Butterflies turn up everywhere in a nursery: the mobile, the wallpaper, the tiny socks. A name that carries the same idea outlasts all of it.
The Smithsonian counts about 17,500 butterfly species worldwide (1), including roughly 750 of them in the United States (2), so the imagery behind these names runs much deeper than one orange and black insect.
Below are 100 names that mean butterfly, or point straight at one, with meanings, origins, pronunciations, and current U.S. popularity. Those rankings come from Social Security Administration birth data, which lists a name only after at least five babies receive it in a year (3), so the rarest picks here never appear in it at all.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Luna, Nova, Adonis, Vanessa and Yara.
100 Cute Butterfly Names for Boys and Girls
Fill your garden with our collection of gorgeous names that mean butterfly.
Admiral
Admiral is a perfect pick, referring to the red admiral butterfly with its black wings and striking red bands. The English word “admiral” derives from the Arabic “amir,” “amir-al,” or “al’amir,” meaning “prince” or “commander.” Of all the butterfly names for boys, Admiral lets everyone know who’s really in charge.
- Origin: English, Arabic
- Meaning: High-ranking officer, commander
- Pronunciation: AD-muh-rull
- Namesakes: Admiral Donovhan Schofield, a British-American professional basketball player. Admiral Dalindlela Muskwe, a Zimbabwean professional football player.
- Popularity: Admiral has never been common in the U.S., peaking at 2,121st in 1927 and last appearing in the data in 2022, when six boys received it.
Adonis
The Adonis Blue is a sexually dimorphic butterfly, and the males wear a sky blue that looks almost lit from within. Much like their mythological namesake, they are the beautiful ones and everyone knows it. Though Adonis reads as Greek, it is thought to stem from the Canaanite adon, meaning lord. For a handsome little lord of your own, it is a gorgeous choice.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Lord
- Pronunciation: uh-DON-iss, uh-DOH-niss
- Variations: Adonia
- Namesakes: Adonis Antonio Rivas, a Nicaraguan professional boxer. Adonis Jordan, an American professional basketball player.
- Popularity: Adonis ranked 241st in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,462 boys, just off its best showing of 175th in 2023, and births are up about 416 percent on the previous decade.
Aglais
Aglais is more popular as a surname in the Philippines and Brazil but is still rare. It comes from “Aglaia,” a Latinization of the Greek word for “splendid.” Aglais is a genus of brush-footed butterflies. It also contains tortoiseshells, butterflies with a mottled yellow and brown color pattern. Aglais could do wonders for your brilliant boy or girl.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Splendid, shining, brilliant
- Pronunciation: uh-GLAY-ss
- Variations: Aglaia
- Popularity: Aglais sits under the U.S. reporting line, where a name appears only when at least five babies share it in a year.
Aleda
Although Aleda can also mean “prosperous,” “archaic,” or “old,” it mainly means “small and winged,” much like a tiny butterfly. If you wish for your sweet girl to grow wings, take up Aleda and watch her soar.
- Origin: Latin, German
- Meaning: Small and winged
- Pronunciation: ah-LEE-uh, uh-LAY-duh
- Variations: Elida, Alida, Alyda
- Namesakes: Aleda Seren Adamson, daughter of soap star Linsey Godfrey and Robert Adamson.
- Popularity: Aleda reached 1,671st in 1913 and has faded since; its last U.S. showing was 2020, with six girls.
Amaryllis
Much like a newly emerged butterfly, Amaryllis depicts a fresh start. It’s also the name of a bright flower, a butterfly favorite! There is even a rare type of amaryllis called the Butterfly Amaryllis. At this point, Amaryllis is practically beating you over the head to be picked.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Fresh, to sparkle
- Pronunciation: am-uh-RILL-iss
- Namesakes: Amaryllis Virginia Garnett, an English actress. Amaryllis Fox, an American TV host, writer, and former CIA officer.
- Popularity: Amaryllis sat 2,439th in the U.S. in 2025 with 73 girls, roughly double the previous decade, though its best rank is still 1,139th in 1927.
Annabella
Annabella seems to be falling out of favor, and not just in the U.S. Annabelle is much more popular in the U.S. But if the Vanessa Annabella, or West Coast Lady butterfly, has any say, Annabella might soon see her comeback.
- Origin: Latin, French, Italian
- Meaning: Favored grace
- Pronunciation: a-nuh-BEH-luh
- Variations: Anabella, Annabelle, Annabel, Anabela
- Namesakes: Annabella “Bella” Thorne, an American actress, singer, and model. Annabella Sciorra, an American actress. Annabella of Scotland, a Scottish princess, and countess.
- Popularity: Annabella peaked at 256th in 2014 and has slipped to 1,352nd in 2025, with 163 girls, about half the previous decade’s births.
Aponi
Aponi is taken from the Blackfoot Siksika root “apaniiwa” meaning “butterfly.” If you wish to honor your heritage or to step outside the box in your hunt for butterfly names for girls, Aponi is ideal. Aponi has a simple charm that’s hard to deny.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: uh-POH-nee
- Variations: Apani
- Popularity: Aponi entered U.S. data in 2006 and last appeared in 2024 at 8,499th, with 12 girls.
Argus
Argus is the Latinized form of the Greek Argos. In Greek myth, Atalanta’s son, Parthenopaeus, slew a giant called Argus. Afterward, the giant’s hundred eyes were placed in a peacock’s feathers. Despite Argus’s tragic fate, the Meadow Argus and Brown Argus butterflies were given his name. Whether a peacock’s feathers or a butterfly’s wings, Argus is a name that truly shines.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Glistening, shining
- Pronunciation: AR-gus, AH-gus
- Variations: Argos
- Popularity: Argus ranked 10,795th in 2025, with six boys, a long way below its 1943 high of 2,286th.
Asmara
Although Asmara is gender-neutral, it seems to have a more feminine ring. Other etymologies aside, it could also mean “moonless night.” Asmara rolls off the tongue with effortless grace, so why not give this exotic option to your precious love?
- Origin: Arabic, Indonesian
- Meaning: Beautiful butterfly, love
- Pronunciation: US-muh-ruh, az-MAH-ruh, ah-SMAR-uh
- Variations: Asmera
- Popularity: Asmara reached its best U.S. rank yet in 2025 at 4,999th, with 26 babies.
