Girl · #15,292 in 2026

Moonlight

Moonlight is light from the surface of the Moon, consisting mostly of reflected sunlight, and some earthlight.

Current Rank
#15,292
Peak Rank
#15,292 (2022)
Total Babies
5
5-Yr Trend
Stable
2022
First Year
2022
Last Year
2022
Peak Year
#15292
Peak Rank
5
Total Count
1
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Moonlight

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Moonlight is light from the surface of the Moon, consisting mostly of reflected sunlight, and some earthlight.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history
The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras noted that "the sun provides the moon with its brightness". Ancient Chinese polymath Zhang Heng concluded that the light of the Moon comes from the Sun. He writes in his treatise, The Spiritual Constitution of the Universe , that the Sun and Moon are "like fire and water", where the Sun "gives out light", and the Moon "reflects it". Nyctalopia was called "moonblink" and thought to be caused by sleeping in moonlight in the tropics as late as the 19th century, but is actually caused by a deficiency in Vitamin A . Moonlight was historically thought to caus

The Story of Moonlight

Moonlight first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2022, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 5 Moonlights were born — ranking #15,292 that year. As of 2026, Moonlight ranks #15,292 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 5 Moonlights have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2020s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Where is Moonlight most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • China
    31%
  • Vietnam
    23%
  • New Zealand
    23%
  • Thailand
    13%
  • AZ
    9%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Moonlight

Phonetically similar names — useful when Moonlight is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Moonlit
  • Moonlet
  • Moonlights
  • Moonlighter
  • Mullett
  • Moonshot
  • Moonlike
  • Moonlets
  • Moonet
  • Manly
  • Mallet
  • Mainly

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Moonlight

What does the name Moonlight mean?
Moonlight is light from the surface of the Moon, consisting mostly of reflected sunlight, and some earthlight.
How popular is Moonlight in 2026?
In 2026, Moonlight ranks #15,292 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Moonlight most popular?
Moonlight reached its peak popularity in 2022, ranking #15,292 that year with 5 babies given the name.
Is Moonlight a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Moonlight is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Moonlight?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Moonlight include Aadhvi, Aailani, Aarzu. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Aadhvi
Peak #15292
👧
Aailani
Peak #15292
👧
Aarzu
Peak #15292
👧
Aashvireddy
Peak #15292
👧
Abigailjoy
Peak #15292
👧
Achara
Peak #15292
👧
Ahmila
Peak #15292
👧
Aivi
Peak #15292

About the name Moonlight

Moonlight is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2022 and has accumulated 5 births in the dataset. Moonlight's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #15,292. Use the chart and map above to compare Moonlight's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.