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75 Surfer Names for Your Water Baby

Looking to make big waves with a surfer name for your little dude or dudette to be? Here is a list of 75 surfer names for boys, girls, and gender-neutral options.
75 Surfer Names
Updated: January 5, 2023

For those Moms and Dads to be who love all things water, you might be considering a surfer name for your little dude or dudette to be! Many surfer baby names are influenced by Hawaiian, Australian, Native American, and Asian cultures.

More: 50 Baby Names With Serious Island Vibes

But some great surfers themselves inspire some of these monikers. A courageous choice for a daughter would be Bethany for Hawaiian surfer, Bethany Hamilton, who survived and thrived after a shark attack. Kelly is a great unisex choice because of world champion Kelly Slater, considered by many to be the greatest surfer of all time.

You don't need to be from California or an Aussie surfer to appreciate such unique names as Waverly, which inspires images of water, or Bodhi, Sanskrit for awakened and enlightened.

If you are looking to make big waves with a beachy name, we have a list of 75 baby boy names, baby girl names, and a dozen-plus unisex names perfect for your little mermaid and mermen-to-be!

Baby Boy Surfer Names

  1. Arnav - Hindu, ocean
  2. Beckham - English, homestead by the stream
  3. Bodhi - Sanskrit, enlightened or awakened, the main character from surfer/bank robber movie Point Break
  4. Bondi - Australian, famous beach resort in Sydney
  5. Calder - Scottish, rough waters, stream
  6. Colwyn - Welsh, river in Wales
  7. Conway - Welsh/Scottish, the water, a river
  8. Coral - Latin, pink color, underwater skeletal deposits that form reefs under the sea
  9. Cruz - Spanish for the Cross of Christ, sounds like cruise, which has sailing connotations.
  10. David - Hebrew, Fans of Baywatch will think of David Hasselhoff
  11. Dover - Welsh, a British seaport on the English Channel, means water.
  12. Duke - Old English, commanding leader. The father of modern surfing is Duke Kahanamoku.
  13. Finn - Irish, pale or white, sounds like the part of a fish.
  14. Ford - English, a river crossing
  15. Gerry - German, short for Gerlad, which means rules with a spear. Gerry Lopez is a famous surfer from Oregon.
  16. Hudson - River in New York
  17. Hurley - Gaelic, sea tide
  18. Lachlan - Scottish, lake
  19. Laird - Scottish, means lord, perfect for a lord of the sea like the famous surfer Laird Hamilton.
  20. Locke - Scottish, pond
  21. Mario - Italian, Star of the Sea
  22. Merrick - Scottish, fork in a river
  23. Neptune - Roman mythology, god of the sea
  24. Reef - English, a reef is a ridge of jagged rock, coral, and sand beneath the sea.
  25. Rusty - American, red-haired. Brand of surfboards.
  26. Sebastian - Greek, name of the musical crab from Disney's The Little Mermaid
  27. Seton - Old English, a settlement by the sea
  28. Tahoe - Native American, big water, a lake in Nevada
  29. Taj - Persian/Sanskrit - crown. Taj Burrow is a famous Australian surfer.
  30. Zuma - Arabic, peace, name of a popular beach in Malibu

Baby Girl Surfer Names

  1. Anahita - Persian, water, or river goddess
  2. Aquata - Latin, water
  3. Avon - Celtic, River
  4. Azul - Spanish for blue
  5. Bethany - Hebrew, a town near Jerusalem. Bethany Hamilton is a famous surfer who survived a shark attack in 2003
  6. Cascade - Latin, flowing water, gushing water
  7. Darya - Iranian/Persian, sea
  8. Delta - A brand that specializes in surfing gear
  9. Destin - Latin, by the still waters
  10. Evian - French, the Lord is gracious, name a boutique brand of water.
  11. Guadalupe - Spanish, a river of black stones
  12. Hali - Greek, sea
  13. Isla - Scottish, island, name of a Scottish river
  14. Kendra - Female version of Ken, clear water
  15. Koa - Hawaiian, the name of a tree in Hawaii also the name of a famous surfer Koa Smith
  16. Layne - English roots, a surfer from Australia, Layne Beachley, is considered one of the most female surfers in history.
  17. Loire - French, a French river
  18. Marella - Japanese version of Muriel, of the bright sea
  19. Marina - Latin, from the sea
  20. Maya - Greek/Hebrew/Spanish - water
  21. Moanna - Hawaiin for the ocean, name of the female heroine in the Disney film Moana
  22. Morwenna - Welsh, waves of the sea
  23. Nixie - German, a water spirit
  24. Noelani - Hawaiian, mist of heaven
  25. Oceana - Greek, ocean, feminine version of Oceanus, the Greek God of the Ocean
  26. Sandy - Scottish, short for Sandra, but brings forth images of sandy beaches
  27. Summer - English, the summer season, warm sunny
  28. Talise - Native American, lovely water
  29. Tarni - Maori, salty water, wave, surf
  30. Waverly - English, meadow, quivering aspens. Despite it being a name that means meadow, the sound of the name brings about pictures of rolling waves.

Gender-Neutral Surfer Names

  1. Bayou - Choctaw, small, slow stream
  2. Cove - English, bay, or inlet
  3. Kai - Basque, pier of a harbor. It also has a Welsh connotation as keeper of the keys. More often, traditionally a boy's name but has been used for girls as well.
  4. Kelly - Gaelic, Kelly may be more common now as a girl name, but it is still frequently used for boys. Kelly is the middle name of Robert Kelly Slater, winner of 11 world surfing championships.
  5. Kendall - English, valley of the River of Kent
  6. Marley- A popular surfing spot in Australia, means meadow of the lake
  7. Morgan - Welsh/English name - circling sea, bright sea dweller
  8. Oakley - English/American - brand of famous beach shades
  9. Ocean - American, water, seas
  10. Ripley - English, strip or clearing, brings for images of rippling waves.
  11. River - English, a stream of water that flows into the sea
  12. Sailor - German, boatman, used for boys and girls
  13. Shane - Irish, famous American surfer Shane Beschen
  14. Sunny - English, happy, sunshine, cheerful. Sunny Garcia is a famous surfer from Hawaii. Perfect for boys and girls.
  15. Sydney - Australian city famous for surfing

For more baby name inspiration check out these popular baby name lists:

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L. Elizabeth Forry

About L. Elizabeth Forry

L. Elizabeth Forry is an Early Childhood Educator with 15 years of classroom… Read more

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