Taurus baby names
A Taurus baby arrives in the middle of spring, under the bull, with Venus as ruler. These names carry that light: the bull and the stars it holds, love and beauty, blossom and green stone, each one checked for its real origin and meaning.
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A Taurus baby is born between around 20 April and 20 May, under the sign of the bull. The ruling planet is Venus, the planet of love, beauty and the good things you can touch and taste. It is a fixed earth sign, which means it holds on, settles in and does not like to be hurried. A good Taurus name has some of that weight and some of that sweetness. It might carry the bull, or the little cluster of stars the bull carries on its shoulder. It might belong to Venus and her doves. It might be a spring flower, a green stone or a word that means “steady”.
Every name on this page has been checked for its real origin and meaning, and each one comes with a reason it suits this sign and not just any sign. If you are short of time, start with the ten below. If you want to be able to judge any name yourself, the section after that shows you how.
Ten standout Taurus names
- Ferdinand (boy). A Gothic name meaning boldness, and the name of the gentle bull in the 1936 picture book who would rather sit under a tree and smell the flowers. That is Taurus exactly.
- Maia (girl). Greek for “good mother”, the name of the eldest of the Pleiades, the star cluster that sits inside the constellation of Taurus. The month of May carries her name too.
- Soraya (girl). The Persian form of an Arabic word meaning “the Pleiades”. A star name from the bull’s own shoulder.
- Constance (girl). From Latin, meaning steadfast and constant. The fixed sign in one word.
- Cyprian (boy). Latin for “from Cyprus”, the island of the goddess of love and the place that gave its name to copper, the metal of Venus.
- Flora (girl). From the Latin for “flower”, and the name of the Roman goddess of flowers, whose festival ran from the end of April into May.
- Erasmus (boy). Greek for “beloved, desired”. Venus, quietly, in a scholarly old name.
- Violet (girl). The flower astrologers give to Venus and to Taurus, and a colour name with a vintage softness.
- Aviv (boy). Hebrew for “spring”. Short, warm and very easy to say.
- Nandi (any). In Sanskrit, “joy, delight”, and the name of the bull who carries the god Shiva. In Zulu, a girl’s name meaning “sweet”.
What makes a name feel Taurus
Before the long lists, it helps to know what you are looking for. Taurus has a handful of threads, and a name can pick up one or several. Once you know them, you can hold any name you love up to the light and see whether it catches.
| Thread | What it is | What to look for in a name |
|---|---|---|
| The figure | The bull, and the Pleiades on its shoulder | Bull names, Pleiades names, strength that is gentle |
| The ruler | Venus, love and beauty | Names meaning love, beloved, beautiful, dove |
| The element | Earth, the solid and growing world | Earth, soil, gardens, trees, green things |
| The season | Mid spring, late April to late May | April, May, blossom, spring words |
| Colours, stones, flowers | Green and pink, emerald, rose and violet | Gem names, flower names, soft colour names |
| Qualities | Steady, loyal, sweet, comfort loving | Constant, calm, sweet, honey, faithful, song |
The bull, and the stars it carries
The constellation of Taurus is drawn as the front half of a great bull, head lowered, horns forward. At its eye is a bright orange star, Aldebaran. On its shoulder sits a small, misty cluster of stars called the Pleiades, often known as the Seven Sisters. Many cultures have names for that cluster, and several of those names are lovely given names.
A bull can sound fierce. The Taurus bull is not, mostly. It is the bull standing in a warm field, chewing, entirely unbothered, until something tries to move it. Strength that is calm, and strength that will not be pushed, is the feeling to look for.
Venus, the ruler
Every sign has a ruling planet, the planet that is most at home there and colours the sign’s whole character. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty and pleasure. Venus also rules Libra, but she wears different clothes in each. In Libra she is about company and fairness. In Taurus she is about the body and the senses: the warm blanket, the good meal, the smell of cut grass, the hand that holds yours.
Names that mean “beloved”, “lovable” or “beautiful” carry Venus. So do names linked to the dove, her bird, and to Cyprus, her island. In the old Greek telling, the goddess of love came ashore at Cyprus, and the island’s copper became her metal. The word copper itself comes, through Latin, from the name of Cyprus.
Earth, the element
The twelve signs are sorted into four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) trust what they can hold. Of the three, Taurus is the earth in a garden in May: soft, rich and growing. If you want to know more about how the elements shape small children, start with the four elements.
Mid spring
In the northern hemisphere, the Sun passes through Taurus from late April to late May. This is spring at full stretch: blossom on every tree, the first warm evenings, fields gone suddenly green. April and May names, flower names and the words other languages use for spring all belong here.
