153 Science Baby Names: Baby Names for Science Nerds and Geeks

Nerd parents are always looking for science baby names! Whether you want an obvious or subtle nerdy science name, I’ve got you covered! These names come from famous biologists, chemists, physicists, astronomers, and more. And they come from both modern and historical sources. Plus I have a collection of names that mean science, or are related to knowledge and learning!

These nerdy science names are great for more than just babies! Consider using them for characters in your writing, or pets too!

Note: Girls names are in pink, boys are in blue, and orange are either.

Science Girl Names

• Aber
• Dian
• Galilea
• Hypatia
• Mae
• Mina
• Nora
• Radia
• Rosalind
• Sagan

Some may be concerned that the list of science girl names is shorter than the boy names! Never fear! Using boy names for girls is a common practice, and feel free to choose from the boys science baby names list as well!

Science Girl Names (A-J)

Ada. This short but sweet name means noble. Computer scientist Ada Lovelace worked with Charles Babbage on an early mechanical computer

Agnes. Meaning: chaste. Agnes Robertson was the first female botanist in the Royal Society. She often went by her beautiful pen name, Arber.

Dian. This form of Diane means heavenly, or divine. Primatologist Dian Fossey studied mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Galilea. This name is a feminine form of Galileo, which comes from the Hebrew words rolling sea. I love that this name is unique but recognizable!

Hedy. This short form of Hedwig means battle, combat. Austrian-American Hedy Lamarr taught herself so she could work on hobbies. One of her hobbies was improving the traffic light! She developed a radio frequency-hopping system to stop torpedoes and missiles.

Henrietta. Henrietta comes from the name Henry, meaning home ruler. Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered relationships between the luminosity of stars and their other properties.

Hypatia. This unique name means highest, supreme. Mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher.

Julia. This gorgeous name is a female version of Julius, possibly related to the Roman god Jupiter. Or it may mean “downy bearded.” Julia Robinson was an American mathematician known for her work on Diophantine equations

Science Girl Names (K-L)

Kate. This name is a form of Katherine, which could refer to the Greek goddess Hecate, or it may mean “pure.” Kate Gleason was the first female member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, played a pivotal role in expanding her family’s machine tool company, and was the first woman to serve as the president of a national bank. In addition, there’s British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon who excavated ancient Jericho.

Lillian. This name could come from Lily, referring to the flower, or Elizabeth, meaning my God is an oath. American industrial engineer Lillian Gilbreth is credited with being the first industrial psychologist and the mother of modern management for her contributions to motion study and human factors in scientific management

Lise. Lise is a form of Elizabeth, which means my God is an oath. Physicist Lise Meitner helped discover the element protactinium, and nuclear fission.

Girl Names (M-N)

Mae. This name comes from the Roman goddess Maia. Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to reach space aboard the Endeavour space shuttle

Margaret.  Meaning: pearl. Irish astronomer Margaret Huggins worked with her husband William to discover spectroscopy and the Doppler shift. Next, there’s British-American astrophysicist Margaret Burbidge, known for studying the masses, compositions, and rotations of galaxies.

Mary. Mary and its variations mean beloved or love. Inventor Mary Anderson developed the windshield wiper. And Mary Leakey was a British paleo-anthropologist known for discovering several humanoid artifacts and fossils. Maria Gaetana Agnesi was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian. She wrote the first book discussing differential and integral calculus. Not to mention Marie Curie, the chemist famous for discovering radium and polonium

Martha. This Aramaic name means the lady. Engineer Martha Coston developed signalling flares and pyrotechnics in the late 1800s

Mina. This name comes from William, meaning will helmet. Scottish astronomer Williamina “Mina” Paton Stevens Fleming helped develop a common system for designating stars, cataloguing thousands of stars, and discovering the Horsehead Nebula.

Nobel. This name comes from the town of Ostra Nobbelov in Southern Sweden. Alfred Nobel was a famous Swedish engineer, chemist, and inventor who went on to found the Nobel prize.

Nora. This name can be short for Eleanor or Lenora, and its meaning is unknown. Nora Blatch was a American civil engineer who worked for the American Bridge Company and the New York City Board of Water Supply

Girls Names (O-V)

Olive. The name Olive comes from the olive tree. Olive Dennis was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s first service engineer. She was responsible for engineering improvements to passenger service and comfort

Rachel. Meaning: ewe. Marine biologist and environmentalist Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring,. Her work advanced the global environmental movement!

