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Peace turns up in baby names across nearly every language and era, translated and reshaped but never quite disappearing. Hebrew gave the world shalom, Arabic salam, Greek eirene, Sanskrit shanti, and Old High German frid — the last of which still lives on today in Frederick, Winifred, and Wilfred. The Slavic root mir went even further, folding peace and world into a single idea. Below, you’ll find over 200 of these names grouped by language and origin, from familiar picks to names you’ve likely never seen on a popularity list.
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Here’s what’s in store –
Ancient Greek and Latin Names That Mean Peace
Germanic and Nordic Peace Names: The “Frid” Family
The Slavic “Mir” Names: Peace Woven Into Every Syllable
Hebrew Peace Names: The Shalom Family
Arabic and East African Peace Names: The Salam Family
Japanese Names for Peace and Calm
This collection brings together more than 200 baby names that mean peace, calm, serenity, or tranquility, organized by language family so you can find what resonates — whether you’re drawn to a classical Greek name with deep mythological weight, a Japanese name for its spare and contemplative sound, or a modern English nature name that just feels peaceful when you say it aloud. Some here are familiar favorites (Serena, Frederick, Solomon). Many are hidden gems you probably haven’t seen on a top-1000 list (Tihomir, Galene, Nodoka, Dragomira).
A word on scope: this list includes names that directly translate to peace or calm, names meaning safety and serenity (which overlap significantly across Arabic, Hebrew, and Sanskrit traditions), and a handful of nature names where tranquility is genuinely embedded in the etymology — still water, a gentle wind, a quiet valley. You won’t find names that are merely associated with peace through symbolism without that meaning living in the roots of the word.
Whatever draws you here — an intention you want to set, a hope you want to name, or simply the discovery that a name you’ve always loved means exactly what you hoped — you’ll find something in this list.
Ancient Greek and Latin Names That Mean Peace
Greek and Roman civilization gave the Western world some of its oldest peace names. Eirene was one of the Horae in Greek mythology — goddesses of the seasons and of social order — and her domain was the peace that made civilization possible. In Rome, Pax held her own temple on the Campus Martius. These names carry centuries of meaning without being heavy about it.
- Origin: Greek
- Pronunciation: eye-REEN · aɪˈriːn
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #638 and rising (#675 → #638, 2024)
The anglicized form of Eirene; quietly having a comeback after decades of being cast as a grandmother’s name.
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Pronunciation: eye-REE-nee · aɪˈriːni
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #9,063 and rising (#9,790 → #9,063, 2024)
The original goddess spelling — mythologically rich and more distinctive than Irene with the same essential sound.
- Origin: Greek (variant of Eirene/Irene)
- Pronunciation: ee-REE-nee · iˈrini
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A soft variant of Eirene used in modern Greek; common in Greek diaspora communities.
- Origin: Ancient Greek (via Latin)
- Pronunciation: eye-ruh-NEE-us · ˌaɪrəˈniːəs
- Meaning: peaceful
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The 2nd-century church father’s name; rare and striking, especially for a boy who’ll grow into it beautifully.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: suh-REE-nah · səˈriːnə
- Meaning: clear, tranquil, serene
- Popularity: #332 and rising (#375 → #332, 2024)
From *serenus* — clear skies, still water; Serena Williams gave it athletic power without diminishing its quiet grace.
- Origin: English (modern coinage from the vocabulary word ‘serenity’)
- Pronunciation: suh-REN-ih-tee · səˈrɛnɪti
- Meaning: peacefulness, calm
- Popularity: #117 and falling (#103 → #117, 2024)
A virtue name that found mainstream traction in the early 2000s and has held steady.
- Origin: English (from Latin, via the name Serena)
- Pronunciation: suh-REEN · səˈriːn
- Meaning: calm, tranquil, clear-skied
- Popularity: #1,708 and falling (#1,695 → #1,708, 2024)
The adjective used directly as a name — simpler and more focused than Serenity.
- Origin: Italian/Spanish (from Latin serenus)
- Pronunciation: seh-RAY-noh · seˈreɪnoʊ
- Meaning: calm, clear
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The masculine form of Serena; rare in English-speaking homes but entirely wearable.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: PAKS · ˈpæks
- Meaning: Peace; also the Roman goddess who personified peace
- Popularity: #1,976 and rising (#2,287 → #1,976, 2024)
The Roman goddess of peace in three letters; Angelina Jolie’s son put this one on American parents’ radar for good reason.
- Origin: Spanish
- Pronunciation: PAHZ · ˈpɑːz
- Meaning: Peace (from Latin pax)
- Popularity: #6,084 and rising (#8,371 → #6,084, 2024)
The Spanish *pax* — minimal, striking, barely used in English-speaking contexts despite being exactly what it looks like.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: puh-SIF-ih-kuh · pəˈsɪfɪkə
- Meaning: peace-making
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Oceanic, calm, and vast; the name of the Pacific Ocean itself pressed into service as a given name.
- Origin: Latin (via Italian/Spanish)
- Pronunciation: pah-SYAH-noh · paˈsja.no
- Meaning: peaceful
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A Spanish masculine form; Saint Pacianus of Barcelona is the historical bearer.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: kohn-KOR-dee-uh · kɒŋˈkɔːrdiə
- Meaning: harmony, agreement
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Greek
- Pronunciation: guh-LEE-nee · ɡəˈliːni
- Meaning: calm, stillness of the sea
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A sea goddess who personified still water; almost no one uses this name, which makes it all the more appealing.
- Origin: Greek/Latin
- Pronunciation: gah-LEE-nə · ɡəˈliːnə
- Meaning: the lead-ore mineral of the same name
- Popularity: #16,041 and falling (#15,973 → #16,041, 2024)
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: PLASS-ih-duh · ˈplæsɪdə
- Meaning: calm, gentle (feminine form of Placidus)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: PLASS-id · ˈplæsɪd
- Meaning: calm, gentle, quiet
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Spanish, from Latin tranquillus
- Pronunciation: trahn-KEE-lah · tɾaŋˈki.la
- Meaning: calm, tranquil
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Used in Spanish-speaking communities; a name that does exactly what it says.
