There is so much hope surrounding babies that it makes sense to capture that sentiment in your baby’s name. The name you choose might symbolize your hope for a big family, the hope for a new, better world that your baby’s generation is ushering in, or represent the fulfillment of your family’s hopes for a boy (or girl) to carry on the family’s name and traditions.
Whether this baby is the fulfillment of your hopes, or you just want to find a name that symbolizes your future hopes and dreams for your son or daughter, you’ll find several options from different cultures for boys and girls.
One option for a girl’s name is to simply use the word ‘Hope’. It’s simple, beautiful, and straight to the point. However, if you’d prefer a little more subtlety, looking to other languages is a wonderful way to find names like Nadine (French), or Esperanza (Spanish).
You can find some boys’ names this way too. Choosing to use the word ‘hope’ in another language allows you to honor your or your partner’s heritage while sharing the hope your new baby is bringing to your family.
If you don’t want to be so direct in your name, other names that have a little more nuance are probably more common than you realize. For example, Dylan, an Irish name, means ‘ray of hope’. Jesse is a Hebrew name, usually used for a boy but equally lovely for a girl, which means ‘gift of hope’, a wonderful sentiment for a long-awaited baby.
Amanaki
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Polynesian
Gender: Boy
Amil
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Boy
Asha
Meaning: Hope. Mythology: the wife of a Hindu demigod
Origin: Sanskrit
Gender: Girl
Barloc
Meaning: A strong warrior, filled with hope
Origin: American
Gender: Boy
Brayleigh
Meaning: Ray of hope
Origin: American
Gender: Girl
Charise
Meaning: Cheerful and hope
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Chislon
Meaning: Hope, trust
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Boy
Day
Meaning: Light and hope
Origin: American
Gender: Boy
Daijon
Meaning: Meaning god’s gift of hope
Origin: American
Gender: Boy
Deene
Meaning: Hope
Origin: French
Gender: Boy
Dylan
Meaning: Ray of hope
Origin: Irish
Gender: Boy
Eiddwen
Meaning: Hope and desire
Origin: Turkish
Gender: Girl
Emmanuel
Meaning: God is with us
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Elpida
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Espe
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Esperanza
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Fidel
Meaning: Faithful
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Hachilah
Meaning: My hope is in her
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Girl
Hiwa
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Kurdish
Gender: Girl
Hope
Meaning: Hope
Origin: English
Gender: Girl
Imani
Meaning: Faith
Origin: Swahili
Gender: Girl
Itxaro
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Jahleel
Meaning: Waiting for, or beseeching, or hope in God
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Boy
Jekuthiel
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Boy
Jesse
Meaning: Gift of hope
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Kibou
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Japanese
Gender: Boy
Kit
Meaning: Hope, bearing Christ
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Mattaniah
Meaning: Gift, or hope, of the Lord
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Boy
Moutaqad
Meaning: Belief and faith
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Boy
Nada
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Scandinavian
Gender: Girl
Nadine
Meaning: Hope
Origin: French
Gender: Girl
Nakia
Meaning: Faithful
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Boy
Omeedeh
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Persian
Gender: Girl
Pandora
Meaning: All-gift. In Greek mythology, Pandora’s curiosity led her to open a mysterious box, thereby releasing misery and hope into the world
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Phelipe
Meaning: Hope origin
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Rajwa
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Girl
Raza
Meaning: Hope
Origin: African
Gender: Boy
Rutendo
Meaning: Faith
Origin: African
Gender: Boy
Tamanna
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Indian
Gender: Girl
Thembalwethu
Meaning: Our hope
Origin: African
Gender: Boy
Tikvah
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Girl
Toivo
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Finnish
Gender: Boy
Truman
Meaning: Faithful one
Origin: English
Gender: Boy
Tumaini
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Egyptian
Gender: Boy
Umit
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Turkish
Gender: Boy
Umniya
Meaning: Hope
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Girl
Von
Meaning: Little hope
Origin: Norse
Gender: Boy
Zita
Meaning: Little hope
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl