Ocean names range from direct sea words like Marina, Ocean, Moana and Kai to wave, pearl and coral names and sea gods like Triton, and this list gives a checked meaning for 146 of them.
Ocean names bring the sea into your baby’s name: a word for the ocean in another language, a wave, a pearl, a stretch of shore or a figure from sea mythology. Some are familiar (Marina, Pearl, Dylan), others are rare finds such as Itsaso, Muirgel and Adetokunbo.
We grouped the names by theme and gender: favorites, sea and wave names for girls, pearl and coral names, boys’ names, unisex names, coastal and sailor names, and sea goddesses and gods. Every meaning was checked against the name’s own Behind the Name entry, and we only kept names whose entry really ties them to the sea. Then come spelling notes, sibling and middle name pairings, and quick tests to help you choose.
Key Takeaways
- Popular ocean names include Marina, Kai, Ocean, Moana, Dylan, Pearl, Coral and Morgan.
- Many languages have a sea word used as a name: Mar, Meri, Derya, Darya, Deniz, Itsaso and Tasi.
- Margaret comes from a Greek word for pearl, so Maggie, Greta, Margot and Rita carry that meaning too.
- Several sea goddess names do not literally mean sea, so read the meaning, not only the myth.
- Japanese and Chinese ocean names depend on the characters used to write them.
Table of Contents
Ocean Names at a Glance
Quick Answer
Every gender label, origin and meaning on this page was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in October 2026. A name only made the list if that entry itself ties it to the sea, the ocean, waves, the shore, pearls, coral, sailors or a sea figure in mythology. Where the reference says a meaning is unknown, uncertain or only possible, we print it that way.
These twelve are the names most parents meet first when they start looking for a sea name. Some are plain English words (Ocean, Pearl, Coral), some come from Latin (Marina), Welsh (Dylan, Morgan) or Polynesian languages (Kai, Moana, Kailani), and one is a literary invention borrowed from a real body of water (Caspian).
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marina | Feminine | Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Greek and many more | Feminine form of Marinus, a Roman name taken either from the family name Marius or from Latin marinus, “of the sea”; borne by a few early saints |
| Kai | Masculine & Feminine | Hawaiian | Means “sea” in Hawaiian |
| Ocean | Feminine & Masculine | English (Modern) | From the English word ocean, ultimately from Greek Okeanos, the body of water the ancient Greeks thought surrounded the Earth |
| Moana | Feminine & Masculine | Māori, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan | “Ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea” in Māori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages |
| Dylan | Masculine | Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology | From Welsh dy “to, toward” and llanw “tide, flow”; in the Mabinogi, Dylan took to the sea right after his baptism and could swim as well as a fish |
| Pearl | Feminine | English | From the word pearl, the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks (Medieval Latin perla); a given name since the 19th century and the traditional birthstone for June |
| Coral | Feminine | English, Spanish | From the word coral, the underwater skeletal deposits that can form reefs; ultimately from Greek korallion |
| Morgan | Masculine & Feminine | Welsh, English, French | From the Old Welsh name Morcant or Morgant, possibly from Welsh mor “sea” and cant “circle” |
| Marisol | Feminine | Spanish | Short form of María Soledad; sometimes read as María plus Sol, or as Spanish mar y sol, “sea and sun” |
| Caspian | Masculine | Literature | Used by C. S. Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia (from 1950); Lewis probably based it on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin |
| Kailani | Feminine | Hawaiian, English (Modern), Spanish (Latin American, Modern) | From Hawaiian kai “ocean, sea” and lani “sky, heaven” |
| Océane | Feminine | French | Derived from French océan, “ocean” |
A few of these come with a story worth knowing. Dylan’s meaning is built from Welsh words for “to, toward” and “tide, flow”, and in the medieval Welsh Mabinogi the character takes to the sea as soon as he is baptized. Marisol is officially a short form of María Soledad; the entry says it is only sometimes read as “sea and sun”, so that reading is a bonus rather than the root. Morgan’s link to the sea is a “possibly” in the entry, so if the sea meaning is the whole point for you, Marina, Ocean, Moana and Kai are the more direct choices.
If you love the wider outdoors, our nature names list covers trees, flowers, stones and weather, while this page stays at the water’s edge. For a night-sky theme, see names that mean moon.
