Autumn Baby Names for a Fall-Born Little One (200+ Ideas)

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If your little one is arriving somewhere between the first cool morning and the last leaf on the tree, you’ve got a whole season of inspiration to pull from. Autumn names can lean straight into the obvious, or take a quieter, more subtle route that just feels like October without spelling it out. Either way, a name tied to the time your baby arrived becomes a small, permanent nod to how their story started.

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Popularity below is calculated from Social Security Administration data through 2024, the most recent year on record.

Here’s what’s in store –

Names from the Natural World

Warm, Amber, Spiced Names

Crisp and Cool: Wind-in-the-Air Names

Mythological and Folkloric Names

Old-Soul Literary and Vintage Names

Modern Names with an Autumn Edge

Gender-Neutral Autumn Names

International Autumn Names from Around the World

How to Choose a Name From This List

Name Art for Your Favorite

Frequently Asked Questions

Autumn names don’t have to be literal. “Scarlett” isn’t October spelled out, but it carries every shade of it. “Rowan” is a tree, yes, but it’s also a sound that belongs to crisp air and red berries. Some of the names here are unmistakably seasonal; others simply feel like the season — grounded, warm, a little wild at the edges.

This list covers more than 200 real names, pulled from languages and cultures all over the world, grouped by feel rather than alphabet. Whether you want something spare and Nordic, lush and romantic, or earthy and old-fashioned, there’s a corner of this list that was made for your baby.

Read it slowly. Say the names out loud. The right one usually announces itself.

Before we get into the list — did you know that fall babies are statistically associated with higher academic achievement, longer life expectancy, and lower rates of seasonal mood disorders? Science loves an October arrival.

Names from the Natural World

Autumn is the season when the natural world puts on its most dramatic show, and these names pull directly from that — trees, berries, rivers at low water, harvest fields, the last warm flowers before frost. They tend to be grounded and strong, names that feel like they could belong to someone who knows how to build a fire.

Rowan

Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: ROH-en · ˈroʊən
Meaning: little red one
Popularity: #71 and rising (#76 → #71, 2024)

A tree whose red berries blaze in September; works for any gender and has climbed steadily in popularity without feeling trendy.

Hazel

Origin: Old English
Pronunciation: HAY-zel · ˈheɪzəl
Meaning: the hazel tree, and by extension its light-brown color
Popularity: #19 and falling (#18 → #19, 2024)

Soft but sturdy, beloved by witches and woodland spirits in folklore, now beloved by parents with good taste.

Briar

Origin: English (Middle English)
Pronunciation: BRY-er · ˈbraɪər
Meaning: thorny shrub or bramble
Popularity: #522 and rising (#549 → #522, 2024)

Wild and textured, this name has a fairy-tale edge without being fussy.

Elm

Origin: English (vocabulary/nature name)
Pronunciation: ELM · ɛlm
Meaning: the elm tree (nature name)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Short, architectural, and seriously underused — feels like a sibling to Ash and Oak.

Ash

Origin: Old English (word name/surname)
Pronunciation: ASH · ˈæʃ
Meaning: ash tree (one who lived near ash trees)
Popularity: #1,147 and falling (#1,064 → #1,147, 2024)

One syllable, ancient roots, appears in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil; calm and confident on a kid.

Fern

Origin: English (nature name)
Pronunciation: FURN · ˈfɜːrn
Meaning: the fern plant
Popularity: #1,261 and rising (#1,428 → #1,261, 2024)

Quiet, green, literary — Fern was Charlotte’s Web’s little girl, which only helps.

Ivy

Origin: English
Pronunciation: EYE-vee · ˈaɪvi
Meaning: the climbing ivy plant, a traditional symbol of fidelity
Popularity: #36 and rising (#38 → #36, 2024)

Clings, persists, stays green when everything else fades — there’s a metaphor in there for your fall baby.

Birch

Origin: English (nature name/surname)
Pronunciation: BURCH · ˈbɜːrtʃ
Meaning: the birch tree
Popularity: #9,873 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Rare as a given name, which is exactly its charm.

Cedar

Origin: English
Pronunciation: SEE-dur · ˈsiːdər
Meaning: the cedar tree
Popularity: #1,197 and rising (#1,252 → #1,197, 2024)

Warm and resinous, Cedar feels at home in the Pacific Northwest and the American South alike.

Maple

Origin: English (surname from the noun “maple”)
Pronunciation: MAY-pəl · ˈmeɪpəl
Meaning: named after the maple tree
Popularity: #1,188 and rising (#1,240 → #1,188, 2024)

Canada claimed it, but this name belongs to everyone; vibrant, sweet, and entirely autumn.

Jasper

Origin: Old Persian
Pronunciation: JAS-per · ˈdʒæspər
Meaning: treasurer
Popularity: #133 and falling (#122 → #133, 2024)

The gemstone is the color of October leaves; the name is handsome without being stiff.

Ember

Origin: English (modern vocabulary-word name)
Pronunciation: EM-bur · ˈɛmbər
Meaning: a glowing coal or fragment from a dying fire
Popularity: #137 and rising (#169 → #137, 2024)

Evokes a fireplace, a campfire, the last warmth before winter — utterly seasonal.

Flora

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: FLOR-ah · ˈflɔːrə
Meaning: Flower; from Latin flos/floris, and the name of the Roman goddess of flowers, blooming, and springtime.
Popularity: #648 and rising (#682 → #648, 2024)

Dahlia

Origin: Swedish (via surname Dahl)
Pronunciation: DAHL-yah · ˈdɑːljə
Meaning: named for botanist Anders Dahl
Popularity: #240 and rising (#253 → #240, 2024)

That meaning belongs to the distinct Hebrew name Dalia, not Dahlia. Dahlia is named after the flower, which honors botanist Anders Dahl, whose surname means someone who lived in a valley.

Chrysanthemum

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: krih-SAN-thuh-mum · krɪˈzænθəməm
Meaning: golden flower
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Almost nobody names a child this, but it earns a mention — call her Chrys.

Zinnia

Origin: English (from the flower name)
Pronunciation: ZIN-ee-ah · ˈzɪniə
Meaning: named for the zinnia flower
Popularity: #1,349 and falling (#1,296 → #1,349, 2024)

Goldenrod

Origin: English (compound of golden + rod)
Pronunciation: GOHL-den-rod · ˈɡoʊldənˌrɒd
Meaning: a golden-flowered wildflower (literally ‘golden rod/stem’)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More of an inspiration than a given name, but it’s been used — and “Rod” is a fine nickname.

Sorrel

Origin: Old French (via the plant name)
Pronunciation: SOR-uhl · ˈsɔːrəl
Meaning: the sorrel plant (a tart, sour-leaved herb); also a reddish-brown color
Popularity: #14,992 and falling (#11,050 → #14,992, 2024)

Both a color and an herb; one of those names that sounds like it’s always existed.

Reed

Origin: English (surname, multiple disputed origins)
Pronunciation: REED · ˈriːd
Meaning: a surname of debated origin: ‘red-haired’ (variant of Reid), a clearer of land, or a place name — not the reed plant
Popularity: #421 and rising (#429 → #421, 2024)

Spare and clean — Reed has the same stripped-down quality as “Lake” or “Stone.”

Heath

Origin: English (from Old English hǣþ)
Pronunciation: HEETH · ˈhiːθ
Meaning: heathland; open, shrubby moorland
Popularity: #848 and rising (#1,053 → #848, 2024)

Brooding and British; Heathcliff gave it a romantic shadow that still works.

Maren

Origin: Danish (from Latin Marina)
Pronunciation: MAIR-en · ˈmɛrən
Meaning: form of Marina; ‘of the sea’
Popularity: #570 and falling (#545 → #570, 2024)

Autumn coasts are different from summer coasts — emptied out, dramatic, all sea-spray and gray skies; this name fits that.

Grove

Origin: English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: GROHV · ɡroʊv
Meaning: small wood, grove of trees
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Architectural, short, and extremely unusual as a given name.

Indigo

Origin: Greek (via the color/dye name)
Pronunciation: IN-dih-goh · ˈɪndɪˌɡoʊ
Meaning: named after the deep-blue indigo dye/color
Popularity: #923 and rising (#961 → #923, 2024)

The indigo plant was a cash crop tied to harvest seasons; the color itself shows up in autumn skies at dusk.

Clover

Origin: English
Pronunciation: KLOH-ver · ˈkloʊvər
Meaning: the clover plant (Old English clafre), popularly linked to luck
Popularity: #618 and rising (#672 → #618, 2024)

Cheerful and grounded, Clover has a pastoral sweetness that doesn’t tip into saccharine.

