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Whether you're expecting or you simply like to plan far, far ahead, reading about baby names, whether charming and timeless or spunky, is always fun. Some of our favorites as of late? Those made popular by moms and dads living east of the Mississippi River. In fact, Southern names offer so much lyrical beauty and retro-cool vibes that we're tempted to legally change our own monikers.
Here, we've rounded up 250 of our favorite Southern baby names, each with a meaning that's more unique and conversation-starting than the last. Some are inspired by Southern cities, a few pay homage to musicians and literary greats from the region, and others simply exhibit the charm and natural beauty of the landscape. So scroll through for Southern baby name inspiration to call your little one something extra special.
Southern Baby Names for Girls
Abigail
Meaning: "My father is joy" or "My father rejoices"; origin: Hebrew
Abilene
Meaning: "Land of meadows"; origin: Hebrew
Addison
Meaning: "Son of Adam"; origin: English
Adelaide
Meaning: "Noble natured"; origin: German
Alabama
Meaning: "Thicket clearers"; origin: Native American
Alexandria
Meaning: "Defender of men"; origin: Greek
Alma
Meaning: "Kind, nourishing"; origin: Latin
Amelia
Meaning: "Industrious, striving"; origin: Latin
Annabelle
Meaning: "Grace, beauty"; origin: Hebrew, French
Annalee
Meaning: "Grace, gracious"; origin: Hebrew
Annamae
Meaning: "He (God) has favored me"; origin: Hebrew
Annie
Meaning: "Gracious, full of grace"; origin: Hebrew
Aurora
Meaning: "Sunrise"; origin: Latin
Azalea
Meaning: "Dry"; origin: Greek
Beatrice
Meaning: "Bringer of joy"; origin: Latin
Belle
Meaning: "Beautiful"; origin: French
Birdie
Meaning: "Bright, birdlike"; origin: English
Blakely
Meaning: "Dark clearing"; origin: English
Blanche
Meaning: "White, fair"; origin: French
Bonnie
Meaning: "Pretty, cheerful"; origin: Scottish
Caroline
Meaning: "Free man." Feminine derivative of Charles or Carolus; origin: French, Latin, German
Cassidy
Meaning: "Clever, curly haired"; origin: Irish
Charlene
Meaning: "Free man." Feminine derivative of Charles or Carolus; origin: French, Latin, German
Charlotte
Meaning: "Free man, petite." Feminine derivative of Charlot; origin: French
Clara
Meaning: "Clear, bright"; origin: Latin
Clementine
Meaning: "Merciful, gentle"; origin: Latin
Clover
Meaning: "A flower"; origin: Old English
Constance or Connie
Meaning: "Steadfast"; origin: Latin
Coralee
Meaning: "Maiden"; origin: Latin
Cricket
Meaning: Named for the jumping insect; origin: American
Daisy
Meaning: "Day's eye." Derived from the Old English word dægeseage; origin: Old English
Dakota
Meaning: "Allies, friends"; origin: Native American
Delilah
Meaning: "Seductive, delightful"; origin: Hebrew
Delta
Meaning: "Born fourth," as in the fourth letter of Greek alphabet; origin: Greek
Dixie
Meaning: "Tenth." A reference to the ten-dollar notes labeled "Dix" (and known as "Dixies") that were circulated in pre-Civil War Louisiana; origin: French
Dolly
Meaning: "Gift of God." Diminutive of Dorothy; origin: Greek
Dottie
Meaning: "Gift of God." Diminutive of Dorothy; origin: Greek
Eileen
Meaning: "Light"; origin: Irish
Elizabeth
Meaning: "My god is bountiful." Derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba; origin: Hebrew
Ellison
Meaning: "Son of Ellis"; origin: English
Faye
Meaning: "Fairy." Derived from the Middle English word faie; origin: Middle English
Gardenia
Meaning: "A flower." Named for naturalist Alexander Garden, who classified the gardenia during the 18th century; origin: Scottish
Georgia
Meaning: "Farmer." Feminine derivative of George; origin: Greek
Georgina
Meaning: "Farmer." Feminine derivative of George; origin: Greek
Grace
Meaning: "Blessing, favor." Derived from the Latin word gratia, meaning "favor" or "thanks"; origin: Latin
Harper
Meaning: "A harpist"; origin: Middle English
Harriet
Meaning: "Ruler of the home." Derived from Henri/Henriette; origin: French
Hattie
Meaning: "Ruler of the home." Feminine diminutive of Henri; origin: French
