our river names.
| Name | River | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon | Ireland’s longest river | Irish Sionann, linked to a goddess |
| Jordan | River Jordan, Middle East | Hebrew, “to flow down” |
| Nile | Egypt and East Africa | Longest river in Africa |
| Tyne | Northeast England | Crisp, one syllable |
| Avon | Several English rivers | Welsh afon simply means “river” |
| Hudson | New York | Named after explorer Henry Hudson |
| Sabrina | River Severn, England/Wales | Latin name of the Severn, from the legend of Habren |
| Afton | Scotland | Robert Burns’s “Sweet Afton” |
| Ganga | The Ganges, India | Sacred river and goddess in Hinduism |
| Tamar | Cornwall/Devon border | Also Hebrew, “date palm” |
| Tiber | Rome, Italy | Latin Tiberis; source of Tiberius |
| Tweed | Scotland/England border | Gave its name to tweed cloth |
| Arno | Florence, Italy | Italian boys’ name too |
Names meaning rain, snow and ice
Water in all its forms. For more cold-weather choices, see names that mean snow and names that mean rain.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Eira | Snow | Welsh |
| Neve | Snow | Italian |
| Yuki | Snow (with the kanji 雪) | Japanese |
| Hima | Snow, frost | Sanskrit |
| Nevada | Snow-covered | Spanish |
| Kiri | Mist, fog (霧) | Japanese |
| Varsha | Rain, monsoon | Sanskrit / Hindi |
| Frost | Frozen dew | English |
| Misty | Covered in mist | English |
| Tallulah | Often said to mean “leaping water” | Native American place name |
Water gods, goddesses and spirits
Nearly every culture has a deity of sea or river. For more divine names, see our lists of goddess names and Norse god names.
| Name | Tradition | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Poseidon | Greek | God of the sea and earthquakes |
| Neptune | Roman | God of the sea |
| Amphitrite | Greek | Queen of the sea, wife of Poseidon |
| Triton | Greek | Messenger of the sea, blows a conch shell |
| Nereus | Greek | “Old man of the sea”, father of the Nereids |
| Tethys | Greek | Titaness of fresh water |
| Oceanus | Greek | Titan of the world-encircling river |
| Njord | Norse | God of the sea, wind and wealth |
| Rán | Norse | Sea goddess who gathers drowned sailors in her net |
| Aegir | Norse | Giant of the sea, famous for his feasts |
| Manannán | Irish | Sea god and ruler of the Otherworld |
| Yemọja | Yoruba | Mother of waters and protector of women |
| Oshun | Yoruba | Orisha of rivers, love and fertility |
| Sedna | Inuit | Goddess of the sea and its animals |
| Mazu | Chinese | Sea goddess, protector of sailors |
| Tangaroa | Māori | God of the sea |
| Saraswati | Hindu | Goddess of knowledge, once a river goddess |
The word “water” around the world
Some of these are used as names or name elements; others simply make a fun, meaningful name for a pet or boat.
| Word | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Agua | Spanish | Common in place names |
| Aqua | Latin | Root of aquarium and aquamarine |
| Mizu | Japanese | Appears in names like Mizuki |
| Mayim | Hebrew | Always plural in form |
| Jala | Sanskrit | Found in names like Jalaja, “lotus” |
| Neer | Tamil / Hindi | Also in the name Neeraj, “lotus” |
| Maji | Swahili | Spoken across East Africa |
| Uisce | Irish | Source of the word whiskey (uisce beatha) |
| Dŵr | Welsh | Found in Welsh place names |
| Voda | Russian, Czech and other Slavic | Root of the word vodka |
| Vatn | Icelandic / Old Norse | Cousin of English “water” |
| Shui | Mandarin Chinese | As in feng shui, “wind-water” |
| Wai | Māori / Hawaiian | Starts many place names, like Waikiki |
How to choose a water name
- Pick your body of water. Sea names (Marina, Dylan) feel expansive; river and stream names (Brooks, Beck, Douglas) feel grounded.
- Consider the season. Snow names like Eira and Neve suit winter babies; Marisol and Kailani suit summer.
- Great for boats and pets. Water names are natural choices for boat names and fish names.
- Check pronunciation. Names like Manannán and Yemọja are beautiful but may need explaining outside their home cultures.
- Look at meaning pages. Our names that mean ocean list adds dozens more sea-themed choices.
Frequently asked questions
What name means water?
Nahla (Arabic) means “a drink of water”, Mizu is the Japanese word for water, and Moses is traditionally linked to being “drawn out of the water”. Many more names mean sea, river or rain.
What is a girl’s name that means sea?
Marina, Maris, Maren, Meri and Moana all relate to the sea; Muriel means “bright sea” in Irish.
What is a boy’s name that means sea?
Dylan means “son of the sea” in Welsh, Kai means “sea” in Hawaiian, and Murphy means “sea warrior” in Irish.
What is a good water name for a pet?
Short names like River, Kai and Bay, mythic names like Neptune, and words like Aqua or Mizu all work well for fish, dogs and cats.
Who is the goddess of water?
It depends on the culture: Amphitrite and Tethys in Greek myth, Rán in Norse myth, Yemọja and Oshun in Yoruba tradition, and Mazu in Chinese folk religion.