Atalanta
Atalanta was a heroine huntress of Greek mythology and the mother of Parthenopaeus. In one telling, she was so skilled at footraces she used her swiftness to avoid the advances of men. In modern times, Atalanta has also come to be associated with a species of butterflies. Atalanta balances its neat origins with the beauty of butterflies all at once.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Equal in weight
- Pronunciation: a-tuh-LAN-tuh
- Variations: Atalante
- Popularity: Atalanta has surfaced in U.S. data exactly once, in 2000, when five girls received it.
Azure
Parents looking for a unique butterfly name are in for a treat with Azure. A color commonly associated with the prettiest of butterflies, Azure evokes images of the Spring Azure. Also called the Echo Blue, these metallic insects cover most parts of the U.S., from Alaska to Hawaii. But don’t worry. There’s always room for more Azures.
- Origin: Latin, French
- Meaning: Sky blue
- Pronunciation: a-ZHAWR, a-ZHR
- Variations: Azura
- Namesakes: Azure Parsons, an American actress known for many TV roles. Sky Azure Van Vliet, an American actress, dancer, and model.
- Popularity: Azure ranked 6,360th for girls in 2025 with 18 births and 3,042nd for boys with 40, down about a quarter on the previous decade; its best year was 1975 at 1,005th.
Babochka
Babochka is a combination of the Slavic word “baba” meaning “ancient ancestor,” and the suffix “ka,” usually added to feminine nouns or diminutives. This strange association with ancestors stems from the Russian folk belief that the dead become butterflies. Babochka captures the precious memory of a loved one while still keeping it as light as a butterfly.
- Origin: Russian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: ba-BUCH-kah, BA-buch-kah
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Babochka, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Bindi
In Australia, Bindi means little girl and butterfly; in India it means drop or point. All of those readings are charming, and together they give two short syllables more depth than they have any right to. Bindi Sue Irwin makes a fine role model for a little butterfly girl. It has not taken off in the west yet, which is exactly why now is a good time to use it.
- Origin: Native Australian, Indian
- Meaning: Little girl, butterfly, drop
- Pronunciation: BIN-dee
- Namesakes: Bindi Sue Irwin, daughter of Steve Irwin, an Australian TV personality, conservationist and zookeeper. Bindi Singh Kullar, a Canadian field hockey player.
- Popularity: Bindi ranked 4,187th in the U.S. in 2025 with 34 girls, up sharply on the previous decade and close to its 2021 best of 3,745th.
Birabiro
Birabiro looks eccentric on paper, and that is most of its appeal. From Amharic origins, it has never cleared the SSA’s five-birth publication line, one of the rarest picks on this list of names that mean butterfly. Parents who want something nobody else has can also lean on the nicknames it throws off, like Bee, Roro, or Bi-Bi. If a full first name feels like a lot, it works beautifully in the middle slot.
- Origin: Ethiopian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: BEE-ruh-BEE-rohw
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Birabiro, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Blue
Blue suits a free-spirited baby. Blues, or Polyommatinae, are a large subfamily running from common blues to silver-studded blues and Adonis blues. The neo-tropical blue morphos sit outside that family, yet they are the iridescent blue butterflies most people picture first. It works equally well for a boy or a girl, since color words rarely play favorites. Four letters is all it takes, and Blu waits in the wings if a nickname is ever needed.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: The color blue
- Pronunciation: BLOO
- Namesakes: Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles and an American singer. Dakota Blue Richards, an English actress known for the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass.
- Popularity: Blue ranked 2,648th for boys in 2025 with 49 births and 4,676th for girls with 29, more than double the previous decade.
Borboleta
Borboleta sounds unmistakably Portuguese and carries its meaning straight through. For a family preserving that heritage, it is a warm and unusual way to do it. The length makes it a natural middle name as well. Letta is waiting inside it as a ready-made nickname.
- Origin: Portuguese
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: BOR-boh-leh-ta
- Popularity: You will not find Borboleta in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Butterfly
For English speakers, Butterfly is the most literal option there is. It has a flower-child air, though few people would blink at it now. Butterfly McQueen and Butterfly Boucher both carried it into serious careers, which is a useful reminder that a whimsical name caps nobody’s ambitions.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: BUH-ter-fly
- Namesakes: Butterfly McQueen, born Thelma McQueen, an African American dancer and actress. Butterfly Boucher, an Australian songstress, instrumentalist, and record producer.
- Popularity: Butterfly has barely registered in U.S. data: ten girls in total, most recently five in 2010, at 17,517th.
Caligo
Caligo is both refined and a little gothic. This rare gem is the genus of forest-dwelling insects known as owl butterflies, so titled for their owlish eyespots. Owl butterflies are a fitting match for a name that means “darkness” and “obscurity of sight.” Just don’t be surprised if your little Caligo turns out to be a night person.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Darkness, obscurity of sight
- Pronunciation: KA-lih-goh
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Caligo, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Celastrina
Celastrina ladon is the scientific name of the Spring Azure butterfly. But the Celastrinagenus includes many species that can appear grayish, lavender, and blue. Celastrina is a beautiful choice that sounds like the heavenly Celeste but has ties to sky-colored butterflies instead.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Genus of butterflies
- Pronunciation: cell-us-TREE-nuh
- Popularity: Celastrina has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Cho
Besides being a common Korean and Chinese surname, Cho is used for girls. It was more popular in Japan during the Edo era than in modern times. Despite this, Cho’s meaning has not changed. This three-letter epithet is the Japanese word for “butterfly” and remains the basis for several butterfly-inspired names.
- Origin: Japanese, Korean, Burmese
- Meaning: Butterfly, beautiful, sweet
- Pronunciation: ch-OH
- Variations: Chō, Chou
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Cho, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Choka
Choka can also mean fragrant butterfly and long poem, which is a lot of imagery for two syllables. Nobody actually sniffs butterflies, but the flowery reading gives the name a calm, garden-at-dusk feeling. It works for a boy or a girl without leaning either way. Spring babies suit it especially well.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Butterfly child, butterfly flower
- Pronunciation: ch-OHW-ka
- Variations: Chōka, Chouka
- Popularity: Choka falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Choko
There is no exact English match for the sound, so Choko takes a long, hard oh in the first syllable. Other kanji combinations give it readings like small child and sweet tea. As a girls-only Japanese butterfly name, though, this is the one to reach for. That its best known bearer was a pioneering pilot feels like a happy coincidence.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Butterfly girl, butterfly child
- Pronunciation: ch-OHW-koh
- Variations: Chōko, Chouko
- Namesakes: Choko Mabuchi, a female Japanese pilot, and pioneer of overseas flight among female pilots.