Isabella
Meaning: "My god is bountiful." Derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba; origin: Hebrew
Jean
Meaning: "God is gracious." Feminine derivative of John; origin: Hebrew
Jolene
Meaning: "He (God) will increase"; origin: Hebrew
Josie
Meaning: "He (God) will increase"; origin: Hebrew
Juniper
Meaning: "A cypress evergreen tree." Derived from the Latin word iuniperus; origin: Latin
Kennedy
Meaning: "Misshapen head"; origin: Irish
Kit
Meaning: "Bearer of Christ." Derived from the Greek Christophoros; origin: Greek
Lemon
Meaning: "Beloved person"; origin: Middle English
Loretta
Meaning: "Laurel"; origin: Italian
Louella
Meaning: "Famous warrior"; origin: German
Lucille
Meaning: "Light"; origin: French
Mabel
Meaning: "Lovable"; origin: Latin
Madison
Meaning: "Son of Matthew"; origin: English
Mae
Meaning: "Month of May"; origin: English
Magnolia
Meaning: "A flower." Named for 17th-century French botanist Pierre Magnol; origin: French
Maribelle or Maribel
Meaning: "Bitter, beautiful"; origin: Spanish, French
Mirabella
Meaning: "Of wondrous beauty." Derived from Latin word mirabilis; origin: Latin
Monroe
Meaning: "Mouth of the Roe river"; origin: Scottish
Myrtle
Meaning: "An evergreen shrub." Derived from Greek word myrtos; origin: Greek
Nellie
Meaning: "Bright, shining one." Diminutive of Helen or Eleanor; origin: Greek, English
Nora
Meaning: "Light." Diminutive of Honora; origin: Greek
Olivia
Meaning: "An olive tree"; origin: Latin
Paisley
Meaning: "Church, cemetery"; origin: Scottish
Penelope
Meaning: "Weaver"; origin: Greek
Priscilla
Meaning: "Ancient"; origin: Latin
RaeLynn
Meaning: A combination of Rae (short for Rachel, meaning "ewe, female sheep") and Lynn (meaning "lake"); origin: American, Hebrew, Welsh
Raleigh
Meaning: "A roe deer's meadow"; origin: Old English
Reba
Meaning: "Fourth born"; origin: Hebrew
Rita
Meaning: "Pear" or "pearl"; origin: Spanish, Italian
Rylee or Riley
Meaning: "Courageous"; origin: Irish, Gaelic
Sadie
Meaning: "Princess"; origin: Hebrew
Savannah
Meaning: "Treeless plain"; origin: Spanish
Scarlet or Scarlett
Meaning: "Red in color." The name of Scarlett O'Hara, a character in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel, Gone With the Wind, set in the antebellum South; origin: French
Serenity
Meaning: "Serene, calm"; origin: English, French
Summer
Meaning: "Season, half-year”; origin: German
Susannah
Meaning: "Lily"; origin: Hebrew
Tallulah
Meaning: "Leaping water"; origin: Native American
Hayley
Meaning: "Hay field"; origin: Old English
Tillie
Meaning: "Battle mighty"; origin: English
Trinity
Meaning: "Triad." Derived from the Latin word trinitas; origin: Latin
Twyla or Twila
Meaning: "Twilight, star"; origin: English, French
Violet
Meaning: "A violet." Derived from French violette, a derivative of the Latin viola; origin: French, Latin
Virginia
Meaning: "Virginal, pure"; origin: Latin
Vivian
Meaning: "Alive." Derived from Latin word vivus; origin: Latin
Whitney
Meaning: "White island"; origin: Old English
Willow
Meaning: "A tree." Derived from Middle English word wilwe; origin: Middle English
Wynona or Winona
Meaning: “Firstborn daughter” or “eldest daughter”; origin: Native American
Southern Baby Names for Boys
Abbott
Meaning: "Father"; origin: Hebrew
Ace
Meaning: "One, unity"; origin: Latin
Aiden
Meaning: "Fiery one"; origin: Irish
Alfred
Meaning: "Wise counsel"; origin: English
Ambrose
Meaning: "Immortal one"; origin: Latin
Ardy
Meaning: "Great forest"; origin: Latin
Asher
Meaning: "Happy, blessed"; origin: Hebrew
Atticus
Meaning: "Man of Attica." Made popular by Atticus Finch, one of the main characters of Harper Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, set in 1930s Alabama; origin: Latin
Austin
Meaning: "Great, magnificent"; origin: English
Axel
Meaning: "Father of peace"; origin: Scandinavian
Banks
Meaning: "One who lives on the hillside or riverbank"; origin: English
Bayou
Meaning: "Small, slow stream"; origin: Native American
Beau
Meaning: "Handsome"; origin: French
Benton
