Each week, the TODAY Parents team highlights a favorite baby name or set of sibling names. It may be unique, trendy, newsworthy, classic, or just … fun! And there will always be a fascinating story behind it.
A solar eclipse is a rare event. Giving birth to a baby during a solar eclipse is even more rare.
So why not celebrate the combination of celestial and earthly events in a name? A few parents have done exactly that. And because of the solar eclipse we just experienced, we have selected Eclipse as the baby name of the week.
Freedom and Michael Eubanks welcomed a daughter during a solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, according to NBC affiliate WCNC in Charlotte. The baby was born in Greenville, South Carolina, which fell within the path of totality for the eclipse.
The parents named her Eclipse Alizebeth Eubanks.
But she’s not the only eclipse baby.
Celestial-Inspired Baby Names
Alicia Alvarez delivered her daughter, Sol Celeste Alvarez, just moments before the eclipse shadowed Texas on April 8, 2024.
“I didn’t realize it would happen so close to the eclipse,” Alvarez told the Dallas Morning News. “We already had our glasses and prepared to watch it somewhere else, but we were ready.”
Sol translates to “sun” in Spanish, and Celeste means “heavenly,” or “of the sky.”
The name perfectly matches the moment of the baby’s birth, and it coordinates with her older sister, Luna, which means “moon.”
According to the Social Security Administration, seven baby boys were given the name Eclipse in 2025.
These parents really leaned into the magic of the moment, but if you want to want to give your baby a nod to a celestial name but want to make it more “wearable,” baby name expert Colleen Slagen has some suggestions.
“With names like this, I’m always thinking of options that allow me to have my cake and eat it, too,” Slagen tells TODAY.com. “If I was so tied to the name Eclipse, I would want a more mainstream, wearable nickname option.”
She points to reality TV couple Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi Goytowski, who met while they were contestants on “Love Is Blind.” The pair ended up getting married and they have two children: 2-year-old daughter Galileo Terri Rayne (nicknamed Lars) and newborn son Polaris J³ohn Pax (nicknamed Polar Bear).
Slagen says the couple can also call their daughter Gal or Layla. Nickname options for a male Polaris are a bit more limited, but parents could use Polly if using the name for a girl.
To round out celestial name/nickname possibilities, Slagen likes Meridian (Meri), Ciel (Elle), Soleil (Sol) and Estelle (Stella).
As for the name Eclipse, Slagen laughs, “I might have stuck it in the middle myself, but I’m all for somebody using the name they want, especially when they’re feeling inspired by something.”