Sea and Wave Names for Girls
Many languages have a simple word for the sea that has also become a girl’s name. Turkish has Derya, Persian has Darya, Finnish has Meri, Basque has Itsaso, and Spanish and Catalan have Mar. Latin gave us a whole family through marinus, “of the sea” and the title Stella Maris, “star of the sea”.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maren | Feminine | Danish, Norwegian | Danish diminutive of Marina or Maria |
| Marnie | Feminine | English | Possibly a diminutive of Marina; brought to public attention by the Alfred Hitchcock film Marnie (1964) |
| Mar | Feminine | Spanish, Catalan | “Sea” in Spanish and Catalan, from the devotional title Nuestra Señora del Mar, “Our Lady of the Sea” |
| Maris | Feminine | English (Rare) | “Of the sea”, taken from Stella Maris, “star of the sea”, a Latin title of the Virgin Mary |
| Maristela | Feminine | Portuguese, Spanish (Rare) | From the title Stella Maris, “star of the sea” in Latin; can also combine Maria and Estela |
| Derya | Feminine | Turkish | “Sea, ocean” in Turkish, ultimately from Persian |
| Darya | Feminine | Persian | “Sea, ocean” in Persian |
| Hafdís | Feminine | Icelandic | From Old Norse haf “sea, ocean” and dís “goddess” |
| Meri | Feminine | Finnish | “Sea” in Finnish |
| Mira | Feminine | Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada | From Sanskrit mira, “sea, ocean”; the name of a 16th-century Indian princess devoted to the god Krishna |
| Itsaso | Feminine | Basque | “Ocean” in Basque |
| Pelagia | Feminine | Ancient Greek, Greek, Polish (Rare) | Feminine form of Pelagius, from Greek pelagos, “the sea”; the name of a few early saints |
| Manami | Feminine | Japanese | From 愛 (mana) “love, affection” combined with 美 (mi) “beautiful” or 海 (mi) “sea, ocean”; other kanji are possible |
| Nanami | Feminine | Japanese | From 七 (nana) “seven” and 海 (mi) “sea”; it can also be written with characters meaning “greens” and “beautiful” |
| Vaimiti | Feminine | Tahitian | From Tahitian vai “water” and miti “sea, salt” |
| Jūratė | Feminine | Lithuanian | From Lithuanian jūra, “sea”; a sea goddess who falls in love with a fisherman in the folktale Jūratė and Kastytis |
| Nereida | Feminine | Spanish | From Greek Nereides, “nymphs, sea sprites”, the daughters of the sea god Nereus |
| Nerissa | Feminine | Literature | Created by Shakespeare for The Merchant of Venice (1596), possibly from Greek Nereis, “nymph, sea sprite” |
Notice the Japanese names. Manami and Nanami each can include the character 海 (sea), but Japanese names depend on how they are written, and both can be spelled with other characters that have nothing to do with water. If the sea meaning matters to you, choose the kanji on purpose. Our Japanese girl names guide explains how characters change a name’s meaning.
Wave names are a lovely, slightly less obvious corner of the theme. Hebrew is especially rich here, with Adva (“small wave, ripple”), Gali (“my wave”) and Galia, an elaboration of Gal.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naia | Feminine | Basque | “Wave, sea foam” in Basque |
| Adva | Feminine | Hebrew | “Small wave, ripple” in Hebrew |
| Gali | Feminine | Hebrew | “My wave” in Hebrew |
| Galia | Feminine | Hebrew | Elaboration of Gal, “wave”; it can also be read as “wave from God” |
| Laine | Feminine | Estonian | “Wave” in Estonian |
| Urmila | Feminine | Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Odia | From Sanskrit urmi, “wave, billow”; in the Ramayana, the wife of Lakshmana and younger sister of Sita |
| Undine | Feminine | Literature | From Latin unda, “wave”; the word was created by the 16th-century Swiss author Paracelsus for female water spirits |
| Valdete | Feminine | Albanian | From Albanian valë “wave” and det “sea, ocean” |
| Meltem | Feminine | Turkish | “Sea wind” in Turkish |
Undine has an unusual history: the reference says it was coined by the Swiss author Paracelsus in the 16th century as a word for female water spirits, built on Latin unda, “wave”. Urmila comes from Sanskrit and belongs to a character in the Ramayana, so it pairs a sea meaning with a long literary tradition.
