Nature Names for Girls

One of the bird names that's more appropriate for a boy, though it works for a girl too.

As a name, it's linked to Sir Mulberry Hawk, a character in Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby.

Rivers is an indisputably unisex surname with is strong nature connotation and its connection to the character Diana Rivers from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. Rivers is also the first name of one of the girl Sweet Home sextuplets.

Better known as Tapioca, Cassava makes an innovative way to get to the nicknames Cass or Cassie.

Leanira is a type of orange, white and black butterfly.

This name comes from a genus of beautiful black and white Australian butterflies. Given the rise of "el" names such as Eleanor, Eloise, and Ella, Elodina could make a good choice for someone looking for a rarer name.

This name of London's famous river (it's pronounced tehms) might be an evocative if confusing choice for a non-British child. But if you want an unmistakably British girl name, this would be a clear choice.

The Layke spelling of this refreshing nature name was introduced for one of the Waldrop sextuplets, Layke Bryars, who is male, but the name is gender neutral.

Deriving from the name of an Australian butterfly, Eliena is also a name seen in the Bible.

This name derives from the name of a group of buttercup yellow butterflies. It is also a zingy twist on the more familiar Serena.

A common name for the plumeria flower, named after the 16th-century Marquis Muzio Frangipani of the Italian noble family. He invented a perfume using the flower.

One of the evocative new nature names with a simple, stylish feel.

This name comes from a type of butterfly famous for its red spot.

Africa's fourth-longest river would make a unique name choice.

In Thailand, pawpaw, or paw paw, is the name for the papaya plant and flowers. It's been seen on the US charts for baby girls since 2008, never exceeding 30 uses in a single year.

While Hill reads as a nickname for Hillary, adding an S puts it in the same category as plural nature names like Rivers and Brooks. It also softens the name's image: one hill is an obstacle, but many together form a lovely landscape. Hills are also a recurring image and metaphor in both the New and Old Testament.

Eurybia is a sea titaness and consort of Krios. A lesser-known name from Greek mythology, it may be on board to follow other goddesses back to glory.

For the boyds. Er, boys, if only judging my the statistics, which have this rare bird name given to a handful of baby boys in the US but no recent baby girls. But it certainly would make a majestic choice for a child of either gender.

The term "wintergreen" historically referred to plants that remain green through the winter, for which we use the word "evergreen" today. Gaultheria wintergreens, shrubs, contain the oil used to make wintergreen mint flavoring, used in chewing gum, toothpaste, and even root beer.