- Popularity: Choko has never turned up in U.S. birth data, which only publishes a name once five babies share it within a single year.
Chomi
Chomi is undeniably cute, which is both its charm and its catch. It fits a baby and a small child perfectly and stays girlish into adulthood. Plenty of parents will happily take that trade. If you want a butterfly name that already sounds like a nickname, Chomi is it.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Beautiful butterfly, butterfly ocean
- Pronunciation: ch-OHW-mee
- Variations: Choumi
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Chomi, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Chrysalis
Chrysalis comes from khrysallis, itself from khrysos, and points at the metallic gold sheen many butterfly pupae carry. It looks unusual on the page and softens instantly to Chrys in daily use. As a symbol it is hard to beat: the quiet stage right before everything changes.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Gold sheath
- Pronunciation: KRIH-suh-liss
- Variations: Khrysallis
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Chrysalis, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Clemanthe
Clemanthe sounds like Calanthe and Clementine folded together, strong at the front and sweet at the finish. It is the species name of the Redspot Sawtooth butterfly, whose orange, white, and black wings carry a red mark at the base. Rare enough that your daughter would likely be the only one, it still reads as a real name rather than an invention.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Redspot sawtooth butterfly
- Pronunciation: klem-AN-thee, KLEM-uhn-thee
- Popularity: You will not find Clemanthe in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Clodius
Clodius probably comes from Claudius, meaning lame or crippled, which sounds harsher than it lands. Roman generals and officials carried it for centuries. It is also a species of white butterfly with an uneven wing pattern found across the U.S. and Canada. Among butterfly names for boys, this one has the most ancient Roman weight.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Lame
- Pronunciation: cl-O-dee-us, cl-O-dee-oos
- Variations: Clodia
- Namesakes: Clodius Celsinus Adelphius, a prefect of the ancient Roman Empire. Decimus Clodius Albinus, an ancient Roman general, and imperial candidate.
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Clodius, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Cressida
Cressida derives from the ancient Greek, Chryseis. This, in turn, comes from “chrysos” and is ultimately from “khrysos,” meaning “golden.” It harkens to the butterfly’s chrysalis but is also not too overstated. Cressida could be just right for your golden child.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Gold
- Pronunciation: KREH-suh-duh
- Variations: Criseida
- Namesakes: Cressida Cowell, a British children’s author known for How to Train Your Dragon. Cressida Curzon Bonas, an English actress and model.
- Popularity: Cressida ranked 8,987th in 2025 with 11 girls, holding about level with the previous decade.
Cynthia
Cynthia is a formal name with a grown-up air, and it has drifted just far enough out of fashion to read vintage rather than dated. The Cynthia group of butterflies are the ones known collectively as the Painted Ladies. If you want a butterfly name a grandparent will recognize and a teacher will spell right the first time, this is the one.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: From Mount Kynthos/Cynthus
- Pronunciation: SIN-thee-uh
- Variations: Kynthia, Cynthea, Cintia
- Namesakes: Cynthia Ling Lee, an American dancer and choreographer. Cynthia Bailey, an American model, actress, and TV personality.
- Popularity: Cynthia was the seventh most popular U.S. girls’ name in 1957, when 39,340 were born; by 2025 it had fallen to 1,014th with 247 girls.
Danaid
Danaid comes from the myth of the Danaides, the fifty daughters of King Danaus, all but one of whom killed their husbands on their wedding night to preserve their purity. It is a dark story attached to a delicate name. The butterfly link is direct, since the Danainae subfamily takes in more than 300 species worldwide. Danaid is for parents who like their mythology unsoftened.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Of Danaus
- Pronunciation: duh-NAYD
- Popularity: Danaid has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Delen
Delen is a modern Cornish name that paints a picture: a tiny delicate petal. A butterfly’s wing is not far off, which is how it landed on this list of butterfly names for girls. It doubles as a floral choice without the usual flower-name suspects. Said in one soft breath, it never needs a nickname to sound approachable.
- Origin: Cornish
- Meaning: Tiny delicate petal
- Pronunciation: DAY-ln
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Delen, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Dione
Dione is a powerful pick with a divine backstory, drawn from Dionysos and the root dios, of Zeus. It also names a genus of butterflies in orange and yellow, colors that catch the sun like gold leaf. Few names manage to sound this ancient and still be this easy to wear.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: She-Zeus, divine queen, goddess
- Pronunciation: DEE-ohn, dye-OH-nee
- Variations: Dion
- Namesakes: Dione Taylor, a Canadian singer-songwriter. Dione Lucas, an English chef and the first female graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.
- Popularity: Dione peaked at 1,953rd in 1970, bottomed out in the 2000s, and has roughly doubled off that low, ranking 11,003rd in 2025 with six girls.
Eilir
Eilir is uncommon outside its birthplace but has loyal fans there. The sound sits neatly between masculine and feminine, so it never has to declare itself. If a unisex butterfly name is what you are after, this is one of the few that genuinely reads that way.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: AY-lair
- Popularity: Eilir falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Ekval
Ekval is a hard-to-come-by masculine name that means “butterfly.” It is of Hindu origin but is rarely used even in India, where it is the most prevalent. Since the options are already so limited, parents wanting to call their little boy “butterfly” should try out this exotic name.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: ek-VUL
- Popularity: Ekval sits under the U.S. reporting line, where a name appears only when at least five babies share it in a year.
Euthalia
Euthalia has a formal, almost regal ring, earned partly by its link to the brush-footed butterflies known as Barons and Dukes. The meaning is gentler than the sound: flower, bloom, flourish. Every parent wants their little flower to flourish, and few names say so this directly.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Flower, bloom, flourish
- Pronunciation: EW-thay-lee-uh, ew-THAY-lee-uh
- Variations: Efthalia
- Namesakes: Saint Euthalia, a 3rd-century virgin martyr from Sicily.
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Euthalia, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Faranak
Faranak, a relative of Parvaneh, can also carry the sense of guide or leader. It has a firmer sound than most of the options here, which reads less delicate and more determined. For families honoring Persian or Arabic heritage, it does both jobs at once.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: Butterfly, little butterfly
- Pronunciation: fa-ruh-NEK, fuh-RA-nuuk
- Variations: Farânak
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Faranak, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Farasha
Farasha is as pretty as the creature it names. The pronunciation is the best part, especially if you remember to tap the r. It sounds like a name out of an old story, and it holds up perfectly well in a modern classroom.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: fahr-RAA-shuh
- Variations: Farashah
- Popularity: You will not find Farasha in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Farfalla
Farfalla is not often used as a given name, which does not mean it cannot be. Worn as a stage name it picks up a little glamour. Then there is the pasta: farfalle for the butterfly-shaped classic, farfalloni for the big ones, farfalline for the little rounds. Few names arrive with their own dinner menu.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: far-FAHL-uh
- Namesakes: Giuliana Radermacher, stage name Giuliana Farfalla, a German model.