Irish, Welsh and Cornish give a surprising number of sea names, because Old Irish muir and Welsh and Cornish mor both mean “sea”. Muriel, which sounds thoroughly English and vintage, is actually an anglicized form of Irish Muirgel, “bright sea”.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muirenn | Feminine | Old Irish, Irish Mythology | From Old Irish muir “sea” and finn “white, blessed”; another name of Muirne, mother of the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill |
| Muireann | Feminine | Irish, Irish Mythology | Variant of Muirenn (“sea” plus “white, blessed”) |
| Muirgel | Feminine | Old Irish | “Bright sea”, from Old Irish muir “sea” and gel “bright” |
| Muriel | Feminine | English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized) | Anglicized form of Irish Muirgel (“bright sea”) and Scottish Muireall; brought to medieval England by Breton settlers |
| Muirgen | Feminine | Irish Mythology | “Born of the sea” in Irish; in legend, a woman (first named Lí Ban) who was turned into a mermaid and, after 300 years, back into a woman |
| Meraud | Feminine | Cornish | Meaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish mor, “sea” |
| Morgen | Feminine | Arthurian Cycle | Earlier form of the Arthurian name Morgan; likely from Old Welsh mor “sea” and the suffix gen “born of” |
| Morgana | Feminine | English (Rare) | Feminine form of the Welsh Morgan (possibly “sea” plus “circle”) |
| Morgane | Feminine | French | Either a form of the Arthurian Morgan (“sea” plus “born of”) or a feminine form of the Welsh Morgan |
Morgen, Morgana and Morgane all connect to the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, and the reference keeps two roots apart: the Welsh masculine Morgan (possibly “sea” plus “circle”) and the Arthurian Morgen (likely “sea” plus “born of”). Either way, the sea is in there. For more names in this tradition, see our Irish girl names.
Pearl and Coral Names for Girls
Pearls and coral grow in the sea, and almost every language has turned its word for pearl into a girl’s name. That makes this one of the easiest ways to choose an ocean name with a long history and a soft, classic sound.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perla | Feminine | Italian, Spanish | Italian and Spanish cognate of Pearl |
| Perle | Feminine | French, Yiddish | French and Yiddish cognate of Pearl; also a Yiddish vernacular form of Margalit |
| Mererid | Feminine | Welsh | “Pearl, gem” in Welsh, from Latin margarita |
| Margalit | Feminine | Hebrew | “Pearl” in Hebrew, ultimately from Greek margarites |
| Pnina | Feminine | Hebrew | “Pearl” in Hebrew |
| Peninnah | Feminine | Biblical | “Pearl, coral, precious stone” in Hebrew; in the Old Testament, one of the wives of Elkanah |
| İnci | Feminine | Turkish, Azerbaijani | “Pearl” in Turkish and Azerbaijani |
| Jumana | Feminine | Arabic | “Pearl” in Arabic |
| Morvarid | Feminine | Persian | “Pearl” in Persian |
| Gyöngyi | Feminine | Hungarian | From Hungarian gyöngy, “pearl”, of Turkic origin |
| Shinju | Feminine | Japanese | From Japanese 真珠 (shinju), “pearl” |
| Momi | Feminine | Hawaiian | “Pearl” in Hawaiian |
| Leimomi | Feminine | Hawaiian | “Pearl lei” or “pearl child”, from Hawaiian lei “flowers, lei, child” and momi “pearl” |
| Poema | Feminine | Tahitian | From Tahitian poe “pearl” and mā “clean, pure, clear” |
| Sadaf | Feminine | Arabic, Persian, Urdu | “Seashell, mother-of-pearl” in Arabic |
| Coralie | Feminine | French | Either a French form of Koralia or from Latin coralium, “coral” |
| Koralia | Feminine | Greek, Late Greek | From Ancient Greek korallion, “coral”; the name of an obscure 4th-century saint |
| Marjan | Feminine | Persian, Kazakh | “Coral” in Persian and Kazakh, of Arabic origin |
Sadaf is a nice find: the entry gives its meaning as “seashell, mother-of-pearl” in Arabic, so it covers both the shell and the pearl. Peninnah, from the Old Testament, has a meaning the reference gives as “pearl, coral, precious stone”, which puts it in two of our themes at once.
