20 Winter Solstice Baby Names to Celebrate the Season’s Change

Traditionally, Solstice has been more commonly used as a girls’ name. According to data from BeenVerified, 105 baby girls were named Solstice in the past decade compared to 16 boys. But boy or girl, the name Solstice is so cute and fitting for this time of year.

For a shorter (and more commonly used) version of the name Solstice, parents could go with the name Sol — and could even spell it Saul to make the solstice connection more overt if they’d like. Sol means “sun” in Spanish, and Sol was also the Roman god of the sun, per Encyclopedia Britannica.

Wynn, a play on the word “winter,” would be a fun and unique baby name for either boys or girls. It has a subtle connection to the idea of the winter solstice, but it stands on its own as well. Wynn comes from Old English, meaning “joy” or “delight,” which a new baby certainly is.

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The name Luke (or, alternatively Lucas, Luca, or Lucius) come from the Latin word for “light.” Although the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, it does mark the turning point of when the days grow to be lighter. That makes the name Luke a positive manifestation of what’s to come.

A girls’ name that carries a similar meaning as Luke is Nora, from the Arabic word “noor,” which also means “light.” According to the Social Security Administration data, Nora was the 25th most popular girls’ name in 2023, with nearly 6,000 children being given the name.

When the sun rises again after the winter solstice, it’ll be a new dawn of longer and longer days. Dawn is a gorgeous baby girl name that has fallen in popularity in recent years. According to the Social Security Administration, the last year it made the top 1,000 list was 2000. But all that means is that your daughter won’t have to share her moniker with a bunch of her other classmates.

The girls’ name Phoebe is derived from the Greek word phoibos meaning “bright one.” And although the winter solstice has the longest night, that really just means that the days following will be brighter. Plus, if you’re a Friends fan, this name is extra fun.

In Greek, the name Helen symbolized “light.” But if Helen feels perhaps a little old fashioned for your new baby, there are a ton of name variations. There’s Ellie, Elaina, Eleanor, Helena, and more. Anything in that realm will be both a cute and meaningful moniker.

For baby boys, Samson is not only a meaningful biblical name, but it also has solar connections that make it a fitting solstice moniker. Samson comes from the Hebrew word “shimshōn” meaning “the sun.” And you could call him Sammy as his nickname. So cute.

While Raymond doesn’t have a direct sun or light translation. (Instead, Raymond comes from the Old French word for “wise protection.”) It does contain the word “ray” as in rays of sunshine. And that’s what we’ll all be seeing more of once winter solstice passes.

Another sun-related name choice for girls or boys is Ravi. According to Ancestry.com, it has Indian origins and means “sun.” Ancestry added that the sun is very meaningful in Hinduism, and the name could be given to babies to symbolize the brightness and warmth that they bring.

Since the winter solstice has the smallest amount of daylight for the entire year, you could pay tribute to that with the name Paul, which comes from the Latin word for “small” or “little.” Or, for a girl, go with Paulette or Pauline for the same effect.

Similarly, there’s the boys’ name Aiden, which comes from the Irish word “Aodhan,” meaning “little fiery one.” And since the winter solstice does have little fire (aka not much sunlight), it’s a fitting moniker. But it’s also just a cute name for a baby with a big personality and a lot of tenacity.

According to National Geographic, the positioning of the sun on the solstice means that a person will cast their longest shadow of the year on that day. Pay homage to that with the name Skia, which means “shadow” in Greek, per Oxford Reference.

There are a lot of names on this list that highlight the sun part of the solstice, but what about the night part? After all, that’s what’s the longest in the winter. The name Layla perfectly symbolizes that as it comes from the Arabic leila, meaning “night” or “dark beauty.”

The girls’ name Darcy has French and Irish roots and means “dark.” It hasn’t been as popular of a name in recent years, but the Social Security Administration data shows that it made the top 1,000 girls’ names every year between 1949 and 1994. Time to bring it back!

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For a more unique and unconventional solstice name, give Nyx a try. Nyx was the Greek goddess of the night, but the moniker could really work as a name for either girls or boys. And you’re pretty much guaranteed that your child won’t be sharing the name with anybody else they know.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin “solstitium,” which means “sun standing still,” per the BBC. That’s why we love the name Irene for a solstice baby, because it comes from the Greek word for “peace.” It evokes the calmness of the brief moment of pause the sun seems to experience on the solstice.

People have been honoring and celebrating the solstice for centuries. According to English Heritage, the Stonehenge monument in England was likely built to mark the important date, with the sun shining intentionally through the stones. As such, Peter, which comes from the Latin for “stone,” is a perfect solstice baby name.

For baby girls, the name Alanna also works because one of its possible derivations is from the Gaelic word ailin, which means “little rock.” There were 676 baby girls named Alanna in 2023, per the Social Security Administration, and yours could join them if you choose this moniker. And then you could even call her Lana or Allie for short. So cute.