Do you know that some of the most popular baby names today are inspired by chemistry?
Yes, it’s true! In recent years, there has been a trend toward naming babies after elements on the periodic table or chemistry heroes!
But why are parents choosing to name their children after elements from the table of elements and chemistry inspired baby names?
Some people believe that these names sound strong, while others think that they’re simply unique and interesting.
They’re highly fashionable, extremely popular and often related to the famous periodic table. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most popular chemistry-inspired baby names, explore the meanings behind them, and famous chemists bearing the names.
Baby Boy Names Inspired By Chemistry
Adair
Meaning: Adair is a gender-neutral English name that comes from the words meaning wealth, fortune, and spear.
Adair Crawford was a chemist and physician who pioneered methods for measuring heat capacity and discovered the element strontium.
Albert
Meaning: The name is of Old German origin, and the meaning of Albert is “noble, bright, famous”.
Albert Einstein, a Nobel Prize,is famous for devising his theory of relativity, which revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. See meaning of the name Albert
Alfred
Meaning: Origibally, Aelfread was derived from the old English words aelf, which meant “elf,” and raed, which meant “advice,” and was used to signify wise.
Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who founded coordination chemistry.
Amedeo
Meaning: Amedeo is an Italian given name that means “lover of God,” “loves God,” or more precisely “for the love of God.” It is related to the Latin name Amadeus, as well as the Spanish and Portuguese names Amadeo.
Amedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist who founded of atomic molecular theory and formulated Avogadro’s Law.
Bernard
Meaning: Bernard is a German boy’s name that means “powerful and fearless like a bear.”
Bernard Courtois, a French chemist, discovered morphine and identified the element iodine.
Carl
Meaning: Carl is a North Germanic male name meaning “free man”.
Carl Gauss was a famous German mathematician.
Chaim
Meaning: Chaim is Eve’s masculine counterpart. It’s a spelling variation of the Jewish name Hyam, which comes from the Hebrew word hayyim, which means “life.” As a toast, say L’Chiam, a Yiddish word that means “long life.”
Chaim Weizmann was a British chemist who developed industrial fermentation, a process in which certain chemicals are used to mass- produce another substance.
Dalton
Meaning: Dalton is an English name meaning “valley town.”
John Dalton was an English chemist who developed the modern atomic theory. See Names that go with Dalton
Edwin
Meaning: Edwin is an English name meaning “rich or wealthy friend.”
Edwin McMillan was an American physicist who co-discovered the element neptunium. See meaning of the name Edwin
Ernest
Meaning: Ernest is an English boy’s name that means “serious, determined.”
Ernest Rutherford is regarded as the father of nuclear physics, and for his understanding of radioactive half-life and discovery of radon.
Edison
Meaning: Edison comes from Old English and means “son of Edward.” See meaning of the name Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman
Francis
Meaning: Francis is a Latin name for both boys and girls that means “Frenchman or free man.”
Francis Aston was a British scientist famous for discovering 212 naturally occurring isotopes and invented the mass spectrograph. See names like Franklin
Francis Crick was a British biologist who discovered the double helix structure of DNA.
Franklin
Meaning: The name Franklin comes from Middle English and means “free landholder.”
Rosalind Franklin was a chemist famous for her research in the molecular structure of DNA.
Glenn
Meaning: Glenn comes from the Gaelic word gleana, which means valley.
Glenn Theodore Seaborg was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery, and discovered the tentransuranium elements, and investigation of the radioactive element seaborgium which was named after him as a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Gerhard
Meaning: Gerhard is a German name meaning “brave spear.”
Gerhard Herzberg was a Nobel Prize-winning German-Canadian chemist known for his work in pioneering molecular spectroscopy.
Icie
Meaning: The meaning of the name “Icie” is: “Ice-like”
Icie Hoobler American biochemist who researched nutrition for mothers and children and published books on topics ranging from red blood cell chemistry to women’s metabolism.
Irving
Meaning: Irving as a boy’s name is of Gaelic origin meaning “green or fresh water”.
Irving Langmuir was a scientist and physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his work on surface chemistry.
Isaac
Meaning: The Hebrew word Yitzchaq means “one who rejoices” or “one who chuckles.” See names like Isaac
Isaac Newton made significant advances in mathematics, astronomy, physics, and chemistry.
Leo
Meaning: A Latin name of strength, Leo means lion. See meaning of the name Leo
Leo Baekeland was a Belgian-American chemist who invented photographic paper and the plastic Bakelite.
