At a Glance
- Meaning
- Named after the Vilnia River, whose name comes from a word for 'wave'
- Origin
- Lithuanian
- Gender
- Unisex
- Pronunciation
- VIL-nee-us
Vilnius is a Lithuanian unisex name meaning “named after the Vilnia River, whose name comes from a word for 'wave'”. It appears in our list of 175+ European City Baby Names With Old-World Elegance.
Meaning & Origin of Vilnius
Meaning: Named after the Vilnia River, whose name comes from a word for 'wave'.
Origin: Lithuanian.
A common claim: Sometimes tied to the legend of Grand Duke Gediminas's dream of an 'Iron Wolf,' leading some to think Vilnius means 'wolf.' Actually: That's a founding legend, not the name's etymology -- the sourced derivation is from the Vilnia River's name, meaning 'wave,' not 'wolf.'
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Vilnius
VIL-nee-usIPA /ˈvʲɪlʲnʲʊs/
Popularity of Vilnius
Vilnius doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Vilnius
Similar Names
Kaunas · Riga · Tartu · Tallinn · Turku · Ribe