The biggest pearl name of all is Margaret. Behind the Name traces it through Latin Margarita to Greek margarites, “pearl”, and it has produced a long line of forms and nicknames. Each of the names below has its own entry that leads back to Margaret, so the pearl meaning travels with them.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret | Feminine | English | From Latin Margarita, from Greek margarites, “pearl”; Saint Margaret of Antioch is the patron of expectant mothers |
| Margarita | Feminine | Spanish, Russian, Bulgarian, Greek and more | Latin form of Margaret (“pearl”); also the Spanish word for the daisy flower |
| Marguerite | Feminine | French | French form of Margaret; also the French word for the daisy flower |
| Margot | Feminine | French, German | French short form of Marguerite |
| Greta | Feminine | German, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Polish, English | Short form of Margareta, a form of Margaret used in several languages |
| Mairead | Feminine | Scottish Gaelic | Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret |
| Maisie | Feminine | Scottish, English | Scottish diminutive of Mairead |
| Megan | Feminine | Welsh, English | Welsh diminutive of Margaret, usually used as a name on its own |
| Meg | Feminine | English | Medieval diminutive of Margaret; now also a short form of Megan |
| Maggie | Feminine | English | Diminutive of Margaret |
| Peggy | Feminine | English | Medieval variant of Meggy, a diminutive of Margaret; the reason the M became a P is unknown |
| Marjorie | Feminine | English | Medieval variant of Margery (the medieval English form of Margaret), influenced by the herb marjoram |
| Rita | Feminine | Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English and more | Short form of Margherita (the Italian form of Margaret) and other names ending in rita |
If you want the pearl meaning without a word name, this family gives you every style: a classic (Margaret), a French twist (Margot, Marguerite), a vintage nickname (Maggie, Peggy, Maisie) or a short, strong name (Greta, Rita). Marguerite and Margarita are also the words for the daisy in French and Spanish, so they suit a garden-and-sea pairing too.
Ocean Names for Boys
Boys’ sea names lean on Latin, Irish, Welsh and languages across Asia and the Pacific. Marinus and its forms Marin and Marino are the classic choices; Murchadh and its Scottish form Murdo carry the sea inside a warrior meaning (“sea battle”).
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marinus | Masculine | Ancient Roman, Dutch | From the Roman cognomen Marinus, from the family name Marius or Latin marinus, “of the sea”; Saint Marinus built a chapel in what is now San Marino |
| Marin | Masculine | Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, French | Form of Marinus (“of the sea”) |
| Marino | Masculine | Italian, Spanish | Italian and Spanish form of Marinus |
| Murchadh | Masculine | Medieval Irish, Scottish Gaelic | “Sea battle”, from Old Irish muir “sea” and cath “battle”; borne by several medieval Irish chieftains and kings |
| Murdo | Masculine | Scottish | Anglicized form of Murchadh (“sea battle”) |
| Muir | Masculine | Scottish | From a Scottish surname from Scots muir, “moor, fen”; it can also be inspired by Scottish Gaelic muir, “sea” |
| Myrddin | Masculine | Welsh Mythology, Welsh | Original Welsh form of Merlin, probably from the Romano-British town Moridunum: Celtic mori “sea” and dunom “rampart, hill fort” |
| Merlin | Masculine | Arthurian Cycle, English | Form of Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century; the magician and counselor of King Arthur |
| Pelagius | Masculine | Ancient Greek (Latinized) | Latinized form of Pelagios, from Greek pelagos, “the sea”; the name of several saints and two popes |
| Kaito | Masculine | Japanese | From 海 (kai) “sea, ocean” with 斗 (to), a Chinese constellation, or 翔 (to) “soar, fly”; other kanji are possible |
| Hải | Masculine | Vietnamese | From Sino-Vietnamese 海 (hải), “sea, ocean” |
| Sagar | Masculine | Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi | Modern form of Sagara, “sea, ocean” in Sanskrit |
| Sagara | Masculine | Hinduism, Sinhalese | “Sea, ocean” in Sanskrit; in Hindu legend, a king of Ayodhya |
| Tengiz | Masculine | Georgian | From Turkic tengiz, “sea, ocean” |
| Gyatso | Masculine | Tibetan | From Tibetan rgya-mtsho, “ocean”; one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso |
| Heremoana | Masculine | Tahitian | From Tahitian here “loved, dear” and moana “ocean” |
| Malik | Masculine | Greenlandic | “Wave, sea” in Greenlandic |
| Vilnis | Masculine | Latvian | “Wave” in Latvian |
Two of these come with a caution. Muir is first a Scottish surname meaning “moor, fen”, and the reference only says it can also be inspired by the Gaelic word for sea. Merlin and Myrddin reach the sea through a place name, the Romano-British town Moridunum (“sea” plus “hill fort”), so the link is real but indirect.
