40 Enigmatic Baby Names That Mean ‘Forgotten’: A Guide to Uncommon and Meaningful Choices

There are more choices when it comes to baby names than ever before, so it’s no wonder that parents are looking for names with deep and sometimes hidden meanings.

For many parents across the globe, giving names to their little ones is the first gift they’ll ever give to their new bundles of joy. So understanding the meaning behind a name is crucial. 

The cultural and linguistic origins of names meaning ‘forgotten’ can vary across different societies and languages.

The interpretation of names is often deeply rooted in the cultural and historical context of a particular region.

a picture of a crib and a feather
  • Latin/Greek Roots:
    • The Latin word “oblitus” means “forgotten.” Names with Latin or Greek roots might incorporate elements that convey the idea of forgetfulness or being forgotten.
  • Norse/Germanic Origins:
    • In Norse mythology, there might be names or terms associated with forgetfulness or being forgotten, reflecting the cultural beliefs of the Vikings. Germanic languages could have names derived from words with similar meanings.
  • Hebrew Origins:
    • In Hebrew, the name “Nashim” means “to forget.” Biblical names often carry significant meanings, and some might convey the idea of being forgotten or forgetting.
  • Arabic Origins:
    • Arabic names might have variations that express the concept of forgetfulness. The linguistic roots of such names could be traced to words in Arabic that convey the meaning of forgetting.
  • Celtic Origins:
    • Celtic languages and cultures could have names or elements in names that symbolize being forgotten. The interpretation of such names would be influenced by Celtic mythology and linguistic roots.
  • Literary or Fictional Sources:
    • Some names might be created or adapted from literary works, where the theme of forgetfulness or being forgotten is explored. Authors often draw on cultural and linguistic elements to craft names that resonate with the narrative.

When looking at baby names that mean ‘forgotten’, we have to look at wider sources, since the meaning is rare and not commonly found in many baby names.

Instead, we can look at similar sentiments, such as being rare, less remembered, or having meanings related to memory, absence, or hidden qualities

1. Lethia

  • Meaning: Oblivion or forgetfulness
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Inspired by the river Lethe in Greek mythology
  • Gender: Female

Lethia is a highly unusual name inspired by Greek mythology. It means ‘oblivion’ or ‘forgetfulness’. 

2. Nephele

  • Meaning: Cloudy or misty, symbolizing something fleeting or forgotten
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Mythological figure, mother of centaurs
  • Gender: Female

Pronounced ‘NEH-FEH-LEE’, this Greek name means ‘cloudy’ or ‘misty’, which symbolizes the feeling of being forgotten. It’s a unique name for a baby girl. 

3. Hulda

  • Meaning: Hidden or secret
  • Origin: Old Norse
  • Cultural Significance: A prophetess in Norse mythology
  • Gender: Female

Meaning ‘hidden’, Hulda has Old Norse origins and is a strong addition to the list of baby names that mean ‘forgotten’. 

4. Nesiah

  • Meaning: Miracle or sign
  • Origin: Hebrew
  • Cultural Significance: Can imply something rare or overlooked
  • Gender: Female

Meaning ‘miracle’, Nesiah represents something overlooked. It’s pronounced ‘NEH-SE-YAH’, has Hebrew origins and is an incredibly rare name in the US.

5. Tansy

  • Meaning: Immortality
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes something enduring beyond memory
  • Gender: Female

Tansy is an unusual name that means ‘immortality’ – the essence of the soul. A beautiful name for a baby girl, this rare name has Greek origins. 

 a little girl radiating light walking towards the light

Read Next: Baby Names That Mean Soul: Discovering Deeply Meaningful Names for Your Child

6. Eldora

  • Meaning: Gilded or golden
  • Origin: Spanish
  • Cultural Significance: Represents something valuable yet possibly hidden
  • Gender: Female

Eldora has Spanish origins and symbolizes something hidden, yet valuable. It has Spanish origins and it’s so rare in the US that there’s no data to demonstrate its popularity. 

7. Siofra

  • Meaning: Elf or sprite
  • Origin: Irish
  • Cultural Significance: Represents a mystical, often unseen presence
  • Gender: Female

Pronounced ‘SHEE-FRA’, this Irish name has a mystical, magical feel. It represents an unseen entity – an elf or sprite – and is very uncommon in the US.

8. Nyx

  • Meaning: Night
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Personification of the night, often unseen or forgotten
  • Gender: Female

This modern, unique name is pronounced ‘NIX’. Meaning ‘night’, it makes a great addition to the list and has Greek origins. 

9. Eilir

  • Meaning: Butterfly
  • Origin: Welsh
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes transformation, often unnoticed
  • Gender: Female

Eilir is a name of Welsh origin that’s pronounced ‘AY-LEER’. This magical name means butterfly and symbolizes unnoticed transformation. It’s incredibly rare in the US, like many names in this roundup!