In the southern hemisphere the same dates fall in mid autumn, so spring names may feel back to front for your family. If so, lean on the bull, Venus, the stones and the qualities, which work wherever you live.
Colours, stones and flowers
The colours most often given to Taurus are green and soft pink, the colours of Venus. The emerald, a deep green stone and the traditional May birthstone, is the gem most linked to the sign. The rose and the violet are the flowers usually given to Taurus and to Venus. Copper is the metal.
The Taurus character
Taurus is a fixed sign. The word fixed, in astrology, describes the signs in the middle of each season, which hold steady rather than start things or change them. A Taurus child is calm, loyal, patient and warm. They love comfort and sameness, they enjoy their food, and they take their time. Taurus also rules the throat and neck in the old map of the body, which is why the sign is linked with the voice and with song. You can read more about the whole child in the Taurus child.
The names
Each group below has a short note and a table. The gender marks show how a name is mostly used today: girl, boy, or any. They are a guide, not a rule.
The bull and the Pleiades
These go straight to the figure of the sign. The Pleiades names are especially good for a girl, since the cluster has long been seen as a group of sisters.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand (boy) | Gothic, through Spanish | “Peace” or “journey”, with “boldness, daring” | The name of the most famous gentle bull in children’s books, who sat under a cork tree smelling flowers. Ferdie and Nando are ready nicknames. |
| Europa (girl) | Greek | “Wide face” | In the old Greek story, Zeus took the shape of a white bull to carry Europa across the sea. The constellation of Taurus is often said to be that bull. |
| Nandi (any) | Sanskrit, and separately Zulu | Sanskrit “joy, delight”; Zulu “sweet” | In Hindu tradition, Nandi is the bull who carries Shiva, and statues of him sit patiently at temple doors. Patient, joyful, sweet: three Taurus words in one name. |
| Maia (girl) | Greek | “Good mother, foster mother” | The eldest of the Pleiades, in the constellation of Taurus. Also close kin to the name of May. |
| Alcyone (girl) | Greek | “Kingfisher” | The brightest star in the Pleiades cluster. Rare and very pretty, with Alcie or Cleo as short forms. |
| Electra (girl) | Greek | “Amber” | Another of the Pleiades sisters. Amber is warm and golden, a good Venus colour. |
| Merope (girl) | Greek | From “share, part” and “face, eye” | The seventh of the Pleiades. An unusual name for a family that loves the stars. |
| Soraya (girl) | Persian, from Arabic | “The Pleiades” | The Persian form of Thurayya. A star name used across many countries. |
| Thurayya (girl) | Arabic | “The Pleiades” | The original Arabic word for the cluster on the bull’s shoulder. |
| Subaru (boy) | Japanese | “The Pleiades” | The Japanese name for the cluster, written with a single character. Used as a boy’s name in Japan. |
Venus: love and beauty
These carry the ruler. Some are bold, like Venus herself. Some are everyday names that have been quietly meaning “beloved” for centuries.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venus (girl) | Latin | “Love, desire” | The ruling planet’s own name. Strong as a middle name. |
| Freya (girl) | Old Norse | “Lady” | The Norse goddess of love and beauty, the northern sister of Venus. |
| Hesper (any) | Greek | “Evening”, from Hesperos | Hesperos was the Greek name for the evening star, which is the planet Venus shining after sunset. |
| Esther (girl) | Hebrew, possibly from Persian | Possibly “star” | It may also come from Ishtar, the goddess of love whose star was Venus. |
| Amy (girl) | English, from Old French Amée | “Beloved” | Short, warm and old: a plain Venus name. |
| Amanda (girl) | Latin | “Lovable, worthy of love” | A full Venus meaning with the easy nickname Mandy. |
| Philomena (girl) | Greek | “To be loved” | A long, vintage name with Mena and Pip as softer forms. |
| Esmé (any) | Old French | “Esteemed, loved” | Gentle, short and loved by Venus. |
| Kerensa (girl) | Cornish | “Love” | An old Cornish word turned into a name. Rare outside Cornwall, which is part of its charm. |
| David (boy) | Hebrew | “Beloved” | One of the most familiar boy’s names in the world, and Venus all along. |
| Erasmus (boy) | Greek | “Beloved, desired” | An old name with the nickname Raz built in. |
| Amadeus (boy) | Latin | “Love of God” | Love in Latin, in a name made famous by a composer. Taurus has always loved music. |
| Cyprian (boy) | Latin | “From Cyprus” | Venus’s island, and the root of the word copper, her metal. |
