Nature, Place and Word Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 12 pages
of 12
French from German
"desired; or island, water"
Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root. Although…
Spanish
"rich, strong"
Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.
Irish, Persian, Punjabi, Khmer
"oak tree, fruitful; wealthy; leader; star"
Though Dara in the U.S. would be considered mainly a girls' name – the most recent count is 10 times as many girls given the name last year than boys – it's a boys' name in Ireland, where it's in the…
Hebrew
"delight"
A fairly common Hebrew name without much crossover potential.
"cassia tree"
This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry — making it…
English
"oak tree"
A cool, nature-inspired surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, also spelled Oakes.
English and Scottish
"treeless hill"
Unless it runs in your family, or Alexander Hamilton is your particular hero, you might consider something less imposing -- and without the teasable nickname Ham. Scottish curler Hamilton McMillan Jr…
Word name
Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color…
Latin
"tree"
Arbor is a quirky nature name with holiday vibes.
Greek
"thorny; or, innocent, not evil"
Acacius is a Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Akakios and can be interpreted to relate to the same root as the name Acacia, for the thorn bush, or Akakios which means "not evil." With the modern…
English, from Persian
"bluish or lilac"
Could Lilac be the next Lila or Lily or Violet? It certainly has a lot going for it--those lilting double 'l's, the fabulous fragrance it exudes, and the fact that it's a color name as well,…
French surname
"from the forest of nut trees"
Popular President Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspired a brief fashion for this as a first name in the 1940s; almost never heard today.
"cinnamon tree; winter's bark tree"
A rare Spanish nature name, Canelo comes from both the Spanish canela meaning "cinnamon" and the Chilean and Argentinian canelo , meaning "winter's bark tree". A melodic choice for a winter baby, it…
Turkish variation of Daphne
"bay tree, laurel tree"
Defne is one of the most popular names for baby girls in Turkey, ranking at the top of the list along with Zeynep and Elif. This is one girls' name that makes an easy transition to English-speaking…
"one who lives near a grove of trees"
Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in…
American invented name
"oak lake"
About 50 baby boys wee named Oaklyn in the US last year, vs. 600 baby girls. For girls, the Oaklynn spelling is three times more popular; for boys that's reversed. For boys and girls, the most…
Arabic, Basque, Hausa
"shawl; star; section of tree"
Attractive, rhythmic choice with roots in several languages and cultures. It's a lesser-known a celestial name, meaning "star" in Basque and referring to a star in the constellation Boötes in Arabic.
Irish Gaelic
"born of the yew tree"
Pronounced like Owen, this was the name of several early Irish kings and saints, as well as a celebrated Ulster hero. Often spelled with two 'n's in Scotland, it has been Anglicized as Ewan, Ewen,…
"margosa tree"
Model Trish Goff's Nima is a boy, but the a ending gives this name a feminine feel.
An attractive and now underused nature name belonging to a tree whose wood is prized for its dark color and dense texture, which shines when polished. Ebony joined the most popular girl names list in…