Linus
Meaning: Linus is a Greek boy’s name that meaning “flax” or “flax colored” and is the son of Apollo in Greek mythology.
Linus Pauling was an American chemist and a founder of quantum chemistry.
James
Meaning: James is a classic, traditional and Biblical name (Saint James was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles) meaning “supplanter” or “replacer”.
James Watt was the inventor of the steam engine, which was extremely critical during the industrial revolution. See names like James
Johan
Meaning: Of German origin and means, God is gracious.
Johan Arfwedson was a Swedish chemist who was the first person to discover the element lithium.
Mario
Meaning: Spanish and Italian variant of the name Marius meaning “dedicated to Mars”, Roman God of War.
Mario Molina is a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who co-discovered the hole in the ozone layer. See Names that go with Mario
Odile
Meaning: Odile is a German girl’s name with the meaning “happy or prosperous in war.”
Odile Eisenstein is a theoretical chemist who specializes in modelling the structure and reactivity of transition metals and lanthanide complexes.
Otto
Meaning: Otto is a boy’s name of German origin, meaning “wealth”.
Otto Hahn was a German chemist, often known as the “father of nuclear chemistry.” See meaning of the name Otto
Prafulla
Meaning: Indian word that means “blooming,” “playful,” “pleasant,” or “joyous.”
Prafulla Chandra Ray, Father of the Indian chemical industry”
Roald
Meaning: Roald comes from the Old Norse language and means “great ruler.”
Roald Hoffman is an American chemist who is known for his work and theories regarding chemical reactions and quantum mechanics.
Robert
Meaning: Robert is an old German name that means “bright fame.” It’s taken from the old German name Hrodebert, Hrod” which means fame and “Beraht” which means bright.
Robert Boyle was famous for being one of the first people to apply the scientific method to chemistry and physics. See Names that go with Robert
Svante
Meaning: The name Svante is predominantly a Scandinavian male name that means “Holy People.”
Svante Arrhenius was a chemist famous for developing the Arrhenius equation, which calculates chemical reaction rates.
Wallace
Meaning: Wallace is a Scottish and English name for both boys and girls with the meaning “foreigner, stranger.”
Wallace Hume Carothers was an American chemist who was famous for inventing nylon and neoprene rubber.
Walther
Meaning: Walther is a masculine given name and surname originating from the Old High German Walthari, which includes the elements wald -“power,” “brightness,” or “forest,” and hari -“warrior.”
Walther Nernst was a German chemist famous for his contributions to thermochemistry and developing the Nernst Equation.
Baby Girl Names Inspired By Chemistry
Ada
Meaning: Ada is a German short form name for Adalberta which means noble.
Ada Lovelace was a mathematician who wrote the first computer programme, and was a daughter of English poet Lord Byron. See Names that go with Ada
Agnes
Meaning: Agnes is a feminine name that comes from the Greek word Hagn, which means “pure” or “holy.”
Agnes Robertson was the first woman botanist who became a Fellow of the Royal Society. See nicknames for Agnes
Andromeda
Meaning: Is a galaxy named after a Greek princess.
Anna
Meaning: Anna is derived from the Hebrew word annh or Chanah, which means “grace” or “favor,” and was also used by the ancient Romans as a name for “the year’s cycle.”
Anna Sundström was the first female Swedish chemist awarded by the Swedish chemical Society Awards. See names like Anna
Asima
Meaning: Asima is an Arabic girl’s name with the meaning “guardian, defender.”
Asima Chatterjee, an Indian organic chemist famous noted for her work in the fields of organic chemistry and phytomedicine.
Caroline
Meaning: Caroline is a feminine variant of Charles, which means “free man.” Caroline is of French origin and means “powerful.”
Caroline Herschel, is a German astronomer and the first women who had her work published by the Royal Society. See meaning of the name Caroline
Irene
Meaning: Irene is a girl’s name of Greek origin meaning “peace”. She is the Greek goddess of peace in Greek mythology.
Irene Joliot-Curie who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry was a French chemist famous for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. See Names that go with Irene
Laura
Meaning: Laura is the feminine version of laurus, Latin for “bay laurel plant,” which was a symbol of triumph, honor, and reputation in the Greco-Roman era.
Being an American scientist and physician, Linton taught dietary principles and established an occupational therapy program for mentally ill women at the hospital. See Names that go with Laura
Lovisa
Meaning: Lovisa is a Swedishized version of Louise, which comes from Louis, meaning famous warrior
Lovisa Hammarström was the first formally trained and educated female chemist.
