As an expecting mom-to-be, your to-do checklist is fun-filled with activities like decorating the nursery or shopping for baby outfits , for example. But, perhaps the most cheery and important task of all, is picking out a name for your newborn. Whether you’re a first time mom or welcoming your third or fourth child, selecting a name can come with a lot of pressure; but that doesn’t mean it has to be a stressful experience. Maybe you want to name your baby after someone influential or who’s created positive change in the world, like a scientist? As your child grows up, they’ll be able to learn more about the highly-renowned scientist they were named after, and might even be inspired to pursue a career or passion in the same field. Plus, there are so many types of scientists to choose from like astronomers, microbiologists, physicists, geneticists, or biologists, to name a few.

Without further ado, here is a full list of baby names inspired by past and current scientists who have made a positive difference:


  1. Archimedes
  2. Nina (Tandon)
  3. Daniel (Fahrenheit)
  4. Louis (Pasteur)
  5. Albert (Einstein)
  6. Sunetra (Gupta)
  7. Jonas (Salk)
  8. Marie (Curie)
  9. Rachel (Carson)
  10. Johannes (Kepler)
  11. Ada (Lovelace)
  12. Dmitri (Mendeleev)
  13. Rosalind (Franklin)
  14. Thomas (Edison)
  15. Alexander (Graham Bell)
  16. Lisa (Meitner)
  17. Benjamin (Franklin)
  18. Caroline (Herschel)
  19. Charles (Darwin)
  20. Sally (Ride)
  21. Christiaan (Huygens)
  22. Edwin (Hubble)
  23. Galileo (Galilei)
  24. Mae (Jemison)
  25. Isaac (Newton)
  26. Alice (Ball)
  27. Stephen (Hawking)
  28. Michael (Faraday)
  29. Ida (Noddack)
  30. Roger (Penrose)
  31. Cynthia (Kenyon)
  32. Jennifer (Doudna)