In this article I would like to discuss the naming of moons, and the importance of Blue Moons in doing so. I will also share some of the various names for the full moons or months in a year recorded by different cultures around the world. It is easy in this day and age to get caught up in the media popularization of “super blood wolf moons”, but often these terms such as “wolf moon” are borrowed from specific individual cultures. This is done without any knowledge of where the term came from, or the meaning, associations and beliefs behind the term by most people. So rather than fall victim to accusations of cultural appropriation I thought I would post about the names for moons used by other cultures, and some of the difficulties in naming full moons in a calendar system.

Lunar Calendars and Blue Moons

An observable lunar calendar that follows the waxing and waning of the moon will in general have 12 months per solar year, with an extra intercalary 13th month every two and a half years or so. This is because 12 lunar months is shorter than a solar year, and 13 lunar months is longer. This means that although there are normally 3 full moons per season (12 / 4 = 3) every so often, the first full moon falls right at the beginning of the season, and you get 4 full moons before the next season starts. The third of these four moons is known as a Blue Moon.

There is another definition for Blue Moons that is a result of a misunderstanding in the 1940s. In 1937 Laurence J. Lafleur published an article in the Maine Farmer’s Almanac describing Blue Moons. Then in 1946 amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett published an article in Sky and Telescope magazine citing Laurence J. Lafleur’s previous article, however he misunderstood the original article and added:

“Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.”

In his article Lafleur was referring to the topical or seasonal year, and not the calendar year.Pruett did not spot this detail and made a false assumption. Yet because the article was published in a popular scientific magazine with a large circulation, it was from then on cited enough over the following years that this mistaken definition became the accepted one.

This definition is based on the Gregorian calendar, and as such is discounted for the remainder of this article. Here we focus on astronomical or seasonal Blue Moons which are defined by the timings of the sky, rather that where the full moon happens to fall on the Christian Gregorian calendar.

The sequence of Blue Moons is very predictable. Over the course of 19 years the patterns of the moon and sun re-align. This is known as the Metonic sequence or cycle. During this 19 year cycle, a season with 4 full moons will occur 7 times. In fact, if you look at the Druidcraft Calendar, you can see that there are 7 leap years in a cycle, and this year (2019) is the 6th leap year of this cycle (year 17). This means we will have 13 full moons this year, and the Blue Moon will occur this year on the 18th May. In the 19 year cycle the Blue Moons will almost always occur in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years. Where exactly in the year, in which season the blue moon will fall is another matter.

Defining the seasons

Blue moons are worked out based on what are called the astronomical seasons. Each season starts with either a solstice or equinox. So astronomically spring begins on the spring equinox and ends at the summer solstice. However, the orbit of the earth around the sun is not even, resulting in seasons of different lengths.

Spring: 92.75 days
Summer: 93.65 days
Autumn: 89.85 days
Winter: 88.99 days

Total: 365.24 days

Illustration of seasonal distances from Earth to the Sun

What this means is that summer and spring together at 186.4 days is considerably longer than winter and autumn together at 178.84 days in the northern hemisphere. 7.56 days longer to be exact. It is therefore much more likely that a Blue Moon will occur in summer and spring, as opposed to winter or autumn. Between the years 1910 and 2097 there are 34 summer Blue Moons and 29 spring Blue Moons. Yet during the same period there are only 6 Autumn Blue Moons and 2 winter Blue Moons.

The exact sequence that determines which season a Blue Moon will fall in is difficult to pin down, and I am yet to fully discover any recognisable pattern. The data I was able to find available online was limited to 200 years, so in order to understand Blue Moons correctly beyond that I create a new calculator that will generate a list of Blue Moons from any given year. I was then able to determine that the average sequence for Blue Moons in a Metonic Cycle looks like this.

Metonic year 3   – Summer Blue Moon
Metonic year 6   – Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 8   – Summer or Autumn Moon
Metonic year 11  – Summer Blue Moon
Metonic year 14  – Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 17  – Spring Blue Moon
Metonic year 19  – Summer Blue Moon

But this is just the average, any one of the years can have a Blue Moon in any season, it is just much more likely it will be in the season mentioned above.

