Fairy names include names that mean fairy, like Fay and Pari, famous fairies like Titania and Oberon, Celtic legend like Niamh and Rhiannon, and elf names like Alfred, and this list gives a checked origin and meaning for 134 of them.
Fairy names are a lovely way to give your baby a little magic. Some mean fairy or elf outright, some belong to fairy queens and kings from plays and legends, and others come from the Irish and Welsh stories where the fair folk and the Otherworld live. Many are surprisingly wearable, and a few, like Alfred and Aubrey, have been in everyday use for centuries.
We grouped the names into famous fairies, names that mean fairy, Celtic folklore, names that mean elf or spirit, water and nature spirits, fairy names for girls and for boys, and nature names with a fairytale feel. Every meaning was checked against the name’s own Behind the Name entry, and we flag the ones whose meaning is unknown or uncertain. At the end you will find tips for choosing and pairing a magical name.
Key Takeaways
Names that mean fairy include Fay, Pari, Parisa, Peri, Perihan and Tünde; Síofra means “elf, sprite” in Irish.
Titania and Oberon are Shakespeare’s fairy queen and king; Mab and Puck are other famous fairies.
Alfred means “elf counsel”, and Aubrey and Avery trace back to Alberich, “elf ruler”.
Irish and Welsh legends supply names like Niamh, Áine, Oisín, Rhiannon, Gwyn and Olwen.
Some names only look elfin: Oliver, Elvira and Alwin have different roots.
Table of Contents
Fairy Names at a Glance
Quick Answer
Favorite fairy names: Fay, Titania, Oberon, Síofra, Pari, Niamh, Rhiannon, Alfred, Aubrey and Willow. Fay and Pari mean “fairy” outright, Síofra means “elf, sprite” in Irish, Titania and Oberon are Shakespeare’s fairy queen and king, and Alfred means “elf counsel”. For a softer fairytale feel, try nature names like Willow, Clover or Primrose.
Every origin label and meaning on this page was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in October 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning unknown, uncertain or only possible, we print it that way.
These ten names cover the main ways a name can feel magical. Some contain a word for fairy or elf. Some belong to famous fairies in plays and legends. Others simply sound like a walk through an enchanted wood. Alfred and Aubrey are the most familiar in everyday life, while Síofra, Pari and Titania are rare enough that your child may be the only one in class.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Fay
English (feminine and masculine)
Partly from the word fay, “fairy”, which traces back through Old French to a Latin word for the Fates; also a short form of Faith
Titania
Literature
Possibly from Latin Titanius, “of the Titans” (origin uncertain); the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)
Oberon
Literature
Variant of Auberon; the king of the fairies, Titania’s husband, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Síofra
Irish
Means “elf, sprite” in Irish; a name created in the 20th century
Pari
Persian
Means “fairy, sprite, nymph” in Persian
Niamh
Irish, Irish mythology
Means “bright”; in Irish legend, the daughter of the sea god Manannán mac Lir who falls in love with Oisín
Rhiannon
Welsh, English, Welsh mythology
Probably from Rigantona, an unattested Celtic name that may mean “great queen”; a magical woman on a white horse in the Welsh Mabinogi
Alfred
English and many more
From Old English Ælfræd: ælf, “elf”, plus ræd, “counsel”; borne by Alfred the Great, a 9th-century king of Wessex
Aubrey
English (masculine and feminine)
From Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich (“elf” plus “ruler”); brought to England by the Normans
Willow
English (modern)
From the willow tree, ultimately from Old English welig
Ten favorite fairy names, with the origin and meaning given by Behind the Name.
A quick word on what counts. We call a name a fairy name when its entry ties it to fairies, elves, sprites, nymphs or magic, or when it comes from the folklore where those beings live. Nature and flower names are included as a style, and we say so clearly. If you also love tiny, whimsical names, our same-run list of short girl names pairs well with this page.
