Life
Since Kylie Jenner announced the name of her newborn daughter — Stormi Webster, as if you didn't already know — internet searches for weather-related baby names have spiked by approximately 8,000 percent. Okay, I made that statistic up, but it's probably not that far away from the truth: Every little move the Kardashian-Jenner family makes is crazy influential, for one thing; for another, Kylie is just keeping up with a nature-infused naming trend that was already well on its way to being the next big thing. If you're feeling this fad, you might be wondering: What are some other names inspired by meteorological events?
First, you might be interested to know that this "trend" is, in fact, nothing terribly new. (You might already know this if you grew up in the 70's and there was a kid named Rain in your class at school.) Back in 2016, an article in CityLab reported, Alaskan meteorologist Brian Brettschneider used birth data from the Social Security Administration to compile a chart ranking weather and climate baby names by popularity:
So Kylie clearly was far from the first mom to choose her daughter's name (though she did go with a non-traditional spelling). Still, there are plenty of weather-related baby names that didn't make this chart — including a few you probably haven't thought of yet, and some are super subtle, too.
1
Amaya
A Spanish name related to the ever popular Maya, Amaya means "night rain" according to Nameberry, and has made it into the top 250 baby names for the past several years. (Actress Mariska Hargitay chose this one for her daughter.)
2
Windy
A variant on the English name Wendy (according to the website Think Baby Names), Windy means "friend" — not "blustery" or "gusty," as you might have assumed.
3
Coro
Unlike Windy, this Native American name actually means "windy" (or it's at least thought to come from an indigenous word for "wind," according to Nameberry).
4
Yuki
Perfect for winter babies, this Japanese name means "snow" (extra points because one of its alternative meanings is "happiness," according to Behind the Name).
5
Blaze
Okay, so the meaning of this Latin-derived name isn't at all climate-esque (Nameberry defines it as "one who stutters"). But it still has a wildfire, blazin' hot sort of connotation to it, don't you think?
6
Tempest
A dramatic choice with a Shakespearean vibe, Tempest comes from the English word meaning "storm," according to Behind the Name.
7
Taren
Not only does Taren sound like a new character on Game of Thrones, but according to SheKnows, this Welsh baby name has a powerful meaning: Thunder.
8
Hanish
With all those Tempests and Tarens and Stormies out there, we're gonna need a Hanish or two in the bunch: This name from the Gilgamesh Epic is defined as "one who forewarns of storms" on Nameberry.
9
Zephyr
Yet another name inspired by the movement of air, Zephyr is listed on Baby Name Wizard as "meaning a light or west wind" and can also refer to a Greek god.
10
Eira
This Welsh baby name is defined as "snow" on The Bump, which makes it another appropriate option for little girls born during the cold weather months.
11
Misty
A popular choice back in the '70s, according to Baby Name Wizard (maybe because of the Clint Eastwood movie Play Misty for Me?), this name could be coming back around thanks to the popularity of ballerina Misty Copeland.
12
Sunny
Unsurprisingly, BabyCenter lists the meaning for this cheerful name as "brilliant, of the sun" — which more or less guarantees your little one will light up the room for life.
13
Frost
You probably think of this one more as a surname (think poet Robert Frost), but Ancestry also lists Frost as a "nickname for someone of an icy and unbending disposition or who had white hair or a white beard." Not exactly traits you associate with a baby, but still a cool name — get it?
14
Hurricane
It'll be hurricane season all year round at your house if you go with this one, so get ready! As Nameberry points out, this unusual option isn't actually unheard of, thanks to tennis star Hurricane Black.
15
Tornado
Speaking of names based on potentially catastrophic acts of nature, there's also Tornado to consider. While the word has come to mean "whirlwind," according to Nameberry, it also happens to be the name of Hurricane Black's sister (also a tennis player).
16
Rain
Practically a hippie kid classic, Baby Names lists the meaning of this name as "abundant blessings from above". For a boy, try adding an extra "n" to the end, like actor Rainn Wilson!
17
Nevada
Wait a minute. Isn't Nevada a geographical name? That's what Kim did, not Kylie!
Yes, but Nameberry lists the meaning of Nevada as "covered in snow," so you could actually nail two trends in one with option.
18
Cloud
Back in the old days, Cloud was rarely heard as a first name, but a chart on BabyCenter shows it spiked dramatically in popularity after 2010.
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