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Farfalla, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Fei
Fairies are almost always drawn with butterfly wings, which makes Fei a butterfly name twice over. It is short and light on the tongue, and Fei Fei is sweeter still as a nickname. A name this brief leaves plenty of room for a longer middle.
- Origin: Chinese, English
- Meaning: To dance on air, to fly, fairy
- Pronunciation: FAY
- Namesakes: Fei Gao, also known as Ying Gao, a Chinese actress and singer. Fei Meng, a Chinese artistic gymnast.
- Popularity: Fei appeared in U.S. data for the first time in 2025, when five babies received it, at 15,670th.
Flutter
Everyone knows what butterflies do, so Flutter skips the etymology and goes straight to the image. It is still rare nearly everywhere. Trends are unpredictable, and this is exactly the sort of word-name that can turn a corner fast. If you like being early, Flutter is early.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: To flutter
- Pronunciation: FLUH-ter
- Popularity: Flutter has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Flutura
Flutura means butterfly and happens to look like the English word flutter, so it feels familiar before anyone explains it. Its Albanian roots keep the meaning intact, and Flu makes a warm, easy nickname if the full name ever feels formal.
- Origin: Albanian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: FLOO-too-ruh, FLOO-too-ra
- Variations: Fluture
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Flutura, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Fluturim
Looking for the male counterpart to Flutura? Fluturim is your answer. Built from the Albanian word for butterfly, it means flight. The im ending is what makes it, softening a strong name into something warmer. It suits a boy you expect to aim high.
- Origin: Albanian
- Meaning: Flight
- Pronunciation: FLOO-too-reem
- Popularity: Fluturim falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Gossamer
Parents drawn to the dark and gothic tend to like Gossamer. It usually describes silky spider webs, and it also names the Gossamer-Winged butterflies, the second-largest family in the group. With meanings like delicate, light, and fine as silk, the fit is obvious enough. Put it on the list.
- Origin: Gothic
- Meaning: Light, delicate, fine silky thread
- Pronunciation: GOS-uh-muh, GAH-suh-mr
- Popularity: Gossamer sits under the U.S. reporting line, where a name appears only when at least five babies share it in a year.
Hu dié
Hu dié is the only Chinese option precisely meaning “butterfly.” The film star, Hu dié, or Butterfly Wu, had a prosperous career before the Second Sino-Japanese War interrupted it. Afterward, she returned to acting, taking on roles as an older woman. We couldn’t say why such a beautiful pick isn’t more widespread. Maybe it’s waiting for the next legend-in-the-making.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: HOO dee-ay, HOO dee-eh
- Variations: Dié
- Namesakes: Hu Dié, also known as Butterfly Wu, a Chinese actress of the ’20s and ’30s.
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Hu dié, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Icarus
The Greek story is famous even where the name is not. Icarus flew too close to the sun on wings held with thread and wax, the wax melted, and he fell. Tragedy aside, that reach for the sky is likely why his name ended up on the European Common Blue butterfly. It is a bold pick and it sounds it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: One who reaches the sky
- Pronunciation: IH-kuh-rs
- Variations: Ikarus, Ikaros
- Popularity: Icarus hit its best U.S. rank in 2025 at 4,771st, with 21 boys, more than double the previous decade.
Ītzpāpālōtl
Ītzpāpālōtl looks intimidating and turns out to be one of the coolest names here. It combines itztli, meaning obsidian, with pāpālōtl, meaning butterfly. The Aztec warrior goddess who carried it is depicted either with obsidian bat wings or with butterfly attributes, and she is associated with Rothschildia orizaba, the Orizaba Silkmoth. For parents who want a piece of Aztec myth in the family, few names here carry this much.
- Origin: Aztec
- Meaning: Obsidian butterfly, clawed butterfly
- Pronunciation: ITSS-papa-lot
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Ītzpāpālōtl, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Jamides
Jamides may look like a fancier version of James, but it’s so much more than an over-hyped knockoff. The genus of butterflies called Jamides is commonly referred to as cerulean. Jamides perfectly captures the imagery of a field of butterflies for a baby boy at home in nature.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Lover of glades
- Pronunciation: juh-MEYE-ds
- Popularity: You will not find Jamides in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Josephina
The Ganyra josephina, or Giant White, is a butterfly of dry subtropical forest. As a name, Josephina is the longer, more formal sister to Josephine and wears that extra syllable well. Parents who love Josephine but want something a shade more grown-up have their answer.
- Origin: Hebrew, English
- Meaning: Jehovah will increase
- Pronunciation: joh-seh-FEEN-uh, JOH-seh-feen-uh
- Variations: Josephine
- Namesakes: Josephina Johanna Troost, a Dutch swimmer. Jeannette Josephina Witziers-Timmer, a Dutch sprinter.
- Popularity: Josephina ranked 1,743rd in 2025 with 117 girls, a whisker off its 2023 best of 1,742nd.
Kaiser
Kaiser comes from the Latin Caesar, both a name and a title. It works as a surname across German-speaking Europe and as a first name well beyond it. Choose it if you love emperor butterflies but would rather not spell that out for every stranger.
- Origin: Latin, German
- Meaning: Emperor
- Pronunciation: KEYE-zr, KEYE-zuh
- Variations: Keiser, Keizer, Kiser, Kayser, Kyser
- Namesakes: Kaiser Johnson, an American actor and voiceover talent known for his role in Stranger Things.
- Popularity: Kaiser ranked 836th in the U.S. in 2025 with 296 boys, about five times the previous decade’s births, after peaking at 749th in 2022.
Kamehameha
Best known as the famous attack in the Dragon Ball anime franchise, Kamehameha was also a lineage of Hawaiian kings. How is this crazy-long name related to butterflies? The Kamehameha butterfly is one of only two species native to Hawaii, and in 2009 became its state insect. For most anglophones, Kamehameha might be more suited to a middle name.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Meaning: The very lonely one, the one set apart
- Pronunciation: KAH-meh-ha-meh-hah, kuh-may-huh-may-huh
- Namesakes: Kamehameha I, or Kamehameha the Great, a Hawaiian king.
