Wistful Names (153 Ideas for Boys and Girls)

Wistful names just have a certain sound. That’s why we’ve found so many.  They can be classic noun names that aren’t so common nowadays. Or they may fall into the dominion of names fitting a Victorian-era vampire.

Whether you are going for a nostalgic, mournful, or melancholy feeling, you’ll find it here!

Wistful Female Names 

These wistful-sounding female names cover nature, gothic, and historical themes. 

1. Acacia – acacia trees are found across Africa, Asia and Australia 
2. Agnes – means chaste
3. Amalie – Germanic for brave 
4. Amity – means friendship
5. Anastasia – from the Greek term for resurrection 
6. Aria – meaning song, melody in Italian
7. Aster – from the Greek word for star
8. Altalune – Italian for noble moon
9. Aurora – means dawn, or can refer to the northern lights
10. Briar – plant name
11. Brooke – nature name meaning stream
12. Cecilia – a historic Roman family name
13. Cerise – French for cherry
14. Cheyenne – name of a Native American people of the Great Plains
15. Clementine – name meaning merciful, also the name of a fruit
16. Colette – short version of Nicolette, meaning victory of the people
17. Cressida – name invented for literature including a Shakespearean play
18. Dahlia – from the flower
19. Esme – Old French for esteemed or loved
20. Felicity – means happiness or good luck
21. Fern – nature name
22. Fleur – French for flower
23. Guinevere – Welsh for white phantom (you might also enjoy: 476 of our favorite fairy names) 
24. Hazel – color or tree name
25. Hester – Persian for star (related: space themed names) 
26. Ianthe – Greek mythological name meaning violet flower
27. Imogen – name invented by Shakespeare, possibly meaning maiden
28. Indigo – color name
29. Isolde – name of a princess from Arthurian legend 
30. Ivy – a vinelike plant
31. Jade – an earthy gemstone name
32. Lacey – from a town in Normandy 
33. Laurel – flower name
34. Lavender – flower or color name 
35. Lenore – short form of Eleanor 
36. Lilac – flower or color name
37. Lorraine – the name of a region of eastern France 
38. Luna – means moon
39. Lyra – means lyre, also the name of a constellation 
40. Magnolia – a type of tree 
41. Maple – a tree name
42. Misty – a weather name
43. Myra – possibly a form of Mary or myrrh
44. Nora – short form of Eleanor
45. Ocean – for the large body of water 
46. Odessa – feminine form of Odysseus
47. Olive – a variation on the trendy Olivia
48. Opal – a beautiful gemstone name
49. Paisley – a type of fabric pattern
50. Pearl – another elegant gem name (related: 90 names that mean pearl) 
51. Persephone – for the Greek goddess of winter
52. Piper – referring to someone who plays the pipes 
53. Poppy – a retro flower name
54. Prairie – unique nature name with a wistful vibe
55. Reverie – meaning memory
56. Rosalin – can mean beautiful rose
57. Saffron – a rare and exotic spice 
58. Sage – an earthy plant name, also meaning wise
59. Savannah – referred to a large grassy plain
60. Scarlett – another gorgeous color name
61. Sierra – Spanish for mountain range
62. Sojourner – means a temporary resident
63. Soleil – French for sun
64. Summer – for the season
65. Talia Hebrew for dew from God or Australian Aboriginal for near water
66. Terra – Latin for earth
67. Thisbe – from the name of an ancient Greek town
68. Verona – from the Italian city
69. Vesper – Greek for evening and another name for the Evening Star
70. Violet – color or flower name
71. Whisper – softly spoken
72. Willow – for the elegant trees
73. Wisteria – for the plant, even shares its beginning with wistful
74. Wren – a small songbird

Wistful Male Names

Our favorite wistful male names tend to be unique. They may have been common in the last century or even the last millennium. But the ancient, ethereal-sounding feel of these names gives them a certain vibe!

