100 Beautiful Names That Mean “Ocean” or “Sea”

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Plus, mythical names inspired by the ocean

Co-authored by Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: October 1, 2025 Fact Checked

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Girls

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Boys

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Gender-Neutral

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Mythical

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Nautical

The ocean is beautiful, powerful, and the perfect inspiration for baby names! In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 100 of the most beautiful names that mean “ocean” or “sea” for boys and girls, as well as names inspired by sea myths or nautical terms with suggestions from naming consultants Hayley Elizabeth Wilson, PhD, and Sonya Prior.

Ocean-Inspired Names for Boys & Girls

Naming consultant and childhood expert Hayley Elizabeth Wilson, PhD, likes the ocean-inspired names Mira, Maris, and Thalassa for girls and the names Dylan, Caspian, and Kai for boys. Here are some other cute ocean-inspired baby names:

For girls: Cordelia, Darya, Marina, Naia, Nanami
For boys: Kaito, Makai, Malik, Ronan, Takumi
Unisex: Bo, Deniz, Moana, Morgan, Ocean

Section 1 of 5:

Girl Names That Mean “Ocean”

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Choose a girl name that’s beautiful and powerful like the ocean. “The ocean can inspire names that feel fluid, wild, and deeply poetic,” says Dr. Wilson.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson
Naming Consultant and Childhood Expert

Expert Interview} If you’re looking for a girls’ name that feels both peaceful and powerful, try one of the following:
- Alda (Icelandic for “wave”)
- Asherah (Hebrew for “lady of the sea”)
- Cordelia (Celtic for “daughter of the sea”)^{[2]
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  Sonya Prior
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- Darya (Persian for “sea”)
- Derya (Turkish for “ocean”)
- Itsaso (Basque for “ocean”)
- Kailani (Hawaiian for “sea and sky”)
- Manami (Japanese for “beautiful ocean”)
- Mar (Spanish for “sea”)
- Marina (Latin for “of the sea”)^{[3]
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- Maris (English for “of the sea”)
- Marisol (Spanish for “sunlight on the sea”)
- Maristela (Latin for “star of the sea”)
- Meraud (Cornish for “sea”)
- Meri (Finnish for “sea”)
- Merike (Estonian for “sea”)
- Mira (Sanskrit for “ocean”)
- Muirenn (Irish for “born of the sea”)
- Muirgel (Gaelic for “bright sea”)
- Muirgen (Irish for “born of the sea”)
- Naia (Basque for “wave, sea foam”)
- Nanami (Japanese for “seven seas”)
- Océane (French for “ocean”)
- Thalassa (Greek for “sea”)
- Vaimiti (Tahitian for “water, sea, salt”)
- Yōko (Japanese for “ocean child”)
- Want even more options? Check out our Ocean Names for Girls article!
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Hayley Elizabeth Wilson, PhD, is a naming consultant and early childhood expert based in Liverpool, England. She shares name meanings and naming tips on social media @little_name_library to over 20K followers on Instagram.

Sonya Prior is a name consultant known as the BB Namer based in Auckland, New Zealand. She shares name content on social media to over 30k followers across Instagram and TikTok.

Section 2 of 5:

Boy Names That Mean “Ocean”

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Go for a strong, yet calming name for a boy. Many boys’ names have tough, masculine meanings, but it’s important to embrace the softer side, too. Since the ocean is both beautiful and strong, choose a sea-inspired name to encourage your son to get in touch with his feminine and masculine sides:
- Alon (Tagalog for “wave”)
- Gyatso (Tibetan for “ocean”)
- Hải (Vietnamese for “ocean”)
- Heremoana (Maoiri for “beloved ocean”)
- Kaito (Japanese for “ocean soaring”)
- Makai (Hawaiian for “toward the sea”)
- Malik (Arabic for “ocean, king”)
- Marinus (Latin for “of the sea”)
- Marvin (Welsh and Old English for “sea friend”)
- Muir (Scottish for “sea, moor”)
- Murchadh (Irish for “sea warrior”)
- Murdo (Scottish for “sea battle”)
- Oceanus (Greek for “the sea flowing around the known world”)
- Pelagius (Greek for “of the sea”)
- Pontius (Roman and Greek for “sea, fifth”)
- Rafferty (Irish for “flood tide”)
- Sæwine (Old English for “sea friend”)
- Takumi (Japanese for “expansive ocean”)
- Tengiz (Georgian for “sea”)
- Yōsuke (Japanese for “ocean assistance”)
- Interested in water names in general? Take a look at our Names That Mean Water article for even more ideas!