Kaito is the boy’s counterpart to the Japanese girls’ names above: the 海 character means “sea, ocean”, and the second character can mean a constellation or “soar, fly”. Gyatso, from Tibetan, means “ocean” and is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.
Want more boys’ names in this spirit? See our unique boy names list. If a sea god in the mythology section below catches your eye (Triton, Tangaroa or Glaucus, say), our boy names that start with T and boy names that start with G lists have more boys’ names with those first letters.
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Gender-Neutral Sea and Ocean Names
Several ocean names are listed for both boys and girls. Ocean, Kai, Moana and Morgan are in the first table; the names below round out the unisex set. The gender column copies each entry’s own label, in the order the reference gives it.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deniz | Feminine & Masculine | Turkish | “Sea” in Turkish |
| Kaimana | Masculine & Feminine | Hawaiian | From Hawaiian kai “ocean, sea” and mana “power”; also a Hawaiian word for “diamond” |
| Hai | Masculine & Feminine | Chinese | From 海 (hǎi), “sea, ocean”, or other characters pronounced similarly |
| Haiyang | Masculine & Feminine | Chinese | From 海 (hǎi) “sea, ocean” with 洋 (yáng) “ocean” or 阳 (yáng) “light, sun, male” |
| Haiyan | Feminine & Masculine | Chinese | From 海 (hǎi) “sea, ocean” and 燕 (yàn) “swallow (bird)”; other characters are possible |
| Tasi | Feminine & Masculine | Chamorro | “Sea, ocean” in Chamorro |
| Lwandle | Masculine & Feminine | Zulu, Xhosa | “Ocean” in Zulu and Xhosa |
| Adetokunbo | Masculine & Feminine | Yoruba | “The crown returns from over the sea” in Yoruba |
| Teremoana | Feminine & Masculine | Cook Islands Māori | “Journey to the ocean”, from tere “journey, voyage” and moana “ocean” |
| Almog | Masculine & Feminine | Hebrew | “Coral” in Hebrew |
| Gal | Feminine & Masculine | Hebrew | “Wave” in Hebrew |
| Minami | Feminine & Masculine | Japanese | From 南 (minami) “south”, or from 美 (mi) “beautiful” and 波 (nami) “wave” |
| Murphy | Masculine & Feminine | English | From the Irish surname Ó Murchadha, from the given name Murchadh, “sea battle” |
Deniz (Turkish) and Tasi (Chamorro) are about as direct as an ocean name can be: each simply means “sea”. Adetokunbo, a Yoruba name, has a lovely full-sentence meaning, “the crown returns from over the sea”. Murphy is a surname name with a sea story inside: it comes from Ó Murchadha, from the given name Murchadh, “sea battle”.
For more names that work for any baby, see our list of gender-neutral names.
Coastal, Harbor and Sailor Names
If the open ocean feels too big, coastal names bring the theme to the beach, the harbor and the people who work at sea. These are some of the most practical ocean names for everyday life, because several are short and easy to say.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagisa | Feminine & Masculine | Japanese | From 渚 (nagisa), “beach, shore”; it can also come from characters meaning “calm” and “blossom” or “sand” |
| Minato | Masculine & Feminine | Japanese | From 港 or 湊 (minato), both meaning “harbor” |
| Kumsal | Feminine | Turkish | “Beach” in Turkish |
| Sahil | Masculine | Azerbaijani, Hindi, Urdu | “Coast, shore”, in each language a borrowing from Arabic sahil |
| Levent | Masculine | Turkish | From the Ottoman Turkish levend, a member of the navy; the Turkish word now means “tall, handsome, roguish” |
| Navy | Feminine & Masculine | English (Modern) | From the word navy, “sea force, fleet”, from Latin navigium, “boat, vessel”; also the dark blue of naval uniforms |
| Saylor | Feminine | English (Modern) | From an English surname from Old French sailleor, “acrobat, dancer”; as a modern name it can also come from the word sailor |
| Sailor | Feminine | English (Rare) | Variant of Saylor, the less common spelling |
| Fisher | Masculine | English | From an English surname meaning “fisherman” |
| Shell | Feminine | English | Short form of Michelle or Shelley, or simply from the word shell (Old English sciell) |
Saylor and Sailor deserve a note. The reference says Saylor started as an English surname from an Old French word for an acrobat or dancer, and that as a modern given name it can also come from the word sailor. Shell, too, is first a short form of Michelle or Shelley. Both are fine ocean names; you just know the full story. Levent is the other way around: it began as a naval term and has drifted toward “tall, handsome, roguish” in modern Turkish.