Thicket

Origin: English word name (from Old English thicce, ‘thick’)
Pronunciation: THIK-it · ˈθɪkɪt
Meaning: a dense growth of bushes, shrubs, or small trees
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Wren

Origin: English (Middle English)
Pronunciation: REN · ˈrɛn
Meaning: the small songbird
Popularity: #213 and falling (#195 → #213, 2024)

One of those rare short names that feels both ancient and modern at once.

Linden

Origin: English
Pronunciation: LIN-den · ˈlɪndən
Meaning: the linden (lime) tree
Popularity: #1,548 and rising (#1,739 → #1,548, 2024)

Softer than “Ash” or “Elm,” Linden has a European grace to it.

Mossy

Origin: English (modern nature name)
Pronunciation: MAW-see · ˈmɔːsi
Meaning: covered in or resembling moss
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Bold, almost absurd, but there’s a Portland mother somewhere who should absolutely use this.

Oaken

Origin: English (from the adjective ‘oaken, ‘ oak + -en)
Pronunciation: OH-kən · ˈoʊkən
Meaning: made of or resembling oak
Popularity: #5,174 and rising (#6,136 → #5,174, 2024)

Flint

Origin: English
Pronunciation: FLINT · flɪnt
Meaning: A hard stone historically used for tool-making and striking sparks to start fires; used as a transferred word/surname name.
Popularity: #1,970 and rising (#2,133 → #1,970, 2024)

Striking, monosyllabic, evokes the smell of a struck match in cold air.

Warm, Amber, Spiced Names

These names carry the warmth of the season — they sound like cinnamon, cloves, candlelight, and the particular golden quality of 4pm light in late October. Some are named for colors. Some just feel warm in the mouth when you say them.

Amber

Origin: English
Pronunciation: AM-bur · ˈæmbər
Meaning: from the gemstone amber (fossilized tree resin)
Popularity: #541 and rising (#574 → #541, 2024)

This name is the color of October distilled; it had a moment in the 90s and is now circling back around.

Scarlett

Origin: English (occupational surname for a dyer/seller of ‘scarlet’ cloth)
Pronunciation: SKAR-lit · ˈskɑːrlɪt
Meaning: originally referred to a dyer or trader of ‘scarlet,’ a fine woolen cloth — only later did the word come to mean the color red itself
Popularity: #27 and falling (#17 → #27, 2024)

Deep, saturated, unmistakably autumn — Scarlett O’Hara gave it drama; it’s since settled into confident elegance.

Sienna

Origin: English (from the pigment/color name ‘sienna’, associated with Siena, Italy)
Pronunciation: see-EN-ah · siˈɛnə
Meaning: a reddish-brown color
Popularity: #139 and rising (#140 → #139, 2024)

An artist’s name and an autumn name simultaneously; warm and slightly unexpected.

Tawny

Origin: Old French; also an English surname
Pronunciation: TAW-nee · ˈtɔːni
Meaning: golden-brown
Popularity: #17,377 and falling (#14,988 → #17,377, 2024)

More of an adjective turned name, but it wears well — spare and evocative.

Goldie

Origin: English (diminutive of ‘gold’), or English form of Yiddish Golda/Golde
Pronunciation: GOL-dee · ˈɡoʊldi
Meaning: golden, made of gold
Popularity: #645 and rising (#687 → #645, 2024)

Russet

Origin: Old French (from Latin)
Pronunciation: RUSS-it · ˈrʌsɪt
Meaning: reddish-brown
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Russet is the color of autumn apples and turning leaves; surprisingly unused as a name.

Cinnamon

Origin: English (vocabulary word, ultimate root Greek, possibly Phoenician/Semitic)
Pronunciation: SIN-ə-mən · sɪnəmən
Meaning: the cinnamon spice; also a warm reddish-brown color
Popularity: #13,777 as of 2010 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Rarely used as a given name outside of the 1970s, but the sound is warm and happy.

Saffron

Origin: English (flower/spice name)
Pronunciation: SAF-run · ˈsæfrən
Meaning: named for the saffron crocus flower and its golden spice
Popularity: #5,564 and falling (#4,718 → #5,564, 2024)

Ginger

Origin: English
Pronunciation: JIN-jer · ˈdʒɪndʒər
Meaning: pet form of Virginia (‘pure’), or a nickname for ginger-coloured hair
Popularity: #3,589 and falling (#3,290 → #3,589, 2024)

Warm, punchy, and playful; Ginger Rogers turned it into something irresistible.

Clementine

Origin: French (from Latin Clemens)
Pronunciation: KLEM-en-teen · ˈklɛmənˌtiːn
Meaning: merciful, mild
Popularity: #477 and rising (#542 → #477, 2024)

The fruit is an autumn staple — the name is sweet, French-inflected, and due for a comeback.

Cosima

Origin: Italian (feminine form of Cosimo, from Greek)
Pronunciation: koh-SEE-mah · koʊˈsiːmə
Meaning: order, beauty, or the (ordered) universe
Popularity: #6,975 and rising (#8,585 → #6,975, 2024)

Warm and rare in English-speaking countries; Cosima Wagner wore it with authority.

Cordelia

Origin: uncertain (Shakespeare’s spelling of a historical British name, Cordeilla, possibly linked to the obscure saint’s name Cordula)
Pronunciation: kor-DEEL-yah · kɔːrˈdiːljə
Meaning: Heart; daughter of the sea
Popularity: #1,065 and rising (#1,117 → #1,065, 2024)

Shakespeare’s most warmhearted character; autumn-adjacent in its depth and quiet strength.

Rosalind

Origin: Germanic
Pronunciation: RAH-zuh-lind · ˈrɑːzəlɪnd
Meaning: from elements meaning roughly ‘horse’ and ‘soft/tender’ — something like ‘gentle horse’
Popularity: #1,475 and falling (#1,440 → #1,475, 2024)

Warm and Shakespearean, the name of the heroine of As You Like It — set in the forest of Arden, which is approximately autumn.

Tamsin

Origin: English (medieval contraction of Thomasina, feminine form of Thomas)
Pronunciation: TAM-zin · ˈtæmzɪn
Meaning: twin (via Thomas, ultimately from Aramaic)
Popularity: #13,291 and falling (#12,061 → #13,291, 2024)

A Cornish variant of Thomasina; warm-toned, rare, and quietly distinguished.

Leonora

Origin: Italian (short form of Eleonora, cognate with Eleanor)
Pronunciation: lee-uh-NOR-ah · liːəˈnɔːrə
Meaning: variant/short form of Eleonora; Eleanor’s own root meaning is disputed
Popularity: #2,087 and falling (#1,899 → #2,087, 2024)

Leonora has a richness that feels autumn — not spring, not summer. Deep, burnished, serious.

Marigold

Origin: English (flower name)
Pronunciation: MAIR-ih-gold · ˈmɛrɪɡoʊld
Meaning: the marigold flower; the flower’s name is traditionally explained as ‘Mary’s gold’ (honoring the Virgin Mary), not literally ‘golden flower’
Popularity: #693 and rising (#713 → #693, 2024)

Marigolds are the festival flowers of Día de los Muertos — all orange and gold and fire.

Aureliana

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: aw-ree-lee-AH-nah · ɔːˌriːliˈɑːnə
Meaning: golden
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Aurelia

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: aw-REEL-yuh · ɔːˈriːljə
Meaning: golden one
Popularity: #334 and rising (#370 → #334, 2024)

The wearable version of Aureliana; ancient Roman, currently fashionable, quietly stunning.

Aurelius

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: aw-REE-lee-əs · ɔːˈriːliəs
Meaning: golden one
Popularity: #1,118 and rising (#1,216 → #1,118, 2024)

Marcus Aurelius made this a name for stoics; a fall boy named Aurelius would be something.

Coppelia

Origin: French (literary/ballet name)
Pronunciation: koh-PAY-lee-uh · koʊˈpeɪliə
Meaning: Copper-toned; also a ballet
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Rare, warm-colored, slightly theatrical — a copper-named baby for a copper-colored season.

Rufus

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: ROO-fuhs · ˈruːfəs
Meaning: red, ruddy (often used to describe red hair)
Popularity: #4,151 and rising (#5,205 → #4,151, 2024)

Flannery

Origin: Irish (Anglicized surname)
Pronunciation: FLAN-ər-ee · ˈflænəri
Meaning: red eyebrow / red-browed (Ó Flannabhra: flann ‘blood-red’ + abhra ‘eyebrow’)
Popularity: #13,993 and falling (#12,564 → #13,993, 2024)

Flannery O’Connor owned this; it’s a literary name with deep Southern roots.

