After being asked if you know if your baby will be a boy or a girl, the next question is usually about what name you’ve picked. Choosing a name for your baby is one of the first major decisions you will make as parents. Deciding between a unique name, incorporating a family name, or keeping up with the hottest name trend can be tough.
If you hope the name you choose will help shape who your child becomes, a science-themed baby name will give you an endless list to choose from. Find a name with a deeper meaning or a scientific role model for your kid to look up to. Whether you love nature, innovation, or space, there are a ton of inspirational options for science baby names. And we have a list of the best ones for your little one.
Famous scientist names
Combing through lists of famous scientists gives you more classic, traditional names to choose from. Each of these scientists contributed great gifts to their respective fields. You could study up and find a perfect role model after which to name your baby.
Boy name options
- Leonardo: or Leo: Not only the best Ninja Turtle, but for Leonardo da Vinci, world-renowned artist and scientist.
- Nicolaus or Nikola: Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance mathematician while Nikola Tesla was an inventor with a knack for electricity.
- Isaac or Newton: Isaac Newton is famous for his laws of gravity but not the Fig Newton treat.
- Benjamin or Franklin: Benjamin Franklin famously created the lightning rod, bifocals, and the gorgeous Franklin stove.
- Daniel or Gabriel: Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit’s first or middle name is a subtle nod to the man who invented the Fahrenheit temperature scale and mercury thermometers.
- Charles or Darwin: Well-known for his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin studied animals off the Galapagos Islands.
- Alexander or Graham: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and was a co-founder of AT&T.
- Thomas or Edison: Thomas Edison’s inventions and contributions include the alkaline battery, wax paper, the first motion picture camera, and he is the reason we say “hello” instead of “ahoy” when we answer the phone.
Girl name options
- Mary: Mary Anning was a finder and collector of fossils in England.
- Ada: Born Augusta Ada King and known as Ada Lovelace, she was a mathematician who wrote algorithms that eventually helped us develop computers.
- Marie: A pioneer in radioactive elements, discoverer of radium and polonium, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and first person to win two Nobels.
- Rosalind: An English scientist, Rosalind Franklin took x-ray images of DNA, which was an important step to later understanding the structure of DNA.
- Jane: Jane Goodall is known for dedicating much of her life to studying and understanding chimpanzees.
- Henrietta: Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an astronomer who studied the luminosity of stars and the creator of Leavitt’s Law.
- Nora: Nora Stanton Blatch was an architect and civil engineer and the first female to be admitted into the American Society of Civil Engineers.
For more classic science baby names, check out these famous scientists.
Out-of-this-world names
Considering a space theme while brainstorming nursery ideas? How about space-related baby names? From planets, stars, satellites, and telescopes, you’ll find plenty of creative names for your future astronaut. Space names, especially star- or planet-inspired ones, have many meanings and come with fun background stories to share.
Comets
- Halley
- Levy
- Bennet
Planets
- Venus
- Neptune
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Mercury
You could use the other ones, but we recommend just sticking to these planets.
Stars
- Orion
- Leo
- Lyra
- Ara
- Carina
- Norma
- Phoenix
Telescopes
- Ariel
- Chandra
- Galileo
Playing with the elements
Consulting the periodic table gives you a balance of creative science baby names that are still a little subtle.
Examples of element-inspired baby names with their respective elements include:
- Titan (titanium)
- Rubi (rubidium)
- Frank (francium)
- Ruth (ruthenium)
- Argon
- Tennessee (tennessine)
- Lawrence (lawrencium)
- Berk (berkelium)
Science terminology
If none of these science baby names leave you feeling inspired, you could always dust off an old science textbook and flip through the glossary in hopes of discovering your next baby name. That would also be a great way to get a middle name if you want the first and middle names to sort of match.
Some fun terminology baby names include:
- Axle
- Dune
- Dyson
- Eureka
- Flora
- Fauna
- Gauge
- Gene
- Ion
- Nimbus
- Prism
- Punnett
- (Compass) Rose
- Savannah
- Taiga
- Tesla
- Tundra
Scientists observe what is happening around us and try to piece it all together. These science-themed baby names just might help you raise a future scientist. If nothing else, they will help your child stand out from the crowd and have a unique name everyone will remember. They just may never be able to find their name on a key chain at the souvenir shop on a class field trip. We hope the stars have aligned for you to pick the perfect science-themed baby name for your tiny alchemist.
Editors' Recommendations
- These are the diastasis recti exercises to help repair your stomach
- Moms with depression may be hurting their child’s development, study shows
- Talking to your kids about how babies are made – making it simple and comfortable
- Call your doctor immediately if you have any of these third-trimester problems
- 10 foods to avoid while breastfeeding (and some good, nutritious ones that help prevent colic)