Famous Fairies in Literature and Folklore
Many of the best-known fairy names come from old plays, poems and romances. Shakespeare gave us a fairy court in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edmund Spenser wrote a whole epic called The Faerie Queene, and the Arthurian legends are full of enchantresses and magicians. Every name below has its own Behind the Name entry, and each description sums up that entry in our own words.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Mab
Literature
Origin uncertain, perhaps from Mabel or the Irish name Medb; the fairy queen in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1596) and in Shelley’s poem Queen Mab (1813)
Puck
Anglo-Saxon mythology, Dutch (masculine and feminine)
Meaning unknown, from Old English puca; a mischievous spirit of English legend, also called Robin Goodfellow
Auberon
Carolingian Cycle
Diminutive of Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich; the fairy king in the 13th-century epic Huon de Bordeaux
Alberich
Germanic, Germanic mythology
From Old German alb, “elf”, plus rih, “ruler, king”; a sorcerer dwarf who guards a treasure in the Nibelungenlied
Gloriana
English (rare)
An elaborated form of Latin gloria, “glory”; the title character of Spenser’s The Faerie Queene (1590), who stands for Queen Elizabeth I
Una
English
Anglicized form of Irish Úna and Scottish Ùna, also linked to Latin una, “one”; a character in The Faerie Queene
Melusine
Mythology
Meaning unknown; a water fairy of European folklore who turned into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday
Morgan
Arthurian Cycle
Modern form of Morgen, the name Geoffrey of Monmouth gave the sorceress Morgan le Fay in the 12th century; probably Old Welsh mor, “sea”, plus gen, “born of”
Morgane
French
French form of the Arthurian Morgan, or a feminine form of the Welsh Morgan
Morgana
English (rare)
Feminine form of the Welsh name Morgan
Nimue
Arthurian Cycle
Meaning unknown; a sorceress also called the Lady of the Lake, whose magic traps Merlin in some versions of the legend
Vivien
Literature, Hungarian
Alfred Tennyson’s name for the Lady of the Lake in Idylls of the King (1859); perhaps based on Vivienne or a misreading of Ninian
Viviane
French, Portuguese
French form of Viviana and of Vivien
Merlin
Arthurian Cycle, English
Form of the Welsh name Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth; a magician and counselor to King Arthur
Emrys
Welsh
Welsh form of Ambrose; Geoffrey of Monmouth drew on Emrys Wledig when he shaped the character of Merlin
Avalon
English (rare)
From the mythical island paradise where King Arthur was taken after his death; perhaps from Welsh afal, “apple”
Elaine
English, Arthurian Cycle
A form of Helen that came through Old French; in Malory, the mother of Galahad
Iseult
Arthurian Cycle
Origin uncertain (Celtic roots or a Germanic name meaning “ice” plus “battle” have been proposed); an Irish princess who shares a love potion with Tristan
Isolde
German, Arthurian Cycle
German form of Iseult, first found in a 13th-century German poem; popularized by Wagner’s opera (1865)
Circe
Greek mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Kirke, perhaps from kirkos, “hawk” (uncertain); a sorceress in Homer’s Odyssey
Fairy, enchantress and magician names from literature and legend.
A few notes before you choose. Mab is tiny and spirited, but her origin is uncertain, and the reference offers two possibilities rather than one answer. Puck’s meaning is unknown, and in the Netherlands the name is used mainly for girls. Morgan, Morgane and Morgana all trace back to the enchantress Morgan le Fay, whose last name is the same fay that gives us the name Fay. The Lady of the Lake has several names depending on who tells the story: Nimue, Vivien and, in French, Viviane.
Circe and Merlin are bold choices with powerful stories behind them. Circe is the sorceress who turns sailors into pigs in the Odyssey, and Merlin is King Arthur’s magician. If you want the magic without quite so much legend attached, Emrys (the Welsh form of Ambrose, linked to Merlin’s origins) or Avalon (the island paradise) offer a quieter nod to the same world.
Names That Mean Fairy Around the World
Only a handful of names carry a word for fairy right in their meaning, and they come from several languages. Fay, Pari and Síofra appear in the glance table above; here are the rest we could verify.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Fae
English
Variant of Fay
Faye
English
Variant of Fay
Parisa
Persian
Roughly “like a fairy”, from Persian pari, “fairy, sprite”
Peri
Turkish
Turkish form of Pari (“fairy, sprite, nymph”); written with a dotted İ in Turkish
Perihan
Turkish
“Queen of the fairies”: Turkish peri, “fairy” (from Persian), plus han, “khan, ruler”
Tünde
Hungarian
From the Hungarian word tündér, “fairy”; credited to the 19th-century poet Mihály Vörösmarty
Names whose Behind the Name entry gives a meaning of fairy.
