Aurora is a mystical and romantic name that means "dawn" in Latin. An aurora also refers to a natural light display in the Earth's sky called the aurora polaris, or polar lights, visible only in high-latitude regions like the North and South Poles. The aurora borealis (the northern lights) and the aurora australis (the southern lights) paint the sky in an dazzling array of colors.
Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn. Helios, the sun god, and Selene, the moon goddess, were her brother and sister. Aurora rode across the sky each morning before her brother, Helios rode across with the sun. As she rode, she sprinkled dew over the land.
Aurora had several children. Some of them were the winds Boreas, Eurus, Notus, and Zephyrus. She also gave birth to the morning star Eosphorus and the evening star Hesperus.
Walt Disney named the protagonist of its 1959 film "Sleeping Beauty" Aurora. In the tale that Disney adapted, however, the princess gave birth to a set of twins, naming the girl twin Aurora (or Dawn, depending on the translation).
- Origin: The name Aurora is of Latin origin and it is used in the Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, and Finnish languages.
- Gender: Aurora is historically a feminine noun, having personified an ancient Roman goddess. It is a feminine noun in Latin.
- Pronunciation: Ah-ROR-ah
Although many baby names are separated by gender, Verywell Family believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.
How Popular Is the Name Aurora?
Aurora has been steadily increasing in popularity over the years since it broke into the top 500 in 2000, which it hadn't done since the 1940s. Aurora broke into the top 100 in 2015 and into the top 50 in 2018. According to the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, it peaked in 2020 at position 36.
Aurora will likely see a rise in popularity in coming years. Celestial names and cottagecore names, whose aesthetic is based on nostalgia and love for the natural world, have grown in popularity during these more turbulent times.
Name Variations
Being of Latin origin, Aurora is used in several romance languages as well as in other European countries. The name Aurora is used in English, Finnish, German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
In some languages, the spelling and pronunciation varies including:
- Aurore (French)
- Avrora (Russian, Ukranian)
Similar Names
These names have a similar sound to Aurora, but different meanings. Some also have different origins.
- Aroa
- Aura
- Aurea
- Aurelia
- Aureliana
- Aurica
- Aurelija
- Aurélie
Common Nicknames
Common nicknames for Aurora include:
- Arie: A fun, modern option
- Aura: A feminine-sounding nickname, related to the name's meaning
- Dawn: Based on the name's meaning
- Orie: An original take on shortening the name Aurora
- Ro: A short, sporty sounding nickname
- Rory: A popular nickname for Aurora with a gender-neutral vibe
Suggested Sibling Names
Famous People Named Aurora
Well-known Auroras include royalty, Olympic athletes, and trailblazing women. Here are a few famous people named Aurora:
- Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944, wife of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon, the first Chairperson of thePhilippine National Red Cross
- Aurora"Rory"Block, country blues guitarist and singer
- Aurora Karamzin, Finnish-Swedish aristocrat and philanthropist
- Aurora Liljenroth, Swedish scholar and one of the first women to graduate from the gymnasium, a type of school with a strong emphasis on academic learning
- Aurora Pavlovna Demidova, Russian noblewoman and member of the house of Demidov, a prominentRussian noble familyduring the 18th and 19th centuries
- Aurora Bretón, Olympic archer representing Mexico
- Aurora Cáceres, Peruvian writer associated with the Latin American literary movement known asmodernismo
- Aurora Clavel, Mexican film and television actress
- Aurora Reyes-Flores, the first female muralist in Mexico
More Baby Names
Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:
3 Sources
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Library of Congress. What are the northern lights?.
University of Pittsburgh. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.
Social Security Administration.Get ready for baby: Popularity of a name.
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By Elisa Cinelli
Elisa is a well-known parenting writer who is passionate about providing research-based content to help parents make the best decisions for their families. She has written for well-known sites including POPSUGAR and Scary Mommy, among others.
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