Spotting a Blue Moon on the Druidcraft calendar.

It is actually very simple to spot a Blue Moon coming using the Druidcraft calendar.

If the Sun peg is in any of the solar festival holes (solstice of equinox holes) and a full moon occurs before you next have to move the Sun peg, then there is the possibility of a Blue Moon in the coming season.  If by the time the third full moon occurs the Sun Peg still has 5 holes to travel until the next solar festival, then the current full moon is a Blue Moon. If the Sun Peg only has 4 holes remaining then it is still possibly a blue moon, but you will not know for sure until you see the 4th moon occur before the next solar festival, count forward, or look up the times for the solar festival and full moon.

What has all this got to do with moon names?

What this means is that if you want to name the full moons throughout the year, and maintain any synchronization with the seasons you need the 12 standard moon names for the 3 moons per season, and at least one additional moon name for the 13th month even if you just refer to it as the Blue Moon. The problem is the 13th moon could fall in any season. So you could have as many as 4 additional moon names, depending on where in the year the Blue Moon occurs resulting in as many as 16 moon or month names in total.

If you are creating a lunar calendar you have a few choices. Regardless, you usually end up with 12 or 13 moon names. You can choose to follow another cycle of the moon, such as a 28 day “lunar” calendar which with some correction can follow the sidereal month, but then you are not naming “full moons” because the sidereal month is not the cycle that determines the lunations of the moon. Another option is to have 12 months and not name them with any relation to the seasons, understanding that if you have a “cold month”, after a few years it will end up being in the middle of summer. Or you can introduce a 13th month for the Blue Moons, which will keep your calendar more in sync with the seasons. For this reason I would suggest that where we see a calendar of 12 moon names and they are named after seasons, this is a clue that there is a missing 13th month, or the months are not the names of full moons. The final option is to divorce the concept of a month from the moon, and use it simply as a division of days of a solar year, as we do today with the Gregorian calendar.

The following tables detail the names of the moons from cultures all around the world. Some of the lists are incomplete. Some of them, we do not know the calendar system they were a part of and so do not know if we are missing moon names. Where the intercalary month has been identified, it has been highlighted in red. This list of moon names will therefore remain a work in progress and be updated as and when new information is discovered. If you are aware of any that are not currently on the list, then I encourage you to comment on this article. For now though, here are the names of the moons from around the world starting with the moon after the winter solstice where I was able to determine it.

Babylonian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Araḫ Nisānu Month of the Sanctuary
2nd Araḫ Āru Month of the Bull
3rd Araḫ Simanu Month of Tammuz
4th Araḫ Dumuzu  
5th Araḫ Abu  
6th Araḫ Ulūlu Month of Beginnings
7th Araḫ Tišritum Month of Laying Foundations
8th Araḫ Samnu  
9th Araḫ Kislimu Month of Forthcoming Water
10th Araḫ Ṭebētum  
11th Araḫ Šabaṭu Month of Adar
12th Araḫ Addaru / Adār  
13th Araḫ Makaruša Addari  
14th Araḫ Addaru Arku  
15th Araḫ Ulūlu  

Hebrew

Moon Name Meaning
1st Nisan  
2nd lyar  
3rd Sivan  
4th Tammuz  
5th Av  
6th Elul  
7th Tishrei  
8th Marcheshvan  
9th Kislev  
10th Tevet  
11th Shevat  
12th Adar  
13th    

Egyptian

Seasonal

Moon Name Name
1st 1st Month of Flood  
2nd 2nd Month of Flood  
3rd 3rd Month of Flood  
4th 4th Month of Flood  
5th 1st Month of Growth  
6th 2nd Month of Growth  
7th 3rd Month of Growth  
8th 4th Month of Growth  
9th 1st Month of Low Water  
10th 2nd Month of Low Water  
11th 3rd Month of Low Water  
12th 4th Month of Low Water  
13th    

Middle Kingdom

Moon Name Name
1st Tḫy  
2nd Mnht  
3rd Ḥwt-ḥwr  
4th KꜢ-ḥr-KꜢ  
5th Sf-Bdt  
6th Rḫ Wr  
7th Rḫ Nds  
8th Rnwt  
9th Ḫnsw  
10th Hnt-htj  
11th pt-hmt  
12th Wp Rnpt  
13th    