The Persian word pari sits behind three of these. Pari itself means “fairy, sprite, nymph”, Parisa means roughly “like a fairy”, and the Turkish forms Peri and Perihan come from the same word (Perihan means “queen of the fairies”). Tünde is a Hungarian name built from the word for fairy and credited to a 19th-century poet. Fae and Faye are simple respellings of Fay.
Some names in this list are written with accents or special letters: Tünde has an umlaut, and Turkish writes Peri and Perihan with a dotted capital İ. U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents, so decide early how you want the name to appear on documents and say it with confidence.
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Irish and Welsh legends are full of goddesses, heroes, magicians and Otherworld kings, and many of their names are still given today. In Irish mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann are described by Behind the Name as a supernatural race said to have lived in early Ireland, and several of the names below belong to them.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Áine
Irish, Irish mythology, Old Irish
Means “radiance, brilliance”; a goddess of love and fertility said to live at Cnoc Áine, a hill in Limerick
Clíodhna
Irish, Irish mythology
Meaning unknown; a beautiful goddess who left the Land of Promise for a mortal and was swept out to sea by a great wave
Étaín
Irish, Irish mythology, Old Irish
Perhaps from Old Irish ét, “jealousy, passion”; the heroine of the 9th-century tale The Wooing of Étaín, turned into a fly by a jealous rival and reborn
Midir
Irish mythology
Possibly from an Old Irish word for “judge”; a son of the Dagda and a suitor of Étaín
Aonghus
Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish mythology
From Old Irish Óengus, possibly “one strength”; a god of love and youth of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Aengus
Medieval Irish
Older form of Aonghus
Boann
Irish mythology
Possibly bó, “cow”, plus finn, “white, blessed”; goddess of the River Boyne and mother of Aonghus
Danu
Irish mythology (hypothetical)
A hypothetical mother goddess known only from Tuatha Dé Danann, “people of the goddess Danu”, a supernatural race of early Ireland; perhaps from a root meaning “river”
Nuada
Irish mythology
From Old Irish Nuadu, probably from Nodens; the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, known for his silver hand
Lir
Irish mythology
Perhaps from Manannán mac Lir; in The Children of Lir, a Tuatha Dé Danann figure whose children are turned into swans
Fionnuala
Irish, Irish mythology
Means “white shoulder” (finn plus gúala); one of the four children of Lir, turned into swans for 900 years
Aoife
Irish, Irish mythology
From Old Irish Aífe, from a word meaning “beauty”; a warrior woman of legend, and the jealous stepmother in The Children of Lir
Oisín
Irish, Irish mythology
Means “little deer”; a warrior poet, son of Fionn mac Cumhaill
Úna
Irish, Medieval Irish
Probably from Old Irish úan, “lamb” (uncertain); common in medieval Ireland
Oona
Irish, Finnish
Anglicized form of Úna; also a Finnish form
Brigid
Irish, Irish mythology
Irish variant of Brighid, a newer Irish form of Brigit (spelled Bríd since the 1948 spelling reform)
Béibhinn
Irish, Irish mythology
Modern form of Bébinn; related to Vivian
Caoimhe
Irish
From Irish caomh, “dear, beloved, gentle”
Irish names from myth and legend.
Irish spellings can surprise English speakers, so look up each name’s pronunciation before you decide. Behind the Name lists several Irish pronunciations for Niamh, and the pronunciations it gives for Caoimhe and Aoife sound quite different from how the names look to English readers. Our Irish girl names and Irish boy names guides go into more detail on sound and spelling.