Radia. Meaning: unknown. American computer programmer and network engineer Radia Perlman invented STP (spanning-tree protocol) and wireless network bridges. Plus, she is known for her work in network security

Rosalind. This name means tender horse. It has so many wonderful nicknames, like Rose, Rosa, Lin, and Linda! Rosalind Franklin was a chemist famous for her research in the molecular structure of DNA

Sagan. Meaning: unknown. American astronomer Carl Sagan contributed to our understanding of extraterrestrial life.

Sally. This name is a form of Sarah, meaning lady, princess, noblewoman. Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into space

Sophia. Meaning: wisdom in Greek. First up, there’s Sofya Kovalevskaya, a Russian mathematician known for her work on analysis, partial differential equations, and mechanics. And then there’s Sophie Germaine was a French mathematician known for her work on differential geometry 

Stephanie. This Greek name means crown, or wreath. American chemist Stephanie Kwolek performed research that led to the development of Kevlar. You probably know of Kevlar, the synthetic fiber used in bulletproof vests.

Temple. This name comes from a surname that originally referred to people associated with the Knights Templar. Temple Grandin is an American zoologist known for improving conditions in handling livestock and animal welfare.

Virginia. American obstetrical anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar invented the Apgar score, a way to improve infant mortality. Her method quickly checks a baby’s health at birth and is still used today!

Science Boy Names

• Amedeo
• Aston
• Ernst
• Kurt
• Pascal
• Otto
• Rene
• Thales
• Tycho
• Wallace

I love the array of science baby names for boys! There are so many sources from ancient history, medieval times, and even modern times! And so many unique and foreign names that are uncommon in the US. Yet there are also many science baby names that could fly under the radar or that are easily pronounced!

Science Boy Names (A)

Alan. This name’s meaning is uncertain, but could mean handsome. Alan Turing was a mathematician and computer scientist known for his work with encryption and the Turing Test

Albert. Meaning: noble and bright. Albert Einstein was a physicist known for his work on the theory of relativity.  Albertus Magnus was a German mathematician in the 12th century

Alexander. This name means defending men. Alexander Grothendieck was a German mathematician who contributed to algebraic geometry. Alexandre Eiffel, also known as “the magician of iron” was a French engineer who designed the Eiffel tower. Plus, he constructed several bridges for France’s railway network

Alfred. Meaning: elf counsel. Alfred North Whitehead was a British mathematician known for Principia Mathematica. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist known for inventing dynamite and other explosives. He started the Nobel Prize organization. Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who founded coordination chemistry

Amar. The name Amar means immortal or long-lived. Amar Bose is an American engineer who specialized in psychoacoustics and speaker technology. In fact, you guessed it- he founded the Bose Corporation, known for its high quality acoustics and sound systems

Amedeo. You may have heard the variation of this name, Amadeus, which means love of God. Amedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist known as a founder of atomic molecular theory and formulated Avogadro’s Law

Anders. This form of Andrew means “manly.” Anders Jonas Ångström was a famous physicist 

Antoine. Meaning: unknown. Antoine Lavisier was a French chemist known as the “father of modern chemistry” and named hydrogen and oxygen

Aston. This Old English name means east town. Francis Aston was a British scientist famous for developing the mass spectrograph and discovering 212 naturally occurring isotopes. This name fits with the trendy names ending in -son!

Boys (B-D)

Augustus. This Roman name means exalted. Augustus De Morgan was a British mathematician known for his work on universal algebra 

Benjamin. This name means son of the south in Hebrew. Benjamin Franklin was a famous American statesman, inventor, scientist, and philosopher. 

Bernhard. Meaning: brave bear. Bernhard Riemann was a German mathematician who contributed to number theory and differential geometry 

Blaise. Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and philosopher known for Pascal’s Wager, Pascal’s Triangle, Pascal’s Law, and Pascal’s Theorem

Carl. This name may mean “man” or “army.” Carl Gauss was a famous mathematician, and of course, we mentioned astronomer Carl Sagan earlier!

Chaim. Meaning: life. Chaim Weizmann was a British chemist responsible for the discovery of industrial fermentation, a process in which certain chemicals mass-produce another substance

Charles. Meaning: “man.” Charles Messier was a French astronomer. Charles Babbage was a scientist and mathematician known as the father of computers 

Clarence. This British name comes from the name of the town Clare. Clarence Birdseye was the founder of the technique for freezing food

Claude. This name may mean crippled. Claude Pouillet was a French physicist. Claude Bernard was a French physiologist

Claudius. Claudius Ptolemy was an ancient Greek astronomer

Dalton. Meaning: valley town. English chemist John Dalton theorized the existence of atoms.

