Nature, Place and Word Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 12 pages
of 12
Wyoming place-name, French
"canopy of leafy boughs"
Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.
French
"yew wood"
On paper, with its stylish ties to fashion legend Yves Saint-Laurent (born Henri), Yves looks great, but the pronunciation--EVE-- could lead to gender confusion. German variation Ivo might be cooler…
Maori
"tree bark"
The name Kiri was made famous by New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, whose original name was Claire. Cute but slight, Kiri is close to several other names from Kiriah to Keira to Kyra and its…
Gaelic, Anglicized form of Eoghann
"born of the yew tree"
The attractive Euan and Ewan are just coming onto the U.S. radar, via actor Ewan MacGregor and Harry Potter 's Euan Abercrombie.
Greek
"goal"
A fairly common Greek name that would fit in well here.
Irish
"oak tree"
Daire, along with brother names Dara and Darragh, is among the Top 100 boys' names in Ireland today. An ancient name with an inspirational meaning, pronunciation could prove confusing to Americans.
German
"dweller near the fig tree"
The authentic pronunciation brings it perilously close to Donna, but most English-speakers would rhyme it more attractively with tanner or manner. A nature name for boys that's both unusual and…
An appealing surname-name that sounds perfectly feminine, unless you consider the association to Vice President Dick.
Germanic, Slavic
"yew wood, archer; God is gracious"
Succinct, stylish, and catchy, Ivo has the energetic impact of other names ending in -o . It is a multicultural choice with two distinct origins, and, as such, is familiar across a variety of…
Turkish
"autumn leaves"
Not, in fact, a spelling variation of Hazel (although it could be used as such). But Hazal is also a nature name — it refers to the dried, fallen leaves of Autumn.
Spelling variation of Hawthorne
The version with the e at the end relates to novelist Nathaniel, so that may be the one most parents attracted to this unusual name would choose. Hawthorn nudges it toward the nature category:…
Word name or diminutive of Woodrow, English
"row of houses by a wood"
While Woodrow is too forbidding, its nickname Woody is a bit cartoonish, as in Woody Woodpecker and the animated cowboy character in Toy Story. Woody also has a slang meaning that no teenage boy will…
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
"eagle-tree"
Arvid, a Scandinavian name that's virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top baby names in Sweden . It might make a handsome, unusual choice for a parent in search of an original yet traditional…
Also Anglicized as Dara and also spelled Daire in its native form, Darragh has an undeniably rugged appeal. It's used for both girls and boys in Ireland, but it's very popular in particular for boys.
Word name
A grassy place with trees is a nice image to attach to a name.
English
"descendant of Hilary"
Ellery is a rhythmic three-syllable boy's name that is familiar and yet rarely used--and just waiting to be discovered. It's long been identified with Ellery Queen--which was both the pen name of two…
English nature name
"apple"
When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her…
Hungarian tree name, Hindi, Sanskrit, Japanese
"Dogwood tree; elixir, to extract; sound of the wind + genuine"
Popular in Hungary, but rare elsewhere, Soma is a botanical boy name, relating to the dogwood tree, notable for its white blooms and red twigs. Pronounced as SHO-maw, it ranked at #36 in its native…
"yew tree, archer"
Similar to Ivana but less personality-driven.
Cambodian
"sweet smelling tree"
Whether it's an Asian surname-name or short for Channing, has a sound and feel that's both simple and stand-out.