Wales has its own enchanted tales, especially the medieval stories of the Mabinogi and Culhwch and Olwen. Gwyn rules an Otherworld, Blodeuwedd is made from flowers, and Gwydion and Ceridwen work powerful magic. We have added one Cornish name, Elowen, because its meaning (“elm tree”) fits the woodland feel.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Gwyn
Welsh, Welsh mythology
From a Welsh word for “white, blessed”; a king of the Otherworld who leads the Wild Hunt in Welsh legend
Pwyll
Welsh mythology
Means “wisdom, reason”; a king of Dyfed in the Mabinogi who marries Rhiannon
Pryderi
Welsh, Welsh mythology
Likely from Welsh pryder, “care, worry” (or a form meaning “loss”); the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon
Blodeuwedd
Welsh mythology
Means “face of flowers”; in the Mabinogi she is made from blossoms by magicians and later turned into an owl
Gwydion
Welsh, Welsh mythology
Probably “born of trees”; a powerful magician in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi
Ceridwen
Welsh
Origin uncertain; a sorceress of medieval Welsh legend who brews a potion of wisdom; some scholars link her to poetry and inspiration
Taliesin
Welsh, Welsh mythology
Means “shining brow”; a semi-legendary 6th-century bard, reborn from Ceridwen in the Tale of Taliesin
Olwen
Welsh, Welsh mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Means “white footprint”; the maiden in the tale Culhwch and Olwen
Mabon
Welsh mythology
A later Welsh form of Maponos; a prisoner freed by Arthur’s warriors in Culhwch and Olwen
Elowen
Cornish
Means “elm tree” in Cornish; a recently coined name
Welsh and Cornish names from myth and legend.
Read the full story behind any legendary name before you commit. Blodeuwedd’s tale ends with her being turned into an owl, Aoife plays the jealous stepmother in The Children of Lir, and Pryderi’s name may come from a word for “care, worry”. None of that rules a name out, but it is nicer to know before someone asks.
Names That Mean Elf, Magic or Spirit
Old English and Old Norse both had a word for elf (ælf and alfr), and it shows up in a surprising number of familiar names. Alfred and Aubrey are in the glance table; here are many more, plus a few names whose meanings point to secret lore or the soul. If you came looking for silly holiday elf names, those are on our same-run page of elf names; this list is about real given names with real roots.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Alfreda
English, Italian, Polish (rare), German (rare)
Feminine form of Alfred (“elf counsel”)
Alfie
English
Diminutive of Alfred
Alfredo
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Alfred
Elfreda
English
Middle English form of Old English Ælfþryð, “elf strength”; revived in the 19th century
Elfrida
English (rare)
Variant of Elfreda
Elfriede
German
German form of Elfreda
Elfi
German
German diminutive of Elfriede
Alfhild
Norwegian, Swedish
From Old Norse alfr, “elf”, plus hildr, “battle”; a legendary maiden who disguised herself as a warrior
Alf
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse mythology
From Old Norse alfr, “elf”; a legendary king who courted Alfhild
Alva
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Feminine form of Alf
Alvar
Swedish, Estonian
From Old Norse Alfarr: alfr, “elf”, plus herr, “army, warrior”
Alboin
Germanic
From alb, “elf”, plus wini, “friend”; a 6th-century king of the Lombards
Alvin
English, Swedish
Medieval form of one of three Old English names, including Ælfwine; in Scandinavia, from an Old Norse cognate of Ælfwine
Alvina
English
Feminine form of Alvin
Elvin
English
Variant of Alvin
Elwin
English
Variant of Alvin
Aubree
English (modern)
Feminine variant of Aubrey
Avery
English (masculine and feminine)
From an English surname taken from Norman French forms of Alberich and Alfred
Alvis
Norse mythology, Latvian
From Old Norse Alvíss, “all wise”; a dwarf in Norse myth who is turned to stone by daylight
Rune
Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
From Old Norse rún, “secret lore, rune”
Runa
Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Feminine form of Rune
Psyche
Greek mythology
Means “the soul” in Greek, from a word related to breathing; a maiden loved by Eros
Names that mean elf, secret lore or soul, per Behind the Name.
A pattern worth knowing: many of these are linked forms. Alfreda, Alfie and Alfredo all come from Alfred. Elfrida, Elfriede and Elfi all come from Elfreda, “elf strength”. Aubree and Avery lead back to Alberich, the same “elf ruler” name that gives us Auberon and Oberon. Alvin is trickier: Behind the Name says it can come from any of three Old English names, so we do not claim it always means elf. Elvin and Elwin are listed as variants of Alvin.
