183 Baby Names That Mean Wisdom, Wise, Or Smart (Boys & Girls)
Choosing the perfect name for your baby is no easy task. Many parents start with a specific meaning that feels special to them. If intelligence or inner strength are traits your family values, the names on this list might be the perfect fit.
In this post, you’ll find over 180 baby names for boys and girls that mean wisdom, wise, or smart. Each one relates to intelligence and includes the meaning and origin.
(Originally published: Jan 2, 2022 | Updated: Jul 18, 2025)
Girl Names That Mean Wisdom, Wise, Smart, Or Intelligent
(Including origins and meanings)
We’ve researched the names on this list by using websites like BabyCenter to find their origins and meanings. Keep in mind that meanings can vary by language. These names reflect qualities like wisdom, intelligence, cleverness, and brilliance across different cultures.
A
Akila
Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: “intelligent”
Akira
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: “bright; intelligent”
Alberta
Origin: German
Meaning: “bright and intelligent”
Alohi
Origin: Hawaiian
Meaning: “brilliant”
Alvie
Origin: German
Meaning: “intelligent or noble friend”
Anne
Origin: French
Meaning: “intelligent”
Arinya
Origin: Thai
Meaning: “beautiful and smart woman”
Athena
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “goddess of wisdom”
Recommended: Athena is also on our list of strong girl names
Aqila
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “intelligent, wise”
B
Bahira
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “brilliant”
Belig
Origin: Mongolian
Meaning: “clever; wise”
Berdy
Origin: Russian
Meaning: “very intelligent”
Beren
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “smart”
Berit
Origin: German
Meaning: “intelligent”
Bernadea
Origin: French
Meaning: “intelligent”
Bertha
Origin: German
Meaning: “intelligent; bright”
Bridgette
Origin: French
Meaning: “intelligent”
Brilliance
Origin: English
Meaning: “exceptional intelligence"
Busara
Origin: African
Meaning: “wisdom”
C
Cassidy
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “a smart and clever girl”
Chalondra
Origin: African
Meaning: “an intelligent woman”
D
Dana
Origin: English
Meaning: “wise”
E
Eagna
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “wisdom”
Eibhlin
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “brilliant”
Eirdis
Origin: Icelandic
Meaning: “wise”
Elina
Origin: Hindu
Meaning: “intelligent; brilliant”
Ethelinda
Origin: German
Meaning: “a wise and noble serpent”
G
Galena
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “small intelligent one”
Ganya
Origin: Hebrew, Russian
Meaning: “clever”
Gundruna
Origin: French
Meaning: “wise; ruling with elf-wisdom”
H
Hikma
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “wisdom”
Huberta
Origin: German
Meaning: “brilliant mind”
Hye
Origin: Korean
Meaning: “intelligent woman”
I
Imala
Origin: Native American
Meaning: “strong-minded”
Ismene
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “knowledgeable”
Ismintis
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “a person with wisdom”
J
Jada
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “wise”
Recommended: Jada is also on our list of names with attitude
K
Karasi
Origin: African
Meaning: “life and wisdom”
Kayla
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “wise child”
Kiara
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “one who is knowledgeable”
L
Labiba
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “wise; intelligent”
M
Magee
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “from the intelligent one”
Maiara
Origin: Brazilian
Meaning: “clever; intelligent”
Manisha
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “intellect; goddess of mind”
Michiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: “wisdom; beautiful wise child”
Minerva
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “of the mind; intellect”
Minnie
Origin: English
Meaning: “of the mind; intellect”
Monica
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “advisor”
Monique
Origin: French
Meaning: “wise counsel”
N
Najiba
Origin: Muslim
Meaning: “intelligent”
Nuha
Origin: Muslim
Meaning: “intelligent; mind; intellect”
O
Orinthia
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “to stir the mind”
P
Pallas
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Phoebe
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “bright”
Prudence
Origin: English
Meaning: “intelligent”
R
Rae
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: “wise”
Ramona
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “wise protector”
Reina
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “wise”
Rhetta
Origin: Dutch
Meaning: “wise advisor”
Rishi
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “someone who is smart and scholarly”
Ruxana
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “brilliant”
S
Saffi
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sage
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wise”
Salvia
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wise”
Sana
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “brilliant”
Saraswati
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “goddess of learning”
Shannon
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “old and wise”
Recommended: Look for Shannon on our list of Cool City Names For Baby Girls
Sofia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sonia
Origin: Slavic
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sophia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sophie
Origin: French, Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sophina
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “wisdom”
Sorcha
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “intelligent”
Sunita
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “wise”
U
Ulima
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “wise”
V
Veda
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “knowledge”
Veta
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “intelligent”
Vidya
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “knowledge”
Z
Zakieh
Origin: Muslim
Meaning: “smart; intelligent; clever”
Zariza
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “brilliantly bright”
Zella
Origin: African
Meaning: “one who knows the way”
Zelmira
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “brilliant one”
Zofia
Origin: Polish
Meaning: “wisdom”
Zosia
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “wisdom”
Boy Names That Mean Wisdom, Wise, Smart, Or Intelligent
These include names that mean intelligent, as well as wisdom, cleverness, and brilliance from around the world.