| Beau (boy, any in Britain) | French | “Beautiful, handsome” | Beauty, the second gift of Venus, in one syllable. |
| Bella (girl) | Short form of Isabella; Italian word | Linked with “beautiful” | Venus beauty, short and easy to call. |
Doves, the bird of Venus
The dove was the bird of the goddess of love in the ancient world. These names all mean “dove”, in four different languages.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columba (any) | Latin | “Dove” | The Latin word, and the name of a famous Irish saint. Strong and gentle together. |
| Calum (boy) | Scottish Gaelic form of Columba | “Dove” | A Scottish classic that is Venus underneath. Callum is the usual English spelling. |
| Paloma (girl) | Spanish | “Dove, pigeon” | Soft, warm and very Venus. |
| Jonah (boy) | Hebrew | “Dove” | A gentle Bible name for a gentle boy. |
Spring, April and May
These carry the season. The April names suit an early Taurus, the May names a later one, and the spring words suit all of them.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| April (girl) | English, from Latin | The month, probably from “to open”, for the opening flowers | For a Taurus born in the last third of April. |
| Abril (girl) | Spanish and Catalan | April | The same month with a warmer, rounder sound. |
| Avril (girl) | French | April | A little crisper than April, and less common. |
| May (girl) | English | The month, named after the goddess Maia | Also the old name of the hawthorn flower, which blooms in May. |
| Flora (girl) | Latin | “Flower” | The Roman goddess of flowers and spring. Her festival, the Floralia, ran from late April into early May, right in Taurus season. |
| Florian (boy) | Latin, from the Roman name Florus | From flos, “flower” | A boy’s flower name that sounds strong, with Flo or Flor for short. |
| Primrose (girl) | English, from Latin | “First rose” | A spring flower with the rose of Venus hidden in its name. |
| Vesna (girl) | Slavic | “Spring” | Used across Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and beyond. |
| Bahar (girl) | Persian and Turkish | “Spring” | Bright and easy to say in many languages. |
| Aviv (boy) | Hebrew | “Spring” | The Hebrew word for spring, in two quick syllables. |
| Haru (boy) | Japanese | “Spring”, when written 春 | Other spellings mean “sun” or “clear weather”, so choose the character with care. |
| Sakura (girl) | Japanese | “Cherry blossom” | The great spring flower of Japan. The blossom falls in the weeks before and around Taurus season, depending on the region. |
Earth and the green world
These carry the element, the solid ground under the bull’s feet and the green things growing in it.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaia (girl) | Greek | “Earth” | The Greek name of the earth herself. For the most earthy of the earth signs. |
| Bhumi (girl) | Sanskrit | “Earth, soil” | A Hindu name of the earth goddess. Soft in sound, solid in meaning. |
| Adam (boy) | Hebrew | “Man” | In Genesis the name is a play on the Hebrew word for earth, since Adam is made from the ground. |
| Fern (girl) | English | The plant | Green, quiet and growing. Short enough to call across any garden. |
| Linden (any) | German and Dutch surname | “Linden tree” | The lime tree, with heart shaped leaves and a heavy summer scent. A tree name with a Venus shape. |
| Olive (girl) | English and French | The olive tree | Green, old and fruitful: a slow growing tree for a slow and steady sign. |
Emeralds, roses and violets
The colours, stones and flowers of Taurus. Many of these work well as middle names.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald (girl) | English, from Greek | The green gemstone | The May birthstone and the stone most given to Taurus. |
| Jade (girl, once any) | English, from Spanish | The green stone | Taurus green in one syllable. |
| Rosa (girl) | Latin | “Rose” | The rose is Venus’s flower. Rosa is a little firmer than Rose. |
| Rosalind (girl) | Old German | “Horse” and “soft, tender” | In the Middle Ages the name was linked with the Latin phrase for “beautiful rose”, which is how most people hear it now. |
| Violet (girl) | English, from Latin | The flower | A Venus flower and a Taurus favourite. |
| Viola (girl) | Latin | “Violet” | The heroine of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. A violet with a little more drama. |
| Ianthe (girl) | Greek | “Violet flower” | A rare and lovely Greek take on the same flower. |
| Daisy (girl) | English | From “day’s eye” | A spring flower that opens with the light. Daisy is one of April’s birth flowers. |
Steady, sweet and generous
These carry the Taurus character: the calm, the loyalty, the sweet tooth, the voice and the love of good, solid things.
