Names that mean pure
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 pure. Tap any name for its story, or grow a tree and see which of them belong in your family.
Zakai Hebrew ยท pure, innocent
Agnes Greek ยท pure, holy
Thant Burmese ยท pure, clean (แแแทแบ); the name of U Thant, UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971. The U was never part of his name: U, Daw, Ko and Ma are honorifics (roughly Mr., Ms., elder brother, young woman), so in the US the bare given name stands alone
Qing Chinese ยท clear, pure (ๆธ
)
Nirmala Indonesian ยท spotless, pure
Niranjana Sanskrit ยท spotless, pure; a favorite for Kerala girls of the 2000s and 2010s
Nimol Khmer ยท spotless, pure; from Sanskrit nirmala
Trinh Vietnamese ยท pure, faithful, virtuous
Dalisay Filipino ยท pure, genuine
Bianca Italian ยท white, fair (Italian cognate of Blanche)
Dawb Hmong ยท white, pure
Ariadne Greek ยท most holy, utterly pure
Kyi Burmese ยท clear, pure (แแผแแบ); honoring three relatives in Aung San Suu Kyi's name: grandfather Aung San, grandmother Suu, mother Khin Kyi
Safa Arabic ยท traditionally 'purity, clarity'; also a sacred hill near Mecca
Nimal Sinhala ยท pure, spotless (Sanskrit nirmala); the quintessential mid-century Sinhala man's name, the cohort of Colombo grandfathers and great-uncles; parents today reach instead for coined names like Senuka and Dineth
Phyu Burmese ยท white, fair, pure (แแผแฐ); pronounced 'pyu'
Zakiya Arabic ยท traditionally 'pure, intelligent'
Katharine Greek ยท traditionally 'pure'
Catherine Greek ยท traditionally "pure"
Thanh Vietnamese ยท clear, pure, accomplished (a common unisex name)
Nirmal Sanskrit ยท Sanskrit for pure and unblemished; famously borne by Nirmal Purja, who climbed all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks in under seven months.
Catalina Spanish ยท pure
Karen Greek ยท pure
Kathleen Irish ยท pure
Katie Greek ยท diminutive of Kate, from Katherine; etymology debated, tied to 'pure' since the early Christian era
Kiyoshi Japanese ยท pure
Kiyoko Japanese ยท pure, clear child, or holy child, depending on the kanji
Agnieszka Polish ยท pure, holy (Polish form of Agnes)
Sude Turkish ยท pure water; from a beloved Turkish poem
Junko Japanese ยท pure child
Sathvik Telugu ยท pure, serene, imbued with sattva, the luminous quality of mind (Sanskrit sattvika); a big 2010s Telugu boys' name, also spelled Saathvik in the diaspora
Lotus Greek ยท from the lotus flower, a symbol of purity and rebirth
Karin Scandinavian ยท a form of Katherine/Karen, "pure"; also a genuine Japanese given name, ่ฑๆขจ, referring to the flowering Chinese quince tree; two unrelated origins landing on the identical spelling and sound
Kitty Greek ยท diminutive of Katherine, 'pure'
Glenda Welsh ยท traditionally 'clean and good'
Blanka Polish ยท white, pure (Polish form of Blanche)
Suchismita Bengali ยท one with a pure or beautiful smile (Sanskrit suchi, pure + smita, smile)
Ines Spanish ยท Spanish/Portuguese form of Agnes, Greek for 'pure, chaste'
Lily English ยท "the lily," from the Latin lilium, the flower of purity in centuries of Christian art; a Victorian flower name that led its generation, faded, and bloomed again a hundred years later. Also the affectionate short form of Lillian
Kay Greek ยท diminutive of Katherine, traditionally pure
Kathy Greek ยท diminutive of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katia Russian ยท diminutive of Ekaterina/Katherine, traditionally "pure"
Ekaterina Russian ยท pure (Russian form of Catherine)
Inez Spanish ยท variant of Agnes, pure
Katya Russian ยท Russian diminutive of Ekaterina, traditionally 'pure'
Katalina Spanish ยท variant of Catalina/Katherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Katerina Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally "pure"
Caterina Italian ยท variant of Catherine, traditionally 'pure'
Catarina Portuguese ยท Portuguese/Spanish form of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Jie Chinese ยท varies by character: often ๆฐ, 'heroic, outstanding', or ๆด, 'pure'; a pinyin-era given name
Kari Scandinavian ยท pure (Norwegian form of Katherine)
