The language of the Aztecs, still spoken by 1.6 million people
Nahuatl names
Nahuatl names are made from ordinary words. Learn the two dozen building blocks and you can read almost any Aztec name on sight: xochitl is flower, citlali is star, cuauhtli is eagle, yolotl is heart.
69 Mexican names found
The building blocks
Each element below links to nothing on its own; for a full glossary of Nahuatl and Maya vocabulary, including the words English borrowed, see Nahuatl words and what they mean.
These are the elements that appear most often across the Nahuatl names on this site, with the names that use them.
| Element | Meaning | Names |
|---|---|---|
| tēuctli | lord | Mictlantecuhtli, Moctezuma, Tecuichpo, Tlaltecuhtli, Tonacatecuhtli, Xipe Tótec |
| cōātl | serpent | Cihuacóatl, Coatlicue, Itzcóatl, Mixcóatl, Quetzalcóatl |
| teōtl | god | Centéotl, Huehuetéotl, Ometéotl, Tlazoltéotl |
| xōchitl | flower | Xochipilli, Xochiquetzal, Xóchitl, Xochitl-Yólotl |
| ātl | water | Ameyalli, Atl, Axayácatl |
| citlālin | star | Citlali, Citlalmina, Citlaltzin |
| huītzilin | hummingbird | Huitzilíhuitl, Huitzilin, Huitzilopochtli |
| quetzalli | precious feather, quetzal plume | Quetzalcóatl, Quetzalli, Xochiquetzal |
| tlālli | earth, land, soil | Tlalli, Tláloc, Tlaltecuhtli |
| ācatl | reed | Acamapichtli, Acatl |
| cuēitl | skirt | Chalchiuhtlicue, Coatlicue |
| chīmalli | shield | Chimalli, Chimalpopoca |
| cihuātl | woman | Cihuacóatl, Mictecacíhuatl |
| mīna | to shoot arrows | Citlalmina, Ilhuicamina |
| cuāuhtli | eagle | Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtli |
| ilhuicatl | sky | Ilhuicamina, Ilhuicatl |
| itztli | obsidian | Itzcóatl, Itzpapálotl |
| pāpalōtl | butterfly | Itzpapálotl, Papalotl |
| mixtli | cloud | Mixcóatl, Mixtli |
| nezahualli | fasting, the collar worn while fasting | Nezahualcóyotl, Nezahualpilli |
| pilli | noble, prince | Nezahualpilli, Xochipilli |
| yōli | to live | Teyolía, Yolihuani |
| yōllōtl | heart | Xochitl-Yólotl, Yolotzin |
How the pieces join
Nahuatl nouns end in an "absolutive" suffix, usually -tl, -tli, -li, or -in. When two nouns join, the first loses its suffix: xōchi-tl + quetzal-li becomes Xochiquetzal. A possessed or compounded noun can also take -tzin, which turns a word into an affectionate or honorific name (Yolotzin from yōllōtl, Citlaltzin from citlālin). Verbs appear in past tense: temōc "he descended" in Cuauhtémoc, and in agent form: Ilhuicamina "he shoots arrows at the sky".
Sounds to know: x is sh, z is s, hu before a vowel is w (Huitzilopochtli begins "weet-see"), cu before a vowel is kw (Cuauhtémoc begins "kwow"), and the final tl is a single sound that English speakers can approximate as "tl" said quickly. Stress always falls on the second-to-last syllable.
Nahuatl girl names
Nahuatl boy names
Unisex nahuatl names
Rulers and warriors
Historical names. Some, like Cuauhtémoc and Moctezuma, are given today; most are rare.
Nahuatl names and the Aztec calendar
The Mexica also named children by the day sign of their birth in the 260-day tōnalpōhualli: a number from one to thirteen and one of twenty signs. Cipactli (crocodile), Ehécatl (wind), Calli (house), Cuetzpalin (lizard), Cóatl (serpent), Miquiztli (death), Mázatl (deer), Tochtli (rabbit), Atl (water), Itzcuintli (dog), Ozomatli (monkey), Malinalli (grass), Ácatl (reed), Ocelotl (jaguar), Cuauhtli (eagle), Cozcacuauhtli (vulture), Ollin (movement), Técpatl (flint), Quiáhuitl (rain), and Xóchitl (flower). Several of the twenty are given names today: Ollin, Atl, Xóchitl, Malinalli, Ehécatl, Cuauhtli, Ocelotl, Tochtli. La Malinche's Nahuatl name, Malinalli, was a day name.
The Aztec names page lists every Nahuatl name here by gender and sets the rulers and warriors apart; the gods and goddesses page covers the pantheon.
Nahuatl names FAQ
What is Nahuatl?
The language of the Aztecs and of about 1.6 million Mexicans today, mainly in Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Guerrero, and San Luis Potosí. It gave English the words tomato, chocolate, avocado, chili, coyote, and ocelot, all through Spanish.
How are Nahuatl names built?
By joining nouns and dropping the noun ending. Xōchitl (flower) plus quetzalli (precious feather) gives Xochiquetzal; citlālin (star) plus mīna (to shoot arrows) gives Citlalmina; cuāuhtli (eagle) plus temōc (he descended) gives Cuauhtémoc. The suffix -tzin adds respect or affection: Yolotzin, little dear heart.
Do Nahuatl names have genders?
No. Nahuatl nouns are not masculine or feminine, so most names can be given to either sex. Usage in Mexico has settled some of them: Xóchitl and Citlali are nearly always girls, Cuauhtémoc and Tonatiuh boys. Yólotl, Ollin, Tonalli, and Atl are still used for both.
Why do Nahuatl names have accents in Mexico?
The everyday spelling follows Spanish rules, which need a written accent when the stress is not on the second-to-last syllable of the Spanish reading: Xóchitl, Cuauhtémoc, Nezahualcóyotl. Classical Nahuatl spelling instead marks long vowels with a macron (xōchitl) and never uses accents. This site shows both.