Long live Spain! Spain isn’t just a beloved holiday destination—it’s also a wonderful source of inspiration for baby names. Last year, Spanish first names were among the top favorites in our LILLYDOO app. Alongside names from England and France, they rank among the three most popular international choices. Especially interesting: Until 1994, it was forbidden in Spain to give a child a foreign name. That’s why, among other things, there are many Spanish variants of German names—Helena simply became Elena. If you’re looking for a Spanish name for your little explorer, here are the favorites from our LILLYDOO app for girls, boys, and unisex.
Top 10 Spanish girls' names
How wonderful—you’re having a girl! Here are the 10 most popular girls’ names from Spain.
1. Clara
The name Clara has its roots in Latin and was adopted into Spanish from it. It means "the Bright" or "the Luminous".
2. Elena
Elena is the Spanish form of Helena and dates back to the Greek legend of the beautiful Helena, for whom Prince Paris went to war against Troy.
3. Luisa
Luisa is the Spanish form of the German name Luise , which in turn goes back to the male name Ludwig . Many emperors and kings bore this name.
4. Eliana
Eliana is the feminine form of Elias . Elias was a mighty prophet in the biblical stories.
5. Valentina
Valentina is the feminine form of Valentine . This name traces back to the Roman legend of Saint Valentine, who helped lovers marry secretly.
6. Isabella
Isabella is the Spanish translation of the name Elisabeth and means either "God is abundance" or "the eternally beautiful".
7. Eva
The biblical name Eva is also very popular in Spain. Eva was the first woman in Paradise in the biblical stories.
8. Antonia
Antonia is the feminine form of Antonius , which was originally a Roman family name.
9. Sara
In the biblical stories, Sara was the wife of Abraham and the matriarch of Israel.
10. Marta
In the biblical stories, Marta was the sister of Lazarus, who was resurrected by Jesus.
Top 10 Spanish boys' names
Your baby is a boy? Wonderful—Spain has so many beautiful boys’ names! Here are the 10 favorites from our name finder.
1. Mateo
Mateo is the Spanish form of Matthew , who was one of Jesus' disciples in the biblical stories.
2. Luis
Luis is the Spanish variant of Ludwig , a name that many kings and emperors bore.
3. Lucas
The name Lucas goes back to the evangelist Luke, who wrote down some of the stories about Jesus.
4. Hugo
Hugo is the Spanish variation of the name Hubert , which in turn traces back to Saint Hubert.
5. Emilio
Emilio was originally a Roman family name, which over time was also used as a first name in Spain, among other places.
6. Bruno
Bruno also derives from a family name, but from an old German one. "Brun" was the nickname of the god Odin. In Spanish, an "O" was then added to the name.
7. Rafael
Rafael is the name of one of the archangels from the biblical stories. It means "healing, mighty God".
8. Daniel
Daniel is also a biblical name. Daniel was a mighty prophet, and his name means "God is my judge".
9. Fabio
Roman family names are popular in Spain— Fabio is originally one of them. It probably derives from "faba," which means "the bean."
10. Joaquin
Biblical first names are also popular in Spain: Joaquin was Jesus' grandfather in the biblical stories.
The most popular Spanish unisex name
You don’t want to assign a gender to your baby right away, or you’re simply a fan of gender-neutral names? Here comes the favorite of our LILLYDOO parents:
1. Jaime
Jaime also goes—surprise—back to the biblical stories. It is the Spanish variant of Jakob , who was one of the sons of Isaac.
These were the Spanish favorites of our LILLYDOO parents. Do you like one of them? Your little explorer will surely wear their Spanish first name with joy!