Madeline
Meaning: Elegant and timeless name for baby girls, Madeline’s ancestors can be traced back to Magdala, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene. Madeleine has an extra E in the French version to make it appear more refined
Madeleine Joullié is an Organic chemist famous for devoted her career to teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. See meaning of the name Madeline
Sybil
Meaning: Sybil is a Greek female given name. This enticing name, which means “prophetess” and “oracle,” is for the tiny witchling in your life.
Sibyl Rock was instrumental in advancing mass spectrometry by developing advanced mathematics and an analog computer.
Yvonne
Meaning: The meaning of this girl’s name is “yew” in French and Old German. It’s a combination of the saint’s name Yves and the surname Ivo.
Yvonne Martin American cheminformatics and computer-aided drug design expert who develop therapeutic drugs. See meaning of the name Yvonne
Baby Names from Periodic Table
The first 20 elements on the periodic table provide a great overview of the various element groups. They can also be found in more common chemical processes.
Several baby names are inspired by chemistry, and each one has its unique meaning. Let’s take a closer look at the twenty most popular and amazing elements from the periodic table:
Hydrogen Inspired Baby Names
If you’re looking for a unique baby name, you might want to consider hydrogen. Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H.
While it’s not the most traditional name out there, it is the most abundant element in the universe.
Eli
Eli is a Hebrew name that means “high” or “elevated”
Ilma
Finnish name meaning “air”
Vayu
Vayu is the name of the Hindu god of the air and wind.
Mortimer
Derived from a place name meaning “still water” in Old French.
Helium
Helium with the symbol He is the second most abundant element in the universe and it’s also one of the most unusual. Derived from the Greek, ‘helios’ means sun.
Helia
In Greek Helia means “of the sun”. It’s a name inspired by the noble gas helium.
Helena
Helena as a girl’s name is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Helena is “shining light”. Helena is a variant of the Greek names Eleanor and Helen.
Lithium
Lithium represented by the symbol Li is named after the Greek word lithos, meaning “stone.” It makes a perfect chemistry-related baby name.
Li
The name Li is primarily a gender-neutral name of Chinese origin that means Pretty, Powerful.
Peter
From Greek petros which means “rock”
Peta
Feminine form of Peter with the same meaning “rock”
Petra
Another feminine form of Peter, from the Greek petros, meaning “stone or “rock
Dunstan
Means “dark stone”
Torsten
Means “Thor’s stone,” and refers to a place in England that is said to have been an early Viking settlement
Beryllium
Beryllium is a solid steel-gray metal chemical element with the symbol Be discovered by
French chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin. Beryllium was originally known as glucinium — from Greek glykys, meaning “sweet.”
Beryl
A beautiful name for your little girl, Beryl. It’ll also remind you of a gemstone of varying colours, often yellow-green.
Glykeria
Glykeria is a Greek name meaning “sweet”.
Dulcie
Dulcie is a name that stems from the Latin word dulcis, meaning “sweet”.
Boron
Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B. It is a shiny, brittle, black metalloid element extracted chiefly from borax.
It is also an excellent conductor of electricity and heat.
Boron
Name for boy inspired by the element boron.
Borax
Baby boy named from borax, a white crystalline compound that consists of a hydrated sodium borate used for cleaning.
Boris
Means fight or fighter in Russian. The name is inspired by Boron, an element produced entirely by cosmic ray spallation and supernova. It is a low abundance element in the solar system and the Earth’s crust.
Carbon
Cole
Inspired by carbon, which means coal. The name Cole means people’s victory in Greek.
Carbon
This name comes from the element carbon, which is the basic building block of all life. It means “life” and is typically given to boys.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is one of the most important chemical elements on Earth.
Nitrogen is a key ingredient in fertilizers and explosives, and it is also used in many industrial processes.
So if you’re looking for a name for your new baby that honors this elemental force, we’ve got you covered. Here are some great options:
Nita
Nita is predominantly a female name of Spanish origin that means “God’s Gift.” Juanita or Anita shortened.
Nitron
The term nitre in its original Greek form
Oxygen
Oxygen is vital to life, and the same can be said of your baby’s name. Oxygen’s primary function is to provide energy in the human body.
Breezy
Breezy is a sweet name that reminds us all about how comforting it is when the wind blows through our hair.
Oxy
The name Oxy connotes a pioneering attitude. You’re a natural born leader who is laser-focused and goal-oriented.
