Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Luna

Luna is a name from Roman mythology and means ‘moon’ in Latin. She was the goddess of the Moon (her Greek counterpart was Selene and later Artemis). The Romans heavily borrowed from the Greek mythological tradition and Luna is an example of this. Closely mapping her Greek incarnation, Luna rode her white chariot across the sky wearing the moon as her crown to illuminate the night as she traveled to be with her mortal husband Endymion. She was an important deity to the Romans since they depended upon the moon for calculating time (i.e., the lunar calendar). It’s unclear when the name was popularized, but today it is quite popular among many European countries. Luna is ranked high in Belgium, France, Denmark, Holland, Spain and Croatia. Indeed, an ancient name with wide-reaching popularity.

All About the Baby Name – Luna

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME LUNA

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME LUNA

In the United States, Luna has only seen moderate to low popularity. The name existed on the female naming charts in the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, by 1915, the name pretty much disappeared from use for almost 90 straight years. The name reemerged in 2003 and quickly ascended the charts back up to moderate popularity where it seems to have reached its peak. A renewed interest in offbeat mythological characters may have something to do with Luna’s comeback. Her Greek counterpart, Selene (or Selena) has demonstrated a similar return to the charts. There are several other mythological characters (such as Penelope, Diana, Aurora, Phoebe, Iris and Cassandra) who are celebrating homecomings from the ancient times to the modern day. Their stories are interesting and meaningful. They are not tied to the typical names of the Judeo-Christian tradition. They are different: enchanting, exotic and eccentric. One word to the wise: just be mindful of Luna’s close proximity to the word “lunatic” which borrows from the Latin name to indicate a sort of craziness (i.e., ‘moonstruck’). Luna is also a name often bestowed upon pets (mainly cats and dogs). Nonetheless, this beautiful Latin word is sweet and simple. As enchanting as the moon herself!

Quick Facts

ON LUNA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Latin

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

185

PRONUNCIATION:

LOO-na

SIMPLE MEANING:

Moon

Characteristics

OF LUNA

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Luna

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME LUNA

Talia is centrally featured in a 1634 Italian fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile. What makes this work notable is that it was the inspiration behind Charles Perrault’s 1697 “Sleeping Beauty” (a story which we all know and love). In the first Italian version of the fairytale (translated to “Sun, Moon, and Talia”), Talia is the daughter of a great lord. At Talia’s birth, wise men and clairvoyants are summoned by her father and they announce what’s in store for her future. They say she will be harmed by a splinter of flax, and so the great lord instructs that no flax ever be allowed into the household. When she is older, Talia approaches an old woman spinning flax on her spindle and asks to help. Of course a small splinter of flax gets embedded under her fingernail and she drops unconscious (presumably dead). Her distraught father, unable to bury his lovely daughter, places her in one of his country estates. Later, a king hunting in the woods discovers Talia and, unable to wake her, violates her (yah, we should have warned you, this version is a little more risqué than the Disney version). After he’s done with her, the king leaves. Still in a deep sleep, Talia gives birth to twins (boy-girl). When the baby boy can’t find his mother’s breast for food, he starts to suck on her finger and inadvertently sucks out the splinter. This causes her to immediately wake-up from her perpetual slumber. She names her children Sun and Moon and continues to live in her father’s country estate. In the meantime, the king (now married to another) returns to the wooded estate and discovers Talia awake with his children. Back at home with his wife the Queen, he calls out Talia, Sun and Moon’s names in his sleep which of course piques her interest. Once she extracts the truth from the king’s secretary, she orders the children killed and cooked for dinner. The cook hides the children and cooks two lambs instead. The Queen also orders Talia brought to court and be burned alive. As Talia screams, the king hears her and comes to the rescue. He orders the Queen, Secretary and Cook burned instead (until the Cook presents the unharmed children and is rewarded justly). The king and Talia marry in a fairytale happily-ever-after ending. As with all fairytales, this one’s moral is explained by the very last line: "Lucky people, so 'tis said, He who has luck may go to bed, And bliss will rain upon his head."

Luna has a "knack for embarrassing honesty" – she is as offbeat and eccentric as her name, but Harry Potter still counts her among his good friends. Although she is not particularly popular, Luna never gives into peer pressure or pretends to be something she’s not. She is funky and different, and we love her for that. She is not afraid to say what she thinks. Even her famous author, J.K. Rowling, has a soft-spot in her heart for this ‘loony’ gal.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME LUNA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Luna


Popular Songs

ON LUNA

Bella Luna
a song by Jason Mraz

La Luna
a song by Belinda Carlisle

La Luna Che Non C'e
a song by Andrea Bocelli

La Luna Sober Nuestro Amor
a song by Marc Anthony

Luna
a sing by The Smashing Pumpkins

Famous People

NAMED LUNA

Luna (soccer player)
Luna McClain (Miss Texas 1947)

Children of Famous People

NAMED LUNA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Luna

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME LUNA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Luna