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Baby Names Inspired by Cold Weather

Baby Names Cold Weather

While you’re nesting as you prepare to welcome a baby born in the cold months to come, you might want to consider honoring the season that will bring this new person into your life with your baby’s name. The winter can be challenging, but it also brings with it coziness, family time, and the chance to appreciate the light amidst long, chilly nights. Read on for some favorite cold weather-inspired baby names to suit all naming tastes.

Winter

Naming your baby for the season in which they’re born is surprisingly common—consider Autumn and Summer, popular baby girl names from years past. Winter has the advantage of being used for both girls and boys, but it’s definitely a more popular name for baby girls, though the plural form, Winters, is more often used for boys.

Jack

Jack Frost, the mythical winter character, evokes wintery feelings without being overtly cold. Jack is a friendly, common, easy to pronounce name and might be the choice for you if you want a nod to the chilliest time of the year without being blatant about it. Plus, Jack can be a nickname for other great boy names—Jackson or John, for instance.

January

Another name that’s more commonly used for girls than boys, this one is a bit obvious, but no less beautiful. It might be tricky to use this name if your baby is born in another month, but if you fall in love with it, feel free to name your baby whatever you want.

Balthasar

It may sound a bit out there, but Balthasar was one of the wise men to visit newborn baby Jesus in the Christmas story. If you like traditional but not popular names, this one might be a good option for your baby boy.

Yule

This name could not be any more wintery, as it literally means “winter solstice.” While perhaps better suited for a baby boy, this name could also work for a baby girl, perhaps as a daring middle name.

Nicholas

Another popular, easy to pronounce name, this one honors jolly Saint Nick, the person from whom the Santa Claus story comes, without being obvious about it. Plus, Nicholas comes with great nicknames and could be easily feminized as the popular girl’s name Nicole.

Neve

This name, popularized by actress Neve Campbell, means “snow.” It has a variety of pronunciation options—nev, nev-ay, or neev—which might make more cautious parents-to-be hesitate, but makes the name no less beautiful or wintery.

Odin

Odin was a god in Norse mythology—the patron of art, culture, and wisdom—who was celebrated during by historical Anglo-Saxon people in a festival held near the winter solstice. It is a reasonably popular name for baby boys these days, and shares the ending “en” sound with other favorite boy names: Aidan, Braden, and Jackson.

Noelle and Noel

These names honor the Christmas season because Noelle means Christmas in French. While Noelle is more typically given to baby girls, its more masculine form, Noel, might make sense for your baby boy. These two are well known enough that their pronunciation is unlikely to be difficult, which might be a bonus for your winter baby.

Evergreen Names

While not specific to winter, the names of some trees that do not lose their leaves when the cold hits make great baby names, especially for boys. Two well-known and subtle tree names are Douglas and Fraser, both of which are the names of varieties of fir trees and are regularly used for boy babies. If you want to go a bit more non-traditional, you might consider Balsam for a boy or Juniper—with fun nicknames June or Peri—for a baby girl.

Light Names

Winter in most places is characterized by long, dark, chilly nights, so it might make sense to name your baby for the light they are bringing into your life. Lucia, a popular name for baby girls in Spain, means light and has the added bonus of honoring Saint Lucia, who is celebrated during a festival of lights in many cultures in mid-December. Luz, another popular baby girl name in Spanish-speaking cultures, also means light and is reminiscent of other beloved one-syllable girls’ names: Grace, Claire, and Maeve. Abner, a Hebrew name which means “father of light,” is also a Biblical name and might be just right for your baby boy.

Abby Olena
Dr. Abby Olena has a PhD in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University. She lives with her husband and children in North Carolina, where she writes about science and parenting, produces a conversational podcast, and teaches prenatal yoga.

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