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Kamehameha, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Kelebek
Kelebek traces back to the proto-Turkic kepelek, meaning butterfly. Very little history attaches to it as a given name, which cuts both ways: no baggage, but no template either. Your daughter would be the one to give it a legacy.
- Origin: Turkish
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: KEH-leh-bek
- Popularity: Kelebek has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Kimama
Kimama is the Shoshone word for butterfly. Both Shoshone and Cherokee traditions include a Butterfly Dance, in which the women wear brightly colored shawls that stand in for wings and tell a story of loss and rebirth. That story alone earns Kimama a spot on any shortlist.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: kee-MA-ma
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Kimama, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Kimani
Kimani has many meanings, but as a derivative of Shoshone, “Kimama,” it means “butterfly.” Being also of Kenyan origin, Kimani is popular on the African continent and on many English-speaking Caribbean islands. It’s also more commonplace in African American communities than any other in the U.S. Add Kimani to your list of butterfly names for a girl or boy.
- Origin: Kenyan, Native American
- Meaning: Sailor, adventurer, child of a warrior, butterfly
- Pronunciation: kee-MA-nee
- Namesakes: Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan Guinness World Record holder. Kimani Friend, a Jamaican professional basketball player.
- Popularity: Kimani ranked 4,122nd for girls in 2025 with 35 births and 3,619th for boys with 31; births are down about a quarter on the previous decade, well off the 2009 high of 1,896th.
Kimimela
Kimimela is of Native American Sioux origin, specifically, the Lakota dialect. It isn’t widely known and would be ideal for parents looking for something super rare. You can even get a few adorable nicknames out of it, like Kiki, Mimi, and Ella. Why not call your own “little butterfly” Kimimela?
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Little butterfly
- Pronunciation: kee-mee-MEE-luh
- Variations: Kimimila
- Popularity: Kimimela first appeared in U.S. data in 2014 and last showed up in 2021 at 12,886th, with seven girls.
Kipepeo
If African words for butterfly appeal to you, Kipepeo has the best rhythm of the bunch. It also turns up as a surname, though it stays uncommon overall. There is one odd footnote: Resident Evil gave the name to a winged, engineered form of the Plaga parasite. The name itself is far friendlier than that.
- Origin: Swahili
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: kee-peh-PAY-oh
- Variations: Kipepeyo
- Popularity: Kipepeo falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Kocho
The first part of the kanji for Kocho, “ko,” means “antenna,” and the second, “cho,” means “butterfly.” Kocho is a more artistic and traditional way of saying butterfly in Japanese. In the anime, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kocho is the family name of a demon-slaying lineage. Its most prominent bearer on the show is the lovely Shinobu Kochō.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: KOH-chohw
- Variations: Kochō, Kochou
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record shows Kocho; Social Security only lists a name after five babies get it in the same year.
Leptir
Leptir comes from the Bosnian leptiri, butterfly, which traces back to the ancient Greek lepis, scale, and pteron, wing. As descriptions go, scale-wing is hard to beat for accuracy. It is genuinely rare, so a baby Leptir would join a very short list.
- Origin: Greek, Bosnian, Croatian
- Meaning: Butterfly, fickle, flighty
- Pronunciation: LEHP-teer
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Leptir, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Lolo
If there were a prize for the cutest butterfly name, Lolo would be a finalist. It turns up across several cultures and has been read as lotus flower in ancient Greek. Butterflies and lotuses both carry spiritual weight in many places, so the name is never short on meaning. Two syllables, endless warmth.
- Origin: Malagasy
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: LOH-loh
- Namesakes: Lolo Lui, a Samoan rugby union player. Lolo Soetoro, the Indonesian stepfather of former U.S. president Barack Obama.
- Popularity: Lolo is a historical curiosity in the U.S. record, last logged in 1923 at 4,722nd, with eleven births in total.
Luna
Luna has been loved for a long time and sits high on U.S. charts. The name points at the ancient Roman moon deity and also at a moth: the Luna moth, or American moon moth, is mint green with long trailing hindwings and a fluffy white body. Soft, celestial, and easy for a toddler to say. Hard to pass up.
- Origin: Latin, Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Moon
- Pronunciation: LOO-nuh
- Variations: Lúna, Louna
- Namesakes: Luna Marie Schweiger, a German actress. Luna Wedler, a Swiss actress known for Netflix’s Biohackers. Luna Maya Sugeng, an Austrian-Indonesian model and actress.
- Popularity: Luna is the highest ranked name on this list, 27th in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,076 girls, after reaching 10th in 2022.
Lyneth
Lyneth is a diminutive of Lynette, which carries the senses of idol, beauty, and nymph. The shorter form sounds younger and lighter than its parent name. With a meaning like little beauty, the butterfly link is felt rather than literal, which some parents will prefer.
- Origin: English, Welsh
- Meaning: Little beauty
- Pronunciation: LIH-neth
- Variations: Lynette
- Popularity: Lyneth surfaced briefly in the mid-2000s, ranking 11,310th in 2007 with ten girls.
Lysander
Lysander is the Latinized form of the Greek Lysandros, built from lysis, freedom, and andros, man. Freedom is the butterfly’s whole business, and the Lysander Cattleheart carries the name in both its common and species forms. Nearly all black with pale red spots on the hindwings, it is a good-looking insect to share a name with.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Liberator
- Pronunciation: leye-SAN-duh
- Variations: Lysandros, Lysandra
- Namesakes: Lysander, a Spartan military and political leader. Lysander Button, an American inventor. Lysander Farrar, an American politician, and lawyer.
- Popularity: Lysander reached its best U.S. rank in 2025 at 1,719th, with 95 boys.
Mantech
Mantech does not say much on paper, but its Ethiopian roots make it worth a look for parents drawn to African names that mean butterfly. It can be used for girls, though the sound leans a little gruff and settles more comfortably on a boy. Rarity is the real selling point here.
- Origin: Ethiopian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: muhn-TEK
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Mantech, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Mariposa
Mariposa is probably the first name that comes to mind for anyone thinking about this theme at all. The Spanish word is elegant and rolls easily off the tongue. Barbie: Mariposa put it in front of a generation of children, attached to a fairy, which did the name no harm at all.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: ma-ree-POH-sa, ma-ree-POH-suh
- Namesakes: Liberty Mariposa Phoenix, a Venezuelan-born American actress.
- Popularity: Mariposa ranked 4,040th in 2025 with 36 girls, roughly double the previous decade.
