With the autumn that has already made its presence felt with short, gloomy days and very long, foggy nights, it was about time to explore some dark color-inspired names, which are in fact, very surprising and their histories never cease to amaze us. No matter the shade, from grey to black, the names inspired by these colors have something mysterious and appealing to the human mind and we may perceive the bearers of the names as that, as well. But mysterious is great, it’s the engine that keeps the human life going and we, by nature, are very curious about names and never escape any chance to explore them. We thought it would be nice to put in contrast the black colored names with the ones that have the colorfulness hidden in their meanings. So, let’s get started:
Names inspired by the color BLACK:
Cole – This is a masculine name which has multiple schools of thought regarding the way it was formed: the first one claims that it came from the name Cole of English, Irish and Scottish origins, that means coal black or swarthy and was originally a surname. Another etymological possibility is that it can be an Americanized spelling of the German name Kohl, the Dutch name Kool or the Scottish and Irish name McCool. It could have also been formed from the byname Cola which comes as well from English and seems to indicate someone who has a swarthy appearance.
What’s more, in New England especially, the name Cole is a translation of the French surname Charbonneau, or it can be a nickname from the British male given name Nicholas, or a form of Colbert or Colin. Either way, it was inspired by the color black and makes you think of the black coal that is the major component in the fuel and energy sector.
The popularity of this name scaled up in the 1980s and was booming in 1990 because of its usage as the name of the main character in the movie “Days of Thunder”. Also, the songwriter Cole Porter and the musician Nat King Cole were used as inspiration for this name. It seems that based on Social Security Administration data, the name Cole started its real decline after the year 2011, but remains among the first 150 names popular in the USA, Canada and Scotland. Another variant of this name is Kole, used in English.
Nigel – A male English name that comes from a Latinized form of the name Neil, that derived in its turn from the Latin niger that simply means “black”, which makes it suitable for someone with dark hair color. But there is another etymological possibility, that it may originate from the name Niall, which has no linking with the color black, instead it means “champion”. As a result of its likeability in the European continent, it has developed some variants that we can encounter nowadays as Njal in Scandinavia, Nigellus in Normandy and Nigel in England. It has come in fashion due to the 19th century antiquarians, just like The Fortunes of Nigel written by Walter Scott in 1822, Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle from 1905-1906, but the popularity peak was between 1950s and 1970s and in England and Wales the year 1963 was the most prolific one for this name. Other forms existing in other languages and cultures are: Njáll (Icelandic), Neil/Niall (Irish), Njål (Norwegian), Neil (Scottish) and also has a feminine form, which is Nigella.
Melanie– This feminine name comes from the French form (Mélanie) of the Latin name Melania, which derives from the Greek μέλαινα that signifies black or dark. It was a common name in the Middle Ages in France and it started to be common in England in the 1930s, due to a famous novel written by Margaret Mitchell in 1936, named Gone with the Wind and the appearance of the film adaptation in 1939. One of the main characters was Melanie Hamilton and after that the name went up until the 1970s and remained constant ever since. It was ranked on the 80th place most popular name for girls in the United States in 1957 and on the 86th place in France with the French variant Mélanie in 2004. The bearers of this name are supposed to have the following characteristics: adventurous, easygoing and intellectual. Just as the color black inspires elegance, this name certainly instills that. It also looks like this name makes reference to the Greek goddess Melinoë, her name meaning “the Black”, who was a Naiad-nymph, the daughter of Persephone, who is thought to bring nightmares and madness, but also seen as a moon goddess. But this connotation should not bring misfortune to those who bears it, on the contrary it should be like a lucky charm for its beauty, elegance and mysterious history.
Raven – Although this name may seem a little bit gothic, it is very symbolic for the color black. It could be used for boys and girls as well, but it is more preferred for girls, especially in the United States, where it is placed among the top 1000 names for girls since 1977, which is a pretty long time period. The given name comes from the name of a bird, called raven, and comes from the Old English hræfn and the Old Norse Hrafn. Even though it is a gender-neutral name, the name evolved as a feminine name altogether with other female names that derived from birds’ names. As a completely feminine version of this name, Ravenna is also used, but this variant comes from the city Ravenna, located in Italy. It could also be encountered as a surname that originated from the nickname ‘raven’, that could designate a thieving person or a dark-haired one. What’s more, the surname Raven could also have emerged from the Middle Low German rave or raven which have the same meaning. Another reason for which the name is so popular is the fact that the bird raven is revered among several groups of Native Americans and often linked to the Old Norse god, Odin, since it is perceived as a symbol of wisdom and could also be associated with healing, death, knowledge and victory. Nowadays, it is very popular in Britain and in the United States and could have also the following variants in other cultures and languages: Raban (Ancient Germanic) and Roan/Ronne (Frisian).