Sounds elfin, means something else. Some names look like they belong in this list but do not, according to their entries. We include them so you are not surprised later.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Elvira
Spanish, Italian, German and more
A Visigothic name of uncertain meaning, perhaps “happy” or “spear” plus “friendly, true”
Alwin
German, Dutch, Germanic
Contracted form of Adalwin
Oliver
English and many more
From Old French Olivier, possibly from Latin for “olive tree”, or from a Germanic name
Names that look elfin but have other roots, according to Behind the Name.
Oliver, for example, is the No. 3 name for boys born in the United States in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), and its entry gives olive tree or a Germanic name as possible roots, with no mention of elves. Elvira’s meaning is uncertain, and Alwin is a short form of Adalwin.
Water Sprites and Nature Spirit Names
Nymphs and water spirits bring the same enchanted feeling as fairies. These names come from Greek mythology, German Romantic poetry and Renaissance writing, and every one is described in its entry as a nymph, a spirit or a minor goddess of nature.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Undine
Literature
From Latin unda, “wave”; the Swiss writer Paracelsus coined undine as a word for female water spirits in the 16th century
Lorelei
Literature, English
From Loreley, a rock on the Rhine (meaning uncertain); German Romantic poets told of a maiden there whose singing lured boatmen
Nephele
Greek mythology
From Greek nephos, “cloud”; in myth, Zeus formed her from a cloud
Arethusa
Greek mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Arethousa, glossed as “quick water”; a nymph transformed into a fountain
Daphne
Greek mythology, English, Dutch
Greek for “laurel”; a nymph who was turned into a laurel tree; an English given name since the late 1800s
Echo
Greek mythology
From the Greek word for an echo; a nymph cursed so she could only repeat the words of others
Calypso
Greek mythology (Latinized)
Probably “she who conceals”; a nymph who kept Odysseus on her island for seven years
Chloris
Greek mythology
From Greek chloros, “pale green”; a minor goddess of vegetation
Thetis
Greek mythology
Perhaps from a Greek word for one who sets or places; a Nereid (sea nymph) and the mother of Achilles
A Latinized form of Habren, the Welsh name of the River Severn; a water nymph in Milton’s masque Comus (1634)
Nymph and water-spirit names.
Undine is an especially good fit for a fairy list: its entry says the Swiss writer Paracelsus coined the word for female water spirits. Sabrina, from the old name of the River Severn, appears as a water nymph in Milton’s Comus. Daphne and Calypso are the most familiar of the Greek names, while Nephele (“cloud”) and Arethusa (“quick water”) are rare and lyrical.
Some of these myths are sad or dramatic. Echo fades away until only her voice is left, and Lorelei’s song lures boatmen to their deaths in the German poems. If that matters to you, Chloris (“pale green”) or Daphne (“laurel”) keep the nature-spirit feel with gentler meanings.
Fairy Names for Girls
Beyond the legendary names, plenty of girl names simply feel like they belong in a fairy story. These have soft sounds, graceful endings and, in several cases, ties to ballets, plays and folktales. The fairy link here is a style label: the meanings in the table come straight from each entry.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Seraphina
English (rare), German (rare), Late Roman
Feminine form of Seraphinus, from the seraphim, the six-winged angels of the Bible; roughly “fiery ones”
Elodie
English
English form of Élodie, the French form of the Gothic name Alodia
Odette
French
French diminutive of Oda or Odilia; the princess turned into a swan in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake (1877)
Giselle
French, English (modern)
From Old German gisal, “hostage, pledge”; made familiar in English by Adolphe Adam’s 1841 ballet Giselle
Ottilie
German
German form of Odilia
Sylvie
French, Czech
French and Czech form of Silvia
Amaryllis
Literature
From Greek amarysso, “to sparkle”; a character in Virgil’s Eclogues, and the flower is named after her
Mirabelle
French (rare), English (rare)
From an Old French word for “wonderful”; coined in the Middle Ages
Rosabel
English (rare)
Rosa plus the suffix bel (from Latin bella, “beautiful”); created in the 18th century
Mélisande
French (rare)
French form of Millicent; the heroine of Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas et Mélisande (1893)
Ileana
Romanian, Spanish, Italian
Possibly a Romanian variant of Elena; in Romanian folklore, a princess rescued by a heroic knight
Fleurette
French, Dutch, English (rare)
Diminutive of Fleur
Fairy-inspired girl names.