New Kingdom

Moon Name Name
1st Ḏḥwtyt  
2nd P-n-ip.t  
3rd Ḥwt-ḥwr  
4th KꜢ-ḥr-KꜢ  
5th TꜢ-ꜥb  
6th Mḫyr  
7th P-n-imn-ḥtp.w  
8th P-n-rnn.t  
9th P-n-ḫns.w  
10th P-n-in.t  
11th Ipip  
12th wt Rꜥ  
13th Hryw Rnpt  

Coptic

Moon Name Name
1st Thôut  
2nd Baôba  
3rd Hatûr  
4th Koiak Kiahk  
5th Tôbi  
6th Meshir  
7th Baramhat  
8th Barmoda  
9th Bashons  
10th Baôni  
11th Apip  
12th Masôri  
13th Bikuji n’awot  

Ancient Greek

Aetolian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Prokuklios – Προκύκλιος  
2nd Athanaios – Ἀθαναίος  
3rd Boukatios – Βουκάτιος  
4th Dios – Διός  
5th Euthaios – Ἑυθυαίος  
6th Homoloios – Ὁμολώιος  
7th Hermaios – Ἑρμαίος  
8th Dionusios – Διονύσιος  
9th Agueios – Ἀγύειος  
10th Hippodromos – Ἱπποδρόμιος  
11th Laphraios – Λαφραίος  
12th Panamos – Πάναμος  

Argolian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Ermaios – Ερμαίος  
2nd Arneios – Αρνείος  
3rd    
4th    
5th    
6th Panamos – Πάναμος  
7th Aguieos – Αγυιέος  
8th Karneios – Κάρνειος  
9th    
10th    
11th    
12th    
13th    

Attic

Moon Name Meaning
1st Hekatombaion – Ἑκατομβαιών  
2nd Metageitnion – Μεταγειτνιών  
3rd Boedromion – Βοηδρομιών  
4th Pyanepsion – Πυανεψιών  
5th Maimakterion – Μαιμακτηριών  
6th Poseideon – Ποσιδεών (later Ποσειδεών)  
7th Gamelion – Γαμηλιών  
8th Anthesterion – Ἀνθεστηριών  
9th Elaphebolion – Ἑλαφηβολιών  
10th Mounichion – Μουνυχιών (later Μουνιχιών)  
11th Thargelion – Θαργηλιών  
12th Skirophorion – Σκιροφοριών  
13th    

Boeotian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Bucatios – Βουκάτιος  
2nd Hermaios – Ἑρμαίος  
3rd Prostaterios – Προστατήριος  
4th Agrionios – Ἀγριώνιος  
5th Homoloios – Ὁμολώιος  
6th Theilouthios – Θειλούθιος  
7th Hippodromios – Ἱπποδρόμιος  
8th Panamos – Πάναμος  
9th Pamboiotios – Παμβοιώτιος  
10th Damatrios – Δαμάτριος  
11th Alalkomenios or Alkumenios – Ἀλαλκομένιος or Ἀλκυμένιος  
12th    
13th    

Corinthian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Phoinikaios – Φοινικαίος  
2nd Kraneios – Κράνειος  
3rd Lanotropios, Heliotropios or Haliotropios – Λανοτρόπιος  
4th Machaneus – Μαχανεύς  
5th Dodekateus – Δωδεκατεύς  
6th Eukleios – Εύκλειος  
7th Artemisios – Ἀρτεμίσιος  
8th Psydreus – Ψυδρεύς  
9th Gamilios – Γαμείλιος  
10th Agrianios – Ἀγριάνιος  
11th Panamos – Πάναμος  
12th Apellaios – Απελλαίος  
13th    

Cretan

Moon Name Meaning
1st Thesmophorion  
2nd Hermaios  
3rd Eiman  
4th Matarchios  
5th Agyios  
6th Dioscouros  
7th Theodosios  
8th Pontos  
9th Rhabinthios  
10th Hyperberetos  
11th Necysios  
12th Basilios  
13th    