- Origin: Latin (diminutive of Tranquilla/Tranquillus)
- Pronunciation: tran-kwih-LEE-nuh · ˌtræŋkwɪˈliːnə
- Meaning: calm, tranquil (diminutive)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A 3rd-century Roman empress’s name; elaborate but historically authentic.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: KWEE-es · ˈkwiːɛs
- Meaning: rest, repose
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The Roman goddess of quiet repose; exceedingly rare as a given name but ancient and authentic.
- Origin: Greek
- Pronunciation: heh-SIK-ee-uh · hɪˈsɪkiə
- Meaning: stillness, quiet
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The term used in Christian mysticism for contemplative silence — an unusual choice with a profound meaning.
- Origin: Greek (philosophical term, used as a word name)
- Pronunciation: at-uh-RAK-see-uh · ˌætəˈræksiə
- Meaning: tranquility; freedom from mental disturbance
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The Epicurean concept of peace of mind; almost never used as a given name, but entirely possible.
- Origin: Hebrew (via Greek)
- Pronunciation: suh-LOH-mee · səˈloʊmi
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #952 and rising (#1,113 → #952, 2024)
The meaning is entirely peaceful; the biblical drama attached to it is unfair to a genuinely beautiful name.
- Origin: Spanish/Italian; also documented as a Filipino surname (from kalma).
- Pronunciation: KAHL-mah · ˈkɑːl.mə
- Meaning: Calm (Spanish/Italian); as a Filipino surname, it’s from kalma, meaning ‘fortune.’
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Rare as a given name but found in Spanish and Italian-speaking regions; does exactly what a name can do.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: calm, at rest
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The direct Latin word for quietude used as a name — almost never given today but phonetically lovely.
- Origin: Latin
- Pronunciation: muh-REE-nah · məˈriːnə
- Meaning: of the sea
- Popularity: #640 and falling (#572 → #640, 2024)
- Origin: Ancient Greek
- Pronunciation: gal-uh-TEE-uh · ˌɡæləˈtiːə
- Meaning: milk-white
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The sea nymph of Greco-Roman myth; Gal or Gala as modern nicknames.
- Origin: uncertain (modern/rare coinage)
- Pronunciation: oh-REN-thee-uh · oʊˈrɛnθiə
- Meaning: Peace bringer
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Germanic and Nordic Peace Names: The “Frid” Family
Old High German had a word for peace that got woven into dozens of names still in use today: frid (appearing as fred, frith, or friede depending on language and era). When you spot that syllable — Frederick, Winifred, Wilfred, Godfrey — you’re reading a peace name that’s been passed down since the early medieval period. This whole family, including its Old Norse cousins, forms one of the richest clusters of peace names in Western tradition.
- Origin: German
- Pronunciation: FRED-rik · ˈfrɛdrɪk
- Meaning: peaceful ruler
- Popularity: #423 and rising (#506 → #423, 2024)
One of the most enduring classic names; Freddie as a nickname remains genuinely charming.
- Origin: German
- Pronunciation: FREE-drik · ˈfriːdrɪk
- Meaning: peaceful ruler
- Popularity: #4,921 and rising (#5,524 → #4,921, 2024)
The German form of Frederick; used in German-speaking families and internationally.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Pronunciation: FRED-rik · ˈfrɛdrɪk
- Meaning: peaceful ruler
- Popularity: #5,721 and falling (#4,936 → #5,721, 2024)
The Swedish and Norwegian spelling — clean, minimal, and Scandinavian-cool.
- Origin: Germanic
- Pronunciation: fred-uh-REE-kuh · ˌfrɛdəˈriːkə
- Meaning: peaceful ruler
- Popularity: #15,968 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine Frederick; underused in English-speaking circles, which makes it feel fresh and deliberate.
- Origin: German
- Pronunciation: fred-uh-REE-kuh · ˌfrɛdəˈriːkə
- Meaning: peaceful ruler (fried = peace + ric = ruler)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The German feminine form; Rike or Rica as nicknames.
- Origin: German
- Pronunciation: FREE-dah · ˈfriːdə
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #3,983 and rising (#4,134 → #3,983, 2024)
- Origin: Germanic
- Pronunciation: FREE-duh · ˈfriːdə
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #6,000 and rising (#7,032 → #6,000, 2024)
The English spelling; vintage in a good way, and short enough to work on its own.
- Origin: Germanic
- Pronunciation: FREE-doh-leen · ˈfriːdoʊliːn
- Meaning: little peaceful one
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A Swiss and Alsatian saint’s name; Fridl as a diminutive nickname.
- Origin: German (Old High German)
- Pronunciation: el-FREE-də · ɛlˈfriːdə
- Meaning: elf + peace (alb = elf + frid = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The elf element here likely meant something closer to “wise counsel” — a peace name with fairy-tale depth.
- Origin: Old English / German (name conflation)
- Pronunciation: el-FREE-dah · ɛlˈfriːdə
- Meaning: commonly given as ‘elf + peace,’ though historically distinct from the Old English Elfreda/Ælfþryð (‘elf + strength’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The anglicized version of Elfriede; slightly softer, equally unusual.
- Origin: Old English/Germanic
- Pronunciation: WIL-frid · ˈwɪlfrɪd
- Meaning: will + peace — roughly ‘one who desires peace’
- Popularity: #5,038 and falling (#3,869 → #5,038, 2024)
Poet Wilfred Owen brought this into literary consciousness; Will or Fred as nicknames.
- Origin: Old English / Welsh (conflated names)
- Pronunciation: WIN-ih-fred · ˈwɪnɪfrɪd
- Meaning: joy and peace (Old English), merged with the separate Welsh name Gwenfrewi
- Popularity: #1,031 and falling (#963 → #1,031, 2024)
Win for short — a name that’s both practical and quietly powerful.
- Origin: Old English
- Pronunciation: WIN-frid · ˈwɪnfrɪd
- Meaning: friend of peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The birth name of Saint Boniface, apostle to the Germans; rare and historically grounded.
- Origin: Germanic (via Old French Geoffroi)
- Pronunciation: JEF-ree · ˈdʒɛfri
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #520 and falling (#485 → #520, 2024)
A peace name hiding in a very ordinary American name — most Jeffreys have no idea.
- Origin: Germanic (via Anglo-Norman French)
- Pronunciation: JEF-ree · ˈdʒɛfri
- Meaning: peace, with a disputed first element
- Popularity: #3,056 and falling (#2,517 → #3,056, 2024)
More literary than it gets credit for; Geoff as a nickname keeps it wearable.