Odette and Giselle both come with famous ballets, and Mélisande with a play and an opera. Ileana is the princess of a Romanian folktale. Seraphina refers to angels rather than fairies, but its meaning, roughly “fiery ones”, gives it a magical glow. Mirabelle (“wonderful”) and Rosabel (rose plus “beautiful”) are rare in the United States and easy to spell.
Many of the most magical girl names on this page sit in other tables: Titania, Niamh, Rhiannon, Mab, Gloriana, Melusine, Parisa, Tünde, Áine, Olwen and Undine. For a wider pool, see our unique girl names list, or the same-run guide to names that mean moon for more night-sky magic.
Fairy Names for Boys
Fairy names for boys take a little more digging. Many good boy options come from fairy kings, magicians, Celtic heroes and the many elf names. A few more boy names below simply have a woodland or wind-swept feel.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Florian
German, French, Romanian, Polish
From the Roman cognomen Florianus, from Florus; Saint Florian is a patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria
Zephyr
Greek mythology (anglicized)
From Greek Zephyros, “west wind”; the Greek god of the west wind
Peregrine
English (rare)
From Latin Peregrinus, “traveler”; borne by several early saints
Silvan
German (Swiss)
German form of Silvanus, from Latin silva, “forest”
Linden
English (masculine and feminine)
From a German and Dutch surname, from Old High German linta, “linden tree”
Rowan
Irish, English (modern; masculine and feminine)
Anglicized form of Irish Ruadhán; may also refer to the rowan tree
Jasper
English, Dutch
From Gaspar, perhaps from a Hebrew word for “treasurer”; traditionally one of the Magi; also the gemstone
Robin
English, French, Dutch and more (masculine and feminine)
A medieval pet form of Robert, now a name in its own right; sometimes chosen for the red-breasted bird
Ellery
English (masculine and feminine)
From an English surname that came from the medieval name Hilary
Woodland and fairy-inspired boy names.
From the other tables, strong boy picks include Oberon and Auberon (fairy kings), Puck (the mischievous spirit), Alberich, Merlin and Emrys from legend, Oisín, Aonghus and Nuada from Irish myth, Gwyn, Gwydion and Taliesin from Wales, and Alfred, Alvar, Alf, Alboin and Rune from the elf and lore names. Robin connects nicely to Puck, whose entry says he is also called Robin Goodfellow.
Linden, Rowan and Robin are used for girls too, as the table shows. For more gender-flexible choices, our gender neutral names guide has dozens of ideas, and the same-run list of space names covers stars, planets and constellations.
Nature and Flower Names With a Fairytale Feel
Fairies in stories tend to live among flowers, trees and hedgerows, so nature names fit the theme well. To be clear, these are not fairy names by meaning: they come from plants, and the fairytale feel is a style label. Willow is in the glance table; here are more.
Name
Origin
Meaning
Hazel
English
From the hazel tree or its light brown color (Old English hæsel); a given name since the 19th century
Clover
English (modern)
From the wildflower, from Old English clafre
Primrose
English (rare)
From the flower, whose name traces through Latin to “first rose”
Marigold
English (modern)
From the flower, whose name combines Mary and gold
Violet
English
From the purple flower, from Latin viola; found in Scotland in the 1500s
Poppy
English
From the red flower, from Old English popæg
Lavender
English (modern)
From the fragrant flower or its pale purple color
Juniper
English (modern)
From the juniper tree, ultimately from Latin iuniperus
Celandine
English (rare)
From the flower, whose name goes back to Greek chelidon, “swallow”
Bryony
English (rare)
From a Eurasian vine once used as medicine; from Greek bryo, “to swell”
Briony
English (rare)
Variant of Bryony
Wisteria
English (rare)
From the flowering plant, named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar
Verbena
Various (rare)
From the verbena plant, from a Latin word for “leaves, twigs”
Briallen
Welsh (rare)
From Welsh briallu, “primrose”; a modern Welsh name
Flower and plant names with a fairytale feel.
