Names that mean gentle
This list groups names by the literal gloss at the start of each meaning, not the cultural notes that follow. Closely related meanings are gathered under gentle. Tap any name for its story, or grow a tree and see which of them belong in your family.
Aleena Arabic ยท a spelling of Alina, short form of Adelina and other names with that ending
Vieno Finnish ยท gentle, mild, soft; one of a small handful of names Finnish law recognizes as officially unisex, though modern use skews female
Adina Hebrew ยท delicate, gentle
Lina Arabic ยท soft, tender (from the root lฤna, "to be soft")
Clement Latin ยท merciful, gentle
Hien Vietnamese ยท gentle, kindhearted; written Hiแปn
Caoimhe Irish ยท gentle, beautiful, precious
Sneha Sanskrit ยท love, tenderness
Clementine English ยท mild, merciful; nickname Clemmie
Layan Arabic ยท soft and gentle
Sopheap Khmer ยท gentle, well-mannered; the ordinary Khmer word for courteous
Agatha Greek ยท good, kind
Hiroshi Japanese ยท generous, tolerant
Raheem Arabic ยท merciful, compassionate
Nazanin Persian ยท beloved, delicate
Anaya Sanskrit ยท caring, compassionate
Miu Japanese ยท beautiful feather, gentle
Yuko Japanese ยท gentle, excellent child
Yuma Japanese ยท gentle truth, abundant kindness
Samiran Bengali ยท a gentle breeze, wind
Mayumi Filipino ยท gentle, beautiful (cross-cultural favorite)
Aura Greek ยท breeze, gentle air
Shu Chinese ยท kind, gentle, virtuous (ๆท); a short pinyin name occasionally chosen as a US given name for its gentle sound
Halimah Malay ยท gentle, forbearing (Arabic); famously borne by Halimah Yacob, Singapore's first female president
Yuto Japanese ยท gentle person, big person
Suk Cantonese ยท gentle, virtuous (ๆท)
Anuhea Hawaiian ยท cool, soft fragrance
Mildred English ยท gentle strength
Syafiq Malay ยท compassionate, tender (Arabic shafiq), in the Malay sy- spelling; US-diaspora forms include Shafiq
Placida Latin ยท calm, gentle, quiet (placidus); famously borne by the Roman empress Galla Placidia
Yuzuki Japanese ยท gentle moon
Phirun Khmer ยท gentle rain; from Varuna, the Indic god of rain and waters
Gareth Welsh ยท gentle (Welsh, popularized by Arthurian legend); famously borne by Gareth Bale
Leena Arabic ยท variant of Lina, "soft, tender"
Thendral Tamil ยท a gentle, cool breeze (Tamil)
Roslyn Germanic ยท variant of Rosalind, traditionally gentle horse
Rosalind Germanic ยท gentle horse, or pretty rose (contested); famously borne by Rosalind Franklin, chemist whose X-ray images were essential to discovering the structure of DNA
Suk-Yee Cantonese ยท gentle and dignified (ๆทๅ), a classic older-generation combination
Yuina Japanese ยท meaning depends on the kanji chosen, often glossed as 'bond' or 'gentle'
Kokona Japanese ยท a soft, modern phonetic name whose meaning varies by kanji
Adelaide Germanic ยท noble kind
Adelheid German ยท noble kind
Misty English ยท from the English word 'misty', evoking soft fog
Sieglinde Germanic ยท victory shield (sieg 'victory' + lind 'shield, gentle'); twin sister of Sigmund and mother of Siegfried in Norse-Germanic legend
Advika Sanskrit ยท unique, one of a kind
Noon Thai ยท kapok down, cotton-soft (Thai nun); a gentle modern girls' call-name
Yuna Korean ยท kind and graceful (boosted in the diaspora by Olympic figure skater Kim Yuna; increasingly given as the sole legal American name for second-generation daughters)
Marysia Polish ยท tender everyday form of Maria; the -sia ending is Polish affection at work
Erlinda Germanic ยท the Spanish and Filipino form of the Germanic Ermelinda, from irmin, whole, universal, and lind, gentle, tender, or shield
Keven Irish ยท A variant spelling of Kevin, from Irish Caoimhin, from caomh, dear/gentle, and gein, birth: roughly gentle birth.
Alyse Germanic ยท variant of Alice, 'noble kind'
Rosalyn Germanic ยท variant of Rosalind, traditionally translated as 'gentle horse', later reinterpreted as 'pretty rose'
Alise Germanic ยท A modern variant of Alice, from Germanic roots for noble and kind; famously borne by Alise Willoughby, the American BMX racing world champion.
Addie Germanic ยท diminutive of Adelaide, noble kind
Alisa Germanic ยท variant of Alice, noble kind
Rosaline Germanic ยท variant of Rosalind, from Germanic elements meaning 'gentle horse', popularly reinterpreted as 'beautiful rose'
Herlinda Germanic ยท from Germanic Herlind, heri army + lind gentle, borne by the 8th-century Frankish saint Herlindis; popular in Hispanic families
Lasya Telugu ยท the graceful dance of the goddess Parvati, the gentle counterpart of Shiva's tandava (Sanskrit); a distinctly Telugu modern pick
Melva Scottish ยท A Scottish/Irish feminine form of Melvin, itself from Gaelic, variously glossed as smooth hill or gentle chief.
Adelaida Spanish ยท variant of Adelaide, "noble kind"
Alisha Germanic ยท variant of Alicia, noble kind
Benicio Latin ยท Spanish name from Latin 'benignus', meaning 'kind'
Alyson Germanic ยท variant of Alison, diminutive of Alice, meaning 'noble kind'
Allyson Germanic ยท variant of Alison, a diminutive of Alice, ultimately meaning 'noble kind'
Alycia Modern American ยท modern American respelling of Alicia, from Germanic Adalheidis, meaning noble kind.
Alisia Modern American ยท a respelling of Alicia, from Germanic Adalheidis, noble kind, via Old French Aalis
Alysia Modern American ยท modern American variant of Alicia, from Germanic Adalheidis, noble kind.
Melvyn Scottish/Irish ยท a spelling variant of Melvin, from Scottish/Irish Gaelic Maolmhin, gentle chieftain
Unique English ยท from the English word meaning one of a kind
Alice Germanic ยท "of noble kind," from Adalheidis worn down through Old French Aalis; a medieval queen's name that Lewis Carroll sent down the rabbit hole into permanent storybook fame. The vintage revival returned it to the top tier across Europe and beyond
Alecia Modern American ยท A phonetic respelling of Alicia or Alice, from Old French Aalis, a short form of Adelaide, meaning 'noble kind'.
Damia Malay ยท traditionally linked to Arabic dima, soft steady rain. One of Malaysia's most-registered girls' names of the 2010s and 2020s, part of the melodic modern cohort alongside Alya, Hana, and Qistina.
Heidi German ยท of noble kind (short form of Adelheid)
Allison Germanic ยท a medieval French diminutive of Alice, at root Adalheidis, "of noble kind"; it survived centuries in Scotland after fading elsewhere, then became a 20th-century American standard. Allie is the natural landing spot
Alida Germanic, Dutch form ยท the Dutch form of Adelaide, from Old High German adal and heid, noble kind
Which of these fits YOUR family? โ