- Origin: Old High German / Old French
- Pronunciation: GOD-free · ˈɡɒdfri
- Meaning: God’s peace
- Popularity: #10,205 and falling (#8,470 → #10,205, 2024)
Medieval and solid; sounds like someone who makes good decisions.
- Origin: Old High German
- Pronunciation: GOT-freed · ˈɡɒt.friːd
- Meaning: God’s peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The German form of Godfrey; used in German-speaking families through the generations.
- Origin: Germanic (Alemannic)
- Pronunciation: MAN-fred · ˈmænfrɛd
- Meaning: man of peace
- Popularity: #11,764 as of 2022 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Slightly brooding but deeply rooted; famous from Lord Byron and the medieval German tradition.
- Origin: Germanic
- Pronunciation: HUM-free · ˈhʌmfri
- Meaning: peace-giver
- Popularity: #9,298 and rising (#13,057 → #9,298, 2024)
Humphrey Bogart gave this undeniable cool; it’s long overdue for another turn.
- Origin: German
- Pronunciation: SEEG-freed · ˈsiːgfriːd
- Meaning: Germanic compound of ‘victory’ and ‘protection/peace’ – roughly ‘victorious peace’
- Popularity: #8,842 and rising (#10,634 → #8,842, 2024)
Germanic legend names are cycling back; Freddie softens the operatic weight.
- Origin: Germanic (Old Norse/Swedish variant)
- Meaning: victory and peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Old Norse
- Pronunciation: SIG-rid · ˈsɪgrɪd
- Meaning: Old Norse compound of ‘victory’ and ‘fair/beautiful’ – ‘beautiful victory’
- Popularity: #3,866 and falling (#3,575 → #3,866, 2024)
- Origin: Scandinavian (Danish)
- Pronunciation: AK-sel · ˈæksəl
- Meaning: traditionally explained via the biblical name Absalom (‘father is peace’), though possibly originally a separate Old Norse name
- Popularity: #78 and falling (#71 → #78, 2024)
- Origin: Old English (surname)
- Pronunciation: PAK-stun · ˈpækstən
- Meaning: Settlement of a person named Pæcc (Old English) + tūn ‘town’
- Popularity: #288 and falling (#257 → #288, 2024)
- Origin: Old English
- Pronunciation: KIN-frith · ˈkɪnfrɪθ
- Meaning: royal peace (cyne- = royal + friþ = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Old English (compound name)
- Pronunciation: AL-frith · ˈælfrɪθ
- Meaning: elf + peace (tentative)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
An Anglo-Saxon compound; rare and medieval, but real.
- Origin: German (diminutive)
- Pronunciation: FRIT-see · ˈfrɪtsi
- Meaning: affectionate diminutive of Friedrich/Fritz, meaning ‘peaceful ruler’
- Popularity: #11,767 as of 2006 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Used as a standalone name in German-speaking families, especially for girls.
- Origin: Old Norse
- Pronunciation: FRID-layf · ˈfrɪdleɪf
- Meaning: peace + heir/descendant (friðr = peace + leifr = heir, legacy)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A Norse name for a child who will inherit peace and carry it forward.
The Slavic “Mir” Names: Peace Woven Into Every Syllable
In Slavic languages, the root mir carries a double meaning: peace and world. This isn’t a coincidence — the Slavic worldview embedded in the naming tradition suggests that peace is the world, and the world is peace. The result is an enormous family of names, many still in common use across Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, the Balkans, and their diasporas. Most of these names are compounds — peace paired with glory, love, joy, God, quiet, or gold — and they all carry the same peaceful heart.
- Origin: Multi-origin: Slavic / Latin / Sanskrit / Hindi
- Pronunciation: MEER-ah · ˈmɪrə
- Meaning: peace (Slavic); wonderful/admired (Latin); sea or boundary (Sanskrit); or from Meera/Mirabai, a 16th-century Hindi poet-saint
- Popularity: #380 and rising (#412 → #380, 2024)
Also means ocean or sea in Sanskrit — a name that manages to be both calm and deep.
- Origin: Occitan (via Italian); Romanian form
- Pronunciation: mih-REL-ah · mɪˈrɛlə
- Meaning: admired one (same root as Mireille)
- Popularity: #16,851 and falling (#11,847 → #16,851, 2024)
Lyrical and rarely heard in English-speaking countries.
- Origin: Romanian (origin uncertain)
- Pronunciation: mee-ROO-nuh · miˈruna
- Meaning: Peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A soft Romanian feminine form; used widely in Romania and among the diaspora.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: meer-oh-SLAH-vuh · mʲɪrɐˈsɫavə
- Meaning: feminine form of Miroslav, combining Slavic elements for “peace/world” and “glory” — roughly “one who celebrates peace”
- Popularity: #6,299 and rising (#6,327 → #6,299, 2024)
The feminine form of Miroslav; carrying the same big combination.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: MEE-roh · ˈmiːro
- Meaning: traditionally ‘peace’ (as a short form of Miroslav and similar names), though the root may actually mean ‘great/famous’
- Popularity: #4,501 and rising (#5,594 → #4,501, 2024)
The short masculine form — punchy, minimal, and very wearable.
- Origin: South Slavic
- Pronunciation: MEER-koh · ˈmiːrko
- Meaning: a diminutive built on the Slavic element ‘mir’, meaning ‘peace’
- Popularity: #11,825 as of 2022 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
‘Glory’ isn’t part of Mirko itself — that sense belongs to the ‘-slav’ element in fuller names like Miroslav. Mirko alone carries only the ‘peace’ element.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: MEER-oh-slahv · ˈmiroslaf
- Meaning: peace/world + glory
- Popularity: #7,550 and rising (#8,691 → #7,550, 2024)
A name that asks why not have both; Miro as a nickname.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: DRAH-go-meer · ˈdrɑːɡɔːmɪər
- Meaning: dear/precious peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Slavic (feminine of Dragomir)
- Pronunciation: drah-go-MEE-rah · drɑːɡɔˈmiːrə
- Meaning: dear/precious peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form; rare outside Slavic-speaking communities, which is a genuine loss.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: RAH-doh-meer · ˈradomiːr
- Meaning: able warrior (older root); popularly reread as ‘glad and peaceful’
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Peace that comes with joy — an optimistic compound.