Delphic

Moon Name Meaning
1st Bucatios – Βουκάτιος  
2nd Heraios – Ἡραίος  
3rd Apellaios – Ἀπελλαίος  
4th –  
5th Dadaphorios – Δαδαφόριος  
6th Poitropios – Ποιτρόπιος  
7th Bysios – Βύσιος  
8th Artemisios – Ἀρτεμίσιος  
9th Heracleios – Ἡράκλειος  
10th Boathoos – Βοαθόος  
11th Ilaios – Ιλαίος  
12th Theoxenios – Θεοξένιος  
13th    

Elian

Moon Name Meaning
1st –  
2nd Apollonios – Ἀπολλώνιος  
3rd Parthenios – Παρθένιος  
4th Alphioios – Ἀλφιοίος  
5th Athanaios – Ἀθαναίος  
6th Thuios – Θυΐος  
7th –  
8th Diosthuos – Διόσθυος  
9th –  
10th Elaphios – Ελάφιος  
11th –  
12th –  
13th –  

Epidaurian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Azosios – Αζόσιος  
2nd Karneios – Κάρνειος  
3rd Praratios – Πραράτιος  
4th Ermaios – Ερμαίος  
5th Gamos – Γάμος  
6th Teleos – Τέλεος  
7th Posidaios – Ποσίδαιος  
8th Artamisios – Αρταμίσιος  
9th Agrianios – Αγριάνιος  
10th Panamos – Πάναμος  
11th Kuklios – Κύκλιος  
12th Apellaios – Απελλαίος  
13th    

Laconian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Panamos – Πάναμος  
2nd Herasios – Ἡράσιος  
3rd Apellaios – Ἀπελλαίος  
4th Diosthyos – Διόσθυος  
5th –  
6th Eleusinios – Ελευσίνιος  
7th Gerastios – Γεράστιος  
8th Artemisios – Ἀρτεμίσιος  
9th Delphinios – Δελφίνιος  
10th Phleiasios – Φλειάσιος  
11th Hecatombeus – Ἑκατομβεύς  
12th Karneios – Κάρνειος  
13th    

Macedonian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Dios – Δίος  
2nd Apellaios – Ἀπελλαῖος  
3rd Audunaios or Audnaios – Αὐδυναῖος or Αὐδναῖος  
4th Peritios – Περίτιος  
5th Dystros – Δύστρος  
6th Xandikos or Xanthikos – Ξανδικός or Ξανθικός  
7th Artemisios or Artamitios – Ἀρτεμίσιος or Ἀρταμίτιος  
8th Daisios – Δαίσιος  
9th Panemos or Panamos – Πάνημος or Πάναμος  
10th Loios – Λώιος  
11th Gorpiaios – Γορπιαῖος  
12th Hyperberetaios – Ὑπερβερεταῖος  
13th    

Rhodian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Agrianios – Ἀγριάνιος  
2nd Badromios – Βαδρόμιος  
3rd Theudasios – Θευδάσιος  
4th Dalios – Δάλιος  
5th Artamitios – Ἀρταμίτιος  
6th Panamos and Panamos embolimos – Πάναμος  
7th Pedageitnyos – Πεδαγειτνύος  
8th Hyacynthios – Ὑακίνθιος  
9th Karneios – Κάρνειος  
10th Thesmophorios – Θεσμοφόριος  
11th Sminthios – Σμίνθιος  
12th Diosthyos – Διόσθυος  
13th    

Sicilian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Thesmophorios  
2nd Dalios  
3rd –  
4th Agrianios  
5th –  
6th Theudasios  
7th Artamitios  
8th –  
9th Badromios  
10th Hyacinthios  
11th Carneios  
12th Panamos  
13th    

Thessalian

Moon Name Meaning
1st Itonios – Ἰτῶνιος  
2nd Panemos – Πάνημος  
3rd Themistios – Θεμίστιος  
4th Agagylios – Ἀγαγύλιος  
5th Apollonios – Ἀπολλῶνιος  
6th Hermaios – Ἑρμαῖος  
7th Leschanorios – Λεσχανόριος  
8th Aphrios – Ἂφριος  
9th Thyios – Θυίος  
10th Homoloios – Ὁμολῶιος  
11th Hippodromios – Ἱπποδρόμιος  
12th Phyllikos – Φυλλικός  
13th    