Daniel. This biblical name means God is my judge. Daniel Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician known for Bernoulli’s Principle 

Deke. Meaning: unknown. Deke was the nickname of Donald Kent Slayton, a World War II pilot who later became an astronaut and NASA administrator

Dimitri. This name comes from the Greek goddess Demeter, possibly meaning “earth mother.” Dmitriy Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who devised the periodic table of the elements

Boys Names (E)

Edison. Meaning: “son of Adam.” Thomas Edison was a famous inventor

Edward. Meaning: rich guard. First off, Edward Lorenz was an American mathematician known for his contributions to  Chaos Theory, Lorenz Attractor and the Butterfly Effect. Next, there’s Eduard Buchner was a German chemist known for his work with enzymes that revolutionized biochemistry

Edwin. Meaning: rich friend. Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon.  In addition, Edwin Hubble was an American astronomer. And finally, Edwin Krebs was an American biochemist known for his work with enzymes and proteins.

Elon. Elon Musk is a modern inventor famous for developing PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla electric cars

Enrico. I had no idea this Italian name came from the name Henry, meaning home ruler. Physicist Enrico Fermi was the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor.

Erasmus. Meaning: beloved. Erasmus was Charles Darwin’s grandfather. He founded the Lunar Society, a group of philosophers and industrialists, and wrote poems about evolution and history

Ernst. This German,  Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest means “serious.” Richard Ernst is a Swiss chemist known for his developments of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). As a result, this led to the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medical diagnostics

Escher. This German name refers to someone from places called Esch, Esche, or Eschen. Maurits Escher was a Dutch mathematician known for his drawing and printing works

Euclid. Meaning: good glory. Euclid was a Geek mathematician known for his work on Euclidean geometry

Evariste. This French name means “well pleasing.” Evariste Galios was a French mathematician known for his work on the theory of equations 

Science Boys Names (F)

Felix. Meaning: lucky. Felix Klein was a German mathematician known for his work on group theory and non-Euclidean geometry 

Ferdinand. Meaning: brave journey. Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-Hungarian automotive engineer famous for three things. First, he founded the Porsche automobile company. Secondly, he created the first gas-electric hybrid. And finally, he developed the Volkswagen Beetle

Fleming. This name refers to a person from Flanders in the Netherlands. Alexander Fleming was a botanist and biologist, famous for his discovery of benzylpenicillin

Francis. This name originally referred to someone from France. Francis Aston was a British scientist famous for developing the mass spectrograph and discovering 212 naturally occurring isotopes. In addition, Sir Francis Bacon was an English philosopher credited with developing the scientific method. And Francis Crick was a British biologist known for discovering the double helix structure of DNA

Frederick. Frederick means “peaceful ruler.” Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English natural historian, well-known for his nature documentaries. And then there’s Frederick Sanger is a two-time Nobel Prize winning chemist who is famous for determining the base sequences in DNA. 

Fritz. Fritz is a German name that comes from the name Friedrich, which means “peaceful ruler.” First, there’s Fritz Haber was a German chemist known for his work on synthesizing ammonia, and discovering calcium, sodium, potassium, and boron. And then there’s Fritz Lippman was a German-American biochemist who co-discovered coenzyme A.

Boys (G)

Galileo. This name means “from Galilee,” which may refer to the rolling waves of the sea. Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer 

Gaspard. This name is the French version of Jasper, which means “treasurer.” Gaspard Monge was a French mathematician known for his work on descriptive geometry 

George. Meaning: farmer. George Boole was an English mathematician known for his work on Boolean algebra. And Georg Cantor was a German mathematician known for his work on set theory 

Gerhard. This German form of Gerard means “brave spear.” Gerhard Herzberg was a German-born Candian physicist known for pioneering molecular spectroscopy

Giovanni. This Italian form of John means “Yaweh is gracious.” Giovanni Cassini was an Italian astronomer 

Giulio. This Italian form of Julius may be related to the Roman god Jupiter. Giulio Natta was an Italian chemist known for his work on polymers.

Glenn. Meaning: valley. John Glenn was an astronaut, well-known for being the first American to orbit Earth.

Gottfried. Meaning: peace of God. Gottfreid Leibniz was a German mathematician known for his work on calculus. 

Gottlieb. Meaning: beloved God. Gottlieb Daimler was a German industrial engineer famous for his work on the internal combustion engine.

Graham. This name comes from a Scottish surname that means “gravelly homestead.” Thomas Graham was a chemist famous for his work on the diffusion of gases, which has become known as Graham’s Law. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell devised the telephone. 

Gregor. Meaning: watchful. Gregor Mendel was a Czech scientist who studied genetics. Grigori Perelman was a Russian mathematician known for his work on Riemannian geometry 

Hawking. Meaning: hawk. Stephen Hawking was an American physicist 

Henri. This French form of Henry comes from the Germanic name Heimrich, which means “home ruler.” Henri Poincare was a French mathematician known for Poincaré Conjecture. Henry Ford was an American industrialist, famous for founding the Ford Motor Company and developing the assembly line.