Read Next: The Top Exceptional and Unique Baby Names for Your Little Boy or Girl

10. Vespera

  • Meaning: Evening star
  • Origin: Latin
  • Cultural Significance: Represents something that appears in obscurity or is easily missed
  • Gender: Female
A small girl gazing at the star

Vespara has a beautiful meaning – evening star – and represents something easily missed. It has Latin origins.

11. Neoma

  • Meaning: New moon
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes renewal, often unnoticed
  • Gender: Female

Pronounced NAY-OH-MA, Neoma is a beautiful unique name that means new moon. It has Greek origins and symbolizes going unnoticed. 

12. Runa

  • Meaning: Secret lore
  • Origin: Norse
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes ancient, often forgotten knowledge
  • Gender: Female

This Norse baby girl name means secret knowledge, so it’s heavily linked with being forgotten. 

13. Dysis

  • Meaning: Sunset
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes the end of day, often overlooked
  • Gender: Female

Dysis means ‘sunset’, symbolizing the end of the day. It has Greek origins and is very uncommon as a name for baby girls in the US.

14. Isra

  • Meaning: Nocturnal journey
  • Origin: Arabic
  • Cultural Significance: Refers to a journey taken in secrecy or forgotten
  • Gender: Female

This beautiful girl name means nocturnal journey, linked with secret or forgotten travels. It has Arabic origins.

15. Ishara

  • Meaning: Sign or symbol
  • Origin: Sanskrit
  • Cultural Significance: Often denotes something subtle or unnoticed
  • Gender: Female

Ishara is a Sanskrit name that means sign – symbolizing something very subtle or forgotten. 

16. Ilma

  • Meaning: Air or atmosphere
  • Origin: Finnish
  • Cultural Significance: Implies something ever-present but unseen
  • Gender: Female

A modern twist on the traditional name ‘Alma’, Ilma has Finnish roots and means air or atmosphere. It’s very rare in the US as a name for little girls. 

17. Selene

  • Meaning: Moon goddess
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Represents the often overlooked beauty of the night
  • Gender: Female

Very similar to ‘Selena’, Selene means ‘moon goddess’.

The name has Greek origins and represents the forgotten beauty of the night.

a girl with long hair holding a moon in her arms

It was a very uncommon name in the US until the early 90s, and it’s been increasing in popularity ever since. In 2022, over 250 babies per million were given the name in America.

18. Galatea

  • Meaning: She who is milk-white
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Evokes something rare and ethereal
  • Gender: Female

Pronounced GAL-UH-TEE-AH, this very rare Greek name means ‘she who is milk-white’, linked with something ethereal and magical. It’s so uncommon as a name in the US that there’s no data to demonstrate its popularity!

  • Meaning: Enchantress
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes mysterious allure, often hidden
  • Gender: Female

This elegant Greek name means ‘enchantress’ and is linked with hidden allure. It’s incredibly rare in the US.

  • Meaning: Maiden of the sea
  • Origin: English
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes the hidden depths of the ocean
  • Gender: Female

This English name means ‘maiden of the sea’. Symbolizing the deep and hidden depths of a vast ocean, Morwen is a sophisticated name for a baby girl that works at all stages of life.

Baby boy names that mean ‘forgotten’

  • Meaning: Darkness or obscurity
  • Origin: Latin
  • Cultural Significance: Represents something out of sight or forgotten
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ‘CAL-IH-GO’, this Latin name means darkness, representing lost or forgotten souls. It’s very uncommon as a first name in the US.

  • Meaning: Ancient or enduring
  • Origin: Irish
  • Cultural Significance: Evokes the idea of something from a forgotten past
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ‘KEE-UN’, this Irish name means ‘ancient’ or ‘enduring’. It’s linked with forgotten elements of the past and is a very uncommon name in America.

  • Meaning: Hidden nook
  • Origin: English
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes a secret or forgotten place
  • Gender: Male

Darnell is an English name that was more popular in the US than in the mid 20th century than now. In fact, only a handful of babies per million were given the name in America in 2022. It means ‘hidden nook’. 

  • Meaning: Dragon
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes hidden power or forgotten ancient wisdom
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ‘DRA-CAN’, this Greek name means dragon, a forgotten, ancient beast. It’s a very unique name for a baby boy.

a boy embracing a dragon
  • Meaning: Deep darkness or shadow
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Personifies the shadowy aspects of the world, often forgotten
  • Gender: Male

Erebus means deep darkness or shadow. This Greek name makes for a one-of-a-kind name for a baby boy.

  • Meaning: Dark or dusky
  • Origin: Welsh
  • Cultural Significance: Implies something obscured or out of sight
  • Gender: Male

Gethin has Welsh origins, so it’s not surprise that it’s a very popular name in Wales! It means dark or dusty, and is a rare name in the US.