Mazarine
Mazarine names a deep purple-blue hue, and the Mazarine Blue butterflies take their label from that coloring. Both the butterfly and the name have thinned out over the years, which gives Mazarine a slightly wistful quality. For parents who want a color name nobody else is using, it is a rich, unusual option.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Deep blue color
- Pronunciation: ma-zah-REEN
- Variations: Mazarin
- Namesakes: Mazarine Marie Pingeot, a French writer, journalist, and professor.
- Popularity: Mazarine is scarce in the U.S., ranked 16,447th in 2025 with five girls; its best year was 2022 at 11,877th.
Memengwa
Memengwa is of Native American Ojibwa origin and doesn’t even show up on charts. Fun fact: the plural of this word is “memengwaag.” Try Memengwa as a middle name and have fun with the nickname Meme. And that’s “MEE-MEE” not “MEEM.”
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: muh-MENG-wa
- Variations: Memengwaa
- Popularity: You will not find Memengwa in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Memphis
Memphis is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian mn-nfr, or men-nefer, the ancient capital, and it is also a city in southwest Tennessee. Butterflies claim it too, since the Memphis genus runs to 61 species. Between the landmarks and the wings, it is simply a cool name, and it has the modern-surname sound parents keep reaching for.
- Origin: Egyptian, Greek
- Meaning: Established, enduring, beautiful
- Pronunciation: MEM-fss
- Namesakes: Memphis Kirke Mosberg, son of actress Jemima Kirke and husband, Michael Mosberg. Memphis Depay, a Dutch professional football player.
- Popularity: Memphis ranked 640th for boys in 2025 with 437 births and 1,494th for girls with 143, up about 90 percent on the previous decade.
Monarch
Monarch is fit for royalty and may come from the Old French monarque. The butterfly behind it is the one everyone can name, orange and black and built for distance: monarchs can fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home, covering 50 to 100 miles a day (4). They are also in trouble, with the eastern population down 88 percent between 1996 and 2020, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Encountering a monarch is akin to seeing an Olympic athlete to me,” says Meg Hedeen, a biologist and pollinator expert with the agency. As a first name it is barely a stretch, since it already works as a surname, and Monty or Archie sit underneath it.
- Origin: French, English
- Meaning: Royalty, ruler, haughty
- Pronunciation: MON-ark
- Variations: Monarc
- Popularity: Monarch is brand new to U.S. data, first recorded in 2021 and ranked 14,374th in 2025 with six babies.
Morpho
Morpho is a strong contender for the coolest butterfly aesthetic. It stems from the Greek “morphṓ,” and Latin “morphō,” meaning “shapely one” or ” the beautiful one.” The butterfly genus, Morpho, consists of over 29 species and 147 subspecies. Your baby will inevitably grow and change, but you can’t spell “metamorphosis” without Morpho.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Shapely, beautiful one
- Pronunciation: MOR-foh
- Variations: Morphō
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Morpho, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Moth
Moth is a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a page boy in Love’s Labour’s Lost, so literary parents get an inside reference for free. Nature-minded parents get something simpler: say butterfly and most people think moth in the same breath. The single syllable pairs easily with almost any middle name, odd on paper but gentle once it is actually spoken.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: A moth
- Pronunciation: MAWTH
- Namesakes: Richard Moth, a British Roman Catholic prelate.
- Popularity: Moth has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Motyl
Motyl looks like moth and means butterfly in Polish, a coincidence worth enjoying. It is a surname first, but surnames migrate to first names constantly. Motty is the obvious nickname, and it is genuinely sweet.
- Origin: Polish, Czech
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: MO-tll
- Variations: Motýl
- Namesakes: Vladimir Motyl, a Belarusian Soviet theater, and film director.
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Motyl, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Nabi
Nabi is the Korean word for butterfly, and in both Korea and Japan it reads as feminine. In Arabic it is a boy’s name meaning prophet, so context does the sorting. To say it like a native speaker, stretch both vowel sounds. Easy to spell, easy to love.
- Origin: Korean, Japanese
- Meaning: Butterfly, beautiful apple tree
- Pronunciation: NA-bee
- Namesakes: Nabi Tajima, the second oldest Japanese person ever, dying just shy of 118 years.
- Popularity: Nabi entered U.S. data in 2021, peaked at 4,990th in 2024, and ranked 7,391st in 2025 with 15 girls.
Nabichum
Nabichum extends the Korean nabi into something even more cheerful: butterfly dance. It names a real Buddhist ceremonial dance in which the costumes and the choreography both imitate a butterfly’s movement. As a name it is long, musical, and completely distinctive.
- Origin: Korean
- Meaning: Butterfly dance
- Pronunciation: NA-bee-chuum
- Popularity: Nabichum falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Nectarios
Nectarios comes from the Greek nektar, by way of roots meaning to perish and to overcome, which together read as overcoming death. Nektar was the honeyed drink of the Olympian gods, and the word nectar, the sugary fluid in flowers, comes from the same place. Butterflies, it turns out, drink from the same cup as the gods.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Of nectar, ambrosia
- Pronunciation: nek-TA-ree-ohs
- Variations: Nektarios, Nectarius
- Namesakes: Saint Nectarios of Aegina, a Greek saint.
- Popularity: Nectarios shows up in U.S. data only in the late 1970s, last in 1979 at 6,739th.
Nova
Nova has to be the most futuristic butterfly name on the planet. It’s already popular for its Latin origins, but we bet most people don’t know it also means “chaser of butterflies” in the Hopi language. Your new addition will delight in the charm of Nova.
- Origin: Latin, Hopi
- Meaning: New, chaser of butterflies
- Pronunciation: NOH-vuh
- Namesakes: Nova Meierhenrich, a German TV presenter and actress. Nova Pilbeam, an English film and stage actress. Nova Peris, an Aboriginal Australian athlete and politician.
- Popularity: Nova is the fastest riser on this list, up about 911 percent on the previous decade, and ranked 46th in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,657 girls.
Olita
Olita hands a baby a pair of wings without saying anything so obvious. It may come from Olga, meaning blessed or holy, and it sounds close to Alita. That resemblance is the only caution, and a mild one. Mostly it is a soft, sunny name people can actually spell.
- Origin: English, Latvian
- Meaning: Winged
- Pronunciation: oh-LEE-ta, oh-LEE-tuh
- Namesakes: Olita Rause, a Latvian title-holding women’s chess player.
- Popularity: Olita belongs to the early 20th century, best at 2,825th in 1917 and last recorded in 1973.
