Nahuatl Origin Names - Behind the Name

Ameyalli f Nahuatl
Means "spring, fountain" in Nahuatl.

Chalchiuhtlicue f Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "jade skirt" in Nahuatl, from chālchiuhtli "jade, precious stone" and cuēitl "skirt". This was the name of the Aztec goddess of water and rivers, the wife of Tlaloc.

Chimalma f Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "shield hand" in Nahuatl, derived from chīmalli "shield" and māitl "hand". This was the name of an Aztec goddess who was the mother of Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl.

Cipactli m & f Nahuatl
Means "crocodile, alligator, caiman, monster" in Nahuatl. This is the name of the first day in the tonalpohualli, the Aztec 260-day calendar.

Citlali f Nahuatl
Variant of Citlalli.

Citlalli f Nahuatl
Means "star" in Nahuatl.

Coatlicue f Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "snake skirt" in Nahuatl, derived from cōātl "snake" and cuēitl "skirt". This was the name of the Aztec creator goddess who gave birth to the stars (considered deities). She was also the mother of Huitzilopochtli, who protected his mother when her children attacked her.

Coyolxauhqui f Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "painted with bells" in Nahuatl, derived from coyolli "bell" and xuah "face painting". This was the name of an Aztec moon goddess, the daughter of Coatlicue. She was killed by her brother Huitzilopochtli after she led an attack on their mother.

Cuauhtémoc m Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Spanish form of Cuauhtemoc.

Cuauhtemoc m Nahuatl
Means "descending eagle" in Nahuatl, from cuāuhtli "eagle" and temo "descend". This was the name of the last Aztec emperor, ruling until he was captured and executed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the year 1525.

Ehecatl m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Means "wind" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec wind god.

Huitzilopochtli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "left side of the hummingbird" or "southern hummingbird" in Nahuatl, derived from huitzilin "hummingbird" and ōpōchtli "left, south". In Aztec mythology he was the god of the sun and war. He was a patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan (at the site of modern Mexico City).

Itzcoatl m Nahuatl
Means "obsidian snake" in Nahuatl, from itztli "obsidian" and cōātl "snake". Itzcoatl was the fourth king of Tenochtitlan and the first emperor of the Aztec Empire (15th century).

Malinalli f Nahuatl
Means "tall grass" in Nahuatl.

Metztli f & m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Means "moon" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec god (or goddess) of the moon.

Meztli f & m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Variant of Metztli.

Mictlantecuhtli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "lord of Mictlan" in Nahuatl. In Aztec mythology he was the skeletal ruler of Mictlan, the realm of the dead, with his wife Mictecacihuatl.

Moctezuma m Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Spanish form of Motecuhzoma.

Montezuma m Nahuatl (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Motecuhzoma.

Motecuhzoma m Nahuatl
Means "he becomes angry like a lord" in Nahuatl, from mo- "himself", tēcu- "lord" and zōma "become angry, frown". This name was borne by two emperors of the Aztec Empire.

Quetzalcoatl m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "feathered snake" in Nahuatl, derived from quetzalli "quetzal feather, precious thing" and cōātl "snake". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was the god of the sky, wind, and knowledge, also associated with the morning star. According to one legend he created the humans of this age using the bones of humans from the previous age and adding his own blood.

Quetzalli f Nahuatl
Means "feather (from the quetzal bird)" or "precious thing" in Nahuatl.

Tezcatlipoca m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "smoking mirror" in Nahuatl, derived from tezcatl "mirror" and pōctli "smoke". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was one of the chief gods, associated with the night sky, winds, war, and the north. Like his rival Quetzalcoatl, he was a creator god.

Tlalli f Nahuatl
Means "earth, land, soil" in Nahuatl.

Tlaloc m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Possibly from Nahuatl tlālloh meaning "covered with earth", derived from tlālli meaning "earth, land, soil". This was the name of the Aztec god of rain and fertility, the husband of Chalchiuhtlicue.

Tonalli m & f Nahuatl
Means "day, warmth of the sun" in Nahuatl.

Tonatiuh m Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Means "sun" in Nahuatl. This was the name of the Aztec sun god.

Xitlalli f Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Variant of Citlalli.

Xóchilt f Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Spanish variant form of Xochitl.

Xochipilli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "flower prince" in Nahuatl, from xōchitl "flower" and pilli "noble child, prince". Xochipilli was the Aztec god of love, flowers, song and games, the twin brother of Xochiquetzal.

Xochiquetzal f Aztec and Toltec Mythology, Nahuatl
Derived from Nahuatl xōchitl "flower" and quetzalli "quetzal feather, precious thing". This was the name of the Aztec goddess of love, flowers and the earth, the twin sister of Xochipilli.

Xóchitl f Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Spanish form of Xochitl.

Xochitl f Nahuatl
Means "flower" in Nahuatl.

Xolotl m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Meaning uncertain, of Nahuatl origin, possibly meaning "servant" or "cornstalk". In Aztec mythology Xolotl was a monstrous dog-headed god who guided the dead to Mictlan. He was also associated with lightning, fire and the evening star. He was the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl.

Yolotl f & m Nahuatl
Means "heart, spirit" in Nahuatl.

Yolotli f & m Nahuatl
Variant of Yolotl.

Yolotzin f & m Nahuatl
Means "beloved heart" in Nahuatl, from yōllōtl "heart" and the suffix tzin "beloved, revered".

Yoloxochitl f Nahuatl
Derived from Nahuatl yōllōtl "heart" and xōchitl "flower".

Zeltzin f Nahuatl
Nahuatl name of uncertain meaning, said to mean "delicate".

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