  • Meaning: Bringer of peace
  • Origin: Slavic
  • Cultural Significance: Implies something obscured or out of sight
  • Gender: Male

Kasimir has Slavic origins and means ‘bringer of peace’. It’s linked with unnoticed harmony and quiet. It’s a very uncommon name in the US.

  • Meaning: Pale little one
  • Origin: Gaelic
  • Cultural Significance: Suggests subtlety, something easily missed
  • Gender: Male

Meaning ‘pale little one’, Oran is a Gaelic name that’s linked with something subtle and very easily missed or forgotten. It’s a very unique name in the US.

  • Meaning: Composed, dignified
  • Origin: Arabic
  • Cultural Significance: Can imply a quiet presence, easily overlooked
  • Gender: Male

Razeen is an Arabic name that’s linked to a quiet, forgotten presence. It means ‘composed’ and ‘dignified’ and is a very rare name in America.

  • Meaning: Severe, strict
  • Origin: Romanian
  • Cultural Significance: Implies a hidden depth or seriousness
  • Gender: Male

This Romanian name means ‘severe’, implying a hidden seriousness. It’s a unique name for a brand new baby boy. 

  • Meaning: Shining brow
  • Origin: Welsh
  • Cultural Significance: A legendary bard, symbolizing wisdom that’s not always recognized
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ‘TAH-LEE-ESS-IN’, this highly unusual name has Welsh origins and symbolizes unnoticed or forgotten wisdom. 

  • Meaning: West wind
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Represents a gentle, often unnoticed force
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ZEF-EAR, this Greek name means ‘west wind’ and symbolizes a gentle, subtle force. 

  • Meaning: Evening star
  • Origin: Latin
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes beauty that appears in quiet moments
  • Gender: Male

Vesper is a Latin name that’s often considered to be unisex, but we love it for a baby boy. It means ‘evening star’ and symbolizes a forgotten beauty that shines in quiet times.

a boy looking at the star
  • Meaning: Wand, staff
  • Origin: Latin
  • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes power and authority, often behind the scenes
  • Gender: Male

Pronounced ‘KI-RIN’, this Latin name means ‘wand’ or ‘staff’, symbolizing a hidden power. 

  • Meaning: Kingfisher bird, denoting peace and tranquility
  • Origin: Greek
  • Cultural Significance: Represents calm periods often overlooked in turbulent times
  • Gender: Unisex

Halcyon is a unique Greek name that means ‘Kingfisher bird’. It represents calm and quiet periods, often forgotten about in stormy times. 

    • Meaning: Slender or fair
    • Origin: Irish
    • Cultural Significance: Can suggest something delicate and not easily noticed
    • Gender: Unisex

    Keelan is an Irish name, like many on this roundup of names that mean forgotten. It means ‘slender’ and represents something delicate and easily forgotten.

    • Meaning: Traveler or pilgrim
    • Origin: Latin
    • Cultural Significance: Denotes someone on a journey, often away from the public eye
    • Gender: Unisex

    Peregrine is a highly unusual Latin name that means traveler. It’s a name that sounds like it’s straight out of a Tolkein book and is linked with hidden journeys.

    • Meaning: Black
    • Origin: Slavic
    • Cultural Significance: Connotes mystery and depth, often overlooked
    • Gender: Unisex

    Sable is a Slavic name that’s pronounced ‘SAY-BLE’. It means black and is linked with a mysterious, hidden depth. It’s a very unique name in the US and can be used for both little girls and little boys.

    • Meaning: Distant place
    • Origin: Greek
    • Cultural Significance: Represents something faraway and forgotten
    • Gender: Unisex

    Thule is a Greek name that means ‘distant place’. It’s considered a unisex name that symbolizes a faraway, forgotten place.

    • Meaning: Small bird
    • Origin: English
    • Cultural Significance: Represents something small and unassuming, yet full of song
    • Gender: Unisex

    Wren is a unisex name inspired by nature that’s skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. In fact, whilst it wasn’t considered a name until the 80s in America, it was given to over 900 babies per million in the US in 2022. It means ‘small bird’ and represents something small and forgotten.

    • Meaning: To flow down or descend
    • Origin: Hebrew
    • Cultural Significance: Symbolizes a journey or path less observed
    • Gender: Unisex

    Yarden is a unique name with Hebrew origins. It means ‘to descend’ and is linked with a forgotten journey or path. 

    a picture of an open book forgotten in a forest
    a picture of a young girl and a light around her

    Conclusion

    Exploring baby names that mean ‘forgotten’ or are linked with the idea unveils a rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural origins. Whatever their origins, these names carry an intriguing depth. 

    Still looking for inspiration?

    Check out our roundup of top nature-inspired baby names, baby names inspired by color and baby names that mean ‘soul’

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