Gallo-Roman 

Moon Name Meaning
1st Giamonios Winter?
2nd Semiuisonna Before Spring?
3rd Equos Horse?
4th Elembiuos Deer?
5th Aedrinios Fire/Heat?
6th Cantlos Song?
7th Samonios Summer?
8th Dumannios  Dark/Smoke?
9th Riuros  great/big/sturdy?
10th Anagantio   
11th Ogronnios cold month
12th Cutios  
13th Quimonios  
14th Rantaranos The month in between

Chinese

Moon Name Meaning
1st Winter Month – Dōngyuè The winter solstice
2nd Preserved Month -Làyuè Preserve meats ready for Spring Festival
3rd Start Month – Zhēngyuè It starts the year.
4th Apricot Month – Xìngyuè Apricot trees blossom.
5th Peach Month – Táoyuè Peach trees blossom.
6th Locust Tree Month – Huáiyuè Locust trees blossom.
7th Sweet Sedge Month Púyuè Dragon Boat Festival
8th Lotus Month – Héyuè Lotus flowers bloom.
9th Skill Month – Qiǎoyuè Women prayed for and showed their dexterous domestic skills.
10th Osmanthus Month – Guìyuè Osmanthus flowers bloom.
11th Chrysanthemum Month – Júyuè Chrysanthemum flowers bloom.
12th Yang Month – Yángyuè The Taoist yang force is believed to be strong this month.
13th    

Anglo-Saxon

Moon Name Meaning
1st Æftera Geola After Yule
2nd Sōlmōnath Month of Cakes
3rd Hrēðmonath Month of Goddess Hretha
4th Eostremonath Month of Goddess Eostar
5th Thrimilce Three Milkings Month
6th Ærraliða Before Calm
7th Æfteraliða After Calm
8th Weodmonath Weed Month
9th Hāligmonath Harvest Month
10th Winterfylleth Winter Full
11th Blōtmonath Blood/Sacrifice Month
12th Ærra Geola Yule
13th    

Norse

Moon Name Meaning
1st Ýlir Month of god Odin
2nd Mörsugur Fat Month
3rd Þorri Month of god Thorri
4th Gói Moth of Goddess Gói
5th Einmánuður Boys Month?
6th Harpa Girls Month?
7th Skerpla Growth?
8th Sólmánuður Sun Month
9th Heyannir May Making Month
10th Tvímánuður  
11th Haustmánuður Harvest Month
12th Gormánuður Butcher month
13th    

North American

Abenaki

Moon Name Meaning
1st alamikos greetings maker moon
2nd piaôdagos makes branches fall in pieces moon
3rd mozokas moose hunter moon
4th sigwankas spring season maker moon
5th sogalikas sugar maker moon
6th kikas field maker moon
7th nokahigas hoer moon
8th temaskikos grass cutter moon
9th temezôwas cutter moon
10th skamonkas corn maker moon
11th penibagos leaf falling moon
12th mzatanos freezing river maker moon
13th pebonkas winter maker moon

Algonquin

Moon Name Meaning
1st squochee kesos sun has not strength to thaw
2nd wapicuummilcum ice in river is gone
3rd namossack kesos catching fish
4th suquanni kesos when they set indian corn
5th moonesquanimock kesos when women weed corn
6th twowa kesos when they hill indian corn
7th matterllawaw kesos squash are ripe
8th micheenee kesos when indian corn is edible
9th pohquitaqunk kesos middle between harvest and eating corn
10th pepewarr white frost on grass
11th quinne kesos much white frost on grass
12th    
13th    

Anishnaabe

Moon Name Meaning
1st gichi-manidoo-giizis great spirits moon
2nd namebini-giizis sucker moon
3rd bebookwaadaagame-giizis(oog) snow crust moon
4th iskigamizige-giizis(oog) broken snowshow moon
5th waabigwani-giizis blossom moon
6th ode’imini-giizis strawberry moon
7th aabita-niibino-giizis raspberry moon
8th miini-giizis berry moon
9th manoominike-giizis rice moon
10th binaakwe-giizis falling leaves moon
11th gashkadino-giizis(oog) freezing moon
12th manidoo-gizisoons small spirits moon
13th    