Karina Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Kasia Polish ยท pure (Polish diminutive of Katarzyna/Katherine)
Arianne Greek ยท a French spelling of Ariane/Arianna, from Greek Ariadne, utterly pure, the mythological Cretan princess
Chasity English ยท variant spelling of Chastity, meaning 'purity'
Cathryn Greek ยท variant spelling of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Seiji Japanese ยท sincere and true, or pure and refined, with ji often meaning two
Kate Greek ยท pet form of Katherine, "pure"
Chi-Ching Cantonese ยท aspiration and purity (ๅฟๆธ
)
Katherin Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Kathrine Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Arianna Greek ยท Italian variant of Ariadne, traditionally "utterly pure"
Cathy English ยท pure (short for Catherine, a common refugee-generation English name)
Caitlyn Irish ยท variant of Caitlin/Catherine, traditionally "pure"
Kaisa Finnish ยท Finnish diminutive of Katariina/Katherine, from Greek "pure"
Katherine Greek ยท linked since early Christian times to katharos, "pure," though the name's true root is older and debated; borne by saints, empresses of Russia, and centuries of English queens consort. The K-classic behind Kate, Katie, Kay, and Kitty
Kateryna Ukrainian ยท Ukrainian form of Katherine: pure
Katarina Slavic ยท Slavic form of Katherine, traditionally meaning 'pure'
Kaitlynn Irish ยท variant of Caitlin, Irish form of Katherine meaning 'pure'
Kaitlyn Irish ยท phonetic respelling of Caitlin, Irish form of Catherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Katrina German ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katheryn Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katy Greek ยท variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Cathrine Modern American ยท A spelling variant of Catherine, Greek, of disputed meaning, often glossed as pure.
Katlynn Modern American ยท A modern respelling of Kaitlyn, itself from Irish Caitlรญn, a form of Catherine, meaning pure.
Ezhilan Tamil ยท handsome one, from ezhil, beauty (pure Tamil); a modern name in the same revival current as Ezhil
Chastity English ยท English virtue name from Latin castitas, purity, part of the Puritan custom of naming for moral qualities.
Catrina Modern American ยท American respelling of Katrina, from Katherine, Greek for pure; also echoes the Mexican folk figure La Catrina.
Soon Korean ยท pure in one common hanja; in Korea usually an element, as in Soon-hee
Mugilan Tamil ยท from mugil, cloud (pure Tamil); a modern boys' name with an old poetic word at its root
Caren Modern American ยท American C-spelling of Karen, the Danish short form of Katherine, Greek for pure.
Kรคthe German ยท German short form of Katharina, of unknown root, later linked to purity; famously borne by Kathe Kollwitz, whose prints of grief and war remain unbearably raw.
Cathleen Irish ยท Irish variant of Kathleen, traditionally 'pure'
Caitlin Irish ยท Irish form of Katherine, traditionally pure
Kavin Tamil ยท beauty, grace (a pure Tamil word attested in Sangam poetry, not from Sanskrit). The quiet star of Tamil-American naming: it is a real classical word that happens to sound exactly like Kevin, so a boy can be Kavin at the temple and no one at school ever stumbles; noticeably rising with young Tamil parents in the US and in Tamil Nadu alike
Kati Modern American ยท a modern American spelling of Katie, the nickname of Katherine, from Greek possibly meaning pure; also a Hungarian short form of Katalin
Katarzyna Polish ยท pure (Polish form of Katherine). The formal register behind Kasia, showing how Polish naming runs on two levels, the full name for documents and saints' days and the diminutive for daily life; one of the defining names of Poland's 1970s and 80s generation.
Subhrangshu Bengali ยท white rays, a poetic epithet for the moon (shubhra, white/pure + angshu, ray)
Cathie Modern American ยท A respelling of Cathy, a short form of Catherine, from Greek aikaterine, meaning uncertain, traditionally read as pure
Catina Greek ยท Variant spelling of Katina, a Greek contracted form of Katherine, from katharos, pure.
Which of these fits YOUR family? โ