Carmine

Origin: Italian
Pronunciation: KAR-mee-nay
Meaning: deep red, crimson
Popularity: #1,097 and rising (#1,281 → #1,097, 2024)

A painter’s name — carmine is a rich crimson pigment; it works for any gender.

Vermeil

Origin: French (ultimately Latin vermiculus, ‘little worm, ‘ source of a red dye)
Pronunciation: ver-MAY · vərˈmeɪ
Meaning: bright red; also ‘gilded’ (silver-gilt)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Almost too precious to wear, but someone should.

Harvest

Origin: Old English
Pronunciation: HAR-vist · ˈhɑːrvɪst
Meaning: the season and work of gathering crops
Popularity: #4,493 and rising (#4,496 → #4,493, 2024)

Literal? Yes. But also one of the few seasonal nouns that sounds like a name.

Crisp

Origin: Old English (from Latin crispus)
Pronunciation: KRISP · krɪsp
Meaning: curly
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More an adjective than a name, but as autumn nicknames go, it’s extraordinary.

Brandy

Origin: English (word name, ultimately Dutch)
Pronunciation: BRAN-dee · ˈbrændi
Meaning: named after the drink brandy; also used as a feminine form of Brandon
Popularity: #3,221 and falling (#2,939 → #3,221, 2024)

Warm, informal, and underestimated as a given name.

Cider

Origin: Old French
Pronunciation: SY-der · ˈsaɪdər
Meaning: fermented apple juice
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Soleil

Origin: French
Pronunciation: soh-LAY · soʊˈleɪ
Meaning: sun
Popularity: #824 and rising (#975 → #824, 2024)

Autumn sun is different from summer sun — lower, more golden, more precious; this name captures it.

Tansy

Origin: English (flower name, ultimately Greek)
Pronunciation: TAN-zee · ˈtænzi
Meaning: the tansy flower; the plant name traces to Greek ‘athanasia,’ meaning immortality
Popularity: #12,007 and rising (#14,984 → #12,007, 2024)

Used in medieval England, nearly extinct as a name, fragrant and eccentric.

Crisp and Cool: Wind-in-the-Air Names

Autumn isn’t only warm. It’s also the sharp smell of cold air, the shock of frost on your windshield, the way November light is blue and clear instead of gold. These names feel like that — spare, cool, clean-edged.

Isolde

Origin: Germanic or Celtic/Brythonic (disputed)
Pronunciation: ih-ZOHL-dah · ɪˈzoʊldə
Meaning: uncertain — literally ‘ice’ + ‘battle’ in the Germanic reading, or ‘she who is gazed upon’ in the Celtic/Brythonic reading
Popularity: #7,721 and falling (#5,458 → #7,721, 2024)

The Germanic elements are literally ‘ice’ (is) and ‘battle’ (hiltja), not ‘ruler’ — ‘ice ruler’ is a popular mistranslation, and a separate Celtic theory (‘she who is gazed upon’) is equally plausible per current scholarship.

Frost

Origin: English (surname/word name, cognate surnames also German, Swedish, Danish)
Pronunciation: FRAWST · ˈfrɔːst
Meaning: frost (icy weather phenomenon)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Robert Frost made this a poet’s name; as a given name it’s brisk and memorable.

Wintour

Origin: English (surname, variant of Winter)
Pronunciation: WIN-ter · ˈwɪntər
Meaning: of or associated with winter
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Anna Wintour made it a surname to reckon with — as a given name, genuinely striking.

Sloane

Origin: Irish (from the surname Ó Sluaghadháin, ‘descendant of Sluaghadhán’)
Pronunciation: SLOHN · ˈsloʊn
Meaning: raid or (military) expedition
Popularity: #153 and falling (#151 → #153, 2024)

Cool, sleek, effortlessly stylish — a name that doesn’t need to announce itself.

Neve

Origin: surname (multiple origins: English ‘nephew’, French place name, or Italian/Portuguese ‘snow’)
Pronunciation: NEV · ˈnɛv
Meaning: bright, radiant (as an anglicized form of the Irish name Niamh)
Popularity: #3,357 and falling (#2,667 → #3,357, 2024)

Light and clear, Neve Campbell made it familiar in the 1990s; it fits a late-autumn baby perfectly.

Astrid

Origin: Old Norse / Scandinavian
Pronunciation: AS-trid · ˈæstrɪd
Meaning: divinely beautiful (popularly also glossed ‘divine strength’)
Popularity: #383 and rising (#399 → #383, 2024)

Nordic, crisp, strong — Astrid belongs to sea spray and gray skies and women who don’t apologize.

Ingrid

Origin: Old Norse
Pronunciation: ING-grid · ˈɪŋɡrɪd
Meaning: compound of the Norse god-element ‘Ing’ and a word for ‘beautiful, beloved’
Popularity: #1,092 and rising (#1,148 → #1,092, 2024)

Bergman’s Ingrid turned this into an icon; it feels like cold Scandinavian mornings.

Seren

Origin: Welsh
Pronunciation: SEH-ren · ˈsɛrɛn
Meaning: star
Popularity: #4,631 and rising (#4,638 → #4,631, 2024)

Short, crystalline, sky-named — Welsh names have a clean clarity that suits autumn.

Niamh

Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: NEEV · ˈniːv
Meaning: bright, radiant
Popularity: #3,148 and rising (#4,339 → #3,148, 2024)

Pronounced “Neev” — a fairy princess from Irish mythology, one of the most beautiful sounds in the language.

Eira

Origin: Welsh
Pronunciation: EYE-ruh · ˈaɪrə
Meaning: snow
Popularity: #2,385 and rising (#2,593 → #2,385, 2024)

Silver

Origin: English (from the metal name, also transferred from a surname)
Pronunciation: SIHL-ver · ˈsɪlvər
Meaning: the precious metal silver, or its color; historically also a descriptive or occupational surname transferred to given-name use
Popularity: #3,368 and falling (#3,041 → #3,368, 2024)

Cool-toned and luminous; autumn mornings have a silver quality that this name captures.

Sterling

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: STUR-ling · ˈstɜːrlɪŋ
Meaning: originally a surname referring to the starling bird, or a variant of the Scottish surname/place name Stirling
Popularity: #372 and rising (#403 → #372, 2024)

Strong and metallic; often used as a surname turned given name.

Gray

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: GRAY · ˈɡreɪ
Meaning: surname either from a Norman place-name (ultimately ‘Greek’) or a nickname for gray hair/beard
Popularity: #1,343 and falling (#1,174 → #1,343, 2024)

November skies are gray — not unhappily, just beautifully, in the way pewter is beautiful.

Stone

Origin: English (surname, from Old English “stan”)
Pronunciation: STOHN · ˈstoʊn
Meaning: from the English word for stone/rock; originally a surname for someone who lived near a notable stone or worked with stone
Popularity: #1,048 and falling (#995 → #1,048, 2024)

Absolute and grounded; feels like standing on a cold riverbank watching the water.

Piper

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: PY-pur · ˈpaɪpər
Meaning: one who plays the pipes — an occupational surname transferred to given-name use
Popularity: #160 and falling (#135 → #160, 2024)

Brisk, light-footed, slightly mischievous — like the wind, which is also the thing that makes pipes sing.

Willa

Origin: American (19th-century coinage from Will/William, ultimately Germanic)
Pronunciation: WIL-ah · ˈwɪlə
Meaning: carries the ‘will, desire’ sense, from Will/William
Popularity: #423 and rising (#428 → #423, 2024)

The feminine of William, but with a windswept, literary quality — Willa Cather wrote the prairie.

Calla

Origin: Latin (botanical name, root disputed)
Pronunciation: KAL-ah · ˈkælə
Meaning: uncertain (disputed ancient reading, possibly ‘cup’ or ‘husk’)
Popularity: #1,514 and rising (#1,604 → #1,514, 2024)

Brynn

Origin: Welsh
Pronunciation: BRIN · ˈbrɪn
Meaning: hill
Popularity: #384 and rising (#414 → #384, 2024)

Short, strong, topographical — like standing on a ridge in October looking at the valley below.

Skye

Origin: Scottish (from the Isle of Skye, a place name of disputed/unresolved origin) or English (playful respelling of ‘sky’)
Pronunciation: SKY · ˈskaɪ
Meaning: Island; sky
Popularity: #480 and falling (#447 → #480, 2024)

An island off the Scottish coast that is basically perpetual autumn — moody, magnificent, unforgettable.

Crest

Origin: Old French (via the English word ‘crest’)
Pronunciation: KREST · krɛst
Meaning: the top or summit, as of a hill, wave, or ridge
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More word-as-name, but it has a clean autumn quality.

