Brooke
WaterGirl · English surname
from a surname for someone who lived by a brook Well attested
linked with: stream
US 2025: #313 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #353
Related in meaning in Chinese: 溪 xī (stream)
Baby names that mean water: river, sea, rain
Chinese naming often picks characters whose meaning belongs to one of the five elements: a river character for Water, a tree character for Wood. English has no such tradition, so this page is an adaptation, inspired by Chinese naming. Each name here carries Water in what it really means, as name dictionaries and word-origin sources give it.
Some names reach Water through black and winter, which Chinese tradition assigns to the same element. Each name says how it is linked.
Fewer girls' names carry this meaning, so the names for either are listed too.
Check your baby's chartEnter a birth date or a due date to see which element the chart needs.
River
Girls
Shannon
WaterGirl · Irish river name
from the River Shannon, the chief river of Ireland Well attested
linked with: river
US 2025: #2405 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #2138
Related in meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Boys
Brooks
WaterBoy · English surname
a form of the surname Brook, for someone who lived by a brook Well attested
linked with: stream
US 2025: #64 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #585
Related in meaning in Chinese: 溪 xī (stream)
Clyde
WaterBoy · Scottish river name
from the River Clyde, which runs through Glasgow in Scotland Well attested
linked with: river
US 2025: #743 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #5137
Related in meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Douglas
WaterBoy · Scottish Gaelic
from a Scottish place and river name, Gaelic for 'dark stream' Well attested
linked with: stream
US 2025: #807 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #224
Also spelled: Douglass
Related in meaning in Chinese: 溪 xī (stream)
Trent
WaterBoy · English river name
from the River Trent in the English Midlands, an old British river name Well attested
linked with: river
US 2025: #1344 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #1359
Related in meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Either
Avon
WaterEither · Celtic river name
from English river names that come from a Celtic word for 'river' Well attested
meaning: river
US 2025: #5232 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Brook
WaterEither · English word and surname
a small stream; as a surname, someone who lived by one Well attested
meaning: stream
US 2025: #4373 (girls), #5896 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #3684 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 溪 xī (stream)
Jordan
WaterEither · Hebrew river name
from the River Jordan, whose water crusaders brought home for baptisms Well attested
linked with: river
US 2025: #584 (girls), #131 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #4201 (girls), #248 (boys)
Related in meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Rio
WaterEither · Spanish or Portuguese word
apparently from Spanish río, 'river', perhaps by way of Rio de Janeiro Likely
meaning: river
US 2025: #1877 (girls), #532 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #1362 (girls), #166 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
River
WaterEither · English word
the English word river, from a Latin word for a riverbank Well attested
meaning: river
US 2025: #220 (girls), #111 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #168 (girls), #110 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 河 hé (river)
Chinese characters linked with river: 河 hé (river), 江 jiāng (river), 沂 yí (Yi river), 泉 quán (spring), 流 liú (flow), 淇 qí (Qi River), …
Sea
Girls
Marina
WaterGirl · Latin
Latin, probably from the name Marinus; long linked with marinus, 'of the sea' Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #602 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #580
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Muriel
WaterGirl · Celtic (Scottish Gaelic and Irish)
from Gaelic words for 'sea' and 'bright' Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #4430 (girls)
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Ondine
WaterGirl · French, from Latin
a water spirit, named from Latin unda, 'wave' Likely
linked with: wave
Rare
Also spelled: Undine
Related in meaning in Chinese: 波 bō (wave)
Boys
Caspian
WaterBoy · English, from the Caspian Sea
the Caspian Sea's name, from the ancient Caspii people; used by C. S. Lewis Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #491 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #401
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Dylan
WaterBoy · Welsh
Welsh, probably linked with a word for 'sea'; a sea figure in Welsh legend Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #41 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #72
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Lake
WaterBoy · English word
the English word lake, partly from Latin lacus, 'lake, pool' Likely
meaning: lake
US 2025: #2068 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #976
