22 Galician Names And Their Meanings – Being Parents

According to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (INE), at present some of the most common names parents choose for their newborns are Galician names. Like Noa, which means “tranquility”, or Gael, which means “man endowed with generosity”.

Indeed, there are many pretty names of Galician origin, for both girls and boys. They can be a great option for a future child. Even more so if you live in Galicia or if you are in one way or another linked to this culture.

22 Galician names and their meanings

In the following lines, we present 22 Galician first names, divided into two groups: 11 for girls and 11 for boys. Discover their meaning too!

Galician names for girls

• Antía : this is one of the most frequent first names of Galician origin; its meaning is “flowery”.
• Carmela : is the Galician form of Carmen and refers to the “ garden ” or the “garden of God”. Other Galician variations of this name are Carmina or Carme.
• Catuxa : it is the Galician variant of Catalina, which literally means “pure”.
• Celtia or Zeltia : it is a typical Galician first name which means “of the Celts”.
• Lúa : it is the Galician form of Luna, which refers to “the one that shines and sparkles”.
• Maruxa : it is the hypocoristic in Galician of María. In other words, an affectionate and familiar way of designating this first name.
• Mencia : this is a first name of Galician origin which means “the indulgent” or “the benevolent”.
• Olalla : this first name is commonly used in Galicia and means “well spoken”. Another Galician variant of this name, Baia.

• Sabela : the equivalent first name in Spanish is Isabel and means “place of health”.
• Tareixa : it is the Galician variant of the name Teresa, which means “hunter”.
• Uxía : in Spanish, this first name can be translated as Eugenia and its meaning is “well born” or “of good family”. It is one of the most popular Galician names.

Galician names for boys

• André : this is the variant of Andrés in Galician, which means “courageous”.
• Anxo : the equivalent first name in Spanish is Ángel and means “messenger”.
• Bieito : it is the Galician form of Benedict or Benito, which literally means “blessed”.
• Breixo : This is a first name of Celtic origin which means “very true”.
• Estevo : this first name is Spanish and can also be translated as Stephen and means “crowned” or “victorious”.
• Martiño : it is the Galician variant of the first name Martín, which means “warrior”.

• Paio : here is a name of Galician origin which refers to “the man of the sea”.
• King : this first name is used more and more in Galicia and means “glorious”. This is the variant of Rodrigo.
• Tristán : it is a typical Galician first name which means “noise”.
• Xián : this is the Galician form of Julián and means “with strong roots”.
• Xurxo : it is the Galician variant of Jorge, which means “peasant”.

A bit of Spanish history and first names

Spain is a country with an immense linguistic plurality, which is very enriching on the cultural and social level. However, this has not always been the case.

Unfortunately, under Franco’s regime, Spanish was considered the only valid language. It even had repercussions on the choice of baby names. Indeed, all first names that were not Spanish were strictly prohibited.

Fortunately, today, Spaniards are free to choose the first names they want to give to their children. Whatever the language or the origin of the children. Galician first names are therefore a great way to do it.

Thus, in addition to demanding the standardization and use of Galician in everyday life, we are committed to ensuring that the first names represent the culture, history and tradition of Galicia itself.

Another important reason for giving Galician names to newborn babies is that the tongue is very powerful and pleasing to the ear. The same goes for first names which are very singing and full of meaning.

Have you already chosen a name for your baby? Do any of these Galician first names appeal to you?