Apache

Moon Name Meaning
1st   time of flying ants
2nd    
3rd    
4th   moon of the big leaves
5th   season when the leaves are green
6th    
7th   moon of the horse/time of ripeness
8th    
9th    
10th   time when the corn is taken in
11th    
12th    
13th    

Arapaho

Moon Name Meaning
1st   when snow blows like spirits in the wind
2nd   frost sparkling in the sun
3rd   buffalo dropping their calves
4th   ice breaking in the river
5th   when the ponies shed their shaggy hair
6th   when when the buffalo bellows
7th   the hot weather begins
8th   when the chokeberries begin to ripen
9th   geese shedding their feathers
10th   drying grass
11th   falling leaves
12th   when the rivers start to freeze
13th   popping trees

Assiniboine

Moon Name Meaning
1st wicogandu center moon
2nd amhanska long dry moon
3rd wicinstayazan sore eye moon
4th tabehatawi frog moon
5th indiwiga idle moon
6th wahequosmewi full leaf moon
7th wasasa red berries
8th capasapsaba black cherries
9th wahpegiwi yellow leaf
10th anukope joins both sides
11th Tasnaheja-hagikta striped gopher looks back moon
12th cuhotgawi frost moon
13th wicogandu-sungagu center moon’s younger brother

Cherokee

Moon Name Meaning
1st unolvtana cold moon
2nd kagali bony moon
3rd anvhyi strawberry moon
4th kawohni flower moon
5th ansgvti planting moon
6th dehaluyi green corn moon
7th kuyegwona ripe corn moon
8th galohni drying up moon
9th dulisdi nut moon
10th duninhdi harvest moon
11th nvdadegwa trading moon
12th vskihyi snow moon
13th    

Cheyenne

Moon Name Meaning
1st   moon of the strong cold
2nd    
3rd    
4th   when the geese lay eggs
5th   when the horses get fat
6th    
7th    
8th    
9th   drying grass moon
10th   freeze begins on stream’s edge
11th   deer rutting moon
12th   when the wolves run together
13th    

Choctaw

Moon Name Meaning
1st Hash Haf moon of sassafras
2nd Hash Chaf Iskono moon of little famine
3rd Hash Chaf Chito moon of big famine
4th Hash Mali moon of winds
5th Hash Bissi moon of blackberry
6th Hash Bihi moon of mulberry
7th Hash Takkon moon of peach
8th Hash Watallak moon of the crane
9th Hash Luak Mosholi green corn festival
10th Hash Tek Inhasi courting time
11th Hash Koinchush moon of the wildcat
12th Hash Koichus moon of the panther 
13th Hash Haponi moon of cooking

Comanche

Moon Name Meaning
1st toh mua year moon
2nd positsu mua sleet moon
3rd tahpooku mua cottonball moon
4th tahma mua new spring moon
5th totsiyaa mua flower moon
6th puhi mua leaf moon
7th urui mua hot moon
8th tahma mua summer moon
9th taboo mua paperman moon
10th yuba mua fall moon
11th yubaubi mua heading to winter moon
12th wahi mua evergreen moon
13th    

Cree

Moon Name Meaning
1st gishepapiwatekimumpizun moon when the old fellow spreads the brush
2nd cepizun old moon
3rd migisupizum eagle moon
4th kiskipizun gray goose moon
5th aligipizun frog moon
6th sagipukawipizun moon leaves come out
7th opaskwuwipizun moon when ducks begin to molt
8th opunhopizun moon young ducks begin to fly
9th weweopizun snow goose moon
10th opinahamowipizun moon the birds fly south
11th kaskatinopizun moon the rivers begin to freeze
12th papiwatiginashispizun moon when the young fellow spreads the brush
13th    