1. Ambrose – from Greek, meaning nectar of the gods
2. Ansel – means God’s protection 
3. Arlo – from the 1590 poem The Faerie Queene
4. Aston – Old English for east town
5. Beau – French for beautiful, handsome
6. Bellamy – Old French for beautiful friend 
7. Byron – as in the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron
8. Calhoun – Scottish for narrow forest
9. Cedar – for the reddish tree and its wood
10. Clement – means gentle or merciful 
11. Colby – Old Norse for coal
12. Colin – Scottish for young dog
13. Cornell – English form of Cornelius
14. Cullen – possibly a variation of Colin
15. Doran – Irish for wanderer
16. Elio – Italian name meaning sun
17. Elliot – variation of Ellis and Elias
18. Emerson – means son of Emery
19. Evander – Greek for good of man
20. Everard – from an old German name meaning brave boar
21. Ezra – Hebrew for help 
22. Fenris – Old Norse for marsh wolf
23. Ferris – Old Irish for man of vigor
24. Florian – from Latin word for flower
25. Grey – a wistful color name
26. Henry – Germanic name meaning home ruler
27. Jadon – Hebrew for thankful
28. Jasper – gemstone name
29. Jules – references Roman god Jupiter 
30. Kestrel – from the bird of prey 
31. Landon – Old English for long hill
32. Laurence – Greek for crown of laurels
33. Leander – Greek for lion man
34. Leif – the Norse word for leaf
35. Linden – nature name from the linden tree
36. Maurice – French version of Maurus
37. Micah – precious stone name, or Hebrew for who is like God?
38. Nestor – Ancient Greek for homecomer
39. Nolan – from an Irish name meaning famous
40. Ravi – Sanskrit for sun
41. Reed – unique name from the aquatic plant
42. Remy – French name coming from the Latin word for rower
43. Rhys – classic, rarely used name 
44. Ripley – Old English for clearing in a grove
45. Roald – Norwegian for famous ruler
46. Romeo  – Latin or Greek for from Rome
47. Romer – someone who roams, or Frisian for famous
48. Ronin – as in a wandering samurai 
49. Shiloh – Hebrew for tranquil
50. Silas – possibly a short for Silvanus, meaning forest
51. Tripp – a name for a traveler, also suitable for a surname
52. Tristan – possibly means sad, wistful, forlorn
53. Vernon – means alder tree
54. Wendell – from the name of a Germanic tribe
55. Wesley – Old English for west meadow
56. Wistow – an invented name
57. Yves – French form of John, pronounced like “eaves”

Unisex Wistful Names

Many of these wistful names used to be masculine, but now are used for girls too. Most are nature or weather-themed.

1. Ainsley – means solitary woodland, also a last name 
2. Aspen – from the tree
3. Hawthorn – referring to the bush of the same name
4. Kerry – from Kerry County, Ireland 
5. Marlowe – from the town in England, means lake remnants 
6. Morgan – German for morning
7. River – based on the body of water
8. Robin – a bird of spring 
9. Runnel – a geographic name
10. Solace – comfort or consolation
11. Winter – seasonal name
12. Wynn – Old English for friend
13. Zephyr – Greek name for the wind

Wistful Last Names

Are you looking for a nostalgic name for a wanderer or nomad? These will fit the bill.

1. Drifter – perfect for a wanderer 
2. Faraday – Irish for man of the forest
3. Faer – traveler, messenger, bringer of good news
4. Rover – traveler, wanderer
5. Somerild – summer traveler
6. Stian – wanderer
7. Walker – need we say more? 
8. Wanderer – self explanatory 
9. Way – meaning road or path
10. Wilder – English last name meaning wild or untamed

Wrap Up – Wistful Names 

We hope you’re not forlorn, or melancholy, merely nostalgic after contemplating our list of wistful names. What’s your favorite wistful-sounding name? What should we add to this post? Let us know in the comments! 

Resource: The website Behind the Name is a fantastic resource for finding more names based on uniqueness, similarity to other names, and meaning.