Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica
Aztec names
Every Aztec name is a sentence in miniature. Cuauhtémoc is 'descending eagle', Nezahualcóyotl is 'fasting coyote', Xóchitl is 'flower'. Here are the ones Mexican parents give today, the emperors and warriors, and the gods, each with its parts.
69 Mexican names found
What Aztec names mean
The Mexica named children from the 260-day ritual calendar and from the world around them. A child might carry a day sign (Ce Ácatl, One Reed, was Quetzalcóatl's birth name and Topiltzin Ce Ácatl a Toltec ruler), an animal (Ocelotl, jaguar; Cuauhtli, eagle; Tochtli, rabbit; Mazatl, deer), a flower or star (Xóchitl, Citlali), or a quality (Cualli, good; Yólotl, heart). Rulers took names of power: Itzcóatl (obsidian serpent), Ahuízotl (a fierce water creature), Moctezuma (he frowns like a lord). Nobles added the honorific -tzin: Malintzin, Cuauhtzin, Xochitzin.
Because the words are still Nahuatl words, the meaning is transparent. On every name page below, the "Built from" box shows the pieces: xōchitl (flower) + quetzalli (precious feather) = Xochiquetzal. Many popular baby-name websites invent romantic glosses for these names ("you will always be loved" for Yaretzi, "gift of God" for Itzayana). Where the dictionaries do not support a meaning, the page says so.
Aztec girl names
Aztec boy names
Unisex aztec names
Rulers and warriors
Historical names. Some, like Cuauhtémoc and Moctezuma, are given today; most are rare.
Gods, goddesses, and legend names
Story names, rarely registered for children. Each page explains who the figure was and what the name means.
Aztec names in Mexico today
Nahuatl given names nearly disappeared under Spanish rule, when baptism required a saint's name. They came back in three waves. After the Revolution, the 1920s and 30s produced Cuauhtémoc as a patriotic boy's name, along with Xóchitl and Citlali for girls. The 1980s brought a broader revival in Mexico City and the central states. Since 2000, Nahuatl names have become fashionable well beyond indigenous communities: Xóchitl, Citlali, Yaretzi, and Yólotl are all in the national top 100 for girls, and Tonatiuh, Ollin, and Tenoch appear every year for boys.
The everyday Mexican spellings drop the vowel-length marks of classical Nahuatl and often add a Spanish accent: Xóchitl for xōchitl, Citlali for citlālin, Cuauhtémoc for Cuāuhtemōc. This site uses the everyday spelling for the name and the classical form in the breakdown, and lists common variants (Citlalli, Meztli and Metztli, Moctezuma and Motecuhzoma).
Related
- Aztec girl names and Aztec boy names: the same list split by how the names are used today.
- Aztec emperors: the eleven tlatoque in order, from Acamapichtli to Cuauhtémoc.
- Nahuatl names: how the language builds names, and the word list.
- Aztec gods and goddesses: Quetzalcóatl, Huitzilopochtli, Tláloc, Coatlicue, and what each name means.
- Mayan names: Itzel, Ixchel, Nicté, Balam, from the other great Mesoamerican civilization.
- Place names: why Mexico, Oaxaca, and Guadalajara are called what they are called.
Aztec names FAQ
What are common Aztec names still used today?
For girls: Xóchitl (flower), Citlali (star), Yaretzi, Yólotl (heart), Meztli (moon), Xochiquetzal, Ameyalli (spring), Quetzalli. For boys: Cuauhtémoc (descending eagle), Tonatiuh (the sun), Ollin (movement), Tenoch, Necalli (battle), Ehécatl (wind). Xóchitl and Citlali are in Mexico's top 100 girl names.
What did the Aztec emperors' names mean?
Moctezuma is 'he who frowns like a lord' (angry lord), Nezahualcóyotl is 'fasting coyote', Cuauhtémoc is 'descending eagle', Itzcóatl is 'obsidian serpent', Axayácatl is 'water face', Ahuízotl is a water creature, Tizoc is uncertain, Cuitláhuac is 'owner of excrement' by the usual reading, referring to a fertile place, and Acamapichtli is 'handful of reeds'.
Are Aztec and Nahuatl names the same thing?
Nahuatl is the language; the Aztecs (the Mexica of Tenochtitlan) were one of many peoples who spoke it, and about 1.6 million Mexicans still do. 'Aztec names' in everyday use means names from Nahuatl, including ones the Mexica never used. This page covers all of them; the Nahuatl names page explains how the language builds them.
What are Aztec warrior names?
Yaotl (warrior, enemy), Necalli (battle), Cuauhtli (eagle, for the eagle warriors), Ocelotl (jaguar, for the jaguar warriors), Tecuani (wild beast), Chimalli (shield), Tlacaélel (the great general of Tenochtitlan), Xicoténcatl (the Tlaxcalan captain), and Cuauhtémoc, who led the defense of the city in 1521. See names meaning warrior.
What are Aztec goddess names?
Coatlicue (serpent skirt, mother of the gods), Coyolxauhqui (painted with bells, the moon), Chalchiuhtlicue (jade skirt, water), Xochiquetzal (precious flower, love and beauty), Tonantzin (our revered mother), Mayahuel (agave), Itzpapálotl (obsidian butterfly), Cihuacóatl (serpent woman), Tlazoltéotl, and Xilonen (young corn). Xochiquetzal and Tonantzin are given to girls today. See Aztec gods and goddesses.
How do you pronounce Aztec names?
Stress the second-to-last syllable: SOH-cheetl, seet-LAH-lee, kwow-TEH-mok, toh-nah-TEE-oo. X is sh, tl at the end of a word is one sound (tuck the tongue behind the teeth and release), hu before a vowel is w, and z is s. The pronunciation guide has more.