- Origin: Slavic (feminine of Radomir)
- Pronunciation: rah-doh-MEE-ruh · ˌrɑːdoʊˈmiːrə
- Meaning: able warrior (feminine form, popularly read as ‘glad and peaceful’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine counterpart; equally joyful.
- Origin: South Slavic
- Pronunciation: TEE-hoh-meer · ˈtixoˌmiːr
- Meaning: quiet peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A name that layers two kinds of calm on top of each other.
- Origin: South Slavic (feminine form of Tihomir)
- Pronunciation: tee-hoh-MEE-rah · tixoˈmiːra
- Meaning: quiet peace (feminine form of Tihomir)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form; deeply serene in meaning.
- Origin: Slavic (Old Russian/Church Slavonic)
- Pronunciation: VLAD-ih-meer · ˈvlædɪmɪr
- Meaning: great in power, mighty ruler
- Popularity: #1,947 and falling (#1,846 → #1,947, 2024)
The ‘peace’/’world’ sense is a folk-etymology reinterpretation of the name’s second element, which originally meant ‘great’ — the actual roots point to ‘great in power,’ not peace or the world.
- Origin: Slavic (feminine of Vladimir)
- Pronunciation: vlah-dee-MEER-ah · vladiˈmiːra
- Meaning: famous/great ruler
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The less-heard feminine form; distinctive and strong.
- Origin: Polish (Slavic)
- Pronunciation: KAZ-uh-meer · ˈkæzəmɪr
- Meaning: proclaims/announces peace
- Popularity: #2,393 and falling (#2,363 → #2,393, 2024)
Wiktionary and most sources give the meaning as ‘proclaimer’ or ‘announcer of peace.’ ‘Destroyer’ comes from a less commonly accepted alternate reading of the first root.
- Origin: Polish (feminine of Kazimierz/Casimir)
- Pronunciation: kah-zee-MYEH-rah
- Meaning: proclaimer of peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Most name scholars prefer ‘proclaimer of peace’ (from kazać) — ‘destroyer of peace’ is an odd fit for a name meant to honor peace, and comes from a less-favored derivation.
- Origin: Slavic (Serbo-Croatian)
- Pronunciation: BRAH-nee-meer · ˈbrɑːnɪmiːr
- Meaning: one who defends peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: brah-nee-MEER-uh · braniˈmiːra
- Meaning: defender of peace (brani- = defend + mir = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form of Branimir.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: BLAH-goh-meer · ˈblɑːɡɔmɪər
- Meaning: good/blessed and peace (blago = good, blessed + mir = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Peace rooted in goodness.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: doh-broh-MEER-ah · doʊbrəˈmɪərə
- Meaning: good and peace (feminine form of Dobromir)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A warm compound; *dobro* is the Slavic word for goodness.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: DOH-broh-meer · ˈdoʊbrəˌmɪər
- Meaning: good and peace (dobro = good, kind + mir = world, peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The masculine form of Dobromira.
- Origin: Czech/Slovak
- Pronunciation: BOH-hoo-meer · ˈboɦumɪːr
- Meaning: God’s peace (boh/bůh = God + mír = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A Bohemian name with deep spiritual meaning.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: lyoo-boh-MEER-uh · ʎubɔˈmira
- Meaning: love + peace (feminine form of Liubomir)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: lyoo-boh-MEER · ʎubɔˈmir
- Meaning: love + peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The masculine form.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: SVEH-toh-meer · ˈsvɛtɔmiːr
- Meaning: holy light and peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A luminous peace name.
- Origin: Slavic (feminine of Svetomir)
- Pronunciation: sveh-toh-MEE-rah · svɛtɔˈmiːra
- Meaning: holy light and peace (feminine form)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form of Svetomir.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: SLAH-voh-meer · ˈslavɔmiːr
- Meaning: glory and peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Peace paired with renown; common in Czech and Slovak naming.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: STAH-nee-meer · ˈstɑːnɪmɪər
- Meaning: may peace come to be
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Peace that holds; a grounded compound name.
- Origin: Slavic
- Pronunciation: ZLAH-tih-meer · ˈzlɑːtɪmɪər
- Meaning: golden peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Rare and luminous; peace worth its weight in gold.
Hebrew Peace Names: The Shalom Family
The Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם) means peace, wholeness, completeness — a concept that encompasses not just the absence of conflict but a state of being fully intact. It’s one of the oldest named concepts of peace in the world, and it seeded an enormous family of names that spread across Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Shalam, Salem, Salome, Solomon, Absalom, Axel — they all trace back here.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: SOL-uh-mun · ˈsɑːləmən
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #417 and rising (#438 → #417, 2024)
The biblical king whose name still carries wisdom and weight three thousand years later.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: SHLOH-moh · ˈʃloʊmoʊ
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #977 and rising (#1,015 → #977, 2024)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: AB-suh-luhm · ˈæbsələm
- Meaning: father of peace
- Popularity: #7,735 and rising (#9,763 → #7,735, 2024)
Dramatic history aside, it’s a striking Old Testament name ready for revival.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: father of peace (av = father + shalom = peace)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Overshadowed by one famous bearer; the name itself is beautiful and the meaning is purely peaceful.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: shloh-MEET · ʃloʊˈmiːt
- Meaning: peaceful one
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A softer, more intimate feminine form of shalom used in Israeli tradition.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: shah-LOHM · ʃɑːˈloʊm
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #1,722 and rising (#1,724 → #1,722, 2024)
Used directly as a first name in Israel; a profound choice for families with Hebrew roots.
- Origin: Hebrew (feminine use) and Arabic (masculine use, as Salim)
- Pronunciation: SAY-lum · ˈseɪləm
- Meaning: peace, wholeness (from the Hebrew place name for ancient Jerusalem); the Arabic-derived masculine use means ‘safe, unharmed’
- Popularity: #430 and falling (#417 → #430, 2024)
The ancient name of Jerusalem; understated and slightly mysterious, meaning is unambiguously good.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: shah-LEM · ʃɑːˈlɛm
- Meaning: whole, complete
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A masculine name meaning wholeness and peace together.
- Origin: Hebrew (name of a biblical city)
- Pronunciation: SHY-loh · ˈʃaɪloʊ
- Meaning: Peace, tranquility
- Popularity: #260 and rising (#286 → #260, 2024)
Shiloh has shed its exclusively religious associations; it now reads modern, open, and thoughtfully chosen.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: NOH-ah · ˈnoʊə
- Meaning: rest, settle
- Popularity: #2, holding steady (2024)
Not quite “peace” but from *nuach* — rest, repose — making it the closest male Hebrew name to peace in spirit.