Section 3 of 5:

Gender-Neutral Names That Mean “Ocean”

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Go for a name that could work for any gender. Whether you’re unsure of your baby’s gender or you simply prefer gender-neutral names, there are plenty of unisex ocean names from across cultures. Here are some interesting options:
- Adetokunbo (Yoruba for “came from across the sea”)
- Bo (Chinese for “wave”)
- Deniz (Turkish for “sea”)
- Hai (Chinese for “sea”)
- Kai (Hawaiian for “sea”)
- Kaimana (Hawaiian for “power of the sea”)^{[4]
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- Lwandle (Zulu and Xhosa for “ocean”)
- Moana (Polynesian for “ocean, sea”)
- Morgan (Welsh for “sea circle”)
- Ocean (English for “ocean”)
- Tasi (Chamorro for “ocean”)
- Yang (Chinese for “ocean”)

Section 4 of 5:

Mythical Ocean Names

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Get inspiration from your favorite ocean myth. A good ocean name doesn’t have to mean “sea” or “ocean” specifically. Baby naming expert and content creator Sonya Prior also recommends checking out names that are connected to mythological sea figures; there may even be some "normal" names you didn't realize were connected to ocean mythology, like Dylan!^{[5]
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Expert Source

Sonya Prior
Baby Naming Expert and Content Creator

Expert Interview} Here are some of our favorites:
- Ægir (Norse god of the sea)
- Amphitrite (Greek sea goddess and wife of Poseidon)
- Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam)
- Ceto (Greek goddess of sea monsters)
- Doris (Greek Oceanid nymph)
- Dylan (Welsh sea god, name meaning “great tide”)^{[6]
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  Sonya Prior
  Baby Naming Expert and Content Creator
  
  Expert Interview}
- Erasmus (Greek patron saint of sailors)
- Jūratė (Lithuanian sea goddess)
- Ler (Irish sea god)
- Llŷr (Welsh sea deity)
- Mazu (Chinese sea goddess)
- Nehalennia (German goddess of the North Sea)
- Neptune (Roman god of the sea)
- Nereida (daughter of the Greek sea god Nereus)
- Nixie (German for “water nymph”)
- Tiamat (Mesopotamian sea goddess)
- Triton (son of the Greek sea god Poseidon)
- Veruna (Hindu god of the ocean and water)
- Yam (Canaanite god of the sea)
- Yemoja (Mother of fish in Yoruba mythology)
- These mythical names also work great if you’re naming a mermaid or merman character!

Section 5 of 5:

Nautical-Inspired Names

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Choose a name inspired by the sea. If you don’t like any names that mean “ocean” directly, Dr. Wilson suggests looking at nature-inspired names, like Coral, Isla, or Sereia.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson
Naming Consultant and Childhood Expert

Expert Interview} These names remind us of the sea, even if they technically mean something different. Here are some other examples:
- Aden (English for “little fire;” after the Gulf of Aden)
- Adrian (Latin for “from Hadria;” after the Adriatic Sea)
- Adrianna (Latin for “from Hadria;” after the Adriatic Sea)
- Anchor (English for “stability”)
- Aqua (Latin for “water”)
- Aegle (Greek for “light;” after the Aegean Sea)
- Bay (English for “sea inlet”)
- Caspian (Greek and Latin for “from Qazvin;” after the Caspian Sea)
- Coral (Latin for “sea organism, small stone”)^{[8]
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- India (Latin and Sanskrit for “the Indus River;” after the Indian Ocean)
- Isla (Scottish for “island”)
- Jenna (English for “white wave”)
- Kara (Italian for “beloved;” after the Kara Sea)
- Medina (Arabic for “city;” after the Mediterranean Sea)
- Navy (British for “a fleet of ships, dark blue”)
- Pacífica (Spanish for “peacemaker;” after the Pacific Ocean)
- Pearl (English for “gem formed in a mollusk”)
- Ronan (Irish for “little seal”)
- Ross (Scottish and English for “headland;” after the Ross Sea)
- Sandy (English for “of sand”)
- Skipper (English for “boatman”)
- Timor (Malay for “east;” after the Timor Sea)