Indigenous American Names

Adsila f Indigenous American, Cherokee
Means "blossom" in Cherokee.

Ahtahkakoop m Indigenous American, Cree
Means "star blanket" in Cree. This was the name of an early 19th-century Cree chief.

Ailen f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Variant of Aylen.

Amaru m Indigenous American, Aymara
Means "snake" in Aymara.

Ameyalli f & m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "spring, fountain" in Nahuatl.

Anayeli f Indigenous American, Zapotec
Variant of Nayeli.

Antiman m Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "condor of the sun" in Mapuche.

Antinanco m Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "eagle of the sun" in Mapuche.

Aputsiaq m Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "snowflake" in Greenlandic.

Aqissiaq m Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "ptarmigan" in Greenlandic (a ptarmigan is a type of bird that lives in cold regions).

Arnaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic, Inuit
Means "woman" in Greenlandic and Inuktitut.

Ashkii m Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "boy" in Navajo.

Atahualpa m Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "hen of fortune", from Quechua ataw meaning "lucky, fortunate" and wallpa meaning "hen". This was the name of the last sovereign Inca emperor. He was executed by the Spanish in 1533.

Aucaman m Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "wild condor" in Mapuche.

Âviâja f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "cousin" in Greenlandic.

Awinita f Indigenous American, Cherokee
Means "fawn" in Cherokee.

Ayelen f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Variant of Aylen.

Aylen f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Possibly means either "happiness" or "clear" in Mapuche.

Baishan m Indigenous American, Apache
Means "knife" in Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Chiricahua Apache.

Balam m Indigenous American, Mayan
Means "jaguar" in Mayan.

Bidziil m Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "he is strong" in Navajo.

Bira m Indigenous American, Tupi
Short form of Ubirajara.

Calfuray f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "violet (flower)" in Mapuche.

Catahecassa m Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "black hoof" in Shawnee. This was the name of a Shawnee warrior and chief of the 18th century.

Cauã m Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "hawk" in Tupi.

Citlali f & m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "star" in Nahuatl.

Citlalli f & m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Variant of Citlali.

Cochise m Indigenous American, Apache
From Apache chis meaning "oak, wood". This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Chiricahua Apache.

Cowessess m Indigenous American, Ojibwe
From Ojibwe Ka-we-zauce meaning "little child". This was the name of a late 19th-century chief of the Saulteaux.

Cuauhtémoc m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "descending eagle" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the last Aztec emperor, ruling until he was captured and executed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the year 1525.

Ehecatl m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "wind" in Nahuatl. Ehecatl was the name of the Aztec wind god.

Galilahi f Indigenous American, Cherokee
Possibly means "attractive" in Cherokee.

Giiwedinokwe f Indigenous American, Ojibwe
Means "woman of the north" in Ojibwe.

Gouyen f Indigenous American, Apache
Means "wise" in Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century Apache warrior woman.

Goyathlay m Indigenous American, Apache
Means "one who yawns" in Apache. This was the real name of the Apache leader Geronimo (1829-1909), who fought against Mexican and American expansion into his territory.

Hiawatha m History, Indigenous American, Iroquois
From the Iroquoian name Haio-went-ha meaning "he who combs". This was the name of a Mohawk or Onondaga leader who founded the Iroquois Confederacy, possibly in the 15th century. He was later the subject of a fictionalized 1855 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Hokolesqua m Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "cornstalk" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief.

Iara f Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "lady of the water", from Tupi y "water" and îara "lady, mistress". In Brazilian folklore this is the name of a beautiful river nymph who would lure men into the water. She may have been based upon earlier Tupi legends.

Inti m Indigenous American, Quechua, Incan Mythology
Means "sun" in Quechua. This was the name of the Inca god of the sun.

Iracema f Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "honey lips" in Tupi. This is the name of an 1865 novel by José de Alencar, about the relationship between a Tupi woman and a Portuguese man during the early colonial period. Alencar may have constructed the name so that it would be an anagram of America.

Isi m & f Indigenous American, Choctaw
Means "deer" in Choctaw.

Itzel f Indigenous American, Mayan
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Mayan itz meaning "dew, nectar, fluid". Otherwise, it might be a variant of Ixchel.

Ixchel f Mayan Mythology, Indigenous American, Mayan
Means "rainbow lady" in Mayan. Ixchel was the Maya goddess of the earth, the moon, and medicine. She was often depicted with a snake in her hair and crossbones embroidered on her skirt.

Jaci 2 f & m Indigenous American, Tupi
From Tupi îasy meaning "moon".

Jacira f Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "honey moon", from Tupi îasy "moon" and ira "honey".

Kaneonuskatew m Indigenous American, Cree
Means "one that walks on four claws" in Cree. This was the name of a 19th-century Cree chief.

Kaniehtiio f Indigenous American, Mohawk
Means "beautiful snow" in Mohawk.

Kantuta f Indigenous American, Aymara
Means "cantua flower" in Aymara (species Cantua buxifolia).

Kawacatoose m Indigenous American, Cree
Means "poor man" or "lean man" in Cree. This was the name of a 19th-century Cree chief.