| Name | Origin | Meaning | Why it fits a Taurus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constance (girl) | Latin, through Norman French | “Constant, steadfast” | The fixed sign’s whole nature. Connie for short. |
| Constantine (boy) | Latin | From Constans, “constant” | The same steadiness, in a grand old name. Con or Dino for short. |
| Serena (girl) | Latin | “Clear, tranquil, serene” | For the calm Taurus baby who watches the world from your lap. |
| Faith (girl) | English, from Latin “to trust” | Faith, trust | Taurus loyalty. Once this child trusts you, it is for good. |
| Dulcie (girl) | Latin | “Sweet” | Venus sweetness, and a nod to the sign’s famous love of puddings. |
| Melissa (girl) | Greek | “Bee” | Bees, blossom and honey: a spring garden in a name. |
| Honey (girl) | English | Honey | Taurus taste and warmth. Lovely as a middle name. |
| Felicity (girl) | English, from Latin | “Happiness, good luck” | Taurus contentment: the full tummy and the warm room. |
| Otto (boy) | German | “Wealth, fortune” | Taurus is the sign of good things kept and cared for. Short and solid. |
| Ottilie (girl) | German | “Heritage” or “wealth” | The same old root, in a girl’s name with a soft ending. |
| Edwin (boy) | Old English | “Rich friend” | A loyal friend and a treasure: two Taurus gifts. |
| Shira (girl) | Hebrew | “Singing” | Taurus rules the throat, and many Taurus children love to sing. |
| Melody (girl) | English, from Greek | “Song” and “to sing” | The Taurus voice, sweet and steady. |
| Carmen (girl) | Spanish, from Carmel | Linked with the Latin word for “song” | Originally from Mount Carmel, but the spelling came from the Latin for song. Warm, strong and musical. |
Short and modern Taurus picks
If you want something quick and current, these are the shortest names from the lists above: Beau, Fern, Jade, Rosa, Otto, Haru, Aviv, Esmé, May, Amy. Each one is under five letters and each one still carries a real Taurus thread.
Classic and vintage Taurus picks
If you like an old name with dust on it: Constance, Dulcie, Violet, Ferdinand, Edwin, Amanda, Philomena, Erasmus, Primrose, Rosalind. These are names your great grandparents might have had, and they suit a sign that likes things that last.
Choosing well
A name can carry the whole of Taurus and still be wrong for your family. These tests take a few minutes and save a lot of later doubt.
Say it out loud with the surname
Say the full name, slowly, then quickly, the way you will on a busy morning. Taurus names are often soft and round (Flora, Paloma, Melissa), so check that a soft first name does not melt into a soft surname. Listen for accidental rhymes, too: “Rosa Rossi” is a lot of R.
Find the nickname early
Every name gets shortened in the end. Ferdinand becomes Ferdie, Constance becomes Connie, Erasmus becomes Raz, Philomena becomes Mena or Pip. Taurus children tend to hold on to whatever they are called, so the nickname you allow at two may well be the one they still want at twelve. Choose one you like.
Write the initials
Put the first, middle and last initials in a row. Look for words you would not want stitched into a school jumper.
Call it across a park
Stand at the back door and call the name as if your toddler has just sat down in the middle of the path and decided not to move. (With a Taurus, this will happen.) Two clear syllables carry well: Flora, Otto, Maia. Very long names with soft endings can drift away on the wind.
First and middle names that work for a Taurus
A Taurus first name and middle name can do two jobs at once: one for the bull, one for Venus; one for the stars, one for the garden.
- Maia Rosa: the Pleiades sister and the Venus flower.
- Ferdinand May: the gentle bull, with the month tucked in behind.
- Constance Violet: the fixed sign and its flower.
- Otto Aviv: wealth and spring, both short and solid.
- Soraya Fern: the bull’s stars and the green ground.
- Erasmus Hesper: beloved, under the evening star.
- Flora Constance: blossom that stays.
- Jonah Linden: the dove and the tree.
- Paloma Serena: the calm dove.
Good gentle middle names for any Taurus first name: May, Rosa, Fern, Violet, Hesper, Honey, Venus, Serena.
Brothers and sisters from other signs
If you already have a child, or are planning more, you may want names that sound like one family while each child keeps their own sign.
- With an Aries sibling: Aries ends where Taurus begins, in spring. April names and spring words sit happily beside a bold Aries name. See Aries baby names.
- With a Gemini sibling: both signs share May. Maia, the mother of the messenger and one of the Pleiades, belongs to both. See Gemini baby names.
- With a Libra sibling: Libra is the other sign of Venus. Love names link the two children even though one is earth and one is air. See Libra baby names.