Nordic

Origin: French (nordique), ultimately Germanic ‘north’
Pronunciation: NOR-dik · ˈnɔːrdɪk
Meaning: of or relating to the north / Scandinavia
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Obviously unusual as a given name, but directionally correct for this vibe.

Lark

Origin: English
Pronunciation: LARK · ˈlɑːrk
Meaning: the songbird
Popularity: #3,534 and falling (#3,501 → #3,534, 2024)

Light, air-filled, slightly wild — larks sing in the autumn morning.

Swift

Origin: Old English
Pronunciation: SWIFT · swɪft
Meaning: Quick-moving, fast; originally a nickname for an agile person (the swift bird takes its name from this same adjective).
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The bird was named after the adjective ‘swift’ (quick), so the name’s core meaning is ‘fast-moving’ — the bird sense is derivative, not the other way around.

Wilder

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: WYL-dur · ˈwaɪldər
Meaning: wild one; also historically ‘a hunter of wild game’
Popularity: #392 and rising (#422 → #392, 2024)

Laura Ingalls Wilder made it a beloved last name; as a first name, it belongs to windswept open land.

Hollis

Origin: English (topographic surname)
Pronunciation: HOL-is · ˈhɑːlɪs
Meaning: one who lived near holly trees
Popularity: #1,053 and falling (#1,000 → #1,053, 2024)

Holly is evergreen through autumn into winter; the name is crisp and uncluttered.

Ridley

Origin: Old English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: RID-lee · ˈrɪdli
Meaning: reed clearing, or cleared-land clearing (a topographic place name with no meaning beyond the landscape description)
Popularity: #1,930 and falling (#1,874 → #1,930, 2024)

Ridley comes from Old English words for reeds (or cleared land) plus ‘clearing’ — a topographic place name unrelated to the color red.

Theron

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: THAIR-on · ˈθɛrɑːn
Meaning: hunter
Popularity: #2,857 and rising (#2,996 → #2,857, 2024)

Casimir

Origin: Polish (Slavic)
Pronunciation: KAZ-uh-meer · ˈkæzəmɪr
Meaning: proclaims/announces peace
Popularity: #2,393 and falling (#2,363 → #2,393, 2024)

Cold-climate, Eastern European, with a quiet authority.

Callum

Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Pronunciation: KAL-um · ˈkæləm
Meaning: dove (via the name Calum, ultimately Latin columba)
Popularity: #159 and rising (#222 → #159, 2024)

Clean and spare; a Scottish name that feels like open highland.

Leif

Origin: Old Norse/Scandinavian
Pronunciation: LAYF · ˈleɪf
Meaning: heir or descendant (literally ‘relic, that which remains’)
Popularity: #925 and falling (#859 → #925, 2024)

Leif Eriksson’s name — Norse, coastal, cool as sea air.

Mythological and Folkloric Names

Autumn has always been the season of the in-between — harvest and death, plenty and the coming dark. Mythology gave that tension names. These are names from gods, spirits, legends, and the stories that humans told when the nights got long.

Persephone

Origin: Ancient Greek
Pronunciation: per-SEF-uh-nee · pərˈsɛfəni
Meaning: Bringer of death; she who destroys light
Popularity: #737 and rising (#749 → #737, 2024)

The original autumn name — Persephone descends to the underworld each fall, and the world goes cold; her return is spring.

Demeter

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: dih-MEE-ter · dɪˈmiːtər
Meaning: earth mother
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Ceres

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: SEER-eez · ˈsɪəriːz
Meaning: Roman goddess of agriculture and the harvest; the name’s root sense is “to grow, to nourish,” not literally “grain”
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The word “cereal” comes from Ceres; a grounded, ancient name that nobody uses for babies.

Pomona

Origin: Latin (Roman mythology)
Pronunciation: pə-MOH-nə · pəˈmoʊnə
Meaning: goddess of fruit trees and orchards
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Autumn orchards are her domain; the name is warm and full-bellied.

Vertumnus

Origin: Latin (Roman mythology)
Pronunciation: ver-TUM-nus · vərˈtʌmnəs
Meaning: the god of change and shifting seasons
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Unusual as a given name, but “Vert” as a nickname is alive.

Mabon

Origin: Welsh (mythological, ultimately Brittonic)
Pronunciation: MAB-on · ˈmæbɒn
Meaning: son / divine son (from Brittonic Maponos)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A Pagan name for the harvest — warm, grounded, rare.

Samhain

Origin: Old Irish (Gaelic festival name)
Pronunciation: SOW-in · ˈsaʊɪn
Meaning: uncertain — popularly explained as ‘summer’s end,’ though the real root is disputed
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The ancient festival that became Halloween; unusual but meaningful for an October 31 baby.

Hecate

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: HEK-uh-tee · ˈhɛkəti
Meaning: possibly ‘one who works/strikes from afar’ or ‘the far-reaching one’ (an epithet related to Apollo); origin genuinely disputed
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Goddess of the crossroads, magic, and the dark moon — autumn’s liminal nature suits her.

Hestia

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: HES-tee-uh · ˈhɛstiə
Meaning: hearth
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Vulcan

Origin: uncertain, possibly Etruscan (via Latin)
Pronunciation: VUL-kən · ˈvʌlkən
Meaning: To flash
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Odin

Origin: Old Norse (from Proto-Germanic)
Pronunciation: OH-din · ˈoʊdɪn
Meaning: rooted in a Germanic word for ‘fury/rage’ or frenzied, poetic inspiration
Popularity: #479 and falling (#361 → #479, 2024)

The wandering god who appears in autumn and winter, cloaked and one-eyed; a powerful name.

Freya

Origin: Old Norse
Pronunciation: FRAY-ah · ˈfreɪə
Meaning: noble lady, mistress
Popularity: #159 and falling (#136 → #159, 2024)

“Goddess of love and fertility” describes the mythological figure, not the word’s etymology — literally, Freya just means “noble lady/mistress,” an epithet that came to replace the goddess’s own lost name.

Thor

Origin: Scandinavian
Pronunciation: THOR · ˈθɔːr
Meaning: thunder
Popularity: #2,820 and falling (#2,094 → #2,820, 2024)

Idun

Origin: Old Norse
Pronunciation: EE-dun · ˈiːdʌn
Meaning: the ever-young or rejuvenating one
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Norse goddess of youth and apples — she kept the gods young with golden apples, which are, of course, autumn fruit.

Brigid

Origin: Irish (Gaelic, from Proto-Celtic)
Pronunciation: BRIJ-id · ˈbrɪdʒɪd
Meaning: high, exalted one
Popularity: #2,662 and falling (#2,620 → #2,662, 2024)

The triple goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft; her name has been continuous in use for centuries.

Cernunnos

Origin: Gaulish/Celtic
Pronunciation: ker-NUN-os · kərˈnʌnəs
Meaning: the horned one (from a Gaulish root related to ‘horn’)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The antlered deity of wildlife and the wild hunt; rarely used as a given name but worthy of consideration.

Galen

Origin: Ancient Greek
Pronunciation: GAY-len · ˈɡeɪlən
Meaning: calm, tranquil
Popularity: #2,753 and rising (#3,191 → #2,753, 2024)

Elara

Origin: Greek (mythological name)
Pronunciation: eh-LAR-ah · ɛˈlɑːrə
Meaning: A moon of Jupiter; also a lover of Zeus in Greek mythology
Popularity: #1,156 and rising (#1,381 → #1,156, 2024)

Rare and astronomical, with a warmth that belies its distance.

Phoebe

Origin: Ancient Greek
Pronunciation: FEE-bee · ˈfiːbi
Meaning: bright, shining
Popularity: #183 and rising (#190 → #183, 2024)

A Titan goddess of the moon — Phoebe is warm and familiar without being exhausted.

Callisto

Origin: Ancient Greek
Pronunciation: kuh-LIS-toh · kəˈlɪs.toʊ
Meaning: most beautiful (superlative of Greek ‘kalos, ‘ beautiful)
Popularity: #12,592 and falling (#9,112 → #12,592, 2024)

Zeus’s nymph, transformed into a bear and then a constellation — an October sky name.

Ariel

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: AIR-ee-el · ˈɛriəl
Meaning: lion of God
Popularity: #299 and falling (#287 → #299, 2024)

Shakespeare’s spirit from The Tempest commands the autumn storms; the name has elemental power.

Oberon

Origin: Old French (from Middle High German)
Pronunciation: OH-ber-on · ˈoʊbərɑːn
Meaning: elf king / fairy king
Popularity: #3,744 and rising (#4,302 → #3,744, 2024)

Titania

Origin: Latin (feminine coinage from Greek ‘Titan’)
Pronunciation: ty-TAY-nee-uh · taɪˈteɪniə
Meaning: feminine form of ‘Titan’ (literally ‘Titaness’); an epithet Ovid used for the goddess Diana, later Shakespeare’s fairy queen
Popularity: #8,361 as of 2020 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Oberon’s queen — grand, theatrical, and worth rescuing from Shakespeare’s forest.