Creek

Moon Name Meaning
1st rv’fo cusee winter’s younger brother
2nd hotvlee-hv’see wind moon
3rd tasahcucee little spring moon
4th tasahcee-rakko big spring moon
5th kee-hvsee mulberry moon
6th kvco-hvsee blackberry moon
7th hiyucee little harvest
8th hiyo-rakko big harvest
9th otowoskucee little chestnut moon
10th otowoskv-rakko big chestnut moon
11th echolee frost moon
12th rvfo-rakko big winter
13th    

Haida

Moon Name Meaning
1st táan kungáay bear hunting moon
2nd hlgit’ún kungáay goose moon
3rd xitgáas kungáay noisy goose moon
4th xíit kungáay migratory geese moon
5th tahálaa kungáay food-gathering moon
6th gáan kungáay berries ripen moon
7th chíin kungáay salmon moon
8th k’íit’aas kungáay cedar bark for hat & baskets
9th kálk kungáay ice moon
10th cha’áaw kungáay bears hibernate
11th t’a’áaw kungáay snow moon
12th gáangálang kungáay ripe berries
13th    

Hopi

Moon Name Meaning
1st paamuya moon of life at its height
2nd powamuya moon of purification and renewal
3rd osomuyaw moon of the whispering wind
4th kwiyamuyaw moon of windbreak
5th hakitonmuyaw moon of waiting
6th uyismuya moon of planting
7th nimanmuya moon of the homedance
8th paamuya moon of joyful
9th nasanmuyaw moon of full harvest
10th angaqmuyaw moon of long hair
11th kelmuya moon of fledgling hawk
12th kyaamuya moon of respect
13th    

Kalapuya

Moon Name Meaning
1st atalka stay inside
2nd atchiulartadsh out of food
3rd atcha-uyu women dig camas
4th amanta kotantal time for pounding camas
5th atantal camas blooming time
6th anishnalya camas ripe
7th ameku mid summer
8th akupiu end of summer
9th atchiutchutin after harvest
10th atchalankuaik start getting sagittair roots
11th alangitapi moving inside for winter
12th adshampak not bad weather
13th    

Lakota

Moon Name Meaning
1st wiotehika wi hard moon
2nd cannapopa wi moon when the trees crack because of the cold
3rd istawicayazan wi moon of the sore eyes
4th wihakaktacepapi wi moon when the wife had to crack bones for marrow fat
5th canwape to wi moon of the green leaves
6th wipazatkan waste wi moon when the berries are good
7th canpasapa wi moon when the chokecherries are black
8th wasutoa wi moon of the ripening
9th canwape gi wi moon of the brown leaves
10th canwape kasna wi moon when the wind shakes off leaves
11th waniyetu wi moon when winter begins
12th wanicokan wi moon when the deer shed their antlers
13th    

Mohawk

Moon Name Meaning
1st tsothohrhko:wa the big cold
2nd enniska lateness
3rd ennisko:wa much lateness
4th onerahtokha budding time
5th onerahtohko:wa time of big leaf
6th ohiari:wa ripening time
7th ohiarihko:wa time of much ripening
8th seskehko:wa time of freshness
9th seskhoko:wa time of much freshness
10th kentenha time of poverty
11th kentenhko:wa time of much poverty
12th tsothohrha time of cold
13th    

Omaha

Moon Name Meaning
1st   moon when snow drifts into tipis
2nd   moon when geese come home
3rd   little frog moon
4th    
5th    
6th   moon when the buffalo bulls hunt the cows
7th   moon when the buffalo bellow
8th    
9th   moon when the deer paw the earth
10th    
11th    
12th    
13th    

Passamaquoddy

Moon Name Meaning
1st opolahsomuwehs whirling wind moon
2nd piyatokonis when the spruce tips fall
3rd siqon spring moon
4th ponatom spring moon
5th siqonomeq alewive moon
6th nipon summer moon
7th accihte ripening moon
8th apsqe feather shedding moon
9th toqakiw autumn moon
10th amilkahtin harvest moon
11th kelotonuhket freezing moon
12th punam frost fish moon
13th    

Ponca

Moon Name Meaning
1st   snow thaws moon
2nd    
3rd   water stands in the ponds moon
4th    
5th    
6th   hot weather begins moon
7th   middle of summer moon
8th   corn is in the silk moon
9th    
10th   when they store food in caches
11th    
12th    
13th    

