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Native American Baby Names: Combining Culture and Beauty

Written by Monica Beyer

Traditional naming practices amongst the tribes of North America vary greatly, but there is a current trend amongst modern Native Americans towards bestowing native names upon their sons and daughters. Native American Baby Names that are influenced by nature are very common as are those that describe a personal feat or describe an admirable trait or characteristic.

If you or your child have some Native American heritage in your family tree, you may be considering using a North American Indian baby name, either as a first name, a middle name or both. You might want to honor a special relative or to incorporate your culture into you and your child's daily lives.

The following names were chosen for their uniqueness as well as their inherent beauty and meanings. Included in brackets is a pronunciation guide to help you make your choice, as well as the meaning of the name and its origin in parentheses.

North American Indian Baby Boy Names

Alikkees [AL IK KEES]: Hair cut short (Nez Percé)

Bemidji [BE MEED JEE]: Bear crossing a lake (Ojibway)

Chaska [CHASKA]: This name means first born son (Sioux)

Chitto [CHIT TO]: Recklessly brave -- this name was made famous by Chitto Harjo, the leader of the Snake Uprising in 1901 (Creek)

Degataga [DEH GAH TAH GAH]: Standing together (Cherokee)

Gomda [GOM DAH]: The wind (Kiowa)

Hache-hi [HACH HI]: Lone wolf (Arapaho)

Hakadah [HAK AH DAH]: The last one (Sioux)

Himslehkin [HIM SLEH KIN]: This name simply means "raw." (Nez Percé)

Irateba [IR AH TEH BAH]: This name means "beautiful bird," and can also be spelled Arateva or Yaratev. (Mohave)

Kawa [KAH WAH]: Great (Apache)

Koi [KO EE]: Panther (Choctaw)

Liwanu [LIH WAH NOO]: Bear growling (Miwok)

Mahaska [MAH HAS KAH]: This name is derived from mew-hu-she-kaw, which means "white cloud," from which the town of White Cloud, KS gets its name. This was the name of a distinguished Iowa chief.

Nashoba [NAH SHO BAH]: Wolf (Choctaw)

Onacona [ON AH KO NAH]: White owl (Cherokee)

Quanah [KWAN NAH]: This name is derived from the word kwiana which means "sweet smelling." Quanah Parker was the chief of the Quahadi Comanche in the late 1800's. (Comanche)

Tahatan [TAH HAH TAN]: Hawk (Sioux)

Get more Native American Boy Names here.

North American Indian Baby Girl Names

Abeytzi [AH BAYT ZEE]: Yellow leaf (Omaha)

Ahawi [AH HAH WEE]: Deer (Cherokee)

Byhalia [BI HAL EE AH]: White oaks standing (Choctaw)

Chumani [CHOO MAH NEE]: Dewdrops (Sioux)

Donoma [DO NO MAH]: The sun is there (Omaha)

Gennisheyo [GEN NIH SHE YO]: Shining and beautiful valley (Iroquois)

Hialeah [HI AH LEE AH]: This name is derived from haiyakpo hili, which means "pretty prairie." (Seminole-Creek)

Inola [IN O LAH]: Black fox (Cherokee)

Kaya [KAY AH]: My older sister (Hopi)

Mitena [MIH TEN AH]: Born during the new moon (Omaha)

Natane [NAH TAN EH]: Daughter (Arapaho)

Odina [O DEE NAH]: Mountain (Algonquian)

Pinquana [PIN KWAN NAH]: Sweet smelling (Shoshoni)

Taima [TAH EE MAH]: This name means "thunderclap," and can also be spelled Taimah or Taiomah. (Fox)

Tippah [TIP PAH]: This was the name of the wife of Chief Pontotoc (Chickasaw)

Zihna [ZIH NAH]: Spinning (Hopi)

Get more Native American Girl Names here

Whether you are choosing a North American Indian first name for your baby or perhaps a middle name for him or her, you can see that these names are inspired by nature as well as desired characteristics you might want your child to have. If you have Native American ancestry, these names will help anchor your culture to your child and help her learn about her past.

Foreign Baby Names

All-American Baby Names

Names with Characteristic Meanings