Lysander

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: ly-SAN-der · laɪˈsændər
Meaning: liberator of men
Popularity: #2,198 and rising (#3,760 → #2,198, 2024)

Another Midsummer Night’s Dream name — earnest and romantic and entirely underused.

Endymion

Origin: Greek (mythological name)
Pronunciation: en-DIM-ee-un · ɛnˈdɪmiən
Meaning: To dive in; to enter
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The youth whom the moon goddess loved — he slept eternally while she watched, which is very much a November energy.

Orion

Origin: Ancient Greek (etymology uncertain)
Pronunciation: oh-RY-un · oʊˈraɪən
Meaning: uncertain; possibly ‘heaven’s light’ (a speculative Akkadian derivation, not firmly established)
Popularity: #325 and rising (#373 → #325, 2024)

‘Hunter’ isn’t an etymological meaning — it describes the mythological figure, not the word’s origin, which is actually uncertain (a speculative Akkadian ‘heaven’s light’ derivation remains unproven).

Caelum

Origin: Latin (constellation name)
Pronunciation: SEE-lum · ˈsiːləm
Meaning: named for a southern constellation representing an engraver’s chisel, from a Latin word ‘caelum’ meaning ‘chisel’ — a different word from the more common caelum meaning ‘sky/heaven’
Popularity: #2,026 and rising (#2,275 → #2,026, 2024)

A small southern constellation — classical, airy, and very rare as a name.

Sylvan

Origin: Latin (via French Sylvain/Swedish Sylvan)
Pronunciation: SIL-van · ˈsɪlvən
Meaning: of the forest
Popularity: #1,911 and rising (#2,026 → #1,911, 2024)

The forest is autumn’s domain — Sylvan (or Sylvanus, the Roman forest god) belongs here.

Pan

Origin: Greek (mythological)
Pronunciation: PAN · ˈpæn
Meaning: Pasture
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The god of the wild, who played his pipes at the edge of the forest — autumnal, ancient, earthy.

Bacchus

Origin: Greek (mythological name)
Pronunciation: BAK-us · ˈbækəs
Meaning: To shout; god of wine
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The wine harvest is autumn’s gift; Bacchus is over-the-top but has a certain ridiculous charm.

Old-Soul Literary and Vintage Names

These are the names that belong on bookshelves and in letters written by lamplight. They come from novels, poetry, and the English-speaking world’s long history of loving autumn on the page — Keats wrote his great ode to it, Brontë felt it on the moor, Hardy watched it roll in over Wessex.

Keats

Origin: English (surname/byname)
Pronunciation: KEETS · ˈkiːts
Meaning: kite (the bird) / bittern
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Using a poet’s surname as a given name is bold; Keats is worth it.

Brontë

Origin: Irish (surname, Anglicized from Ó Proinntigh)
Pronunciation: BRON-tay (Brontë sisters: BRON-tee is also common; Greek-derived ‘thunder’ fits BRON-tee) · ˈbrɒnti
Meaning: descendant of Proinnteach (associated with generosity/hospitality)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Brontë were born to the windswept Yorkshire moors; this name is pure literary autumn.

Hardy

Origin: English (surname, from Old French ‘hardi’)
Pronunciation: HAR-dee · ˈhɑːrdi
Meaning: bold, brave, daring
Popularity: #2,566 and rising (#3,136 → #2,566, 2024)

Keating

Origin: Irish (surname of disputed origin)
Pronunciation: KEE-ting · ˈkiːtɪŋ
Meaning: From the Cead family
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

John Keating — Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society — made this a name for teachers who love October.

Tennyson

Origin: English (Middle English patronymic surname)
Pronunciation: TEN-ih-suhn · ˈtɛnɪsən
Meaning: son of Dennis
Popularity: #3,872 and rising (#4,868 → #3,872, 2024)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who wrote “Crossing the Bar” at the season’s turn — a distinguished surname name.

Byron

Origin: Old English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: BY-run · ˈbaɪrən
Meaning: from a place name meaning ‘at the cattle sheds’ (byres)
Popularity: #882 and falling (#835 → #882, 2024)

Moody, Romantic-era, brooding — exactly what autumn in literature looks like.

Shelley

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: SHEL-ee · ˈʃɛl.i
Meaning: a clearing on a bank or slope
Popularity: #9,430 and rising (#12,026 → #9,430, 2024)

Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary — both of them wrote the dark, beautiful, dangerous side of the season.

Coleridge

Origin: Old English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: KOHL-rij · koʊlɹɪdʒ
Meaning: From Coleridge
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are autumn dreams; the name is long but magnificent.

Wordsworth

Origin: English (surname/place name, variant of Wadsworth)
Pronunciation: WERDZ-werth · ˈwɜːrdzwərθ
Meaning: Waddi’s enclosure (an Old English personal name + worth, ‘enclosure, homestead’)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

William Wordsworth found the divine in fallen leaves and fading light; this makes a bold name.

Dickinson

Origin: Old English (patronymic surname)
Pronunciation: DIK-in-sun · ˈdɪkɪnsən
Meaning: ‘son of Dickin’ — Dickin being a medieval pet-form/diminutive of Dick, itself a nickname for Richard
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Elinor

Origin: Old French/Old Occitan (variant of Eleanor)
Pronunciation: EL-in-or · ˈɛl.ɪ.nɔːr
Meaning: a form of Eleanor, most plausibly meaning ‘the other Aenor’ (rather than literally ‘shining light’)
Popularity: #1,502 and falling (#1,374 → #1,502, 2024)

Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility heroine — thoughtful, warm, undersung.

Marianne

Origin: French (ultimately from Hebrew via Greek)
Pronunciation: mair-ee-AN · ˌmɛəriˈæn
Meaning: Beloved grace
Popularity: #2,122 and falling (#1,913 → #2,122, 2024)

Austen’s other heroine from the same novel — passionate, romantic, and suited to any season but somehow most at home in autumn.

Dorothea

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: dor-uh-THEE-uh · ˌdɔːrəˈθiːə
Meaning: gift of God
Popularity: #2,066 and rising (#2,759 → #2,066, 2024)

George Eliot’s Middlemarch heroine is a towering figure; Dorothea is old-fashioned in the best possible way.

Casaubon

Origin: Gascon/Old French (surname)
Pronunciation: kuh-SAW-bun · kəˈsɔːbən
Meaning: good farm
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Reserved for die-hard Middlemarch fans — the insufferable scholar still lends his name a certain musty-library autumn.

Edmund

Origin: Old English
Pronunciation: ED-mund · ˈɛdmənd
Meaning: wealthy protector
Popularity: #1,182 and falling (#1,098 → #1,182, 2024)

Celia

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: SEE-lee-ah · ˈsiːliə
Meaning: probably ‘heavenly’, from the Roman family name Caelius (linked to Latin caelum)
Popularity: #734 and rising (#827 → #734, 2024)

Light, gentle, and vintage — Rosalind’s cousin in Shakespeare’s autumnal forest comedy.

Thalia

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: THAY-lee-ah · ˈθeɪliə
Meaning: to bloom, flourish
Popularity: #658 and falling (#573 → #658, 2024)

The theatrical one among the Muses — comedies end in harvest festivals, autumn’s gift.

Beatrice

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: BEE-uh-tris · ˈbiːətrɪs
Meaning: one who brings happiness (also glossed “blessed one”)
Popularity: #579 and rising (#588 → #579, 2024)

Dante’s guide through Paradise, Shakespeare’s sharp-tongued wit — Beatrice is timeless and brilliant.

Portia

Origin: Latin (Roman gens name)
Pronunciation: POR-shuh · ˈpɔːrʃə
Meaning: from the Roman family name Porcius, ultimately ‘pig’
Popularity: #6,087 and rising (#7,554 → #6,087, 2024)

It sounds rich and autumnal; Portia defends the law and wins by wit.

Hermione

Origin: Ancient Greek (feminine form related to Hermes)
Pronunciation: her-MY-uh-nee · hərˈmaɪəni
Meaning: Pillar, earthy
Popularity: #1,672 and rising (#1,949 → #1,672, 2024)

Shakespeare’s unjustly accused queen in The Winter’s Tale; Harry Potter reclaimed her for a new generation.