Meaning: "Bent grass enclosure"; origin: English
Billy
Meaning: "Resolute protection"; origin: English
Blaine
Meaning: "Yellow"; origin: Gaelic
Boone
Meaning: "Good, a blessing"; origin: French
Bradford
Meaning: "Wide river crossing"; origin: English
Brent
Meaning: "Dweller near the burnt land"; origin: English
Brooks
Meaning: "Of the brook"; origin: English
Buck
Meaning: "A male deer"; origin: English
Buddy
Meaning: "Friend"; origin: American
Burke
Meaning: "From the fortress"; origin: French
Calhoun
Meaning: "From the narrow forest"; origin: Irish
Carson
Meaning: "Son of the marsh-dwellers"; origin: Scottish, Irish
Carter
Meaning: "Transports goods by cart"; origin: Irish, Scottish, English
Carver
Meaning: "Wood carver"; origin: English
Charleston
Meaning: "Free peasant's settlement"; origin: Old English
Clayton or Clay
Meaning: "Settlement near the clay pit"; origin: Old English
Cletus
Meaning: "Glory"; origin: Greek
Clinton or Clint
Meaning: "Settlement by the cliff"; origin: English
Clyde
Meaning: Unknown. Derived from the Gaelic name cluaidh and sharing a name with the river in Scotland that flows through Glasgow; origin: Gaelic
Cole
Meaning: "Charcoal"; origin: English
Colin
Meaning: "Young creature"; origin: Irish, Scottish, Gaelic
Colton or Colt
Meaning: "From the coal or dark town"; origin: English
Connor
Meaning: "Lover of hounds"; origin: Irish
Conway
Meaning: "Holy river; hound of the plain"; origin: Welsh, Irish, Gaelic
Cornelius
Meaning: "Horn"; origin:Latin
Cruz
Meaning: "Cross"; origin: Spanish
Dale
Meaning: "Valley"; origin: English
Davis
Meaning: "Beloved"; origin: Hebrew
Dawson
Meaning: "Son of David"; origin: Welsh
Deacon
Meaning: "Messenger, servant"; origin: Greek
Duke
Meaning: "Leader”; origin: Latin
Earl
Meaning: "Warrior, nobleman"; origin: English
Easton
Meaning: "East-facing place"; origin: English
Eli
Meaning: "Ascended, uplifted, high"; origin: Hebrew
Elijah
Meaning: "Yahweh is God"; origin: Hebrew
Ellis
Meaning: "Benevolent"; origin: Welsh
Elmer
Meaning: "Noble, renowned"; origin: English
Elvis
Meaning: "Wise"; origin: Norse, Scandinavian
Emerson
Meaning: "Son of Emery"; origin: German
Emmett
Meaning: "Industrious, strong"; origin: English, German
Emory
Meaning: "Brave power"; origin: German
Everett or Rhett
Meaning: "Brave as a wild boar." The name of Rhett Butler, a main character in Gone With the Wind; origin: German, English
Finch
Meaning: "To swindle"; origin: English
Finn
Meaning: "Fair, white"; origin: Irish
Ford
Meaning: "Dweller at the ford"; origin: English
Franklin
Meaning: "Free landholder"; origin: English
Gatlin
Meaning: "Fellow, companion"; origin: English
Granger
Meaning: "Worker of the granary"; origin: English
Grant
Meaning: "Large"; origin: Scottish
Gunnar
Meaning: "Bold warrior"; origin: Scandinavian
Hartwell
Meaning: "Lives near the stag's spring"; origin: English
Hayden
Meaning: "Fire"; origin: English
Hayes
Meaning: "Hedged area or forest"; origin: English
Haywood
Meaning: "Hedged area or forest"; origin: English
Hemingway
Meaning: Named for a lost village in England; origin: English
Henry
Meaning: "Estate ruler"; origin: German
Hiram
Meaning: "Brother of the exalted one"; origin: Hebrew
Houston
Meaning: "Hugh's town, settlement on the hill"; origin: Irish, Gaelic, Old English
Howard or Howie
Meaning: "High guardian, brave heart"; origin: German
Huck
Meaning: Shortened form of huckleberry, a North American shrub. Made popular by Mark Twain's 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; origin: American
Hudson
Meaning: "Hugh's son"; origin: English
Jackson or Jaxon
Meaning: "Son of Jack"; origin: English
Jacob
Meaning: "Supplanter"; origin: English, Hebrew
James
Meaning: "Supplanter"; origin: English, Hebrew
Jasper
Meaning: "Treasurer"; origin: Persian
Jedidiah or Jed
Meaning: "Beloved of Jehovah"; origin: Hebrew
Jefferson
Meaning: "Son of Jeffrey"; origin: English
Jeremiah
Meaning: "Appointed by God"; origin: Hebrew
Jimmy
Meaning: "Supplanter." Diminutive of James; origin: English, Hebrew
Judson
Meaning: "Son of Jordan"; origin: English