Paloma
Few people know Paloma carries a double meaning. Both readings are lovely, but you came for the butterflies, and Paloma delivers. The butterfly sense is not universal among Spanish speakers, since dialects assign different meanings to the same word. Either way it is a graceful, well-worn name that has never felt overused.
- Origin: Spanish, Catalan
- Meaning: Dove, butterfly
- Pronunciation: pa-LOH-ma, puh-LOHW-muh
- Variations: Palóma
- Namesakes: Paloma Herrera, an Argentine ballet dancer (formerly a principal dancer) and choreographer. Paloma Efron, an Argentine radio and TV journalist and jazz singer.
- Popularity: Paloma ranked 793rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 343 girls, holding close to its 2010 best of 703rd.
Papillon
Papillon needs no introduction if you have ever met the dog, since those butterfly-shaped ears give the meaning away instantly. In France it works as both a first and a last name. Elsewhere it simply sounds classy, which is reason enough.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: PA-pee-yon
- Namesakes: Papillon Soo Soo, an English-born French-Chinese model, and actress.
- Popularity: Papillon sits under the U.S. reporting line, where a name appears only when at least five babies share it in a year.
Parvanak
The Persian lynx, or caracal, goes by Parvanak for its long, butterfly-shaped ears. Your baby will not arrive with those, but the name still has plenty going for it. Parvanak means little butterfly, and that stays true at any age.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: The little butterfly
- Pronunciation: par-VA-nek, par-WHAH-nek
- Variations: Parvânak
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Parvanak, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Parvaneh
Parvaneh is the Persian word for butterfly and the source of several spin-offs, Faranak and Parvanak among them. It is soft without being fragile, and the three syllables give it a lift at the end. There is no reason to wait for it to catch on.
- Origin: Persian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: par-VA-neh, par-WHAH-nehn
- Variations: Parvana
- Namesakes: Parvaneh Vasli, an Iranian associate professor and researcher. Parvaneh Pourshariati, an Iranian-born American historian and scholar.
- Popularity: Parvaneh appears in U.S. data only for 1983 and 1984, ranking 9,994th in that second year.
Perhonen
Perhonen is unusual even among the names here. In Finnish, perho means a fly in the fishing-lure sense, and lures are famously colorful, which makes the jump to butterflies easy enough. If a full first name feels like a stretch, it makes a striking middle.
- Origin: Finnish
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: PEH-r-hoe-nen
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Perhonen, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Pink-Rose
Hyphenated names like Pink-Rose are more of a British habit than an American one. This one nods to the Pink Rose butterfly of the Philippines, a swallowtail that is nearly all black except for the pinkish spots banding its body and marking the underside of its hindwings. Little is known about the species beyond its diet and its naming, which leaves the name pleasantly mysterious.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Pink rose (color)
- Pronunciation: PINK-rohz
- Popularity: You will not find Pink-Rose in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas is of Native American Powhatan origin. Disney may have popularized it, but Pocahontas was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan chief’s daughter. She was born Amonute but is known as Matoaka. Pocahontas could be a great way to honor the memory of the real-life namesake.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Playful one
- Pronunciation: poh-kuh-HAAN-tuss, poh-kuh-HON-tuss
- Namesakes: Pocahontas, born Amonute, a Native American princess.
- Popularity: Pocahontas ranked 2,759th in the U.S. in 1913 and has nearly vanished since, last recorded in 2022 with five girls.
Psyche
In Greek myth, Psyche was the goddess of the soul and was drawn with butterfly wings. She was mortal, and her beauty was said to rival Aphrodite’s, which caused her no end of trouble. The name may never go mainstream, but nothing else here ties the butterfly to the soul quite so directly.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: The soul, to breathe
- Pronunciation: SEYE-kee
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Psyche, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Pulelehua
Pulelehua joins pulelo, to float or undulate in the air, with lehua, meaning reddish. Hawaiians used it for the Kamehameha butterfly before it came to stand for butterflies generally. It is a mouthful in the best way, and Lele is the natural nickname.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: POO-leh-leh-hoo-waa
- Popularity: Pulelehua has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Ranaa
Ranaa does not translate to butterfly, but it describes one exactly: graceful, delicate, beautiful. Few people carry it, so it stays genuinely uncommon. It pairs well with a longer surname and holds its own alone, mostly on the strength of that melodious middle vowel.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Graceful, delicate, beautiful
- Pronunciation: RAH-nah
- Popularity: Ranaa has surfaced once in U.S. data, in 2000, with five girls at 16,971st.
Schmetterling
Schmetterling comes from the German word “schmetten,” meaning “cream,” and the diminutive suffix “ling.” This might seem unusual, but it references the folk belief that witches transformed into butterflies to steal cream. Now it’s not so strange but kind of cute.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: sh-MEH-ta-ling, sh-MEH-teh-ling
- Namesakes: Elisabeth Barbara Schmetterling, a Dutch artist. Lauren Schmetterling, an American rower and gold-medalist.
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Schmetterling, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Shalabha
Shalabha draws on both Sanskrit and Malayali roots, and it is most at home in the languages that produced it. The sound is unlike anything in common western use, which is precisely the appeal. Say it once and it sticks.
- Origin: Indian, Malayali
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: sha-lub-HAH
- Popularity: Shalabha falls below the U.S. publication threshold, so no federal ranking exists for it.
Soma
Soma carries a lot of history for four letters. From India it means lunar nectar; in Hungary it is a boy’s name meaning dogwood; as a Japanese surname it is usually written with the characters for mutual and horse. The nectar reading makes it a natural butterfly name, with the moon thrown in.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Lunar nectar, moon
- Pronunciation: SOH-mah, SOH-muh
- Variations: Sōma
- Namesakes: Queen Soma, ruler of the Funan Kingdom and the first Cambodian monarch. Soma Pysall, a German actress.
- Popularity: Soma ranked 9,590th for boys in 2025 with eight births and 13,012th for girls with seven.
Sommerflue
Sommerflue means summer fly and is a cousin of sommerfugl, the Danish word for butterfly. Sommer makes a genuinely good nickname. The full form, said aloud in English, does sound a little like something you picked up on vacation, so go in with your eyes open.
- Origin: Danish
- Meaning: Butterfly, summer fly
- Pronunciation: ss-O-muh-floo
- Variations: Sommerfugl
- Popularity: Sommerflue is missing from U.S. rankings entirely, since a name needs at least five births in a year before it is counted.