Lavinia

Origin: Latin (place name Lavinium, Latium)
Pronunciation: luh-VIN-ee-ah · ləˈvɪniə
Meaning: Purity; Roman woman from the Aeneid
Popularity: #2,139 and rising (#2,346 → #2,139, 2024)

Serious, classical, and entirely under-deployed as a given name.

Ottoline

Origin: Germanic (diminutive of Ottilie, ultimately from Otto)
Pronunciation: OT-oh-leen · ˈɒtəliːn
Meaning: a diminutive of Ottilie, ultimately linked to Otto (traditionally associated with ‘wealth’)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Lady Ottoline Morrell hosted the Bloomsbury Group; her name belongs in a drawing room in October.

Adelaide

Origin: Germanic (Old High German, via French)
Pronunciation: AD-el-ayd · ˈædəleɪd
Meaning: of noble character
Popularity: #271 and rising (#284 → #271, 2024)

Victorian, warm, steady — a name that belongs on a child who will grow up to be formidable.

Helena

Origin: Greek (Latinized form of Helen)
Pronunciation: HEL-uh-nah · ˈhɛlənə
Meaning: Bright, shining
Popularity: #414 and rising (#457 → #414, 2024)

Shakespeare used it twice — A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All’s Well That Ends Well. Warm and luminous.

Isadora

Origin: Greek (variant of Isidora)
Pronunciation: iz-uh-DOR-uh · ɪzəˈdɔːrə
Meaning: gift of the goddess Isis
Popularity: #1,223 and rising (#1,438 → #1,223, 2024)

Isadora Duncan danced barefoot on the earth; her name is unconventional and vivid.

Octavia

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: ahk-TAY-vee-uh · ɑːkˈteɪviə
Meaning: eighth (feminine form of the Roman family name Octāvius)
Popularity: #295 and falling (#279 → #295, 2024)

Cornelius

Origin: Latin (Roman gens name)
Pronunciation: kor-NEEL-yus · kɔːrˈniːljəs
Meaning: horn
Popularity: #2,150 and falling (#1,898 → #2,150, 2024)

Stuffy to some, magnificent to others — a Victorian name for a serious-minded boy.

Algernon

Origin: Old French (nickname/surname)
Pronunciation: AL-jer-nun · ˈældʒərnən
Meaning: having a mustache
Popularity: #12,275 as of 2016 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Ridiculous and wonderful; Oscar Wilde named a character Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Blanche

Origin: French
Pronunciation: BLANCH · ˈblæntʃ
Meaning: white or pale — likely originally a descriptive nickname for someone fair-skinned or fair-haired
Popularity: #11,242 and falling (#10,439 → #11,242, 2024)

A Streetcar Named Desire’s tragic heroine; the name has a faded grandeur that suits late autumn.

Modern Names with an Autumn Edge

These are the names you see on today’s nurseries and playgrounds — names that read as fresh and current while still carrying something earthy or warm at their core. None of them are invented; all of them are real names with real roots that simply happen to feel contemporary.

Silas

Origin: Aramaic (biblical, Hellenized as Greek Σίλας, Latinized as Sīlās)
Pronunciation: SY-lus · ˈsaɪləs
Meaning: Wood, forest
Popularity: #81, holding steady (2024)

Slow-building for years, Silas now sits comfortably in the top 100 — warm-toned, literary, grounded.

Wyatt

Origin: Old English or Norman French (disputed)
Pronunciation: WY-ut · ˈwaɪət
Meaning: brave in war (Old English), though possibly instead ‘wood’ via a Norman name
Popularity: #38 and rising (#46 → #38, 2024)

American frontier energy, open spaces, October skies — Wyatt just feels like fall.

Sawyer

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: SAW-yer · ˈsɔːjər
Meaning: one who saws wood; a woodcutter
Popularity: #132 and falling (#127 → #132, 2024)

Tom Sawyer’s surname migrated to a first name and has stayed there; rugged and approachable.

Soren

Origin: Danish (Scandinavian), ultimately Latin
Pronunciation: SOR-en · ˈsɔːrən
Meaning: stern, severe
Popularity: #571 and falling (#542 → #571, 2024)

Søren Kierkegaard made this a philosopher’s name; it has a cool, Northern European quality.

Declan

Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: DEK-lun · ˈdɛklən
Meaning: traditionally glossed as “full of goodness” (an alternate theory holds “man of prayer”)
Popularity: #131 and rising (#132 → #131, 2024)

One of the fastest-rising Irish names in the US; warm, soft-edged, not yet overused.

Stellan

Origin: Swedish (etymology not firmly established)
Pronunciation: STEL-an · ˈstɛlən
Meaning: Peaceful
Popularity: #1,441 and rising (#1,485 → #1,441, 2024)

A Swedish actor’s name (Stellan Skarsgård) that’s crossed over; cool, composed, unusual.

Leighton

Origin: English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: LAY-tun · ˈleɪtən
Meaning: leek/herb-garden settlement
Popularity: #395 and falling (#357 → #395, 2024)

An English surname that works on any gender; quiet and distinguished.

Sutton

Origin: English (place name/surname, Old English “sūþ” + “tūn”)
Pronunciation: SUT-en · ˈsʌtən
Meaning: south settlement or southern farmstead
Popularity: #197 and rising (#205 → #197, 2024)

Preppy-geography surname name that feels current and unforced.

Hadley

Origin: English (surname/place name, Old English)
Pronunciation: HAD-lee · ˈhædli
Meaning: heather clearing/meadow
Popularity: #114 and rising (#119 → #114, 2024)

Warm and outdoorsy without trying — a meadow in October is exactly this name.

Marlowe

Origin: English (place name: Marlow)
Pronunciation: MAR-loh · ˈmɑːrloʊ
Meaning: Drained lake; remnants of a lake
Popularity: #624 and rising (#835 → #624, 2024)

Christopher Marlowe wrote before Shakespeare; the name has been adopted by Hollywood and is climbing.

Waverly

Origin: English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: WAY-vur-lee · ˈweɪvərli
Meaning: meadow of quivering aspen trees
Popularity: #916 and falling (#882 → #916, 2024)

A quivering aspen in fall is an entire color event; Waverly captures that flickering quality.

Bellamy

Origin: Old French / Norman
Pronunciation: BEL-uh-mee · ˈbɛləmi
Meaning: fair friend
Popularity: #690 and rising (#749 → #690, 2024)

Gender-neutral, warm, slightly European-feeling; Bellamy is on the rise.

Rafferty

Origin: Irish (Ó Rabhartaigh surname)
Pronunciation: RAF-ur-tee · ˈræfərti
Meaning: descendant of Rabhartach, a name rooted in the word for flood or spring tide
Popularity: #5,182 and rising (#5,611 → #5,182, 2024)

Irish, exuberant, and far more alive than its meaning suggests — Rafferty is a name for someone who will be fun at parties.

Ptolemy

Origin: Ancient Greek
Pronunciation: TOL-uh-mee · ˈtɒləmi
Meaning: often linked to Greek ‘polemos’ (war), giving a sense of ‘warlike’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Caspian

Origin: English (from Latin ‘Caspius’)
Pronunciation: KAS-pee-an · ˈkæspiən
Meaning: of/from the Caspian Sea
Popularity: #578 and rising (#664 → #578, 2024)

C.S. Lewis’s Narnia prince made this a reader’s name; it’s cool-blue and adventurous.

Archer

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: AR-chur · ˈɑːrtʃər
Meaning: bowman
Popularity: #115 and rising (#129 → #115, 2024)

Autumn is archery-hunting season; Archer is clean, classic, and moves easily across generations.

Quentin

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: KWEN-tin · ˈkwɛntɪn
Meaning: fifth
Popularity: #788 and falling (#769 → #788, 2024)

An underused name with a great sound; Quentin Tarantino made it a filmmaker’s name, but it predates him by centuries.

Tatum

Origin: English (Old English surname/place name)
Pronunciation: TAY-tum · ˈteɪtəm
Meaning: Tata’s homestead (an Old English personal name of unknown meaning, plus ‘hām’ = homestead)
Popularity: #195 and rising (#233 → #195, 2024)

Art Tatum was a jazz pianist; the name is percussive, cool, and gender-flexible.

Vesper

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: VES-per · ˈvɛspər
Meaning: evening; the evening star (the planet Venus at dusk)
Popularity: #2,789 and falling (#2,265 → #2,789, 2024)

The evening comes early in October; vespers is a prayer at dusk — the name is beautiful and unusual.

Pax

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: PAKS · ˈpæks
Meaning: Peace; also the Roman goddess who personified peace
Popularity: #1,976 and rising (#2,287 → #1,976, 2024)

Monastic, warm, and spare — one syllable carrying an enormous meaning.