Kenneth
Meaning: "Born of fire, handsome"; origin: Scottish, Irish
Knox
Meaning: "Round hill"; origin: Scottish
Lee
Meaning: "Dweller by the wood or clearing"; origin: Old English
Levi
Meaning: "Joined, attached"; origin: Hebrew
Liam
Meaning: "Resolute protection"; origin: Irish
Lincoln
Meaning: "Town by the pool"; origin: English
Lockhart
Meaning: "Brave"; origin: Scottish
Macon
Meaning: "To make"; origin: English
Maddox
Meaning: "Fortunate, son of Madoc"; origin: Welsh
Marshall
Meaning: "One who looks after horses"; origin: French
Mercer
Meaning: "A merchant"; origin: French
Micah
Meaning: "Who is like the Lord"; origin: Hebrew
Milton
Meaning: "Settlement with a mill"; origin: English
Montgomery
Meaning: "Man power"; origin: Norman-French
Nash
Meaning: "At the ash tree”; origin: Middle English
Nelson
Meaning: "Son of Neil”; origin: English
Noah
Meaning: "Rest, comfort." Derived from the Hebrew word nōach; origin: Hebrew
Oliver
Meaning: "Olive tree"; origin: Latin
Orson
Meaning: "Bear cub"; origin: Latin
Orville
Meaning: "Gold town"; origin: French
Parker
Meaning: "Park-keeper"; origin: English
Paxton
Meaning: "Poecc's settlement"; origin: Old English
Percival or Percy
Meaning: "One who pierces the valley"; origin: French
Preston
Meaning: "Priest's town"; origin: Old English
Price
Meaning: "Son of Rhys"; origin: Welsh
Reed
Meaning: "Red-haired"; origin: English
Remington
Meaning: "Place on a riverbank"; origin: English
Richmond
Meaning: "Powerful protector"; origin: German
River
Meaning: "Riverbank." Derived from the Latin word ripa; origin: Latin
Rufus
Meaning: "Red-head"; origin: Latin
Sawyer
Meaning: "Woodcutter"; origin: English
Scout
Meaning: "To listen." The nickname of Jean Louise Finch, a character in To Kill a Mockingbird; origin: French
Silas
Meaning: "Forest, woods"; origin: Greek
Sterling
Meaning: "Genuine, of high quality"; origin: English
Texas or Tex
Meaning: "Friend"; origin: Native American
Thaddeus
Meaning: "Gift of God"; origin: Aramaic
Thatcher
Meaning: "One who makes or lays thatching material (a roofer)”; origin: English
Tucker
Meaning: "Fabric pleater"; origin: English
Ulysses
Meaning: "Wrathful, hater"; origin: Greek
Vernon
Meaning: "Place of alders"; origin: English
Virgil
Meaning: "Staff bearer"; origin: Latin
Wade
Meaning: "At the river crossing"; origin: English
Walker
Meaning: "Cloth-walker"; origin: English
Wayne
Meaning: "Wagoner"; origin: Old English
Wesley
Meaning: "Western meadow"; origin: English
Weston
Meaning: "From the western town"; origin: English
Wilder
Meaning: "Hunter"; origin: German
Wiley or Wylie
Meaning: "Crafty"; origin: Old English
Wilmer
Meaning: "Determined fame"; origin: German
Wilson
Meaning: "Son of Will"; origin: English
Winchester
Meaning: "Dweller at the Roman fort"; origin: English
Winston
Meaning: "Wine's town"; origin: English
Wyatt
Meaning: "Brave in war"; origin: English
Yale
Meaning: "Fertile upland"; origin: Welsh
Yates
Meaning: "The gates"; origin: Middle English
Zeke
Meaning: "God strengthens"; origin: Hebrew
Unisex Southern Baby Names
Amherst
Meaning: Named for the parish of Pembury in Kent, England; origin: English
Arlington
Meaning: “Town of Alffrith”; origin: English
Cassidy
Meaning: "Clever, curly haired"; origin: Irish
Cheyenne
Meaning: "Unintelligible speakers"; origin: Native American Sioux
Dallas
Meaning: "From the waterfall"; origin: Irish
Greer
Meaning: "Alert, watchful"; origin: Scottish
Greyson or Grayson
Meaning: "Son of the steward"; origin: English
Hollis
Meaning: "Dweller at the holly trees"; origin: Old English
Julep
Meaning: "Rose water"; origin: Persian
Kit
Meaning: "Carrier of Christ'; origin: Greek
Loudoun
Meaning: "From the low valley"; origin: German
Memphis
Meaning: "Good place to live"; origin: Egyptian
Presley
Meaning: "Priest's meadow"; origin: English
Quinn
Meaning: "Counsel"; origin: Irish, Gaelic
Skylar, Skyler, or Schuyler
Meaning: "A scholar"; origin: Dutch
Tennessee
Meaning: "Mighty warrior"; origin: Native American
Wren
Meaning: "A small brown songbird"; origin: Old English