59 Beautiful Names That Mean Silver (and Their Cultural Context)
In ancient times, silver was as precious as gold but was much stronger and created better tools. It even granted its name to the “Silver Age” of human development, during which it was the primary metal used by ancient people. Unfortunately, its usefulness isn’t enough to take it out of second place behind gold, even in various naming conventions. Thankfully, there are still plenty of great names you can choose that mean silver. They come from just about every language and cultural tradition imaginable.
Boy’s Names That Mean Silver
Names that mean silver pop up throughout multiple cultural histories, including ancient and more modern ones. As a result, you should have plenty of unique options to choose from when you need a masculine name, including for a child, a character in a story, or even your favorite pet. Most of these names will also work well if you are changing your name.
Argant
Argant comes from the Old Breton word “argant,” which means silver. It was the name of a king in Brittany who helped lead his people in difficult times in the eighth century.
Argento
The name Argento comes from Esperanto, an attempt to create a universal language that mostly failed. It means “silver.” It’s also an Italian family name, made famous by director Dario Argento.
Birru
Birru is a popular Amharic name that means “the silver” and is commonly used for children born late in a person’s life.
Celeborn
Tolkien fans know this name as the rule of Lothlorien in “The Lord of the Rings” series. The name itself means “tree of silver” or “tall and silver.”
Celebrimbor
Here’s another popular Tolkien name that means “silver fist” in the invented language Sindarin. It refers to the crafter who made the original rings.
Dizchin
Circassian names like Dizchin don’t get enough attention, which is a shame. However, this name, which means “silver,” is rather beautiful and expressive.
Eunchang
Eunchang comes from the Korean word “eun,” which means “charity” and “silver,” depending on its combination with other characters.
Gintoki
This rare Japanese name means “silver” and “time” and was popularized after the release of the Gintama series created by Hideaki Sorachi.
Kÿmÿsh
This Turkish language is spoken primarily in the Kemerovo region in Russia. This name means “silver” and comes directly from the word with the same spelling.
More name guides: Names that mean Earth
Nagito
This Japanese name comes from multiple kanji that mean things like “winter,” “grant, answer,” sound as well as “silver.” It’s also a common name for samurai.
Nhia
Hmong is an extensively spoken language throughout much of Southeast Asia. Nhia means “silver” in Hmong, specifically in terms of money or cash.
Nukri
Nukri derives from a Georgian noun that means “fawn,” though it also has connotations to silver and money, depending on the region.
Perak
Perak means “silver” in Malacca and refers to the Sultanate, Tun Perak, who served four sultans for 50 years and amassed a great deal of power.
Prak
Prak is a variation of the Khmer word for “silver” and is a commonly used name in areas that speak or write Khmer.
Ryozo
In Japanese, the kanji “ryo” has many meanings, including “dragon” as well as “silver.” Likewise, the character “zo” means things like “three” and “storehouse.”
Selçuk
Selcuk means “silver-tongued” or “eloquent” in Turkish and was often a name given to great orators or speakers.
Silver
This rarely used Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish name comes from the Old Norse “silfr,” which means “silver.”
Šivuj
In Mari, Sivuj means “silver head” and refers to someone with a strong intellect or mind, particularly philosophers.
Spinzar
The narrowly spoken language Pashto defines Spinzar as a “white metal,” which roughly translates to “silver” in other languages.
Zilar
Zilar comes from the Medieval Basque word “zilar,” which means “silver.” It is one of the many root words for this term.
Girls’ Names That Mean Silver
Silver is one of the most beautiful metals, and for many centuries, female names that meant silver played off that attractiveness. However, as women’s rights and feminism have helped transform the world’s understanding of feminity, these names have often taken on stronger and bolder connotations. Regardless, there are plenty of great options that you can choose for your daughter, book character, or pet.
A-eun
This Korean name combines several hanja characters that mean “lovely, beautiful, pure, and me,” as well as “favor, grace,” and “silver.”
Akkumis
A popular Kazakh name, Akkumis, means “white” or “silver,” depending on the context and the culture in which it is used. It may also mean “white metal.”
Casiphia
Casiphia comes from the Bible and is mentioned only once by the prophet Ezra. It comes from the Hebrew word for “silver” or “money.”
Celebrían
Like all Tolkien names with the character “celeb,” Celebrian means “silver” and something else. In this case, it means “queen” and refers to the daughter of Galadriel.
Chandani
In Sanskrit, Chandani means “moonlight, silver, luminous” and is connected more to light and color than it is money or cash.