Luca

Origin: Italian (from Latin/Greek)
Pronunciation: LOO-kah · ˈluːkə
Meaning: a pet form of Lucius, or of Loukanos (‘man from Lucania’)
Popularity: #23 and rising (#24 → #23, 2024)

That’s a folk etymology (paralleling the same misconception about Luke/Lucius and Latin lux) — Luca actually derives as a pet form of Lucius, or of Loukanos, meaning ‘man from Lucania.’

Milo

Origin: uncertain (Latinate variant of Miles, possibly Germanic or Slavic)
Pronunciation: MY-loh · ˈmaɪloʊ
Meaning: Soldier; gracious
Popularity: #120 and rising (#121 → #120, 2024)

Friendly, robust, ancient roots and a modern feel — Milo has been popular for good reason.

Cassia

Origin: Latin (from Greek ‘kasia’)
Pronunciation: KAS-ee-uh · ˈkæsiə
Meaning: cinnamon (the spice/tree)
Popularity: #2,234 and rising (#2,353 → #2,234, 2024)

Tessa

Origin: Greek (short form of Theresa)
Pronunciation: TESS-ah · ˈtɛsə
Meaning: harvest (as a pet form of Theresa)
Popularity: #303 and rising (#323 → #303, 2024)

Petra

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: PEH-trah · ˈpɛtrə
Meaning: rock, stone (feminine form of Peter)
Popularity: #1,486 and falling (#1,473 → #1,486, 2024)

The ancient city carved from stone, also a name for a girl who’s solid and surprising; deeply underused.

Zara

Origin: English/Hebrew (variant of Sarah) or Arabic
Pronunciation: ZAR-ah · ˈzɑːrə
Meaning: uncertain — either from Sarah (‘princess’) or Arabic zahra (‘flower’)
Popularity: #234 and rising (#236 → #234, 2024)

Warm, bright, increasingly international — Zara has an autumn bloom quality.

Elio

Origin: Italian (from Greek)
Pronunciation: EL-ee-oh · ˈɛlioʊ
Meaning: the sun (from Helios)
Popularity: #507 and rising (#646 → #507, 2024)

The last warm light before November is exactly Elio’s energy; Call Me By Your Name gave it a romantic charge.

Dex

Origin: Uncertain (possibly a short form of Dexter)
Pronunciation: DEKS · dɛks
Meaning: Right-handed; dexterous
Popularity: #3,809 and falling (#3,186 → #3,809, 2024)

Short, sharp, capable — Dexter in full or Dex as a given name; modern and confident.

Huck

Origin: English (surname of obscure origin, also a pet form of Hugh/Hugo)
Pronunciation: HUK · ˈhʌk
Meaning: Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
Popularity: #1,733 and falling (#1,634 → #1,733, 2024)

An autumn river boy’s name if there ever was one — free, American, unforgettable.

Olive

Origin: English (medieval saint’s name Oliva, from Latin oliva)
Pronunciation: AH-liv · ˈɑːlɪv
Meaning: olive tree; popularly linked to peace via the olive-branch symbol
Popularity: #171 and rising (#180 → #171, 2024)

Gender-Neutral Autumn Names

Autumn is the season of the in-between — the threshold between warmth and cold, between harvest and rest. These names sit between, too: genuinely wearable on any child, chosen for feel rather than convention.

Quinn

Origin: Irish (surname)
Pronunciation: KWIN · ˈkwɪn
Meaning: descendant of Conn, an early Irish personal name of disputed meaning
Popularity: #96 and falling (#86 → #96, 2024)

Clean, strong, balanced — Quinn has been confidently gender-neutral for years.

River

Origin: English
Pronunciation: RIV-er · ˈrɪvər
Meaning: a naturally flowing body of water
Popularity: #112 and rising (#116 → #112, 2024)

Autumn rivers run lower, clearer, colder — beautiful in October, just like this name.

Sage

Origin: English (from Old French/Latin)
Pronunciation: SAYJ · ˈseɪdʒ
Meaning: a wise person; also linked to the sage herb plant
Popularity: #146 and falling (#143 → #146, 2024)

Culinary, philosophical, and deeply autumnal — sage the herb is abundant in fall gardens.

Remy

Origin: French
Pronunciation: REM-ee · ˈrɛmi
Meaning: oarsman, from Latin Remigius
Popularity: #400 and falling (#390 → #400, 2024)

French, effortless, slightly rakish — works on any gender without effort.

Alexei

Origin: Russian (from Greek, via Alexius)
Pronunciation: uh-LEK-say · əˈlɛkseɪ
Meaning: helper, defender
Popularity: #2,744 and rising (#3,416 → #2,744, 2024)

Warm Eastern European feel; while it leans masculine, it crosses well and is entirely unusual.

Avery

Origin: Old English (via Anglo-Norman surname)
Pronunciation: AY-vur-ee · ˈeɪvəri
Meaning: elf counsel, from Old English ælf (‘elf’) + ræd (‘counsel’)
Popularity: #31 and falling (#29 → #31, 2024)

Solidly established as gender-neutral; warm, professional, adaptable.

Scout

Origin: English (word name)
Pronunciation: SKOWT · ˈskaʊt
Meaning: one who explores or reconnoiters; from the English word for a person sent ahead to gather information
Popularity: #927 and falling (#822 → #927, 2024)

Harper Lee’s narrator in To Kill a Mockingbird; Scout belongs to American autumn in a profound way.

Ellis

Origin: Welsh and English (dual-origin surname)
Pronunciation: EL-is · ˈɛlɪs
Meaning: benevolent, kind (Welsh); alt. English form of Elias/Elijah
Popularity: #273 and rising (#274 → #273, 2024)

Warm and open, Ellis Island carries a history of new beginnings.

Lennox

Origin: Scottish (place name / surname)
Pronunciation: LEN-uks · ˈlɛnəks
Meaning: person from the Lennox district (the Loch Lomond/River Leven region of Scotland)
Popularity: #263 and rising (#265 → #263, 2024)

Scottish, strong-syllabled, and beautifully balanced for any gender.

Oakley

Origin: English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: OHK-lee · ˈoʊkli
Meaning: oak clearing (a clearing or meadow in an oak forest)
Popularity: #157 and falling (#153 → #157, 2024)

Finley

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (surname)
Pronunciation: FIN-lee · ˈfɪnli
Meaning: fair warrior
Popularity: #290 and falling (#285 → #290, 2024)

Breezy and strong — Finley has been rising for girls and boys alike.

Emerson

Origin: English (surname: ‘Emery’s son’, possibly Anglo-Saxon ‘Emar’s son’)
Pronunciation: EM-ur-sun · ˈɛmərsən
Meaning: son of Emery (or, per an alternate theory, Anglo-Saxon ‘Emar’s son’)
Popularity: #151 and rising (#161 → #151, 2024)

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about nature; the name has transcendentalist autumn energy.

Harlow

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: HAR-loh · ˈhɑːrloʊ
Meaning: a hill fortified or used by an army — though the first element is disputed and may instead mean ‘rock’
Popularity: #293 and falling (#237 → #293, 2024)

Jean Harlow made it glamorous; it now lives comfortably on boys and girls alike.

Ellery

Origin: English (surname, disputed)
Pronunciation: EL-er-ee · ˈɛl.ər.i
Meaning: Island with elder trees
Popularity: #1,329 and falling (#1,212 → #1,329, 2024)

Unusual, slightly literary, and completely gender-flexible.

Cypress

Origin: English (nature name)
Pronunciation: SY-prus · ˈsaɪprəs
Meaning: The cypress tree
Popularity: #1,416 and rising (#1,550 → #1,416, 2024)

Tall, aromatic, dark-silhouetted against autumn skies — Cypress is a genuine nature name with neutral vibes.

Florian

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: FLOR-ee-an · ˈflɔːriən
Meaning: Blooming or flourishing; from the Latin name Florianus, related to florere “to bloom.”
Popularity: #3,230 and rising (#3,240 → #3,230, 2024)

True

Origin: Old English
Pronunciation: TROO · ˈtruː
Meaning: faithful, genuine, and loyal
Popularity: #986 and falling (#982 → #986, 2024)

A word-name with clarity and weight — True is the kind of name that shows up and means it.

International Autumn Names from Around the World

Every culture has its own relationship with fall — the Japanese have momijigari (leaf-peeping), the French have vendanges (grape harvest), Iranians celebrate Mehregan at the autumn equinox. These names come from those traditions, as well as from languages that simply produce beautiful names that fit this season.