- Origin: Arabic (from Hebrew Solomon)
- Pronunciation: soo-lay-MAHN · suːleɪˈmɑːn
- Meaning: peace, via the name Solomon
- Popularity: #1,785 and falling (#1,677 → #1,785, 2024)
The Arabic equivalent of Solomon; widely used across the Islamic world.
Arabic and East African Peace Names: The Salam Family
Arabic and Hebrew share ancient Semitic roots, which is why salam and shalom look and sound so similar — they come from the same ancestral word. The Arabic salam carries an almost identical range of meanings: peace, health, wholeness, safety. It seeded dozens of names across the Arab world and East Africa, many of which are used freely across Muslim and non-Muslim communities alike.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: suh-LAHM · səˈlɑːm
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #10,689 and rising (#13,804 → #10,689, 2024)
The word itself used as a name; clean and direct.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: sah-LEEM · sɑːˈliːm
- Meaning: safe, unharmed
- Popularity: #2,654 and falling (#2,214 → #2,654, 2024)
One of the most widely used Arabic masculine names across the Arab world and East Africa.
- Origin: Arabic (feminine form of Salim); used in Swahili-speaking East Africa
- Pronunciation: sah-LEE-mah · sɑːˈliːmə
- Meaning: safe, unharmed
- Popularity: #6,335 and rising (#6,622 → #6,335, 2024)
The feminine form of Salim; used across North Africa and the Middle East.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: SAHL-mah · ˈsɑːlmə
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #870 and rising (#906 → #870, 2024)
A lovely Arabic feminine name; actress Salma Hayek is its most visible international bearer.
- Origin: Turkish (from Arabic)
- Pronunciation: seh-LEEM · sɛˈliːm
- Meaning: safe, unharmed
- Popularity: #2,252 and rising (#2,502 → #2,252, 2024)
Ottoman sultans carried this name for centuries; dignified and globally known.
- Origin: Arabic/Turkish
- Pronunciation: seh-LEE-mah · səˈliːmə
- Meaning: safe, unharmed
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form of Selim; used in Turkish, Arabic, and Persian communities.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: ah-MEE-nah · ɑːˈmiːnə
- Meaning: trustworthy, faithful (from the Arabic root for security/trust, shared with ‘amen’)
- Popularity: #307 and rising (#322 → #307, 2024)
One of the most widely used Arabic girls’ names globally; the mother of the Prophet Muhammad bore this name.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: ah-MEEN · æˈmiːn
- Meaning: trustworthy, faithful
- Popularity: #1,637 and rising (#1,726 → #1,637, 2024)
Carried across the Arab world and West Africa; concise and deeply meaningful.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: nah-EEM · nɑːˈiːm
- Meaning: comfort, bliss, ease
- Popularity: #1,581 and falling (#1,383 → #1,581, 2024)
A soft masculine name with a quiet, unassuming presence.
- Origin: Arabic (used widely in Swahili- and Arabic-speaking regions); also historically a Finnish variant of Naomi
- Pronunciation: ny-EE-mah · naɪˈiːmə
- Meaning: peaceful, content (Arabic ‘na’ima’); the separate Finnish-Bible variant traces to Naomi’s Hebrew meaning of ‘pleasantness’
- Popularity: #2,203 and falling (#1,956 → #2,203, 2024)
The feminine form of Naim; musical and graceful.
- Origin: Arabic (via Swahili)
- Pronunciation: RAH-hah · ˈrɑːhɑː
- Meaning: comfort, ease, peace
- Popularity: #2,257 and rising (#4,101 → #2,257, 2024)
- Origin: Arabic (also Hebrew cognate)
- Pronunciation: suh-KEE-nuh · səˈkiːnə
- Meaning: tranquility, calm
- Popularity: #2,872 and rising (#3,752 → #2,872, 2024)
Used widely in Muslim communities for its deeply spiritual meaning of divine calm.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: AY-mun · ˈeɪmən
- Meaning: right-handed, and by extension blessed or fortunate
- Popularity: #1,180 and rising (#1,231 → #1,180, 2024)
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: soo-LAY-muh · sʊˈleɪmə
- Meaning: little peaceful one
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The feminine form of Suleiman; rare but beautiful.
- Origin: Swahili (possibly also Arabic)
- Pronunciation: ah-MAH-nee · ɑːˈmɑːni
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #634 and falling (#621 → #634, 2024)
Musical, cross-cultural, and widely used across East Africa.