Kawisenhawe f Indigenous American, Mohawk
Means "she holds the ice" in Mohawk.

Killa f Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "moon" in Quechua.

Kimimela f Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "butterfly" in Lakota.

Kisecawchuck m Indigenous American, Cree
Means "daystar" in Cree. This was the name of a 19th-century Cree chief.

Lalawethika m Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "he makes noise" in Shawnee. This was another name of the Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa (1775-1836).

Mahpiya m Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "cloud, sky" in Dakota and Lakota. This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.

Maiara f Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "great-grandmother, wise" in Tupi.

Malik 2 m Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "wave" in Greenlandic.

Malinalli f Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "grass" in Nahuatl.

Maquinna m Indigenous American, Nuu-chah-nulth
Meaning unknown, of Nuu-chah-nulth (also known as Nootka) origin. This was the name of a late 18th-century chief of the Mowachaht.

Methoataske f Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "turtle laying its eggs" in Shawnee.

Metztli m & f Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Variant of Meztli.

Meztli m & f Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "moon" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec god (or goddess) of the moon.

Millaray f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "golden flower" in Mapuche.

Moacir m Indigenous American, Tupi
Possibly means "son of pain" in Tupi. This is the name of the son of Iracema and Martim in the novel Iracema (1865) by José de Alencar.

Muscowequan m Indigenous American, Cree
Means "hard quill" in Cree. This was the name of a 19th-century Cree chief.

Nahuel m Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "jaguar" in Mapuche.

Naiche m Indigenous American, Apache
Means "mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of Cochise.

Naira f Indigenous American, Aymara
Means "eye" in Aymara.

Naja f Indigenous American, Greenlandic, Danish
Means "boy's younger sister" in Greenlandic. It was popularized in Denmark by the writer B. S. Ingemann, who used it in his novel Kunnuk and Naja, or the Greenlanders (1842).

Nanabah f Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "she returns" from Navajo náánádááh.

Nanook m Indigenous American, Inuit
Variant of Nanuq. This was the (fictional) name of the subject of Robert Flaherty's documentary film Nanook of the North (1922).

Nanuk m Indigenous American, Inuit
Variant of Nanuq.

Nanuq m Indigenous American, Inuit
Means "polar bear" in Inuktitut.

Nayeli f Indigenous American, Zapotec, Spanish (Mexican)
Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".

Nicte f Indigenous American, Mayan
Means "flower" in Mayan.

Nina 2 f Indigenous American, Quechua, Aymara
Means "fire" in Quechua and Aymara.

Nita 2 f Indigenous American, Choctaw
Means "bear" in Choctaw.

Niviarsiaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "girl" in Greenlandic. This is the name of a variety of flower that grows on Greenland.

Nizhoni f Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "beautiful" from Navajo nizhóní.

Nonhelema f Indigenous American, Shawnee
Possibly means "not a man" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief, the sister of Hokolesqua.

Notah m Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "almost there" in Navajo.

Nuka m & f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "younger sibling" in Greenlandic.

Odeserundiye m Indigenous American, Mohawk
Means "lightning has struck" in Mohawk. This was the name of an 18th-century Mohawk chief, also called John Deseronto.

Ohiyesa m Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "winner" in Dakota and Lakota.

Ojigkwanong m Indigenous American, Algonquin
Means "morning star" in Alqonguin.

Onangwatgo m Indigenous American, Oneida
Means "big medicine" in Oneida. This was the name of a chief of the Oneida people, also named Cornelius Hill (1834-1907).

Piloqutinnguaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "little leaf" in Greenlandic.

Pipaluk f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "nurse" in Greenlandic.

Pocahontas f Indigenous American, Powhatan
Means "playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.

Potsʉnakwahipʉ m Indigenous American, Comanche
Means "buffalo hump" in Comanche. This name was borne by a 19th-century war chief of the Penateka Comanche.

Qillaq m Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "seal hide" in Greenlandic.

Quanah m Indigenous American, Comanche
Means "fragrant" in Comanche. This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Comanche.

Quetzalli f Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "feather, precious thing" in Nahuatl.

Quidel m Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "burning torch" in Mapuche.

Quispe f Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "free" in Quechua.

Rayen f Indigenous American, Mapuche, Spanish (Latin American)
Means "flower" in Mapuche.

Sacagawea f Indigenous American
Probably from Hidatsa tsakáka wía meaning "bird woman". Alternatively it could originate from the Shoshone language and mean "boat puller". This name was borne by a Native American woman who guided the explorers Lewis and Clark. She was of Shoshone ancestry but had been abducted in her youth and raised by a Hidatsa tribe.

Sacnicte f Indigenous American, Mayan
Means "white flower" in Mayan.

Sacnite f Indigenous American, Mayan
Variant of Sacnicte.

Saqui f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "favourite" in Mapuche.

Sayen f Indigenous American, Mapuche
Means "sweet, lovely" in Mapuche.

Sequoyah m Indigenous American, Cherokee
Possibly from Cherokee siqua meaning "hog". This was the name of the Cherokee man (also known as George Guess) who devised the Cherokee writing system in the 19th century.

