Here, for the first day of Spring, some thoughts on flower names.
First came Lily, one of the trendiest girls’ names of the nineties. Then Daisy began showing up on the chicest babies. Rose became the middle name du jour. And flower names, last a craze a hundred years ago, became the most fashionable group around.
Nameberry includes a wide range of flower names, from garden variety to hothouse blooms. Here, a rundown of the choicest:
THE TRENDIEST
DAISY — Charming and simple, Daisy started off as a nickname for Margaret, now more popular than the original.
IRIS — Former dowdy old lady name revived when Jude Law and Sadie Frost chose it for their daughter.
JASMINE — The most exotic of the popular flower names, with many spelling variations: Jazmin, Jazzmyn et al. Related: Yasmine and cousins, along with the lovely British favorite Jessamine or Jessamyn, actually French for jasmine.
LILY — Also stylish as Liliana, Lilia, and in France, Lilou.
ROSE — The middle name of the moment, with many variations — from Rosa to Rosalia to Rosemary — that would make lovely first names.
VIOLET — The adorable daughter of celebrities Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck has brought this lush flower choice before the public eye. In France, Violette is chic, while in Italian it’s Violetta.
BRITISH BLOOMS
The British are famous gardeners and have long been more hospitable to flower names than Americans. Here, some heard most often in the British Isles.
BRYONY — Name of a vine with green flowers, also spelled Briony, popular in England and rarely heard elsewhere.
FLORA — Vintage name with considerable charm.
IVY — Starting to emigrate to the U.S., possibly because of its stylish initial “I”.
MARIGOLD — Posh British choice rarely heard elsewhere.
PETUNIA — Outside of the U.K., only heard in cow fields.
PANSY — Adorable yet the teasing possibilities render this one an unlikely choice.
POPPY — Popular in Britain and beginning to be heard elsewhere too; a perfect companion for Daisy.
PRIMROSE — Prim and dainty yet offbeat, the quintessential British name.
EXOTIC FLOWERS
AMARYLLIS — The flower may be similar to a lily, but the name is considerably more offbeat.
ASTER — The little girl on TV’s “Dexter” has this name, which could become more popular with the rise of the whole flower genre.
AZALEA — The z will definitely keep it exotic.
CALLA — Another lily relative, also similar to the trendy Callie/Kaylee family of names.
DAHLIA — This one seems to be percolating and we expect to hear more.
LILAC — The two l’s, the similarity to Lily, and the beautiful color and scent of the original flower make this choice a winner.
LOTUS — Only for the seriously exotic.
ORCHID — Another hothouse bloom not for the shy.
TULIP — Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell used this as a middle name for one of their twins, and singer Tiny Tim picked it as a first several decades ago. An everyday flower that makes a less-than-ordinary name.
ZINNIA — Any z name is off the beaten track.
FLOWER NAMES THAT DON‘T SOUND LIKE FLOWER NAMES
AZAMI — Japanese for “thistle flower.”
FLEUR — International words for “flower,” which also include Flor and Fiorello/Fiorella, make inventive flower choices.
GELSEY — Persian for “flower,” a balletic choice.
IOLANTHE — Greek for “violet flower” — for those who want to make Violet a lot more exotic.
JACINTA — Spanish for hyacinth and more suited to use as a name.
LEILANI — Hawaiian name that means ‘heavenly flower” and also has stylish double L sound.
MARGUERITE — The French for daisy is newly chic there, as is Capucine, which means nasturtium in France.
ZAHARA — A Hebrew name meaning flower popularized when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt chose it for their daughter.
Of course there are word names and there are word names and probably the most acceptable and appealing are the centuries-old Virtue names created by the early and most zealous Pilgrims to display their righteous religiosity. Though such excessive male phrase-names as Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith and Fly-fornication are long gone, the simpler girl virtue names have not only survived but some are now downright trendy: Grace, Hope, Faith, and, more recently, Felicity, True and Honor.
Maybe there are certain kinds of names that you really like–flower or color names, say, or virtue names– but you’re reluctant to use one of the more obvious examples, the epidemically popular ones, attractive though they may be. Well, there’s no reason you have to limit yourself to those few; more and more parents are digging deeper into those appealing categories and coming up with newer sounding choices.
It’s certainly no news to names enthusiasts that flowers and herbs can be a great source for inspired baby-naming. Familiar flower names such as 
EMBLEMS OF THE 