A
Aakil
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “intelligent; smart”
Aariv
Origin: Indian
Meaning: “king of wisdom; knowledge; intelligence”
Recommended: Aariv is also on our list of strong manly names
Aatos
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “thought; idea”
Albert
Origin: German
Meaning: “intelligent”
Alden
Origin: English
Meaning: “old, wise friend”
Aldo
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “old and wise”
Aldrich
Origin: English
Meaning: “old, wise ruler”
Aleem
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “knowledgeable”
Alfie
Origin: English
Meaning: “wise counselor”
Alfred
Origin: English
Meaning: “wise counselor”
Recommended: Alfred is also an old fashioned boy name
Alger
Origin: English
Meaning: “clever warrior”
Alvis
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “all-wise”
Astutu
Origin: Corsican
Meaning: “smart”
Aydin
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “intelligent”
B
Basir
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “intelligent”
Bertrand
Origin: French
Meaning: “intelligent”
Bilge
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “wise”
Boman
Origin: Persian
Meaning: “great mind”
C
Cato
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “intelligent; all-knowing”
Chalu
Origin: Indian
Meaning: “clever and smart”
Conrad
Origin: German
Meaning: “brave counsel”
Recommended: Conrad is also on our list of strong and powerful boy names
Conroy
Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “wise”
Cuthbert
Origin: English
Meaning: “brilliant”
D
Dara
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “nugget of wisdom”
Dheemant
Origin: Hindi
Meaning: “intelligent; smart”
E
Eldridge
Origin: English
Meaning: “old, wise ruler”
Elvis
Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: “all wise”
Recommended: Elvis is also on our list of southern boy names
Ethan
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “wise man”
F
Farzan
Origin: Persian
Meaning: “intelligent; highly knowledgeable”
Favian
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “man of wisdom”
Feivel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “bright one”
Fiksu
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “smart”
Filbert
Origin: English
Meaning: “bright”
Fitzhugh
Origin: English, German
Meaning: “intelligent man’s son”
Frode
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “wise one”
Frodi
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “wise; learned”
G
Gliocas
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: “wisdom; cleverness”
Gyan
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “wisdom; enlightenment”
H
Hakim
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “learned; wise”
Heller
Origin: German
Meaning: “bright; brilliant”
Hewett
Origin: French
Meaning: “small intelligent one”
Hubert
Origin: German
Meaning: “bright”
Huey
Origin: German
Meaning: “intellect”
Hugh
Origin: French
Meaning: “intellect”
Recommended: Check out more boy names with 4 letters
Hughes
Origin: French, German
Meaning: “mind; intellect”
Hugo
Origin: German
Meaning: “bright in mind and spirit”
Recommended: Hugo is also on our list of names that mean spirit
Hutchings
Origin: English
Meaning: “mind; intellect”
J
Jakintsu
Origin: Basque
Meaning: “wise man”
John
Origin: English
Meaning: “clever; quick”
K
Kavi
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “wise man”
Keen
Origin: English
Meaning: “wise”
Kendry
Origin: Malagasy
Meaning: “wise man”
Kenzo
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: “wise one”
Klart
Origin: Icelandic
Meaning: “smart”
L
Lambert
Origin: German
Meaning: “land brilliant”
M
Manish
Origin: Indian
Meaning: “god of mind; intellect”
Matalino
Origin: Filipino
Meaning: “clever; smart”
Mendel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “intelligence”
Mika
Origin: German
Meaning: “intelligent”
Mudar
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “intelligent”
Mudrost
Origin: Bosnian
Meaning: “sagacity”
N
Naauao
Origin: Hawaiian
Meaning: “a wise man”
Nakos
Origin: Native American
Meaning: “wise”
Nester
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “intelligent”
Nzeru
Origin: Chichewa
Meaning: “wisdom”
O
Odin
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “god of wisdom”
Ogbon
Origin: Yoruba
Meaning: “a person with wisdom”
Osbert
Origin: English
Meaning: “divinely brilliant”
P
Phoebus
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “shining; brilliant”
Q
Quinn
Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “intelligence”
Recommended: Quinn is also on our list of short boy names
R
Rafiki
Origin: African
Meaning: “intelligent”
Raghnall
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “smart and powerful”
Rainer
Origin: German
Meaning: “wise army”
Ray
Origin: German
Meaning: “wise protector”
Recommended: Here are more Boys Names With 3 Letters
Raymond
Origin: German
Meaning: “wise protector; intelligent”
Recommended: Raymond is on our list of boy names that have nicknames
Redmond
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “the one who is the intelligent protector”
Reginald
Origin: English
Meaning: “counsel power”
Ronald
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “wise counselor”
S
Sabino
Origin: Spanish, Latin
Meaning: “wise”
Sabio
Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning: “clever”
Sage
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wise”
Recommended: Sage is a gender neutral name and can also be found on our list of green names
Saggio
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “wise; learned”
Sago
Origin: Portuguese
Meaning: “insight; wisdom”
Savant
Origin: French
Meaning: “learned person”
Seanan
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “little, wise man”
Senan
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “old and wise”
Shanahan
Origin: Irish
Meaning: “wise; clever”
Socrates
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “ancient philosopher”
Solomon
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “enlightened; smart”
Solon
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “the wise one”
T
Talib
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “seeker of knowledge”
Tark
Origin: English
Meaning: “smart; wise; intelligent”
Thanh
Origin: Vietnamese
Meaning: “brilliant”
U
Ugo
Origin: German, Spanish
Meaning: “intelligent”
V
Ved
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “sacred knowledge”
Vivek
Origin: Indian
Meaning: “wise”
W
Wilbur
Origin: German
Meaning: “brilliant”
Z
Zeki
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “clever”
Zeky
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: “man of intelligence”
Whether you’re drawn to the idea of wisdom, intellect, or brilliance, each of these names holds a unique meaning. Choosing a name with depth can be a beautiful way to honor your child’s future.
Not sure if you’re having a girl or boy? Listed below are just a few posts of many more with baby names to consider. If you’re already settled on a name, we have middle name lists too!
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GIRL NAMES LISTS
Middle Names Lists
We’d love to hear if you have any favorite baby names from our list. Or maybe you’ve got a name suggestion that you’d like added?
Either way, leave a comment and let us know!