Herschel. This Yiddish name means “deer.” William Herschel was a British astronomer 

Hubble. This Norman name means “brave spirit.” Edwin Hubble was an American astronomer 

Boys Names (I-J)

Irving. This name originated in Scotland, where it meant “green water.” Irving Langmuir was an American chemist and physicist and winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on surface chemistry

Isaac. This Hebrew name means “he will laugh.” Sir Isaac Newton was an English astronomer 

Jacob. Jacob means “supplanter” in Greek. Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli was known for his work on the Bernoulli Differential Equation and Bernoulli Numbers

James. The name James comes from the Hebrew name Jacob. James Watt was a scientist who invented the steam engine

Jens. Jens is a Danish form of John, which means “Yaweh is gracious.” Jens Skou is a Danish scientist known for his research in enzymes, including the ion pumps that control muscle contractions

Johnathan. This name means “Yaweh is gracious.” Johann Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician known for the development of infinitesimal calculus. Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer. John Napier was a Scottish mathematician known for his work on logarithms.  John Dalton was a chemist famous for identifying and presenting atomic theory

Joseph. This name means “he will add” in Hebrew. Joseph Fourier was a French mathematician known for Fourier transformations. Joseph Lagrange was an Italian mathematician known for his work on number theory. Sir Joseph William Bazalgette was a British civil engineer who designed the London sewer system. Sir Joseph Banks was a famous botanist and voyager along with Captain James Cook. He discovered many new plants in the South Seas.

Boys Names (K-L)

Karl. This name is a variation of Charles, meaning “man.” German automobile engineer Karl Benz founded several factories, including an iron foundry, a factory for sheet metal working, and the cars that are now known as Mercedes-Benz

Kepler. This name comes from the German surname referring to someone who makes cloaks or hoods. Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer 

Klein. Meaning: small, little. German mathematician Felix Klein worked on group theory and non-Euclidean geometry 

Kurt. Austrian mathematician Kurt Godel developed Gödel’s Completeness Theorem.

Leonardo. Meaning: brave lion. Leonardo Da Vinci was an inventor and artist whose models even proved effective 500 years later. Father of the plastics industry Leo Baekeland was a Belgian-American chemist who invented photographic paper and the plastic Bakelite. And Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler developed Euler’s Formula 

Linus. Meaning: flax. Linus Pauling was an American chemist known as one of the founders of quantum chemistry. Plus, there’s Finnish-American software engineer Linus Torvalds invented the Linux operating system

Liu. Meaning: willow tree. Chinese mathematician Liu Hui wrote The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art

Lorenz. This name comes from Laurence, meaning laurel. Edward Lorenz was an American mathematician known for his contributions to  Chaos Theory, Lorenz Attractor and the Butterfly Effect

Louis. Meaning: famous battle. Louis Pasteur was a French chemist known for discoveries related to tartaric acid, chiral molecules, and crystallography

Luca. Luca Pacioli was an Italian mathematician known for his work,  Summa de Arithmetica. 

Boys Names (M-O)

Magnus. This latin name means great. Albertus Magnus was a German mathematician in the 12th century 

Mario. Did you know Mario and Maurots come from Mars, the Roman god of war? Mario Molina is a Nobel Prize winning chemist who co-discovered the hole in the ozone layer. Maurits Escher was a Dutch mathematician known for his drawing and printing works

Michael. Meaning: who is like God? Michael Faraday was a chemist famous for his contributions to electrochemistry and electromagnetism

Mo. Mohamed means “praised” or “commendable” in Arabic. Sudanese-born British electrical engineer Dr Mohamed “Mo” Ibrahim founded Celtel International. It’s now one of Africa’s the largest mobile communication service providers.

Neil. Meaning: champion or cloud. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. The meaning really fits the man!

Newton. Meaning: new town. Sir Isaac Newton was an English astronomer 

Nicholas. Meaning: victory of the people. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer. And there’s Nikola Tesla was a scientist who is famous for his inventions and research on AC electricity, the Tesla coil, and the AC induction motor

Odd. Meaning: point of a sword. Odd Hassel was a Norwegian chemist who is famous for his study of the three-dimensional geometric structure of molecules

Omar. This biblical name means speaker. Persian mathematician Omar Khayyam was a Persian mathematician developed the Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra.

