Hi Jennifer,

moon
Selene – “The Moon”

I wanted to let you know what a bog fan of your site I am! I absolutely love looking up the meanings of different names and reading through the Ask BabyNames blog (even though I’m nowhere close to being a parent), and it has proved incredibly helpful for my writing. I’m glad that you’ve compiled such a diverse, reliable source for names!

I was wondering if you knew anything about the name Silaine. It’s my friend’s name, but she doesn’t know the meaning of it. Her family is from Iceland, and it is very possible that it is a combination name, but it would be interesting to know for sure. Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,
Shawna

Hi Shawna,

Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad there are other writers out there that use the site.

I would venture to guess that Silaine is a Nordic spelling of the name Selene, which has Greek roots and means “The Moon.” It’s also possible that it is a variation of the Irish name, Sláine, however this name is actually pronounced “SLAW-nuh.” So I’d bet on the former.

Thanks for writing! I will add this beautiful name to our database.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

 

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.