Da-eun
Da-eun comes from Sino-Korean and means “silver” as well as “more than over” and “kindness, charity,” among other things.
Eun-bi
A Korean name that means “kindness, charity, mercy,” as well as “silver” and “rain.” This complexity makes it a popular option for literature characters.
Gina, Ginchiyo, Ginko, Ginshi
Gin means “silver” in Japanese, giving each of these names that meaning. However, they also have alternative meanings, including (respectively) “pond,” “knowledge, wisdom,” “child,” and “thread.”
Ilfizä
In the widely spread Bashkir and Arabic languages, this name means “silver” as well as “country,” making it a popular name in these regions.
Jonkumush
In Uzbek, Jonkumush means “spirit, soul,” and “silver.” The “kumush” character gives this name the “silver” meaning, so any other Uzbek names with it share that definition.
Ju-eun
As seen above, the Korean character “eun” means “silver.” In this name, the “ju” element also means “gem, jewel, pearl,” giving a connotation of cash to it.
Find more name ideas: Names that mean Pearl
Kömöš, Kömöšhïlïw, Kömöšnur
These three Bashkir names mean “silver,” with the first being the root for the other two. Those names also mean, respectively, “beauty, beautiful,” and “light.”
Kubaba
Kubaba came from Hurrian mythology and was the name of a minor goddess. A Sumerian queen also had the same name, which she took to mean “silver.”
Linang
This Filipino and Maranao name means “silver” or “sterling” and is commonly used as a term for cash or money.
Möngöntsetseg
In Mongolian, this name means “silver flower” and is a popular name for an only daughter or the oldest daughter in a family.
Ngoen
Ngoen is a Thai name that simply means “silver.” This Thai name is also related to the Chin “Ngun,” which means “silver” or “precious wealth.”
Plata
This rare Spanish name means “silver” and is related to the also rare English name Platinum, which means “silver.” It also refers to the color of the metal itself.
Silfrún, Silfur
Two rare, modern Icelandic names both mean “silver,” though they also have extra meanings like “secret, lore, rune.”
Silmariën
Here’s another Tolkien-inspired name, with “silma” meaning “silver, shining white, crystal white” and “rien” meaning “maiden.”
Täñkäbikä
From Baskhir, this name means “ruble, silver coin” or “fish scale.” It also refers to beautiful metal decorations added to traditional clothing.
Xiaoxian
In Chinese, “xiao” means “dawn, daybreak,” while “xian” means “silver pheasant,” creating a rather interesting definition for this name.
Unisex Names That Mean Silver
Unisex names may change throughout history, with some being masculine or feminine first before being used as both. However, the names on this list are currently used for both males and females and have been used as such for some time. As a result, it’s relatively safe to use them for your unisex naming needs, such as if you’re writing a character with a more androgynous personality or background.
Argenis
This Spanish name likely comes from the Latin word argentum, which means “silver.” It’s the root of many names related to silver, such as “Argento” or “Argenta.”
Asimbola
In Malagasy, Asimbola means “a piece of silver” and has been used regularly to refer to money and jewelry throughout this region.
Bac
Bac means “silver” in Vietnamese and has traditionally been used for both men and women in this culture, though it has a heavily masculine tone in some regions.
Bugafer
A very rare English name that’s been Americanized in some parts of the country, it refers to an old legend called “The Keeper of the silver-eyed crow.”
Eun-yul
This Korean name combines “eun,” which means “silver,” with the hanja “yul,” which means “chestnut tree” or “writing brush.”
Hopea
In Finnish, “Hopea” means “silver.” It was a commonly used child name by miners, as finding silver typically meant good luck discovering other minerals.”.
Möngön
Mongon is a Mongolian name that means “silver.” Though it shares the same several letters as its root country, this name is not connected to its origin.
Quji, Quiiqi
These two Yi names come from the same root, “qu,” which means “silver.” The names also have other meanings, such as “origin” and “leaf.”
Vendi
In Telugu, means “silver” and is directly connected to other names that mean silver in this language, particularly when sharing the “ven” character.
Vola
In Malagasy, Vola means both “silver” or “money,” often interchangeably. The color itself is implied in the name, though it is mostly connotated with cash and payment in Malagasy culture.
Zîv
Ziv is a Kurdish name that means “silver.” It has been used for both boys and girls for centuries, often referring to the youngest or most “precious” child in a family.
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Wrap Up – Names that mean Silver
We hope our collection of names is a silver lining to your name search! Let us know your favorites in the comments!
Resource: We use Behind the Name to research name meanings, history, and popularity.