- Origin: Amharic (Semitic root)
- Pronunciation: SEH-lahm · ˈsɛlɑːm
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: #17,234 and falling (#12,024 → #17,234, 2024)
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: suh-LAH-muh · səˈlɑːmə
- Meaning: peace, safety
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
An elaborated feminine form; rare but historically attested.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: moo-tah-MAHN · muːtæˈmæn
- Meaning: the trusted one, entrusted
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Japanese Names for Peace and Calm
Japanese naming tradition pays particular attention to characters that carry meanings of peace, harmony, quietude, and stillness. The kanji 平 (hei/taira = peace/flat), 和 (wa/kazu = harmony/peace), 静 (shizuka = quiet), 穏 (nodoka = calm), and 凪 (nagi = calm sea) all appear in given names, often combined with other meaningful characters. These names range from classical to contemporary, but all share a quality of intentional tranquility.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: NAH-gee · naɡi
- Meaning: calm, lull
- Popularity: #8,110 and rising (#9,413 → #8,110, 2024)
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: nah-GO-mee · nɑːˈɡoʊmi
- Meaning: harmony, calm, gentle warmth
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The noun form of becoming calm; soft and contemplative.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: shee-ZOO-kah · ʃiːˈzuːkə
- Meaning: quiet, calm
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of Japan’s most beloved feminine names for its quality of stillness.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: SHEE-zoo-hah · ˈʃiːzuːhɑː
- Meaning: quiet leaf (if written 静葉, meaning is kanji-dependent)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A gentle variant of Shizuka; the image of still leaves on water.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: NOH-doh-kah · no̞do̞ka̠
- Meaning: calm, tranquil, serene
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
*Nodoka* also describes a serene, unhurried landscape.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: yah-SOO-shee · ja.sɯ.ɕi
- Meaning: peaceful, calm
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A traditional masculine name meaning peace and security; well-regarded in Japan.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: yah-SOO-koh · ja.sɯ.ko
- Meaning: peaceful child
- Popularity: #11,949 as of 1979 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: yah-SOO-mee · ja.sɯ.mi
- Meaning: peaceful rest or peaceful beauty, depending on kanji
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Used as both masculine and feminine, depending on the character.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: yah-soo-HEE-roh · ja.sɯ.çi.ɾo
- Meaning: peaceful + broad/abundant (exact nuance depends on the kanji chosen)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A compound name pairing peace with generosity.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: YAH-soo · ja.sɯ
- Meaning: peaceful, calm
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: kah-ZOO-kee · kɑːˈzuːki
- Meaning: varies by kanji; commonly rendered ‘harmony tree’
- Popularity: #13,240 and falling (#10,249 → #13,240, 2024)
The *kazu* element means peace/harmony; the second element varies by characters chosen.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: KAH-zoo-hah · ˈkɑːzuːhɑː
- Meaning: harmony leaf (harmony + leaf)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: kah-ZOO-yoh · kɑːˈzuːjoʊ
- Meaning: harmony/peace, generation
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A classic feminine name; peace passed down through time.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: kah-ZOO-mee · kɑːˈzuːmi
- Meaning: harmony and beauty (most commonly written 和美)
- Popularity: #16,312 as of 2020 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of the most commonly used *kazu* compounds for girls.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: ah-mah-neh · ɑːmɑːnɛ
- Meaning: sound associated with heaven or rain, depending on the kanji chosen
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
That’s only one of several possible readings — because Amane is written with different kanji by different families, no single translation is ‘the’ meaning of the name.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: moot-SOO-mee · muːtˈsuːmi
- Meaning: harmony, friendliness
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The quality of harmonious closeness; a warm and gentle name.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: TY-rah · ˈtaɪrɑː
- Meaning: flat, level ground
- Popularity: #10,972 and rising (#16,029 → #10,972, 2024)
An ancient clan name used as a given name; carries the weight of samurai history.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: HAY-wah · heɪwɑː
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: NAH-oh · na.o
- Meaning: honest, straightforward
- Popularity: #10,457 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A minimal, clean name with a quality of composed steadiness.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: SHEE-on · ʃiːɒn
- Meaning: purple aster flower (if written with the kanji 紫苑, meaning is kanji-dependent)
- Popularity: #12,094 and falling (#9,601 → #12,094, 2024)
Soft and slightly floral; widely used for girls.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: toh-moh-HAH-roo · to.mo.ha.ɾɯ
- Meaning: Friend and peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A gentle compound name; friendship as a form of peace.
- Origin: Japanese
- Pronunciation: RAY-wah · ˈreɪwɑː
- Meaning: order and harmony (officially rendered ‘beautiful harmony’)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The name of Japan’s current imperial era, begun in 2019; occasionally chosen as a given name for children born in this era.
Sanskrit and East Asian Peace Names
Sanskrit wove peace into names through several roots — shanti (peace, quiet), prashant (composed), saumya (gentle, lunar) — and the tradition spread across South Asia and beyond. Meanwhile, the Chinese character 平 (flat, peaceful), 安 (peaceful, safe), 和 (harmonious), and 靜 (quiet, still) appear in given names across China, Vietnam, and Korea. These names tend to be short, clean, and powerful.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: SHAHN-tee · ˈʃɑːntiː
- Meaning: peace, calm, tranquility
- Popularity: #6,339 and rising (#10,194 → #6,339, 2024)
One of the most recognized Sanskrit names globally; used as a given name across South Asia and in Western yoga communities.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: prah-SHAHN-tee · prəˈʃɑːnti
- Meaning: great/supreme peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: pruh-SHAHNT · prəˈʃɑːnt
- Meaning: calm, tranquil
- Popularity: #11,787 as of 2016 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Widely used across India and the South Asian diaspora; a name for someone with a quietly steady presence.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: SOWM-yuh · ˈsaʊmjə
- Meaning: gentle, moonlike
- Popularity: #12,258 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Meaning “belonging to the moon” — gentle and softly glowing; used for both boys and girls.
- Origin: Italian (also a Latvian given name)
- Pronunciation: SAHN-tuh · ˈsɑːntə
- Meaning: holy one, saint (feminine of santo)
- Popularity: #5,400 and rising (#8,881 → #5,400, 2024)
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: NEER-mul · ˈnɪrməl
- Meaning: pure, unstained; free from impurity
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
From *nir* = without + *mala* = impurity; peaceful in its clarity.
- Origin: Arabic (used in Hindi/Urdu)
- Pronunciation: uh-MAHN · əˈmɑːn
- Meaning: peace, safety, security
- Popularity: #2,206 and falling (#2,064 → #2,206, 2024)
The Arabic *amán* (safety, peace) naturalized into South Asian naming tradition; widely used across India and Pakistan.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: shahn-tee-PREE-yuh · ˌʃɑːn.tiˈpriː.jə
- Meaning: one who loves peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A devotional name; *priya* = beloved or dear.
- Origin: Arabic
- Pronunciation: suh-MEER · səˈmɪr
- Meaning: a companion for evening conversation (from Arabic samar, ‘night talk’)
- Popularity: #590 and falling (#586 → #590, 2024)
- Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
- Pronunciation: PING · pɪŋ
- Meaning: level, peaceful, even
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
One of the most widely given Chinese characters for peaceful names; minimal and strong.
- Origin: Vietnamese (Sino-Vietnamese 安)
- Pronunciation: AHN · ˈɑːn
- Meaning: peace, safety
- Popularity: #4,313 and rising (#4,610 → #4,313, 2024)
The same character used across Chinese and Vietnamese naming traditions; profound in its simplicity.
- Origin: Chinese (meaning depends on the character used)
- Pronunciation: HUH · xɤ
- Meaning: depends on the character: a surname (何, no independent meaning), “harmony/peace” (和), or “lotus” (荷)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Chinese
- Pronunciation: JING · ˈdʒɪŋ
- Meaning: Quiet, still, calm
- Popularity: #11,538 and falling (#11,515 → #11,538, 2024)
A classic Chinese girls’ name; the character depicts stillness perfectly.
- Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
- Pronunciation: NING · niŋ
- Meaning: peaceful, calm
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Widely used as a standalone name or as part of compound names.