Sable – Another feminine name that makes reference to the color black and even means black, it could be synonymous with luxury and expensive lifestyle, since sable is the little mammal used for its silky and valuable fur, original from Northern Asia and Japan, which is used to make coats and paint brushes. Just like the rare and solitary animal, the name Sable was used in royal families and it’s not very typical nowadays, but used sometimes in the United States and in other cultures, being a name given to dark-skinned maidens.
GREY-inspired names:
Steel – Rather a surname than a given name, it is definitely a name that reminds of the grey color, since it has its origin in the English word steel, which is a type of alloy made from iron. The different variants of this name as surnames recorded earlier were Steele, Steel, Stell or Stelle and the patronymics Steeles and Steels, all of English-Scottish origin, could come either from the word style, which could be translated as steel or could come from an occupational nickname that was used for people who dealt with iron and steel.
On a funny tone, the name Steel may be familiar to you as it can remind you of a fictional superhero from DC Comics’ comic books, who was an engineer and wanted to replicate the Superman’s power and logo, meant to replace Superman after he was killed by Doomsday. From this story, we can conclude that it is a very powerful and unique name, “like steel”, which bears a lot of strength and endurance and could confer your future child a lot of protection.
Sterling – This masculine given name has quite a history behind. It is thought to come from a Scottish surname, derived at its turn from a city’s name, Stirling, which has unknown meaning. But there is another supposition for this name’s origin, that founds its history in the English word sterling, formed from the Old English stær that translates to star and the suffix -ling (“little”). The meaning behind it can find its equivalent in concepts such as excellent, genuine, or highest quality, that could make reference to the English expression “sterling silver”, issued from the British pound and sterling steel from which the necklaces, earrings and other accessories were made from. There is also another school of thought regarding its roots, it is presumably coming from the name of a bird, starling. It could easily be associated with the color grey and silver and the people who are given this name would shine for sure and stand out from the crowd as independent, just like a star.
Slate – A male name of American origin that has a link with the color grey through its meaning. Seems that the history of this name has also multiple sources of origin. The first one reminds of the Anglo-Saxons, the word slate referring to someone who covered roofs with slate and the origin of the word is from the Old English escalate, that could be translated into “splinter” or “splat”. The second meaning is that of a fine-grained grey, green or blueish rock, which is used to make blackboards for schools. There is an expression that can highlight this meaning: someone who is as clean as a slate, yet to be written’, which is pretty poetic and gives a feeling of newness, yet to be discovered.
Argenta – Argenta is a modern Italian and Greek female name that has Latin origin, from the Latin word argentum, which could be translated into “silver” and is part of that category of metal-related names and its color varies in different shades of grey. Seems like a solid name for a person passionate in chemistry and metals, someone who is hardworking and has a logical thinking. It is not a very popular name, more like a rare gem, but could definitely stand out. It is used as a given name throughout the United States, Australia or Finland and could also be a family name, most of which could be found in Brazil and Italy.
Lloyd – Lloyd started as a surname of Welsh origin, derived from llwyd which denotes someone with grey hair or something sacred. This masculine name can be linked to symbols of wisdom and maturity through its significance. As a surname, it is pretty popular throughout variable parts of Wales and started to be in use in the 14th century. The name has a few derivations, because of the challenge of representing the double-L for non-Welsh speakers and the translation of the wy, which was consistent in the Welsh language. So, the name could be spelled Llwyd, which became quite common recently and its variant, Lloyd, is the most encountered form nowadays.
There are other modern variants of this name, having the letter “Fl” at the beginning, instead of “Ll”, which was pretty common in Welsh back in the earlier times: Floyd, Flewett, Flewitt, Flood, Floed, Floyde, Flowitt, Flude, Fludd, Fludde, Flude, Fluett, Fluat, Flyd, Flyde, Lide, Lhuyd, Loud, Loulld, Luyd, Llowyde, Llowyd, Lloyed, Lloilld, Llwyed, Thoyd, Thloyd and Thllewyd.