Sháńdíín f & m Indigenous American, Navajo
Means "sunshine" in Navajo.

Shenandoah m Indigenous American, Oneida
Variant of Skenandoa.

Shikoba m & f Indigenous American, Choctaw
Means "feather" in Choctaw.

Siqiniq f Indigenous American, Inuit
Means "sun" in Inuktitut.

Sissinnguaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "squirrel" in Greenlandic.

Skenandoa m Indigenous American, Oneida
Probably from the name of the Shenandoah River in the eastern United States, which is of uncertain origin. This was the name of an 18th-century Oneida chief.

Tagwanibisan f Indigenous American, Algonquin
Means "rainbow" in Alqonguin.

Talako m Indigenous American, Choctaw
Means "eagle" in Choctaw.

Tamaya f Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "in the center" in Quechua.

Tasunka m Indigenous American, Sioux
From Lakota tȟašuŋke meaning "his horse". This forms the first part of the name of Tasunka Witko (1840-1877), translated as Crazy Horse, a Lakota war leader.

Tatanka m Indigenous American, Sioux
From Lakota tȟatȟáŋka meaning "bull". This is the first part of the name of the Lakota holy man and chief Tatanka Iyotake (1831-1890), translated into English as Sitting Bull.

Tecumseh m Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "panther passing across" in Shawnee. This was the name of a Shawnee leader who, with his brother Tenskwatawa, resisted European expansion in the early 19th century.

Tekakwitha f Indigenous American, Mohawk
Means "she who bumps into things" or "she who puts things in place" in Mohawk. Tekakwitha, also named Kateri, was the first Native American Catholic saint.

Tenskwatawa m Indigenous American, Shawnee
Means "open door" in Shawnee. This was the name of a Shawnee prophet. With his brother Tecumseh he led his people in resistance against European expansion in the early 19th century.

Tessouat m Indigenous American, Algonquin
Meaning unknown. This was the name of several 17th-century Algonquin chiefs.

Tiriaq f & m Indigenous American, Inuit
Means "ermine, weasel" in Inuktitut.

Tlalli f Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "earth" in Nahuatl.

Tlaloc m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "of the earth" in Nahuatl. He was the Aztec god of rain and fertility, the husband of Chalchiuhticue.

Tonalli f Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "day, warmth of the sun" in Nahuatl.

Topʉsana f Indigenous American, Comanche
Means "prairie flower" in Comanche.

Tosahwi m Indigenous American, Comanche
Means "white knife" in Comanche. This name was borne by a 19th-century Penateka Comanche chief.

Tupaarnaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "wild thyme" in Greenlandic.

Ubirajara m Indigenous American, Tupi
Means "lord of the spear" in Tupi. This is the name of an 1874 novel by José de Alencar.

Uiara f Indigenous American, Tupi
Variant of Iara.

Ujarak m & f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "rock" in Greenlandic.

Ukaleq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "hare" in Greenlandic.

Ulloriaq m & f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "star" in Greenlandic.

Urpi f Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "pigeon, dove" in Quechua.

Wahunsenacawh m Indigenous American, Powhatan
Meaning unknown. This name was borne by a 17th-century chief of the Powhatan people. He was also known as Powhatan, as a result of confusion between his name and his birthplace.

Waman m Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "eagle, falcon" in Quechua.

Wapasha m Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "red leaf" in Dakota. This was the name of several Dakota chiefs.

Wawatam m Indigenous American, Ojibwe
Means "little goose" in Ojibwe. This was the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa people.

Wayna m Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "young" in Quechua.

Wayra m Indigenous American, Quechua
Means "wind" in Quechua.

Wickaninnish m Indigenous American, Nuu-chah-nulth
Possibly means "having no one in front of him in the canoe" in the Nuu-chah-nulth (or Nootka) language. This was the name of a chief of the Clayoquot in the late 18th century, at the time of European contact.

Willka m Indigenous American, Aymara
Means "sun" in Aymara.

Winona f English, Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "firstborn daughter" in Dakota. This was the name of the daughter of the 19th-century Dakota chief Wapasha III.

Xiadani f Indigenous American, Zapotec
Possibly means "the flower that arrived" in Zapotec.

Xochipilli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "flower prince" in Nahuatl. He was the Aztec god of love, flowers, song and games, the twin brother of Xochiquetzal.

Xochiquetzal f Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "flower feather" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec goddess of love, flowers and the earth, the twin sister of Xochipilli.

Xochitl f Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "flower" in Nahuatl.

Xquenda m & f Indigenous American, Zapotec
Means "spirit, soul, essence" in Zapotec.

Yara 2 f Indigenous American, Tupi
Variant of Iara.

Yaxkin m Indigenous American, Mayan
Means "sun" in Mayan.

Yolotl f & m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Means "heart" in Nahuatl.

Yolotli f & m Indigenous American, Nahuatl
Variant of Yolotl.

Yunuen m & f Indigenous American, Mayan
Possibly means "half moon" in Mayan. This is the name of an island on Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico.

Zitkala f Indigenous American, Sioux
Means "bird" in Lakota.

Zyanya f Indigenous American, Zapotec
Means "forever, always" in Zapotec.