Three-letter baby names
Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.
Abe Hebrew · father of many
Ace Latin · from the playing-card term, ultimately Latin "as" (unit)
Ada Germanic · noble, nobility
Ali Arabic · exalted, noble (name of the fourth Islamic caliph, a central figure in Shia Islam)
Alp Turkish · hero, brave warrior
Amy French · beloved; the quintessential 1980s-2000s ABC name, indelibly tied to novelist Amy Tan
Amy French · from Amée, "beloved"
Ana Spanish · grace; a timeless classic, often used within longer names like Ana Maria
Ana Hebrew · Spanish form of Anna, "grace"
Ane Spanish · grace (Basque form of Ana/Anne); a short, modern pick used Spain-wide, not just in the Basque Country
Ann Hebrew · variant of Hannah, meaning 'grace, favor' in Hebrew
Aoi Japanese · hollyhock, blue-green
Ari Hebrew · lion; a beloved short classic, often standing on its own
Ari Hebrew · "lion"; also a short form of Ariel/Arianna
Asa Hebrew · "physician, healer"
Ava Latin · life, bird
Avi Hebrew · my father; short form of names like Abraham
Axl Scandinavian · variant of Axel, form of Absalom, 'father of peace'
Aya Hebrew · bird; also used as Arabic/Japanese name
Ayu Indonesian · beautiful
Bao Vietnamese · treasure, precious (a trendy modern unisex pick, easy for English speakers)
Ben Hebrew · Hebrew word for 'son'; also short form of Benjamin ('son of the right hand')
Bru Spanish · brown, dark-haired (Catalan form of Bruno); a short modern Catalan crossover pick
Bua Thai · lotus
Bảo Vietnamese · treasure, to protect
Cal Latin · short form of Calvin, from Latin 'calvus' meaning 'bald'
Cem Turkish · gathering; also the Ottoman prince Cem Sultan
Chi Vietnamese · branch, twig
Coy English · quiet, shy
Dan Hebrew · judge
Dao Thai · star
Dax French · place name, the French town of Dax
Dev Sanskrit · god, divine (short and easy in English)
Don Scottish · short for Donald, 'world ruler'
Duc Vietnamese · virtue, moral integrity
Duy Vietnamese · only one, to preserve
Ece Turkish · queen, lady of noble birth
Efe Turkish · brave, strong; also 'big brother, boss'
Eko Indonesian · first child (Javanese birth-order name)
Eli Hebrew · ascended, uplifted
Emi Japanese · blessed with beauty
Eva Hebrew · form of Eve, "life"
Eve Hebrew · life
Fah Thai · sky
Fai Cantonese · brightness, prosperity (輝)
Fay French · fairy
Fon Thai · rain
Fox English · English word/surname name, from the animal
Gia Italian · nickname-style short form of Gianna/Giovanna, a stylish standalone favorite
Gia Italian · short form of Gianna/Giulia
Gul Turkish · rose (Gül)
Gus Latin · short form of Augustus, great, venerable
Guy French · meaning uncertain, possibly wood or wide
Hai Vietnamese · sea
Han Chinese · vast, expansive (涵); also the name of the majority Chinese ethnic group (汉/漢); used standalone by some Chinese American parents; its overlap with the Western name "Han" gives it easy crossover appeal
Hao Chinese · vast, grand (浩)
Hei Cantonese · bright, radiant, joyous (熙)
Hoa Vietnamese · flower
Hoi Cantonese · sea (海)
Hua Chinese · magnificent; China (華)
Huy Vietnamese · bright, glorious
Hân Vietnamese · joy
Hải Vietnamese · sea
Ian Scottish · God is gracious; a beloved Celtic classic used widely across Irish-American families
Ian Scottish · form of John, "Yahweh is gracious"
Ida German · hard-working
Iga Polish · short independent name rooted in old Slavic forms
Ila Sanskrit · earth (a Vedic goddess)
Ina Germanic · modern short form of names ending in -ina
Ira Sanskrit · goddess of speech and devotion (a Vedic deity); also earth
Isa Hebrew · short form of Isabel/Isabella, meaning 'God is my oath'
Iva Slavic · traditionally God is gracious (feminine of Ivan)
Ivy English · ivy plant
Jad Arabic · generous (a short, popular modern Lebanese American name)
Jan Polish · God is gracious (Polish form of John)
Jax English · modern short form of Jack/Jackson, ultimately from John, traditionally 'God is gracious'
Jay English · short form of J- names, or from the bird
Jia Chinese · beautiful, fine; also home, family (佳/家); a soft, two-syllable pinyin name popular for ABC daughters as a standalone US given name
Joe Hebrew · diminutive of Joseph, meaning 'God will add' in Hebrew
Jon Spanish · God is gracious (Basque form of John); used Spain-wide as a short, clean classic
Jon Hebrew · short form of John/Jonathan, traditionally 'God is gracious' or 'gift of God'
Joy English · joy, happiness (a popular Filipino American virtue name)
Jun Chinese · handsome, talented (俊)
Kai Hawaiian · sea
Kay Greek · diminutive of Katherine, traditionally pure
Ken Scottish · nickname for Kenneth, handsome; born of fire
Kim Vietnamese · gold, golden (shared comfortably with the Western name Kim — many Vietnamese American women use it as their sole legal first name)
Kit Cantonese · heroic, outstanding (傑)
Koa Hawaiian · brave, warrior; native tree
Kya English · modern coinage, phonetic variant of Kaia or Maya
Kye Hawaiian · phonetic variant of Kai, meaning sea
Lan Chinese · orchid (蘭)
Lea Hebrew · variant of Leah, traditionally translated as 'weary', though the meaning is debated
Lee English · means 'meadow, clearing', from Old English leah
Lei Chinese · stacked stones; upright and aboveboard (磊)
Leo Latin · lion
Lev Russian · lion (novelist Tolstoy's given name)
Lia Italian · short form of names like Amelia/Julia
Liv Scandinavian · life (Norwegian, short and strong; actresses Liv Ullmann and Liv Tyler)
Lok Cantonese · happiness (樂)
Lou Germanic · traditionally famous warrior (diminutive of Louise)
Luc French · light
Lux Latin · light
Luz Spanish · light
Luz Spanish · Spanish for 'light', from the title Maria de la Luz
Léo French · lion
Lộc Vietnamese · prosperity, deer
Mac Scottish · Gaelic prefix meaning 'son of', used as a standalone nickname
Mae English · variant of May, used as a diminutive of Mary or Margaret
Mai Vietnamese · apricot or cherry blossom (one of the most enduringly kept Vietnamese names in the U.S. — short, simple, and needs no diacritics to read correctly in English)
Max Latin · greatest; a beloved heirloom name, often short for Mordecai, enjoying a huge modern revival
Max Latin · short form of Maximilian/Maxwell, "greatest"
May English · the month of May; an iconic Chinese American crossover name (as in Anna May Wong), doubling as a phonetic echo of 美 (měi, "beautiful") or 梅 (méi, "plum")
May English · the month of May; also a diminutive of Mary/Margaret
Mei Chinese · plum blossom (梅)
Mia Scandinavian · mine, beloved
Mya Scandinavian · variant of Mia, a pet form of Maria
Nam Thai · water
Naz Turkish · delicate charm, coy grace
Nel Polish · short independent name, from Eleonora/Helena
Which of these fits YOUR family? →