Aura
It comes from the Latin word aura, which means “wind.” Aura was the goddess of winds in Greek mythology.
Fluorine
Fluor
The name of Fluorine is derived from the Latin “fluere”, meaning “to flow”, so could also be spelt Fleur or Fleure. Be inspired by fluorine to name your little girl.
Neon
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne from the Greek word “neos,” which means “new.”
Which is pretty perfect for a little one who’s just getting started on life! Here are some other neon-related names:
Neomi
This name means “light.”
Nell
Nell, often considered a diminutive of Eleanor, means “bright, shining one.”
Niamh
This name gives your baby girl a beautiful Irish name that means “brightness.”
Sodium
Na is the chemical symbol for sodium. From natrium, a synonym for sodium. If you’re looking for baby names that are inspired by this important element, look no further!
Here are some sodium-related baby names that start with “Na.”
Naomi (Hebrew)
The Lord is good.
Nadine (French)
Gracious or merciful.
Naeem
Arabic name meaning “calm.”
Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral, playing a role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the human body. It’s no wonder that it’s so important for our bodies—and for our babies.
Magnus
Inspired by the element magnesium, a shiny solid which is found in the universe as well as in the Earth’s crust. Magnus means great in Danish, fighter in Norse, and strong warrior in Swedish.
Aluminum
Alumina
Alumina is a girl’s name of Latin origin from where the mineral oxygen and aluminium form the substance called “corundum”.
Silicon
Silex
Latin of the word silicon meaning “flint or hard stone”
Phosphorus
It is a nonmetallic element that glows in the dark and whose name comes from the Greek word phosphoros, which means “light-bearing” or “bringer of light”
Lucas
Lucas, of Latin origin, is a form of Luke or Lucius, meaning “light-giving” or “illumination.”
Leora
Leora means “my light” or “I have light” in Hebrew and Greek.
Chlorine
Chlorine
A one-of-a-kind name for a one-of-a-kind little girl. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature. It is an extremely reactive element and a strong oxidising agent.
Argon
Argon
Argon’s name derives from the Greek word argos, which means “lazy,” as chemists were unable to get it to mix with any other elements for more than a century after its discovery.
Potassium
The symbol for the element potassium is “K” derived from the Latin word kalium.
Kalium
The Latin name for potassium is kalium, which comes from the Arabic word which means plant ash or calcined ashes.
Calcium
Lime
Lime is a feminine name originated from the mineral calcium and named from the Latin word calx.
Chemistry Inspired Baby Names from Metal Element
The process of mining and refining metals of gold, platinum, and silver is intricate and requires unique aspects similar to choosing the right names for your babies.
Copper
Cyprus
Gender-neutral name of English origin and is a type of tree. The city of Cyprus produced a lot of copper, giving this metal its name. In Greek mythology being the birthplace of Aphrodite and Adonis.
Gold
Aurum
Means glowing dawn and is of Latin origin. It is also the Latin name for gold and was the first metal used by humans as early as 40,000 BC.
Aurora- Aurora is a mysterious and romantic Latin name that means “dawn.” Aurora Borealis, or northern light is a beautiful natural light display in the polar region.
Iron
Latin name ‘Ferrum’
Ira
If you’d like to keep it short and sweet, Ira, inspired by Iron, is just the one.
Fun Fact
- Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman developed the extensive chemical affinity table, a groundbreaking work that helped lay the foundation for modern chemistry, and its influence can still be seen in the table of elements.
- This table was an important step forward in the field of chemistry, and that Bergman also used his affinity table to generate baby names.
- Did you know the chemical thallium gets its name from thallos, the name originates from the green spectral line thallium produces.
- Element lawrencium is named after Ernest Lawrence, the invertor of the cyclotron, a device used to isolate many radioactive elements.
- Didi you know that Thomas Edison conducted chemistry experiments aboard a train as time allowed during his job as a telegraph operator?
- Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and other explosives. He started the Nobel Prize organization.
Takeaway:
We hope you enjoyed this comprehensive list of baby names inspired by chemistry and the elements. If you’re still undecided on a name for your little one, hopefully, this post gave you some ideas to get started.
So there you have it, over 100 names for your future chemist baby as well as their meanings. We hope you found this list helpful and informative.
Whether you were looking for a first name or the best middle name for your child, I hope this list inspired you!
If you’re still looking for the perfect name for your little one, be sure to check out our other posts on 100+ Baby Names Inspired by Flowers and Plants and 100+ Baby Names Inspired by Trees.