- With a Virgo or Capricorn sibling: the other two earth signs. Earth and tree names suit all three. See Virgo baby names and Capricorn baby names.
- With a Scorpio sibling: Taurus’s opposite sign, across the zodiac. Two fixed signs, both deep and loyal. A pair like Constance and a strong Scorpio name share that steadiness. See Scorpio baby names.
There is more on how different signs share a house in siblings by sign.
The chart is bigger than the Sun
The Sun sign is the one everybody knows, but a birth chart has more in it. Two other placements matter a great deal for a small child, and either of them can be Taurus when the Sun is not.
A Taurus Moon
The Moon in a chart shows what a child needs to feel safe. In Taurus the Moon is exalted, which means it sits in a place of honour and works especially well. A Taurus Moon child calms down through sameness, warmth and touch. If your baby has a Taurus Moon with a Sun somewhere else, a Taurus name makes a lovely middle name: the inside of the child, quietly named. Serena, Constance, Honey and Dulcie suit this well, because they name the calm and sweetness that this Moon needs to come home to.
Taurus rising
The rising sign is the sign coming up over the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It shapes the first impression a child makes and the way they meet the world. A Taurus rising baby often looks solid, calm and content, and takes in a new room slowly. A first name with Taurus warmth (Flora, Otto, Maia, Beau) can suit this child even if their Sun is much quicker. The rising sign in children explains what it shows, and Sun, Moon and rising shows how the three fit together.
If the baby is due near a cusp
The Sun moves from Aries into Taurus around 20 April, and from Taurus into Gemini around 21 May. The exact moment moves by about a day from year to year, which is why born on the cusp exists. Babies also arrive early or late without asking anybody.
If your due date sits within a week or so of either edge, a shortlist that works for both signs saves a lot of worry.
Due in mid to late April (Aries or Taurus): the April names are made for this. April, Avril and Abril suit an Aries baby born in the first part of the month and a Taurus baby born at the end of it. Daisy, one of April’s flowers, works on both sides too. The spring words (Vesna, Bahar, Aviv, Haru) suit both signs, since both fall in spring in the northern hemisphere.
Due in mid to late May (Taurus or Gemini): lean on May. May, Maia and Emerald belong to the month whichever sign the baby turns out to be. Maia is especially neat, since she is one of the Taurus Pleiades and the mother of Gemini’s messenger.
Keep one name from the shared element or season. If you would rather have something that is only Taurus, pick a bull or Venus first name and pair it with a season middle name. Constance May or Otto Aviv still makes sense if your Taurus decides, at the last minute, to be a Gemini.
Once the baby has arrived and you know the time and place of birth, you can read the whole chart properly with how to read a child’s birth chart.
A name to grow into slowly
Taurus children take their time with everything, and names are no different. Yours may take a few weeks to answer to it, and then will answer to nothing else. Choose a name you love the sound of, because you will be saying it gently many times a day, and firmly a few times too. If it also carries a bull, a star, a dove or a May morning, the child and the name will be telling the same story from the start.
For the first birthday, see Taurus baby gifts and first birthday gifts by sign. For the baby with both the Sun and the Moon in the bull, there is double Taurus.
Sources and references
- Behind the Name: Ferdinand, Europa and Maia: origins, meanings and the Pleiades link.
- Behind the Name: Alcyone, Electra, Merope, Soraya and Thurayya: Pleiades names.
- Behind the Name, submitted names: Nandi and Subaru: the Sanskrit, Zulu and Japanese entries.
- Behind the Name: Venus, Freya, Esther, Amy, Amanda, Philomena and Kerensa: love names.
- Behind the Name: David, Erasmus, Amadeus, Cyprian, Beau and Bella: further Venus names.
- Behind the Name: Columba, Calum, Paloma and Jonah: dove names.
- Behind the Name: April, May, Flora, Primrose, Vesna, Bahar, Aviv, Haru and Sakura: spring names.
- Behind the Name: Gaia, Bhumi, Adam and Linden: earth names.
- Behind the Name: Emerald, Jade, Rosa, Rosalind, Violet, Ianthe and Daisy: stones and flowers.
- Behind the Name: Constance, Serena, Dulcie, Melissa, Otto, Odilia, Edwin, Shira and Carmen: quality names.
- Online Etymology Dictionary: copper: the word’s root in the name of Cyprus.
- Wikipedia: The Story of Ferdinand: the 1936 picture book by Munro Leaf.
- Wikipedia: Pleiades: the star cluster in Taurus and its brightest star, Alcyone.