Teter
Teter is most common as a surname in the U.S. and Poland, and in India it works as a first name for boys and girls alike. English speakers will hear teeter, which is not the worst association for a name tied to butterflies. Try not to waver too long over it.
- Origin: Armenian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: TEE-tr
- Variations: Titerr
- Namesakes: Hannah Teter, an American snowboarder, and Olympic champion.
- Popularity: The U.S. Social Security Administration has never published Teter, which makes it about as rare as a name gets here.
Titli
Titli is Hindi for butterfly, plain and direct. An Indian television series of the same name follows a character who wants to be a pilot, so the name already carries a small story about flight. Two syllables, no ambiguity, easy anywhere.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: TIT-lee, TEET-lee
- Popularity: No U.S. birth record lists Titli, so American parents would be starting it from scratch.
Tsubasa
Tsubasa means wing, or wings, and is best known through the sports anime Captain Tsubasa. That leaves parents free to attach it to whichever winged creature they love. It works for a son or a daughter and sounds like motion.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Wing
- Pronunciation: TSOO-ba-sa
- Namesakes: Tsubasa Honda, a Japanese actress, and model. Tsubasa Imai, a Japanese singer, actor, and dancer. Tsubasa Masuwaka, a Japanese model.
- Popularity: Tsubasa charted in the U.S. between 1997 and 2008, best at 6,579th in that first year.
Tullia
Tullia could be mistaken for Tulip, which is no bad thing given how serene the meanings are. The Large Heath, or Common Ringlet butterfly, carries Tullia as its species name. Cicero had a daughter called Tullia whom he nicknamed Tulliola, little Tullia. It is difficult to make this name any sweeter.
- Origin: Latin, Italian
- Meaning: Downpour, heavy rain, quiet, peaceful
- Pronunciation: TOO-lee-uh
- Variations: Tulia, Tullio, Tulio
- Namesakes: Tullia d’Aragona, an Italian poet, author, and philosopher. Tullia Magrini, an Italian anthropologist. Tullia Zevi, an Italian journalist and writer.
- Popularity: Tullia is the rarest name here that still charts, 17,076th in 2025, or about one in every 333,000 U.S. births.
Vanessa
Vanessa manages to be refined and youthful at once, which is a rare combination. It is fading now, and that is a shame. For anyone who grew up in the west in the nineties or early 2000s, one bearer defined it. Give it another decade and it will read as fresh again.
- Origin: Greek, English
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: vuh-NESS-uh
- Variations: Vanesa, Vanessza
- Namesakes: Vanessa Hudgens, an American actress, and singer. Vanessa Amorosi, an Australian singer-songwriter. Vanessa Bryant, a Mexican-American businesswoman, model, and philanthropist.
- Popularity: Vanessa is the steepest faller on this list, down about 55 percent on the previous decade; it peaked at 41st in 1988 and ranked 377th in 2025 with 813 girls.
Viceroy
The Viceroy butterfly looks remarkably like the Monarch, a case of Müllerian mimicry, which suits a name meaning a ruler who stands in for the king. You may not want to raise a child on the theme of arrogance, but the sound is too good to dismiss. Roy is right there when you need something shorter.
- Origin: Latin, French
- Meaning: Ruler representing the king
- Pronunciation: VEYE-ss-roy
- Popularity: You will not find Viceroy in U.S. name rankings; it has never cleared the five-birth cutoff.
Vivalter
Vivalter may come from Proto-German and Middle Dutch roots. To anyone who speaks neither, it sounds like a Viking or an edgy rock band, despite its girlish meaning. Keeping that to yourself is entirely allowed.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: vih-VALL-ter
- Popularity: American name data has no line for Vivalter, which keeps it firmly in rare territory stateside.
Vlinder
Vlinder is effortlessly cool, and the reason is simply that it is Dutch. It means butterfly and sounds like nothing else on an American roll call. Vee works as a nickname if you want edge, Lin if you want softness.
- Origin: Dutch
- Meaning: Butterfly
- Pronunciation: FLIN-der, VLIN-der
- Namesakes: Vlinder Medina Kamerling, daughter of Dutch actor Antonie Kamerling.
- Popularity: Vlinder has never charted in the U.S., where names are published only after five babies receive them in a year.
Xiuhtecuhtli
The Aztec deity Xiuhtecuhtli, also called Huehueteotl, was shown wearing a turquoise butterfly pectoral on his chest. He ruled fire, the day, and heat. The length and the spelling have kept the name rare outside Mexico, which is the point if you want something nobody will duplicate. Lee makes a simple pet name.
- Origin: Aztec
- Meaning: Turquoise lord, turquoise year
- Pronunciation: SHEW-teh-koht-lee
- Popularity: U.S. records hold no entry for Xiuhtecuhtli, so its American popularity is effectively nil.
Yara
Yara has several etymologies, and the Arabic branch is the one that means butterfly. The Hebrew Yaara, meaning woodland, points at the places butterflies actually live. It has already crossed into English-speaking use with barely a stumble, which says something about how naturally it travels.
- Origin: Brazilian, Arabic
- Meaning: Water lady, small butterfly
- Pronunciation: YAH-ruh
- Variations: Iara
- Namesakes: Yara Shahidi, an American actress and model. Yara da Silva Amaral, a Brazilian actress. Yara Martinez, a Puerto Rican-born American TV actress.
- Popularity: Yara reached its best U.S. rank in 2025 at 507th, with 585 girls, up about 147 percent on the previous decade.
Zephyr
Zephyr is a diminutive of Zephyrus, the Greek god of the west wind and a messenger of spring. What else rides a spring breeze but a butterfly? There is even a species called the Zephyr Blue, glossy and tri-colored. Few names move this much air.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: West wind
- Pronunciation: ZEH-fir
- Namesakes: Zephyr Rain Teachout, an American attorney, author, and associate professor.
- Popularity: Zephyr ranked 1,203rd for boys in 2025 with 169 births and 4,755th for girls with 29.
Zorina
Zorina means golden dawn, which nods at the golden sheath of a chrysalis and at what comes out of it. Dawn is the right image for a name given to a newborn. Zori makes a bright, easy nickname, and the full name still carries a warmth many Z names lack.
- Origin: Slavic
- Meaning: Golden dawn
- Pronunciation: zo-REE-nuh
- Namesakes: Zorina Heming, mother of British-American model Emma Frances Heming Willis.
- Popularity: Zorina ranked 11,928th in 2025 with eight girls, far off its 1968 high of 3,609th.
