Lavender

English color and flower name

"purple flower"

Lavender Origin and Meaning

The name Lavender is a girl's name of English origin meaning "purple flower".

Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold. In fact, 2024 saw it enter the US Top 1000 for the first time, when it was given to nearly 260 girls.

The flower's name derives from Latin lividus "bluish", influenced by lavō "wash" due to use of lavender in washing clothes. It has long been used in traditional medicine and in cooking for its sweet fragrance and soothing properties. But it also has a long history as a name, going back to the eighteenth century, when it was also used for boys.

Famous fictional namesakes include Lavender Brown, a witch character in the Harry Potter saga, and the eponymous heroine's best friend in Roald Dahl's Matilda.

Lavender Rank in US Top 1000

# 998 in the US

Lavender Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 457 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Lavender

• 998 US 2024
• 457 Nameberry 2025
• 181 Unique 2023
• 1000 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Lavender

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Lavender.

• Lilac
• Primrose
• Clover
• Indigo
• Opal
• Juno
• Blossom
• Fleur
• Dove
• Fern
• Snow
• Emerald
• Meadow
• Wednesday
• Juniper
• Magnolia
• Marigold
• Winter
• Venus
• Echo

Famous People Named Lavender

• Lavender Rosamund Marguerite "Pinkie" Barnes English table tennis player
• Lavender May Avery first daughter of pop singer Jack Avery and Instagram star Gabriela Gonzalez

The name Lavender in Pop Culture

• Lavender Brown character in the Harry Potter series
• Lavender Rolt main character in play "Sweet Lavender" by Arthur Wing Pinero
• Lavender character in 1996 film "Matilda"
• Lady Lavander Griselda's godmother in The Cuckoo Clock (1877) by Mrs Molesworth
• Lavender character in Canadian animated series "Little Charmers"
• Lavender Town a town in Kanto in the Pokemon video games
• Lavender's Blue English folk song
• Lavender Wolfmeyer character in film "The Upside of Anger'
• Lavender Shade Johnson older brother in Sheila Turnage's 'Three Times Lucky'