Ocean Mythology Names: Sea Goddesses, Nymphs and Gods
Greek mythology alone is full of sea figures: Poseidon and Amphitrite, the Titans Okeanos and Tethys, and the Nereids, the sea nymph daughters of Nereus and Doris. Norse, Irish, Welsh, Hindu, Polynesian and Inuit traditions add their own. We print only what each entry says about the figure, not later retellings.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thalassa | Feminine | Greek Mythology | “Sea” in Greek; the personification of the sea, and the namesake of a small moon of Neptune |
| Amphitrite | Feminine | Greek Mythology | Possibly “the surrounding sea” or “the surrounding third”; a goddess of the sea and salt water, wife of Poseidon and mother of Triton |
| Tethys | Feminine | Greek Mythology | From Greek tethe, “grandmother”; a Titan associated with the sea and the wife of Oceanus |
| Thetis | Feminine | Greek Mythology | Possibly from Greek thetes, “one who places”; one of the Nereids, and the mother of Achilles |
| Doris | Feminine | English, German, Swedish, Greek Mythology and more | From Greek, “Dorian woman”; in Greek mythology, a sea nymph and one of the children of Oceanus and Tethys |
| Galatea | Feminine | Greek Mythology (Latinized) | Probably from Greek gala, “milk”; among other figures, a sea nymph who was the daughter of Doris and Nereus |
| Galene | Feminine | Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology | Feminine form of Galenos (“calm”); a minor Greek goddess who personified calm seas |
| Actaea | Feminine | Greek Mythology (Latinized) | From Greek akte, “shore, headland”; one of the Nereids |
| Calypso | Feminine | Greek Mythology (Latinized) | Probably “she that conceals”; the nymph who fell in love with Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia |
| Alcyone | Feminine | Greek Mythology (Latinized) | From Greek alkyon, “kingfisher”; after her husband died in a shipwreck, the gods turned them both into kingfishers |
| Sedna | Feminine | New World Mythology | Meaning unknown; the Inuit goddess of the sea, sea animals and the underworld |
Read the meanings closely here, because several of these names do not literally mean “sea” even though the figure is a sea goddess. Tethys means “grandmother”, Thetis possibly “one who places”, Galatea probably comes from the word for “milk”, and Calypso probably means “she that conceals”. Thalassa is the exception: it is the Greek word for sea.
