53 Cancer Baby Names for Your Little Moon Child

If your due date is between June 22nd and July 22nd, your baby is likely to be born under the sign of the crab. 🦀

And perhaps you’d like to honor this by choosing one of these gripping Cancer baby names.

There are so many ways to draw inspiration from this zodiac sign.

Whether you want to opt for the typical qualities of a Cancerian, give the nod to the fact that Cancer is a water sign, or acknowledge its lunar influence, it’s not hard to find your baby’s name written in the stars. ✨

In this article: 📝

What are some names for a Cancer?

Cancerians are said to be compassionate, loyal, and protective.

So you may want to choose a name that aligns with these traits.

The ruling planet for Cancerians is the moon — and that’s why you may hear them referred to as “moon children.”

That means names inspired by the moon are also an excellent choice.

Some other fast facts about the Cancer star sign?

The fourth sign of the zodiac is represented by the crab.

But this is not just any crab — it’s a giant crab from Greek mythology that attacked Hercules while the hero was busy battling a sea monster called the Hydra.

While the crab didn’t survive that battle, it did take its place on the celestial walk of fame in the form of the constellation Cancer.

It was placed there by the goddess Hera.

So yep, Cancers come with some serious street cred.

Not surprisingly for a crab, Cancer is a water sign along with Pisces and Scorpio — so some of the names on our list go with this flow.

Finally, you may want to draw inspiration from famous Cancerians — and there are certainly some great options to choose from.

Let’s explore.

What is a good name for a Cancer girl?

Taking inspo from the star sign's signature traits and connections to the moon, here are our favorite cancer girl names:

1. Alienor: This beautiful name means “compassion” from its Greek roots and “God is my light”.
2. Amaris: From its Spanish origins, Amaris means “child of the moon”. And from its Hebrew roots, it’s “promised by God”.
3. Anahita: This lovely name has Persian roots and refers to a water goddess.
4. Ayla: From its Turkish roots, Ayla refers to the halo of light around the moon. It also has Hebrew roots and means “oak tree”.
5. Aruna: From its Japanese roots, Aruna means “second moon”. And from its Sanskrit roots, it means “rising sun”.
6. Callisto: This gorgeous name makes the list because it belongs to Jupiter's second-largest moon. From its ancient Greek roots, it also means “most beautiful”.
7. Caris: From its Welsh roots, this name means “love”, “grace”, or “kindness”.
8. Chandra: This gorgeous name comes from a Sanskrit word for the moon and also means “bright and glittering”.
9. Cordelia: This gorgeous Shakespearean name means both “heart” and “daughter of the sea”. 🧜🏻‍♀️
10. Doris: From its Greek roots, Doris means “gift of the sea”.
11. Esmeray: Here’s an interesting twist on a lunar name — it means “dark moon”.
12. Hala: This lovely name has Arabic roots and means “the aura of light around the moon”.
13. Karka: This is the Sanskrit term for the crab and the Cancer sign. ♋️
14. Luna: This adorable name has Latin roots and means “moon”. In fact, in ancient Roman mythology, Luna was the personification of the moon.
15. Maren: With its Latin roots, Maren means “star of the sea”.
16. Marina: This name has Latin roots, too, and means “from the sea”.
17. Nixie: This cute name has Old German roots and means “water sprite”. 💧
18. Omya: From Nepali roots, this sweet name means “help” and “kindness”.
19. Raimi: This lovely name has Arabic roots and means “compassionate”.
20. Talia: From its Hebrew roots, Talia means “by the water” or “dew from heaven.” (For more celestial names, head here.)
21. Tallulah: This charming Choctaw name means “leaping water”. 💦

What should I name my Cancer boy?

Pulling from a wealth of fascinating cultures around the world, we've gathered the most provocative Cancer boy names:

22. Abyl: This Kazakh name means “father of the moon”.
23. Armo: From Finnish roots, this sweet name means “mercy” and “grace”.
24. Beck: Originally a surname of both Germanic and Hebrew roots, Beck refers to a brook or stream.
25. Brooks: This gender-neutral name refers to the water of a small stream.
26. Calder: From Scottish origins, Calder means “rough waters” or “stream”.
27. Clemens: With its Latin roots, Clemens means “merciful”.
28. Douglas: From its Gaelic origins, Douglas means “dark stream.” And, of course, it can be shortened to the sweet Doug.
29. Irving: With Scottish roots, Irving means “green water” or “river”.
30. Jericho: This name has Arabic roots and means “city of the moon”.
31. Jordan: From its Hebrew roots, this name means “to flow down”. It’s used as both a gender-neutral name and surname.
32. Kai: From Hawaiian roots, this sweet name refers to the sea. And from its Japanese roots, it has a few different possible meanings, including “shell,” “open,” and “recovery”.
33. Máni: In Norse mythology, Máni is the personification of the moon.
34. Maxwell: This cute name has Scottish roots and means “great stream”.
35. Moon: Yep, keep it simple with this cute option.
36. Mwezi: This Swahili name means “month” or “moon”.
37. Neil: As in Armstrong. As in the first person to walk on the moon. As in a great name for a moon child? This name of Gaelic origin quite fittingly means “champion”. 🏆
38. Neptune: We think this vintage baby name should make a comeback! It belongs to the ancient Roman god of the sea. 🔱
39. Ocean: 🌊
40. Tuncay: This poetic Turkish name means “bronze moon”.

Who are some famous Cancerians?

Take your Cancer baby name inspo from these trailblazers and popular icons:

41. Ariana Grande: As in the singing, songwriting megastar. Her name means "most holy".
42. Chris Pratt: Any Parks and Recreation fans out there? This Greek boy's name means "bearing Christ".
43. Kristen Bell: Meaning "follower of Christ". She’s the voice of Anna in Frozen. It was Veronica Mars that launched this actor’s diverse career.
44. Lindsay Lohan: Fans of Mean Girls might just find Ms Lohan the perfect naming inspiration. As a British baby name, Lindsay means "island of the linden trees".
45. Meryl Streep: Yep, that’s the three-time Oscar winner and oft-described best actor of her generation. Celtic in origin, this memorable take on Muriel means "shining sea".
46. Milo Ventimiglia: If you cried your heart out during This is Us, you might have a strong connection to this actor’s sweet name. It means "soldier" or "merciful".
47. Olivia Munn: This actor has appeared on screens in everything from The Newsroom to X-Men Apocalypse. Her name means "Olive tree" or "peace".
48. Selena Gomes: Keen to name your little one after this powerhouse singer, songwriter, and actor? Fun fact: the name Selena means “moon”, making this a truly fitting name for a Cancerian baby.
49. Solange Knowles: She’s the singer, songwriter, and sister of Beyoncé. Of French origin, her name means "solemn" or "dignified".
50. Sophia Vergara: Modern Family lovers, you may have found your match in this popular name. It means "wisdom".
51. Tia and Tamera Mowry: A great option for twin names from these famous Sister, Sister actors. They mean "goddess" and "palm tree" respectively.
52. Tom Hanks: This multi-award winning star needs no introduction. His name means "twin".
53. Will Ferrell: This hilarious actor has kept us giggling for decades. His name means "resolute protector".
    If your baby’s born earlier, here is our list of Gemini names.

And later?

Head here for our Leo names.

All the best with your choice of Cancer baby names!