Potawatomi

Moon Name Meaning
1st mkokisis moon of the bear
2nd mnokesis moon of the rabbit
3rd cicakkises moon of the crane
4th    
5th te’minkeses moon of the strawberry
6th msheke’kesis moon of the turtle
7th we’shkitdaminkese moon of the young corn
8th e’mnomukkises moon of the middle
9th    
10th e’sksegtukkisis moon of the first frost
11th pne’kesis moon of the turkey
12th    
13th    

Pueblo

Moon Name Meaning
1st    
2nd   moon of the cedar dust wind
3rd   moon when the leaves break forth
4th    
5th    
6th   moon when the leaves are dark green
7th    
8th    
9th   moon when the corn is taken in
10th    
11th   moon when all is gathered in
12th    
13th    

Shawnee

Moon Name Meaning
1st ha’kwi kiishthwa severe moon
2nd haatawi kiishthwa crow moon
3rd shkipiye kwiitha sap moon
4th poosh kwiitha half moon
5th hotehimini kiishthwa strawberry moon
6th mshkatiwi kiishthwa raspberry moon
7th miini kiishthwa blackberry moon
8th po’kamawi kiishthwa plum moon
9th ha’shimini kiishthwa papaw moon
10th sha’teepakanootha wilted moon
11th kini kiishthwa long moon
12th washilatha kiishthwa eccentric moon
13th    

Shoshone

Moon Name Meaning
1st goa-mea’ freezing
2nd isha-mea’ coyote
3rd yu’a-mea’ warming
4th badua’-mea’ melting
5th buhisea’-mea’ budding
6th daa’za-mea’ summer starting
7th daza-mea’ summer
8th guuteyai-mea hot
9th yeba-mea’ fall
10th naa-mea’ rutting
11th ezhe’i-mea’ cold
12th dommo-mea’ winter
13th    

Sioux

Moon Name Meaning
1st   wolves run together
2nd   dark red calves
3rd   sore eye moon
4th   red grass appearing
5th   moon when the ponies shed
6th   strawberry moon
7th   red blooming lilies
8th   cherries turn black
9th   calves grow hair
10th   changing season
11th   falling leaves
12th   when deer shed their horns
13th    

Tlingit

Moon Name Meaning
1st t’aawak dís goose moon
2nd s’eek dís black bear moon
3rd héentáanáx kayaan’i dís underwater plants sprout
4th x’eigaa kayaaní dís budding moon of plants and shrubs
5th at gadaxéet yinaa dís moon before pregnancy
6th at gadaxéet dís birth moon
7th xaat dísi salmon moon
8th sha-ha-yi berries ripe on mountain
9th dis yádi big moon
10th dís tlein young animals moon
11th kukahaa dís scraping moon
12th shanáx dís unborn seals are getting hair
13th    

Winnebago

Moon Name Meaning
1st    
2nd   fish-running moon
3rd    
4th   planting corn moon
5th   hoeing-corn moon
6th    
7th   corn-popping moon
8th    
9th    
10th    
11th   little bear’s moon
12th   big bear’s moon
13th    

Wishram

Moon Name Meaning
1st   her cold moon
2nd   shoulder to shoulder around the fire moon
3rd   long days moon
4th   the 8th moon
5th   the 9th moon
6th   fish spoils easily moon
7th   salmon go up rivers in a group moon
8th   blackberry patches moon
9th   her acorns moon
10th   travel in canoes moon
11th   snowy mountains in the morning moon
12th   her winter houses moon
13th    

Zuni

Moon Name Meaning
1st dayamcho yachunne when limbs of trees are broken by snow
2nd onon u’la’ukwamme no snow in trails
3rd li’dekwakkya ts’ana little sand storm
4th li’dekwakkya lana great sand storm
5th yachun kwa’shi’amme no name
6th ik’ohbu yachunne turning moon
7th dayamcho yachunne when limbs of trees are broken by fruit
8th    
9th li’dekwakkwya ts’ana corn is harvested
10th li’dekwakkwya lana big wind moon
11th    
12th ik’ohbu yachunne sun has traveled home to rest
13th