Several of these are rare on birth certificates, which can be part of their charm. Celandine, Bryony, Wisteria and Verbena all carry a “rare” label on Behind the Name, and Briallen is a modern Welsh name that means primrose. Violet was already in use in Scotland in the 1500s, and Hazel has been a given name since the 19th century. Our full list of flower names has many more.
How to Choose a Fairy Name
Fairy names can be wonderfully unusual, which is exactly why a few practical checks help:
Say it out loud: try the full name with your last name, and call it the way you would across a playground. Names like Blodeuwedd or Fionnuala are beautiful but take practice.
Check the spelling: Irish and Welsh names often look very different from how they sound. Decide whether you are happy to spell it out for people, or whether an anglicized form (Oona for Úna) suits you better.
Read the whole story: legendary names come with plots. Circe, Lorelei and Echo all have dramatic or sad tales, so read each entry first.
Avoid character-only names: a name tied to just one recent cartoon or film character can feel like a costume. The names on this page have their own reference entries and histories, which helps them stand on their own.
Think about the nickname: Long names invite short forms: Alfie is the diminutive of Alfred, and Elfi is a German diminutive of Elfriede. If you love the nickname, you could use it as the full name.
Pair it with a classic: a magical first name balances nicely with a simple middle name, and the reverse works too: a classic first name with Fay, Una or Clover in the middle. Our middle names guide covers rhythm and flow.
Sibling sets. Matching by theme works well: Titania and Oberon for twins who love Shakespeare, Niamh and Oisín from the same Irish legend, Rhiannon and Pryderi (mother and son in the Mabinogi), or Hazel, Juniper and Rowan for a woodland trio.
Fairy names range from the literal (Fay, Pari, Parisa, Tünde and Síofra all mean fairy or sprite) to the legendary (Titania, Oberon, Mab, Puck and Melusine), the Celtic (Niamh, Áine, Rhiannon and Gwyn), the elfin (Alfred, Aubrey, Alfhild and Alvar) and the simply enchanting (Willow, Primrose and Odette). Shortlist a few, read each full entry, say them with your last name, and choose the one that still feels magical a week later.
However you choose, a name with a story behind it gives your child something lovely to discover when they are old enough to ask where it came from.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good fairy names?
Popular fairy names include Fay, Titania, Oberon, Mab, Puck, Niamh, Rhiannon and Síofra. Fay comes partly from the old word fay, meaning fairy, Titania and Oberon are the fairy queen and king in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Síofra means elf or sprite in Irish. Nature names like Willow and Primrose add a softer fairytale feel.
What name means fairy?
Several names carry the meaning fairy. Fay comes partly from the English word fay, Pari means fairy, sprite or nymph in Persian, Parisa means roughly like a fairy, Peri is the Turkish form of Pari, Perihan means queen of the fairies, and Tünde comes from the Hungarian word for fairy. Síofra means elf or sprite in Irish.
What is a fairy name for a girl?
Fairy names for girls include Titania, Mab, Fay, Niamh, Áine, Rhiannon, Gloriana, Melusine and Síofra. If you prefer a softer style, Seraphina, Odette, Giselle, Mirabelle and Rosabel feel at home in a fairy story, and flower names like Primrose, Clover and Marigold have a gentle fairytale charm.
What is a fairy name for a boy?
Fairy names for boys include Oberon and Auberon, both fairy kings, and Puck, the mischievous spirit also called Robin Goodfellow. Alfred means elf counsel, Alvar comes from Old Norse words for elf and warrior, and Alberich means elf ruler. Merlin, Gwydion, Oisín and Taliesin come from legends full of magic.
What is the fairy queen’s name?
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream the queen of the fairies is Titania, wife of Oberon. Shakespeare also mentions a fairy queen called Mab in Romeo and Juliet. In Edmund Spenser’s poem The Faerie Queene, the title character is Gloriana, who represents Queen Elizabeth I. The Turkish name Perihan means queen of the fairies.
What are some Irish fairy names?
Irish names from myth and legend include Niamh, Áine, Clíodhna, Étaín, Fionnuala, Aoife, Boann, Oisín, Aonghus and Midir. Síofra is a 20th-century Irish name meaning elf or sprite. Many Irish names look different from how they sound, so check the pronunciation before you choose and be ready to spell the name for people.
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