Names that mean RAINBOW:
Iris – If you wanted to search for a name that engulfs every color you can put this name on your list with flying colors, since it means rainbow in Greek (Ἶρις). In the Greek Mythology, Iris was the ‘goddess of the rainbow’ and she delivered the messages to and from the Gods across a rainbow bridge that made the connection between heaven and earth. It is obviously a feminine name and can also make reference to the iris of the eye that captures all the colors and shades and controls the level of light that enters into the eye. Apart from these two compelling and persuasive symbolisms, iris is also a species of flower very beautifully colored most often in purple/violet, dark pink, yellow and white. It has also reached a high popularity in English-speaking countries in the year 1500 and the following period and used in Germany, as well. In 2020 it has been placed on the 77th place for the most popular name given to girls in England and Wales, on the 127th place in the United States and reached the number 100 on the list of top given names in the following countries: Greece, Belgium, France, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Netherlands, Iceland, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark in the past 10 years. This name has also an alternate spelling, which is Iridiana.
We can actually guess why so many people choose this name for their girls; it is no surprise that the name that means ‘rainbow’ has so many layers of understanding when it comes to symbolism. The three petals of the iris flower are representative for the symbols of faith, wisdom and value. It has all the elements to become a successful and fashionable name. Since it is used in so many cultures, it has other variants in other cultures, as well: Íris (Icelandic, Portuguese, Slovak), Iiris, Iiri, Iiku (Finnish), Irida (Greek), Iryda (Ірыда) (Belarusian, Polish), Irida (Ирида) (Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Italian, Russian, Serbian), Írisz (Hungarian), Iride (Italian), Iridė (Lithuanian), Yryda (Ирида) (Ukrainian).
Enfys – A possible unusual name at first sight, Enfys is a Welsh name for girls that signifies rainbow, too. However, it is not a very popular name, it is rarely used even in the United Kingdom and first used in the 19th century. This is your chance to give this name the fame it deserves, due to its uniqueness and distinction. A famous bearer of this name is the movie producer and manager of the film “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, Enfys Dickinson. People see this name as being charming and cheerful and the persons who have it seem to be communicative, optimistic and easy-going.
Vaiva – A female given name derived from the Lithuanian word vaivorykštė that can be translated in English as “Goddess of rainbow, rain and clouds” or simply “rainbow”. According to the Baltic mythology, a rainbow was believed to be a manifestation of the Pagan destiny goddess Laima and the father of Vaiva is considered to be Perkūnas, the god of thunder, sky, rain and fire. The name is widely used in Lithuania, being also liked in Ireland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Finland and Germany. In the United States, this name was first recorded in the year of 1954. Although it is spread across several countries, it is pretty unique and describe someone who is energetic, independent, natural leader and self-confident. In Lithuania, there are two designated name days for it, which are June 18 and April 14. Another form of this name is Vaivora.
Arcus – Feminine name that can be interpreted as “The goddess of rainbow” with Jamaican or African-American origins. It seems that this name is popular in various countries such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. This given name could also be a surname, that had a separate formation, it comes from the lands of Harcarse in Berwickshire, via Hercus, then Arcus and was found in Orkney in 1449 and in Shetland in 1525. Qualities such as ambitious, courageous and freethinking are among the most appreciated qualities in someone who bears this name.
Amitola – A girly name that is also related to the meaning of rainbow with a quite unknown history of origin. There is one possible theory of its derivation, from the Native American name amitola which is simply translated into “of the rainbow” or “like a rainbow”. There is also a legend around this name saying that the first colorful picture was painted on the clouds by Amitola, a young Indian chief. Rainbows, in Indigenous cultures are very rich in symbolisms and they could refer to a “border of the sun’s coat” and “the path of the Yei” or a symbol for peace. If you choose this name for your child, be sure that it would have a lasting impact on their lives and whoever has that name will feel lucky and favored by fate.
Colorful names cheer you up anytime, especially those that are related to the colors of a rainbow, but the names that are related to darker colors or shades are more powerful and have an even more lasting impact on someone’s life or on others, due to their mysterious stories, many of which have remained unknown. What other names that have unheard tales do you happen to know?
