Cowabunga! 104 Surfer Baby Names Fit for Your Cali Kid

Ever wondered what it might be like to walk on water? Try surfing! Think about it—the rushing waves, the ocean beneath your board, the sea salt soaking into your skin; there’s something about the sport that makes you feel like you’re floating and flying all at once. Some say only surfers truly know what that’s like—but a name that embodies the adventure, freedom and excitement of surf culture can be an awesome introduction for any budding water baby.

We get it—just like surfing, figuring out what name will suit that tiny human of yours can be a bit of a balancing act. But one thing that gets us super-stoked about surfer baby names is that they come in waves of inspiration. If you really know your surfer stuff, you might decide to pay tribute to some of the greatest of the great with name options like Kelly (after Kelly Slater) or Duke (after Duke Kahanamoku). Or, if you’re obsessed with all things ocean and want to reel in the coastal vibes, you might—like plenty of surfer parents—settle on something nautical or aquatic. “A surfer friend of mine just named her son Reef,” says cloud9climber, a member of The Bump forum.

It all boils down to choosing a moniker that just screams—well—surf! And these can range from classic to unique to cool-as-a-summer-breeze. “I love Brody!” says The Bump forum member alaws88, “It’s so surfer to me.”

Baby won’t be big enough for 360s and bottom turns for quite a while but with time—and a sun-soaked surfer name from our feel-good list—they’ll be nailing perfect 10s quicker than you can say, “Cowabunga!”

Ready to ride the baby-naming wave with us? Read on!