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Native American Girl Names

95 native american girl names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.

Looking for boy names instead? Native American Boy Names →

Before anything else, one honest note that matters more than any list: there is no single Native American language. There are hundreds of distinct sovereign nations across this continent, each with its own language, its own naming customs, and its own rules about who may give or carry a name. So the names gathered here are not one tradition — and where a source is genuinely documented we say which nation it comes from, and where it is not, we say that too. Among the best-attested Native American girl names in wide U.S. use is Cheyenne, taken from the name of the Cheyenne Nation of the Great Plains. Kimimila is recorded in Lakota as the word for butterfly. Erie and Sonoma are place names carried from Indigenous languages into English through the map.

A second group here reached American parents through sound and popular culture rather than through a documented tribal source, and it is worth knowing the difference. Tallulah is usually connected to a waterfall and gorge in northern Georgia, in Cherokee and Muscogee homelands, though the exact derivation is debated and an unrelated Irish name shares the shape. Talulla sits in that same overlap. Kaya, Tala, Aiyanna, Hania, Dyani, Aponi, Catori, Halona, Tehya and Chyanne circulate widely on American baby-name lists with meanings that are often repeated but rarely sourced. We would rather point you to the sound, the spelling and the real usage data than repeat a translation we cannot stand behind.

Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning where one genuinely exists, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.