Akiko

Origin: Japanese
Pronunciation: ah-KEE-ko · ɑːˈkiːkoʊ
Meaning: bright child, or autumn child, depending on the kanji used
Popularity: #15,325 and falling (#15,264 → #15,325, 2024)

Aki

Origin: Finnish
Pronunciation: AH-kee · ˈɑːki
Meaning: Autumn
Popularity: #5,885 and rising (#7,301 → #5,885, 2024)

Even more direct than Akiko; a short, beautiful name that wears easily in English-speaking countries.

Momiji

Origin: Japanese
Pronunciation: moh-MEE-jee · moʊˈmiːdʒi
Meaning: autumn leaves, maple
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The word for the red-turning leaves that Japan celebrates in fall — an unusual but genuinely beautiful name.

Kohaku

Origin: Japanese
Pronunciation: koh-HAH-koo · ko̞ha̠kɯ̟ᵝ
Meaning: amber
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The warm amber color of autumn is built into this name’s meaning.

Sorcha

Origin: Scottish Gaelic / Irish
Meaning: bright, radiant
Popularity: #13,286 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pronounced “SOR-a-kha” — a warm Irish name that sounds like sun through leaves.

Caoimhe

Origin: Old Irish
Meaning: gentle, beautiful, precious
Popularity: #8,519 and rising (#12,384 → #8,519, 2024)

Pronounced “KWEE-va” — one of Ireland’s most beloved names, with a soft warmth.

Saoirse

Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: SEER-shah · ˈsɪərʃə
Meaning: freedom
Popularity: #1,036 and falling (#959 → #1,036, 2024)

Pronounced “SEER-sha” — Saoirse Ronan made this internationally recognizable; it’s fierce and free.

Fionn

Origin: Old Irish
Pronunciation: FYUN · fɪn
Meaning: fair, white/bright, or handsome
Popularity: #4,594 and falling (#3,646 → #4,594, 2024)

Fionn MacCool, the Irish mythological hero — short, beautiful, ancient.

Eabha

Origin: Irish Gaelic (form of Eve)
Meaning: life
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Irish form of Eve; pronounced “AY-va” — more distinctive than Eva, equally warm.

Oisín

Origin: Irish
Meaning: little deer, fawn
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pronounced “USH-een” — a poet’s name from the Fenian Cycle, one of the most beautiful sounds in Irish.

Liron

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: lee-ROHN · liˈroʊn
Meaning: my song, my joy
Popularity: #13,402 and falling (#13,289 → #13,402, 2024)

Israeli and warm — Liron sits neutrally and has a lyrical quality that suits any season.

Eitan

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: ay-TAHN · eɪˈtɑːn
Meaning: strong, firm
Popularity: #1,121 and rising (#1,205 → #1,121, 2024)

Taaveti

Origin: Hebrew (via Finnish/Estonian form of David)
Pronunciation: TAH-veh-tee · ˈtɑːveti
Meaning: beloved
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Tuuli

Origin: Finnish
Pronunciation: TOO-lee · ˈtuːli
Meaning: wind
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The autumn wind in a single word; rare outside Finland and impossibly beautiful.

Aino

Origin: Finnish
Pronunciation: EYE-no · ˈaɪnoʊ
Meaning: the only one, or sole (from Finnish ‘ainoa’)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

From the Finnish epic Kalevala — a water nymph’s name, deeply poetic.

Signe

Origin: Scandinavian
Pronunciation: SIG-nee · ˈsɪgni
Meaning: traditionally read as Old Norse ‘victory’ + ‘new’ – ‘new victory’
Popularity: #6,582 and rising (#7,996 → #6,582, 2024)

Nordic and spare; Signe is used across Scandinavia and is largely unfamiliar in English.

Ragnhild

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: counsel in battle
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Serious and Viking; unwieldy in English but Ragna as a short form is suddenly chic.

Heloise

Origin: French/Germanic (disputed)
Pronunciation: HEL-oh-eez · ˈhɛloʊiːz
Meaning: disputed: possibly ‘the chosen one’ (via St. Eligius) or ‘holy/whole’ plus ‘wood’ (Germanic)
Popularity: #11,444 and falling (#7,388 → #11,444, 2024)

Héloïse and Abélard’s medieval love story is autumn-dark and profound; the name is currently fashionable in France.

Solange

Origin: French (from Latin sollemnis, ‘solemn’); name of a 9th-century French saint
Pronunciation: soh-LAHNZH · soʊˈlɑːnʒ
Meaning: solemn
Popularity: #7,192 and falling (#5,926 → #7,192, 2024)

Solange doesn’t mean ‘sun angel’ — that’s a folk etymology; the confirmed root is Latin sollemnis (‘solemn’), via a 9th-century French saint’s name.

Yann

Origin: Breton (from Hebrew via Latin)
Pronunciation: YAHN · jan
Meaning: God is gracious
Popularity: #9,815 and falling (#9,710 → #9,815, 2024)

Inès

Origin: French (from Spanish Inés)
Pronunciation: ee-NESS · iˈnɛs
Meaning: pure, holy — via Spanish Inés, ultimately from the Greek word for ‘pure’ through Agnes
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Iberian form of Agnes, lighter on the feet; warm and Mediterranean.

Ximena

Origin: Spanish/Basque (origin uncertain)
Pronunciation: hee-MAY-nah · hiˈmeɪnə
Meaning: Listener; one who hears
Popularity: #173 and falling (#158 → #173, 2024)

The name of El Cid’s wife — Spanish, ancient, fiercely beautiful.

Luciana

Origin: Italian (feminine of Lucius)
Pronunciation: loo-see-AH-nuh · luːsiˈɑːnə
Meaning: light
Popularity: #291 and rising (#329 → #291, 2024)

Emiliana

Origin: Latin (Italian/Portuguese/Spanish form)
Pronunciation: eh-mee-lee-AH-nah · ˌɛmiliˈɑːnə
Meaning: rival, striving to excel (feminine of Emiliano)
Popularity: #890 and rising (#956 → #890, 2024)

The elaborate Italian form of Emily — warm, long, worth every letter.

Cosimo

Origin: Italian (from Greek Kosmas)
Pronunciation: KOH-zee-moh · ˈkoʊzɪmoʊ
Meaning: order (the ordered universe/world)
Popularity: #5,081 and rising (#5,282 → #5,081, 2024)

The great Medici name; warm and Renaissance, deeply Italian.

Ottavia

Origin: Italian (from Latin)
Pronunciation: oh-TAH-vee-ah · oʊˈtɑːviə
Meaning: eighth (feminine form of the Roman name Octavius/Octavia)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The Italian feminine of Octavian; an October girl could be Ottavia.

Kazimiera

Origin: Polish (feminine of Kazimierz/Casimir)
Pronunciation: kah-zee-MYEH-rah
Meaning: proclaimer of peace
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Polish, unusual in English-speaking countries, and utterly distinctive.

Zuzanna

Origin: Polish (form of Susanna)
Pronunciation: zoo-ZAH-nah · zuːˈzɑːnə
Meaning: Polish form of Susanna, ultimately from Hebrew ‘Shoshannah’, referring to a lily (or lotus) flower
Popularity: #8,919 and rising (#10,292 → #8,919, 2024)

Zdravka

Origin: South Slavic
Pronunciation: ZDRAHV-kah · ˈzdravka
Meaning: health, well-being
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Unusual in Western contexts, warm and sturdy; from Croatian/Bulgarian tradition.

Milena

Origin: Slavic
Pronunciation: mih-LEH-nah · mɪˈlɛnə
Meaning: dear, kind, beloved
Popularity: #786 and falling (#701 → #786, 2024)

Soft and warm; used across Eastern Europe, increasingly visible in Western countries.

Mehri

Origin: Persian
Pronunciation: meh-REE · mɛhˈriː
Meaning: love, kindness, or sunshine
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

From the Persian word for the sun — Mehregan, the Persian autumn festival, shares this root.

Yasmin

Origin: Arabic (ultimately Persian)
Pronunciation: YAZ-min · ˈjæzmɪn
Meaning: jasmine flower
Popularity: #917 and falling (#859 → #917, 2024)

Nour

Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: NOOR · ˈnʊr
Meaning: light
Popularity: #1,856 and rising (#1,884 → #1,856, 2024)

Zaynab

Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: ZAY-nab · ˈzeɪnæb
Meaning: a fragrant flowering tree/shrub
Popularity: #1,548 and falling (#1,510 → #1,548, 2024)

One of the most classic Arabic female names; warm and ancient.

Hana

Origin: Various (Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Hawaiian, Māori, Albanian)
Pronunciation: HAH-nuh · ˈhɑːnə
Meaning: varies by origin: ‘flower’ (Japanese), ‘grace/favor’ (Hebrew, via Hannah), ‘bliss’ (Arabic), ‘hope’ (Kurdish), among others
Popularity: #708 and rising (#727 → #708, 2024)