Baby Names Inspired by Pixar Movies

A skilled archer — also, incidentally, a princess — named Merida faces the struggles of growing up under the gaze of royal expectations. This story of taking a hold of your fate is one you never stop learning from, and we are happy to share this inspiration. Brave names like Merida and Fergus might help you tie in some cultural heritage, too.

A beautiful story tackling the difficult subject of the afterlife and the importance of family through music and vibrant animation, this movie instantly became a classic. Coco is an inspiring — and often hilarious — story that highlights Mexican culture and naming baby for one of these characters will give them inspiration every day.

Finding Nemo is a story about letting your child gain independence. An underwater adventure complete with schools of fish, sharks, and even dentist office aquariums, takes a parent and child on separate, harrowing journeys to find each other. This tale is beloved by many and we have no doubts that baby will understand their Pixar namesake after watching all the characters find not only Nemo, but themselves.

This revelatory movie about nurturing all of a child’s complex emotions has become an invaluable tool for the millennial parent. Though very few names come from this movie, it still had to be included in this list of Pixar movies that inspire us.

Luca is the newest movie in this new age of Pixar and is already deeply loved. This fun animation brings to you the lively Italian summer you’ve always dreamed of but with a twist you never could have expected. Naming baby after the — often fantastical — beauty and emotional depth that Pixar readily presents every time is a choice that you won’t regret.

Pixar has always made perfect hits and Monsters, Inc. is absolutely no exception to this apparent rule. A company made for scaring children to fuel their monster world with screams is turned on its head when a monster finds himself adored by a child rather than feared. The tale that follows is emotional, unique, and teaches plenty of lessons to both parent and child. Naming baby from the tale that showed us all that we can love everyone if we try is just as good as the laughter now running that world.

This story of utter geekdom joy mixed with embracing whatever the magic inside you looks like should be an incentive for everyone. With a fantastical animation to deliver this strong lesson on a silver platter, there’s no going wrong with your inspiration here. Onward names are unique just like baby, and feeling motivated by Barley’s uninhibited enthusiasm for the things he loves is a lesson everyone could learn from.

If you’re in need of a vision of female empowerment, take a glance at Pixar’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Where dragons and humans once lived harmoniously there was a great battle that drove the dragons to sacrifice themselves. But when this blight returns, a warrior goes searching for the last dragon to save her people. Naming baby for Raya and her tale goes to show just how far a muse can take you, and we can’t find fault with that.

Music was Joe’s whole life, especially jazz, even when no one else believed he would make it. When he finally gets his chance, an accident happens and he’s forced to set out on a journey to help a new friend discover their passions. In the process of this, Joe has to figure out what having soul really means. Finding what makes your soul spark is a lifelong journey, and giving baby a name that encourages that exploration is a wonderful way to start off their adventure.

A truly fantastic — dare I say, incredible — release from Pixar that became an instant classic has to be The Incredibles. When superheroes have become more a nuisance than a help, they’re forced into secrecy. One family in particular tries to settle down into suburban life but just can’t quite manage the normal daily grind and they find themselves in and out of the life they used to know. When following their journeys you fall in love with each flamboyant and funny character and find yourself having discovered a truly wholesome journey. Through their adventure it’s not hard to feel moved to choose one of their stories to wrap around baby with their name.

Joyous, silly, and emotional, Pixar made sure we were in our feelings since the 90s. A diverse range of toys come to life whenever their boy owner is away, and fun and drama transpire with the addition of a new toy, Buzz Lightyear. Though it would probably pain every millennial parent to hear it, Toy Story is this list’s throwback. Released a shocking 25 years ago, this movie has proved it will stand the test of time and we have no doubts baby will love it, too.

With one of the most recognizably heart breaking openings to an animated film and a character that made people understand dogs, Up is a special movie that everyone could stand to fall for. An old man who very dearly loves his late wife is on the verge of losing their home and so he decides to attach hundreds of balloons so that he can take his memories and his home with him to somewhere far away. However, a boy scout happened to be on his front porch, which makes his journey a little more complicated. With a small cast there aren’t a huge number of baby names to take from this list, but the ones we do have are solid contenders.