Short, cute and meaningful, the name Luna has shot up the popularity charts this century. If you're considering naming your baby girl Luna, learn here all about the literal and symbolic meaning of Luna so you can feel confident about your choice when it comes time to sign that birth certificate.
Chances are you already know that in addition to being a popular girl's name, Luna is the Spanish word for moon. But did you know that Luna also means moon in a number of other related languages, such as Italian and Romanian, and it also bears a close resemblance to the French, Portuguese and Catalan words for moon (lune, lua and lluna, respectively). All of these languages descend from Latin, so it's no shocker that Luna also means moon in Latin.
What might come as a surprise, though, is that Luna means moon in Russian, a Slavic language that features words that are usually very different from their Western counterparts.
As a word name meaning moon, Luna can take on different meanings derived from the symbolism the moon carries in different cultures and religions. In Buddhism, the silvery orb represents truth and enlightenment, and in Chinese tradition, it's a symbol of peace, prosperity and family reunion. In many African cultures, but also elsewhere, the moon has been associated with femininity and feminine energy. In the mythology of many Native American cultures, it is a guide, protector, and timekeeper, and is associated with transformation.
The crescent moon, especially when combined with a star, holds special significance to many Muslims. Though not universally accepted as a symbol of Islam, it's been widely associated with the Muslin community since the medieval times when the Ottoman Empire used the crescent on its flag. Since then, other Muslim countries have followed suit, and today, the crescent moon features on the flags of numerous nations in various parts of the Muslim world.
In Christianity, too, the moon is more than just a celestial body orbiting Earth. It provides a rich source of metaphors for believers, and it also appears in various contexts in the Bible. The perhaps most compelling way to look at the moon as a Christian symbol is to draw a parallel between the sun and the moon on the one hand, and God and the Church on the other: The sun, which represents God, is the unchanging center around which everything else revolves. It shines so bright you can't even look at it directly, and it's the source of all life on earth. Even though you can't observe the mighty sun directly, you know it's there because its light is reflected by the moon (the Church).
To put a Catholic spin on this metaphor, you can also compare the sun to Jesus Christ and the moon to the Virgin Mary, as did the renowned Roman Catholic bishop Fulton Sheen back in the 1950s in his famous quote:
God, who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. The moon would be only a burnt-out cinder floating in the immensity of space were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother Of Men.
—Fulton J. Sheen, The World's First Love (1952, McGraw Hill)
So, while Luna may not be your typical Christian girl name, you certainly can attach a spiritual meaning to it!
While the symbolism derived from the moon meaning of Luna makes it a perfectly fine name for a daughter of a Christian family, especially if they have Spanish or Italian heritage, it's worth noting that Luna was also the name of an ancient Roman goddess. This might make some Christian parents want to skip over the name, but on the flip side, it introduces a whole new target audience: parents interested in mythological baby names.
In fact, names inspired by ancient deities and other mythological characters from Roman and Greek lore have become one of the hottest new categories of baby names this century. Along with Luna, goddess names like Athena and Selene are today beloved choices for baby girls, while Apollo and Ares have been trending for boys.
If you're intrigued by this category of names and delve a little deeper into the mythological meaning of Luna, you'll learn that she was the divine embodiment and goddess of the moon (surprise, surprise), and was often presented as the female complement of Sol, the personification of the sun. Her equivalent in ancient Greek religion was Selene, and like her Greek counterpart, Luna is typically depicted in art riding a two-yoke chariot across the sky and wearing a crescent moon on or behind her head.
So far, we've focused on the associations and meanings of Luna that have paved the way for the name's rise. But Luna also carries some less appealing connotations which might send fussy baby namers looking for Luna alternatives.
First, there's the aural association with the word "lunatic". However, with cute little Lunas now cropping up all over the country, fewer and fewer people will think of the "crazy" association going forward when they hear the name Luna.
Another hitch is the widespread use of Luna as a pet's name, particularly for dogs and cats. But again, with Luna's newly-found fame as a baby name, this is becoming less of a problem.
Last, and definitely least, there's the Hawaiian meaning of Luna, which is usually given as "officer" and occasionally as "chief". Now that's not the most beautiful meaning to attach to a baby name, but as long as you don't have Hawaiian speakers in the family, it's just a quirky detail. Or, you can spin it into a positive by keying in on the meaning "chief" (and forget about "officer"), and say you're all about raising a confident girlboss with a name to match!
If you've decided Luna is the perfect name for your daughter, then why not already perk up your baby girl's nursery with a personalized, moon-inspired baby name painting? Here at Names and Nursery, we not only explore the meanings of baby names, but we also provide whimsical baby name signs and exclusive wall art for the nursery.
For the name Luna, we're thrilled to offer you a digital copy of a hand-painted, moon-themed watercolor illustration, personalized with the lovely letter "L" and the name Luna. You can grab your copy here.