| Name | Gender | Origin / Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poseidon | Masculine | Greek Mythology | Possibly from Greek posis “husband, lord” and da “earth”; the god of the sea and earthquakes, brother of Zeus, often shown with a trident |
| Neptune | Masculine | Roman Mythology (Anglicized) | From Latin Neptunus, of unknown meaning (possibly linked to a root meaning “wet, damp, clouds”); the Roman god of the sea |
| Triton | Masculine | Greek Mythology | Meaning uncertain: possibly related to a root meaning “the sea”, or to Greek treis, “three”; the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite |
| Nereus | Masculine | Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Biblical and more | From Greek neros, “water, fresh”; a god of the sea and the father of the Nereids |
| Proteus | Masculine | Greek Mythology | From Greek protos, “first”; a prophetic god of the sea; Shakespeare later used the name in The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| Glaucus | Masculine | Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized) | From Glaukos, “bluish grey”; the name of a Greek sea god and other figures of legend |
| Okeanos | Masculine | Greek Mythology | From the river or body of water the ancient Greeks thought surrounded the Earth; the Titan who personified it (Oceanus is the Latinized form) |
| Pontus | Masculine | Greek Mythology (Latinized) | Latinized form of Greek Pontos, “sea”; a Greek god of the sea and a son of Gaia |
| Ægir | Masculine | Norse Mythology | “Sea, ocean” in Old Norse; a god or giant (jotunn) who lived under the ocean |
| Njord | Masculine | Norse Mythology, Swedish (Rare), Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare) | From Old Norse Njǫrðr, perhaps from a root meaning “strong, vigorous”; the Norse god associated with the sea, sailing, fishing and fertility |
| Ler | Masculine | Irish Mythology | “The sea” in Old Irish; probably an Irish god or personification of the sea, best known as the father of Manannán mac Lir |
| Lir | Masculine | Irish Mythology | Possibly from the patronymic Manannán mac Lir (the genitive of Ler); in the legend the Children of Lir, his children are turned into swans |
| Llŷr | Masculine | Welsh Mythology | “The sea” in Welsh; in the Mabinogi, the father of Brân, Branwen and Manawydan, probably once regarded as a sea god |
| Varuna | Masculine | Hinduism | Probably from Sanskrit vr, “to surround, to encompass”; a Hindu god of water and the ocean, also linked with the sky and law |
| Tangaroa | Masculine | Polynesian Mythology | Meaning unknown; in Polynesian mythology, the god of the sea and a son of Rangi and Papa |
The same pattern holds for the gods. Poseidon possibly combines “husband, lord” and “earth”, and Neptune’s meaning is unknown. If you want the sea in the meaning itself, Ægir (“sea, ocean”), Pontus (“sea”), Ler (“the sea”) and Llŷr (“the sea”) are the clearest choices. Some myths are also intense: Poseidon is called “unruly” in his entry, and in some legends Sedna is thrown into the ocean by her father. It is worth reading a figure’s story before you pick the name. For more names with a story behind them, see our unique girl names.
Spelling, Accents and Pronunciation
Ocean names come from dozens of languages, and several carry letters that English does not use. We print each one exactly as its entry spells it: Océane, Hafdís, Jūratė, İnci, Gyöngyi, Ægir, Llŷr and Hải. U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents and special characters, so decide early how you want the name to appear on documents and in everyday use.
A few practical tips:
- Turkish dotted İ: the entries for Deniz and İnci note that Turkish writes these names with a dotted capital İ (DENİZ, İNCİ). Decide which form you will use on paperwork and which you will use day to day.
- Japanese and Chinese names: meaning depends on the characters. Kaito, Manami, Nanami, Minami, Nagisa and Minato only carry a sea, wave, shore or harbor meaning when written with those specific characters.
- Look-alikes: Marina, Maren, Marin, Marino and Marinus share a root, but Maren can also come from Maria, so its sea link is a “may” rather than a “must”.
- Pronunciation: when you are unsure how a name from another language is said, the pronunciation notes on the name’s own entry are a good place to start, and so is a native speaker you trust.
Nicknames, Sibling Sets and Middle Name Pairings
Many ocean names come with built-in nicknames, and each link here comes from the entries on this page. Margaret gives you Maggie, Meg, Peggy, Greta and Rita; Maren is a Danish diminutive of Marina (and Marnie possibly one); Murchadh gives Murdo; and Myrddin gives Merlin.
Sibling sets. Matching by theme works nicely: Pearl, Coral and Perla (treasures of the sea); Marina and Marin (the same Latin root, one for a girl and one for a boy); Kai, Moana and Kailani (Hawaiian and Polynesian); Muriel, Muirenn and Murphy (Irish sea names); Thalassa, Doris and Galene (Greek sea figures).
Middle name pairings. A short sea name makes an easy middle name for a longer first name, and the reverse works too. A few pairings built only from names on this page: Margaret Mar, Marina Pearl, Caspian Kai, Coralie Mira, Dylan Marin, Kailani Shell, Muriel Coral, Océane Naia and Morgan Moana. Our middle names guide covers rhythm, flow and family names in more depth.
Twins? Pearl-and-coral pairs (Margalit and Almog in Hebrew; Perla and Coral in Spanish) or wave-and-sea pairs (Gal and Deniz) give you a matched set without rhyming.
How to Choose an Ocean Name
Once you have a shortlist of ocean names, a few quick checks can help you decide:
- Decide how direct you want it: some names simply mean sea (Mar, Meri, Deniz, Thalassa); others reach the sea through a form, a myth or a place (Merlin, Morgan, Galatea). Both are fine, but know which one you are choosing.