Same meaning in Chinese: 湖 hú (lake)
Lincoln
WaterBoy · English place name
from the English city of Lincoln, named from a British word for 'pool' Well attested
linked with: lake
US 2025: #69 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #302
Related in meaning in Chinese: 湖 hú (lake)
Mortimer
WaterBoy · Norman French place name
from Mortemer in Normandy, Old French for 'dead sea': still, standing water Well attested
linked with: lake
Rare
Related in meaning in Chinese: 湖 hú (lake)
Murdoch
WaterBoy · Scottish Gaelic
probably from Gaelic names built on muir, 'sea', such as one meaning 'mariner' Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #13291 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #5137
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Murray
WaterBoy · Scottish surname
from Moray in Scotland, an old Celtic name meaning 'sea settlement' Likely
linked with: sea
US 2025: #2633 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #2014
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Either
Murphy
WaterEither · Irish surname
from Irish Ó Murchadha, from a name made of 'sea' and 'battle' Well attested
linked with: sea
US 2025: #397 (girls), #754 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #705 (girls), #593 (boys)
Related in meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Ocean
WaterEither · English word
the English word ocean, from Greek okeanos, the sea around the world Well attested
meaning: sea
US 2025: #787 (girls), #720 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #306 (girls), #873 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 海 hǎi (sea)
Chinese characters linked with sea: 海 hǎi (sea), 泓 hóng (clear deep pool), 波 bō (wave), 涛 tāo (great wave), 湖 hú (lake), 湾 wān (bay), …
Rain
Girls
Eira
WaterGirl · Welsh
the Welsh word for 'snow' Well attested
meaning: snow
US 2025: #1749 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #379
Related names: Eirwen
Same meaning in Chinese: 雪 xuě (snow)
Nevada
WaterGirl · Spanish place name
from the Sierra Nevada and the US state, Spanish for 'snow-covered' Likely
linked with: snow
US 2025: #3819 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #4867
Related in meaning in Chinese: 雪 xuě (snow)
Either
Rain
WaterEither · English word
the English word rain, from Old English regn Likely
meaning: rain
US 2025: #1239 (girls), #1751 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #1512 (girls), #1613 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 雨 yǔ (rain)
Tal
WaterEither · Hebrew
the Hebrew word for 'dew' Likely
meaning: dew
US 2025: #17009 (girls), #7623 (boys)
Same meaning in Chinese: 露 lù (dew)
Chinese characters linked with rain: 雨 yǔ (rain), 雪 xuě (snow), 霜 shuāng (frost), 露 lù (dew), 冰 bīng (ice), 霖 lín (long rain), …
Black
Girls
Ciara
WaterGirl · Irish
a modern Irish feminine form of Ciarán, from ciar, 'black, dark' Well attested
black is Water's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #1408 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #894
Melanie
WaterGirl · Greek, by way of French
from Greek melas, 'black, dark', through Latin Melania Well attested
black is Water's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #142 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #863
Also spelled: Mélanie
Boys
Dougal
WaterBoy · Scottish Gaelic
from Gaelic Dubhghall: dubh, 'black', and gall, 'stranger' Well attested
black is Water's color in Chinese tradition
England and Wales 2025: #4275 (boys)
Also spelled: Dugald, Dugal
Related names: Doyle
Duane
WaterBoy · Irish
from Irish Dubhán, a pet form of dubh, 'black, dark' Well attested
black is Water's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #2578 (boys)
Also spelled: Dwayne
Kieran
WaterBoy · Irish
from Irish Ciarán, a pet form of ciar, 'black, dark' Well attested
black is Water's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #389 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #639
Also spelled: Ciarán, Ciaran, Kieron
Winter
Girls
Winter
WaterGirl · English word
the English word winter, the coldest season Likely
winter belongs to Water in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #426 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #364
Also spelled: Wynter
Popular meanings that don't hold up
Brooklyn
The claim: Often said to mean 'stream' or 'water'.
What the sources say: It is the New York borough's name, from the Dutch place name Breukelen, built on a word for 'marsh'. The English spelling was shaped by brook.
Sources:
Mary
The claim: Often said to mean 'star of the sea'.
What the sources say: It comes from Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning is uncertain. 'Star of the Sea' (Latin Stella Maris) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, not the meaning of the name.
Sources:
Meredith
The claim: Often said to mean 'guardian of the sea'.
What the sources say: It comes from the Old Welsh man's name Maredudd. Its second part means 'lord'; the first is unexplained or read as 'great', not 'sea'.
Sources:
Popularity: US Social Security Administration 2025; Office for National Statistics 2025, England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.