- Origin: Vietnamese
- Pronunciation: BIN · ˈbɪn
- Meaning: peace, calm
- Popularity: #12,392 as of 2021 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings
The Vietnamese pronunciation of the same character as Chinese *Ping*; common in Vietnam.
- Origin: Vietnamese (Sino-Vietnamese)
- Pronunciation: hwah-BING · hwaː ɓiŋ
- Meaning: peace
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Malagasy
- Pronunciation: SOH-ah · ˈsoʊə
- Meaning: good, well-being
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
From the Malagasy naming tradition; *soa* means “good, peaceful.”
- Origin: Sanskrit/Pali
- Pronunciation: neer-VAH-nuh · nɪərˈvɑːnə
- Meaning: extinguishing of craving/suffering; liberation
- Popularity: #2,204 and falling (#1,995 → #2,204, 2024)
The Buddhist concept of ultimate peace; used occasionally as a given name in South Asian and Western contexts.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: suh-MAH-dee · səˈmɑːdi
- Meaning: a state of deep meditative absorption
- Popularity: #1,216 and rising (#1,997 → #1,216, 2024)
The state of peaceful absorption; used as a name in some Hindu traditions.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: prah-SAHN-nə · prəˈsʌnə
- Meaning: clear, calm, bright, pleased
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
A South Indian name meaning the state of peaceful contentment.
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Pronunciation: DROOV · ˈdruːv
- Meaning: Steadfast, immovable
- Popularity: #1,088 and rising (#1,112 → #1,088, 2024)
Not strictly “peace” but conveys the unmoved calm that peace produces; extremely popular in India.
Modern, English, and Celtic Names That Mean Peace or Calm
English has its own direct tradition of peace names, running from Old English virtue concepts through modern nature naming. Celtic traditions contributed names where freedom and serenity interweave. And some names simply arrived at peaceful meanings through routes that don’t fit elsewhere. These names tend to feel contemporary and accessible without losing the intentionality that makes peace names special.
- Origin: English (virtue name)
- Pronunciation: PEES · piːs
- Meaning: Tranquility/absence of conflict, from the English word ‘peace’
- Popularity: #3,857 and falling (#3,854 → #3,857, 2024)
The English word itself used as a given name; rare but not unheard of, and unmistakably intentional.
- Origin: English (modern word name)
- Pronunciation: HAY-ven · ˈheɪvən
- Meaning: a safe harbor or place of refuge, taken directly from the vocabulary word
- Popularity: #201 and rising (#218 → #201, 2024)
A place name turned given name that means what it says; protection and peace in one syllable.
- Origin: Latin (via Old French ‘solas’)
- Pronunciation: SAH-lis · ˈsɑːlɪs
- Meaning: comfort, consolation
- Popularity: #6,399 and falling (#5,216 → #6,399, 2024)
A name that means the peace that comes after hard times.
- Origin: English
- Pronunciation: DUV · ˈdʌv
- Meaning: dove (the bird), a symbol of peace
- Popularity: #1,625 and rising (#2,143 → #1,625, 2024)
Direct and beautiful; rarely given despite being perfectly suited as a name.
- Origin: Greek (via Latin harmonia)
- Pronunciation: HAR-muh-nee · ˈhɑːrməni
- Meaning: harmony, concord, agreement
- Popularity: #264 and falling (#231 → #264, 2024)
A virtue name that overlaps with peace concepts; musical without being literal.
- Origin: Greek
- Pronunciation: ZEF-er · ˈzɛfər
- Meaning: the west wind
- Popularity: #1,133 and falling (#1,121 → #1,133, 2024)
Not quite peace but the gentle breath of it — a nature name with softness built in.
- Origin: Scottish/Irish Gaelic (surname/place name)
- Pronunciation: GLEN · ˈglɛn
- Meaning: valley
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
- Origin: Old English
- Meaning: small stream
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Running water names carry peaceful imagery; this one has done so for a century.
- Origin: English
- Pronunciation: KOHV · ˈkoʊv
- Meaning: small sheltered bay/inlet
- Popularity: #1,207 and rising (#1,319 → #1,207, 2024)
Uncommon as a given name but striking; calm water is the whole of its imagery.
- Origin: Celtic (Welsh/Gaelic, via Old English/Scots place names)
- Meaning: pool or waterfall (also a short form of Linda/Evelyn)
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Short, deeply rooted, and water-quiet.
- Origin: Basque (disputed, see note)
- Pronunciation: NY-ah · ˈnaɪə
- Meaning: the sea
- Popularity: #1,855 and falling (#1,520 → #1,855, 2024)
- Origin: Greek (via Latin)
- Pronunciation: OR-ah · ˈɔːrə
- Meaning: breeze
- Popularity: #872 and rising (#954 → #872, 2024)
From the Greek for a light, soft wind; air that doesn’t disturb.
- 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)
- Origin: English (vocabulary word)
- Pronunciation: MED-oh · ˈmɛdoʊ
- Meaning: a field of grass (grassland)
- Popularity: #327 and rising (#351 → #327, 2024)
One of the more genuinely pastoral nature names; unhurried and quiet.
- Origin: English (nature name)
- Pronunciation: FURN · ˈfɜːrn
- Meaning: the fern plant
- Popularity: #1,261 and rising (#1,428 → #1,261, 2024)
Still, green, and quietly ancient.
- Origin: English compound (place name)
- Pronunciation: STIL-waw-ter · ˈstɪlˌwɔːtər
- Meaning: calm, still body of water
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Used occasionally as a given name or surname; the image is the definition of peace.
- Origin: Middle English (from Old French/Latin, ultimately Greek)
- Pronunciation: KAHM · kɑːm
- Meaning: stillness, tranquility
- Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings
Used in some Scandinavian-influenced contexts as a given name; a bold, minimal choice.
- Origin: Irish
- Pronunciation: SEER-shah · ˈsɪərʃə
- Meaning: freedom
- Popularity: #1,036 and falling (#959 → #1,036, 2024)
- Origin: Old Irish
- Meaning: gentle, beautiful, precious
- Popularity: #8,519 and rising (#12,384 → #8,519, 2024)
Not strictly peace but the quality of gentleness that makes peace possible; pronounced “Kee-va” or “Kwee-va.”