- Read the full meaning: a sea goddess’s name may not mean sea at all, and a few myths are dark. Read the table row and the story before you commit.
- Say it with your last name: many ocean names end in a vowel (Marina, Moana, Naia), so try them with your surname to hear whether the sounds run together.
- Check the initials: write the first, middle and last initials together and make sure they do not spell a word you would rather avoid.
- Think about everyday use: a word name like Ocean or Navy is instantly clear to everyone; a name like Muirgel or Itsaso may need spelling out, which some families enjoy and others do not.
- Look up popularity: the Social Security Administration’s baby name site shows how often a name has been given over time. None of the names on this page is in the SSA’s 2025 top 10 for boys or girls, so even the familiar ones are not among the most common choices.
If your family has a link to the sea (a coastal hometown, a sailor grandparent, a heritage language with its own word for the ocean), that personal story often matters more than any list. Use the tables as a starting point and let the name earn its place.
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The Bottom Line
Ocean names cover a lot of water: direct sea words like Marina, Ocean, Moana and Kai; wave names like Naia, Adva and Gal; pearl and coral names like Pearl, Margaret, Perla and Coralie; boys’ names like Dylan, Marin and Kaito; and sea figures like Thalassa, Amphitrite and Triton. Shortlist three to five, read each meaning, say each one with your last name, and pick the one that still feels right a week later.
Whichever name you choose, a sea name carries a little of the coast with it wherever your child goes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good ocean names for a baby?
Familiar ocean names include Marina, from Latin for of the sea; Kai, Hawaiian for sea; Ocean; Moana, ocean or deep sea in Polynesian languages; Dylan, from Welsh words for tide or flow; Pearl and Coral. Less common choices include Itsaso, Basque for ocean, and Deniz, Turkish for sea. Each meaning here comes from the name’s own Behind the Name entry.
What girl name means sea?
Girl names that mean sea include Mar in Spanish and Catalan, Meri in Finnish, Thalassa in Greek, Derya in Turkish and Darya in Persian. Marina and Maris mean of the sea, Maristela means star of the sea, and Muirgel, an Old Irish name, means bright sea. Muriel is an anglicized form of Muirgel.
What boy name means ocean or sea?
Boy names with a sea or ocean meaning include Marinus and its forms Marin and Marino (of the sea), Kaito (written with the Japanese character for sea), Sagar and Sagara (sea or ocean in Sanskrit), Tengiz (from a Turkic word for sea), Gyatso (Tibetan for ocean) and Hải, a Vietnamese name meaning sea.
What is a gender-neutral name that means ocean?
Unisex names with an ocean meaning include Ocean, Moana and Kai (Hawaiian for sea), Deniz (Turkish for sea), Tasi (Chamorro for sea or ocean), Lwandle (Zulu and Xhosa for ocean) and Teremoana, a Cook Islands Māori name meaning journey to the ocean. Almog, a Hebrew name meaning coral, is also used for both boys and girls.
What names mean wave?
Wave names include Naia, Basque for wave or sea foam; Gal and Gali, Hebrew for wave and my wave; Adva, Hebrew for small wave or ripple; Laine, Estonian for wave; Urmila, from Sanskrit for wave or billow; Vilnis, Latvian for wave; and Undine, from Latin for wave, a word Paracelsus created for female water spirits.
What are some names of sea goddesses and gods?
Greek sea figures include Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton, Thalassa, Nereus, Tethys and Okeanos. From other traditions there are Ægir and Njord in Norse mythology, Ler and Lir in Irish mythology, Llŷr in Welsh mythology, Varuna in Hinduism, Tangaroa in Polynesian mythology and Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea. Several of these names do not literally mean sea.
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7 Sources
- Social Security Administration. Popular Baby Names (top 10 names of 2025 and the Popularity of a Name tool).
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/index.html - Behind the Name. Names that mean sea.
https://www.behindthename.com/names/meaning/sea - Behind the Name. Names that mean ocean.
https://www.behindthename.com/names/meaning/ocean - Behind the Name. Names that mean wave.
https://www.behindthename.com/names/meaning/wave - Behind the Name. Names that mean pearl.
https://www.behindthename.com/names/meaning/pearl - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Marina.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/marina - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Dylan.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/dylan