Otto. This German name means wealth, fortune. Otto Hahn was a German chemist, often known as the “father of nuclear chemistry”

Boys Science Names (P-S)

Pascal. Meaning: relating to Easter. Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician known for Pascal’s Wager, Pascal’s Triangle, Pascal’s Law, and Pascal’s Theorem

Paul. The name Paul comes from the Latin word for humble. Paul Dirac was an English theoretical physicist known as a pioneer in quantum mechanics

Pierre. This name comes from Peter, which means stone. Pierre de Fermat was a French mathematician known for Fermat’s Last Theorem

Prafulla. Prafulla Ray was an Indian scientist, known as “the father of Indian pharmaceuticals.”

Rene. Meaning: born again. Rene Descartes was a French mathematician known for his work on analytical geometry.

Roald. This modern form of an Old Norse name means famous ruler. Roald Hoffman is an American chemist who is known for his work and theories on chemical reactions and quantum mechanics

Robert. The name Robert means bright fame. Robert Boyle was famous for being one of the first people to apply the scientific method to chemistry and physics

Rudolf. This name comes from Germanic words meaning fame and wolf. Rudolf Diesel was a German mechanical engineer famous for inventing the Diesel engine

Svante. This Swedish name means blessed people. Svante Arrhenius was a chemist famous for developing the Arrhenius equation, which calculates chemical reaction rates

Boy Names (T-W)

Tadeusz. Did you know this name comes from Thaddeus, which might mean heart in Aramaic? Or it could be related to Theorore, meaning gift of god. Anyways, Polish-born Swiss chemist Tadeusz Reichstein discovered hormones of the adrenal cortex, which led to the isolation of cortisone for treatment of arthritis

Thales. Meaning: to blossom. Thales was a Greek mathematician known for Thales Theorem

Thomas. The name Thomas means twin. Thomas Graham was a chemist famous for his work on the diffusion of gases, which has become known as Graham’s Law

Tycho. I learned that Tycho actually comes from the Old Norse word for thunder,  and is related to the name of the Norse god Thor. Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer

Wallace. Meaning: Welsh or foreigner. Wallace Hume Carothers was an American chemist who invented the nylon and neoprene rubber

Walther. This variation of Walter means ruler of the army. Walther Nernst was a German chemist famous for his contributions to thermochemistry and developing the Nernst Equation

William. Meaning: will helmet. William Hamilton was an Irish mathematician known for Hamiltonian mechanics. And William Zeise was a Danish chemist who is famous for synthesizing the first organometallic compound.  Plus, there’s British astronomer William Herschel!

Cool Science Names

Some cool science names are Aber, Amedeo, Dian, Ernst, Hypatia, Radia, Sagan, Thales, Tycho and Walther. These unique science baby names are interesting. And most people will probably pronounce them correctly!

Names that mean science

Some names that mean science include Chanwit, Fannur, Khoa, Renat, Vidaya, Srividya, and Suwit. Names that mean knowledge or learning include Daris, Episeteme, Ilma, Ismene, Natthika, Prin, and Talib.

Science baby names don’t only have to come from famous scientists! These names are a great way to give your child’s name a nerdy science twist!

More names that mean science

Chanwit. This Thai name comes from the words meaning expert and science.

Daris. I love this interesting Bosnian name- it’s simple to pronounce, and means studying, learning. In Bosnia, it is typically a male name, but it could work as a girl’s name too!

Episteme. This name means knowledge in Greek.

Fannur. In Persian, Fannur means science, knowledge, learning.

Ilma. Another Bosnian name meaning knowledge.

Ismene. Ismene comes from Greek mythology and means knowledge.

Khoa comes from a Vietnamese word meaning science

Natthika is a Thai name meaning wise, intelligent, knowledgeable.

Prin. This unisex name may come from the Thai words for knowledge, understanding.

Renat. This name is a form of Renatus, and in Russian, it refers to scientists.

Talib. Talib means seeker of knowledge, student, in Aerabic.

Vidya. In Sanskrit, this name means knowledge, science, or learning. Related names include Srividya.

Suwit. Suwit comes from the Thai words meaning good, well, and science.

Conclusions: Baby Names for Science Nerds

Whether you are looking for a science baby name inspired by famous people from history, or names that mean science, I hope you’ve found some to add to your list of potential baby names! 

If you’re choosing science baby names, please share it in the comments! I’d love to add new ideas to my list, or hear about how you chose the name you love!

If you are looking for more names, check out these related posts:

• 49 Uniquely Geeky Engineering Baby Names here
• And if that’s not enough, I’ve rounded up 135 Chemistry Related Names here
• Or for a broader look, 127 Nerdy Names from Sci-Fi, Fantasy, TV, literature, and more here!

Sources: I use Behind the Name for name meanings and origins.