Native American Girl Names

Cheyenne#920 in the U.S.From Lakota Sioux shahiyena meaning people of a different language or foreign speakers; the nam▶Tallulah#940 in the U.S.From Choctaw tallulah meaning leaping water or running water, associated with the Tallulah Fall▶Kaya#966 in the U.S.Rock; from Turkish kaya (rock, cliff)▶Tala#1336 in the U.S.Wolf; also star or golden in different cultural contexts▶Aiyanna#2228 in the U.S.eternal blossom, forever flowering▶Hania#2236 in the U.S.happiness, bliss▶Dyani#4909 in the U.S.Often glossed as a Native American name, 'a deer'; also echoes Diana ('divine'); routes layered▶Topeka#7274 in the U.S.Topeka is the name of the capital city of Kansas, taken as a girl's given name. The city name c▶Aponi#8465 in the U.S.A name popularly attributed to Native American sources, often glossed 'a butterfly'; the specif▶Sonoma#8862 in the U.S.A place-name — Sonoma, in California; variously linked to the Miwok, 'the valley of the moon' a▶Talulla#8871 in the U.S.A spelling of Tallulah — variously the Choctaw 'leaping water' (a place/waterfall) and the Iris▶Tehya#8875 in the U.S.Variously a Native American (Zuni/Hopi) name, 'precious', and a modern coinage; routes uncertai▶Catori#9031 in the U.S.Widely cited as a Hopi (Native American) name, 'a spirit'; the attribution is uncertain, so we ▶Chyanne#9033 in the U.S.A spelling of Cheyenne — the name of a Native American people (also a Wyoming city); from a Dak▶Erie#9086 in the U.S.From Erie — a Native American people and one of the Great Lakes; the name is linked to a word f▶Halona#9122 in the U.S.Widely cited as a Native American name, 'of happy fortune; fortunate'; the attribution is uncer▶Kimimila#9889 in the U.S.From the Lakota (Sioux) kimimila, 'a butterfly'▶Maka#10053 in the U.S.earth▶Shianne#10137 in the U.S.A spelling of Cheyenne — from the Dakota Sahiyena, the name of the Cheyenne people (variously '▶Alabama#10330 in the U.S.Alabama is a United States place name adopted as a girls' name. The state takes its name from t▶Sonseeahray#10670 in the U.S.morning star▶Missouri#10785 in the U.S.Missouri is a place name - a U.S. state and river - taken from the Missouria, a Siouan people w▶Wynema#11308 in the U.S.Wynema is best known from the 1891 novel 'Wynema: A Child of the Forest' by S. Alice Callahan, ▶Cheyene#11459 in the U.S.Cheyene is a one-n spelling of Cheyenne, taken from the Cheyenne people, whose name comes via t▶Cheynne#11662 in the U.S.A contracted spelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Great Plains Native American people and the Wy▶Sacheen#12059 in the U.S.Sacheen is known above all through Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who decl▶Sheyann#12523 in the U.S.Sheyann is a modern respelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Plains people and the Wyoming city na▶Kiona#12783 in the U.S.Kiona is frequently cited as a Native American name meaning 'brown hills,' a gloss we pass alon▶Chumani#13024 in the U.S.dewdrops▶Sheyenne#13605 in the U.S.Sheyenne is a phonetic Sh- spelling of Cheyenne, the name of the Cheyenne people and the Wyomin▶Cheyney#13850 in the U.S.Cheyney is a spelling that draws on Cheyenne, the name of the Plains nation (from a Dakota word▶Nalin#14048 in the U.S.maiden; young woman▶Ayasha#14064 in the U.S.Ayasha reads most often as a spelling of Ayesha or Aisha, the Arabic name meaning 'living' or '▶Cheyeanne#14156 in the U.S.Cheyeanne is a modern respelling of Cheyenne, a name taken from the Cheyenne, a Native American▶Haseya#14429 in the U.S.she rises; rising up▶Lozen#14494 in the U.S.meaning uncertain▶Neenah#14620 in the U.S.Neenah is a place name from Wisconsin, taken from a Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) word meaning 'water' o▶Miami#14637 in the U.S.A place name: the Florida city of Miami, whose name comes down from a Native American name — th▶Kenosha#14819 in the U.S.Kenosha is a place-name borrowing from the Wisconsin city of Kenosha, whose name comes from a P▶Cheyenna#14973 in the U.S.Cheyenna is Cheyenne given an -a ending to make it read more overtly as a girl's name. Cheyenne▶Tenaya#15034 in the U.S.Tenaya is best known from Lake Tenaya in Yosemite, named for Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahnechee pe▶Shyan#15400 in the U.S.Shyan is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne and Shyanne, names taken from the Cheyenne nation of▶Chyenne#15679 in the U.S.Chyenne is a shortened respelling of Cheyenne, a name taken from the Cheyenne people of the Gre▶Cheyanna#15717 in the U.S.Cheyanna is a flowing elaboration of Cheyenne, the name of a Great Plains people and the Wyomin▶Cheyann#15798 in the U.S.A respelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Native American (Plains) people and of a Wyoming city; ▶Shyane#16266 in the U.S.Shyane is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne, borrowed from the name of the Cheyenne people of t▶Wicahpi#16364 in the U.S.star▶Chyanna#16396 in the U.S.Chyanna is a respelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Plains nation and the Wyoming city named for▶Miakoda#16828 in the U.S.Miakoda is a modern name usually listed as Lakota (Sioux) for power of the moon. The gloss circ▶Shaianne#17253 in the U.S.Shaianne is a Shai- respelling of Cheyenne, the name of the Native American nation, which reach▶Shenandoah#17268 in the U.S.Shenandoah is drawn from the Shenandoah River and Valley of Virginia, a name of Native American▶Shandiin#17384 in the U.S.sunshine; a ray of sunlight▶Shiann#17396 in the U.S.Shiann is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne, the name of the Plains nation and, in the U.S., a ▶Wenona#17452 in the U.S.Wenona is a variant spelling of Winona, from the Dakota (Sioux) word Winúna, the customary birt▶Shyenne#17779 in the U.S.Shyenne is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne, the name of the Great Plains nation; the English ▶Cheyane#17893 in the U.S.Cheyane is a simplified spelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Plains people whose own name came t▶Sheyanne#18076 in the U.S.Sheyanne is a soft-consonant spelling of Cheyenne. The name comes from the Cheyenne people of t▶Kachina#18655 in the U.S.Kachina comes from the Hopi katsina, the ancestral spirit beings central to Hopi and Pueblo rel▶Shaiann#18810 in the U.S.Shaiann is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne, the name of a Plains Native American people and, ▶Shiane#19146 in the U.S.Shiane is a phonetic respelling of Cheyenne, the name of the Great Plains nation. The tribal na▶Shima#19160 in the U.S.my mother; mother▶Yakima#20355 in the U.S.Yakima comes from the Yakama Nation of the Columbia Plateau in what is now Washington State, an▶Acahkoslittle star; star▶Alopeslender; lithe▶Anongstar▶Chapaweeindustrious; busy like a beaver▶Dahtestemeaning uncertain▶Dezbagoing to war; warrior woman▶Dolibluebird▶Gouyenwise woman▶Ishtonthe woman; womanly one▶Kahenteshe walks ahead; she leads them▶Kaniehtiiobeautiful snow▶Karihwiiostashe keeps the words in good order; she tends the wampum▶Kimiwanit is raining; rain▶Konwatsi'tsiaiénnisomeone lends her a flower▶Manabareturning from war; she who returns▶Nipinsummer▶Nuvatisnow▶Ohwentsiameadow; flat open land▶Onatahspirit of wheat and corn▶Piyêsîslittle bird▶Polingaysibutterfly sitting among flowers in the breeze▶Sekwanfirst stage of spring; early spring▶Sihuflower; blossom▶Talasipollen; corn tassel▶Tekahionwakedouble wampum▶Waabiziiswan▶Waawaatesifirefly▶Wachiwidancing girl▶Wâpikwanflower; blossom▶Wastenashe is liked; beloved one▶Yanabashe meets the enemy; brave one▶ZiigwanIt is spring — a VII (inanimate intransitive verb) in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), expressing the▶Zitkalabird▶

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Frequently Asked

What are common Native American girl names in the U.S.?

Cheyenne is by far the most-used, followed by Tallulah, Kaya and Tala. Popularity on U.S. birth records does not tell you whether a name is traditionally used within any particular nation.

Is there one Native American language these names come from?

No. Hundreds of separate nations and language families exist across North America, from Lakota and Cherokee to Hopi, Navajo and Miwok. A name documented in one language has no meaning at all in another.

Should non-Native parents use these names?

Many Native communities ask that names with ceremonial or clan significance not be borrowed, and naming practices differ widely from nation to nation. Place names and widely adopted names sit in different territory than a name earned within a specific community, so it is worth researching the individual name rather than the category.