- Origin: Irish
- Pronunciation: NEEV · ˈniːv
- Meaning: bright, radiant
- Popularity: #3,148 and rising (#4,339 → #3,148, 2024)
- Origin: Welsh (surname)
- Pronunciation: WIN · ˈwɪn
- Meaning: fair, white, blessed, a spelling variant of Wynn
- Popularity: #4,866 and rising (#4,988 → #4,866, 2024)
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 35 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 35 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 35 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 35 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
How These Names Are Trending
47 of these names rose in the U.S. Social Security rankings last year, and 35 are falling, per Social Security data through 2024.
Often paired with peace-root names historically; clean and minimal as a standalone.
How to Choose a Name From This List
With 200-plus names across eight language families, narrowing down takes some criteria beyond just the meaning. Start with sound: say each name aloud ten times. Say it tired, say it in a crowd, say it with your last name. A name you love visually might not survive contact with your surname — and a name you overlooked on a list might sound exactly right when spoken.
Consider your family’s heritage and how the name will land in your specific context. A name from your own linguistic background will be easy to explain, easy to spell, and full of meaning within your community. A name from outside your heritage can still be a genuine choice, but be ready for the question “how did you arrive at that?” — and make sure your answer is one you’re glad to give.
Pay attention to what the pairing within a compound name means to you. The Slavic names in this list are almost all pairs: Tihomir means quiet peace, Branimir means defending peace, Dragomir means dear peace, Radomira means joyful peace. The difference between those isn’t just etymology — it’s a different flavor of the same wish.
Don’t dismiss a name just because it’s long or unfamiliar. Many of the most beautiful names here (Concordia, Branimira, Tranquillina) feel unusual in English-speaking contexts simply because they haven’t been used recently — not because they’re unusable. A name that takes people a beat to learn is not the same as a name that doesn’t work.
Finally: trust the one that makes you stop scrolling. Names that mean peace tend to have that effect anyway — there’s something in the sound of shanti, galene, nodoka, frieda that slows the breath. That involuntary pause is useful information.
Name Art for Your Favorite
Love a name from this list? MinimalistMama offers custom Name Art prints — personalized, minimalist nursery art with the name you choose, designed to match your aesthetic. A perfect gift for baby showers or to hang above the crib.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular baby name meaning peace?
Irene is historically the most widely used name meaning peace in Western naming traditions — it’s been in continuous use since ancient Greece, where Eirene was the goddess of peace. In modern English-speaking countries, Serena and Serenity are the most actively popular, consistently ranking in the top 200 to 500 in the US. Among boys, Frederick (peaceful ruler) has been one of the most enduring Germanic peace names for centuries, while Solomon and Noah have strong biblical presence.
Are there any short, one-syllable names meaning peace?
Yes, several. Pax (Latin, peace) is probably the most recognized — three letters, one syllable, unmistakable. Paz (Spanish) is equally minimal. An (Chinese/Vietnamese, peaceful) is two letters and one syllable. Shalom (Hebrew, peace) is two syllables but feels short in practice. For boys, Miro (Slavic, peace) is two syllables but very clipped. Among longer names, many in this list have strong short forms: Frederick becomes Fred, Wilfred becomes Wil, Concordia becomes Cori or Connie.
What does the name Shiloh mean — is it really a peace name?
The Hebrew root of Shiloh is genuinely linked to peace and tranquility — the word appears in Genesis 49:10 and is associated with a coming era of rest and wholeness. The precise etymology is debated; some scholars read it as “he who is sent” or “he to whom it belongs,” while others connect it directly to *shalom* (peace). In practice, Shiloh carries peaceful and restful associations in the Hebrew tradition, which is why it belongs on this list even with that nuance noted.
What are the best gender-neutral names meaning peace?
Pax (Latin) is now used for both boys and girls. Shiloh leans slightly feminine in current American use but has no inherent gender. Nagi (Japanese, calm sea) is used for both. An (Chinese/Vietnamese, peaceful) is gender-neutral. Amani (Swahili/Arabic) is used for boys and girls across East Africa. Salam (Arabic, peace) is used for both. In the Slavic family, the *-mir* compounds have fairly clear feminine (*-mira*) and masculine forms, but Miro and Mirko are often heard on both.
Are there any royal or historically notable names meaning peace on this list?
Quite a few. Irene was borne by Irene of Athens, the first woman to rule the Byzantine Empire as sole empress (797–802 AD). Frederick has been the name of kings, emperors, and Holy Roman Emperors across centuries. Solomon is one of the most celebrated names in the Hebrew Bible. Salome was a royal name in the Hasmonean dynasty. Tranquillina was a Roman empress in the 3rd century AD. Selim was carried by three Ottoman sultans. Casimir is the name of the patron saint of Poland, himself a member of the Jagiellonian royal family.
Is Frederick really a peace name?
Yes — genuinely. Frederick comes from the Old High German *Friderich*: *frid* (peace) + *ric* (ruler/power). The *frid* root is unmistakably the same as in Wilfred, Winifred, Godfrey, and Frieda — a well-documented Old High German word for peace. The same root appears in the English word “friend” via Old English *frēond*, related to *frēo* (free) and ultimately to the same ancestral peace-concept. So Frederick doesn’t just carry the meaning — it carries the entire Germanic peace-name tradition in its first syllable.
What is a good middle name to pair with a peace-meaning first name?
Peace-meaning names tend to pair well with grounded, substantive middle names rather than additional virtue names — stacking Serenity Hope or Pax Harmony can tip into abstraction. Better pairings often use a family surname, a nature name with weight (Serena Oak, Pax River), or a classical name with a different meaning entirely (Irene Louise, Solomon James). If you’re using a longer peace name like Concordia or Frederica, a one-syllable middle name creates good rhythm. If the first name is short like Paz or Miro, a two- or three-syllable middle name adds balance.
📊 Curious how popular a name actually is? Look it up in our Baby Name Popularity Checker — pulls live SSA data to show ranking trends.
Final Thoughts
Every name on this list carries the same root wish: that this child will know peace, bring peace, and be a still point in the world’s turning. Some of these names are 3,000 years old. Some were coined last century. Some come from languages you may have never spoken. But they all arrive at the same place — that ancient, universal hope that the person you’re naming will live in some meaningful measure of calm.
Whatever name you choose, the meaning you give it through the life you build around it will matter as much as the etymology. Still, it doesn’t hurt to start with a good one.
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📱 The Baby Names app is here
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