Nature Names for Cats

Marjoram is a herb and flower. With nicknames like Margie and Jo at the ready, we think that if Marigold can make a comeback, why not Marjoram?

Calendula is a species of English marigold, deriving from the plural of Latin calends "the first of the month", because it blooms for most of the year. It would be a romantic and extravagant name for a daughter.

Unless it was your grandmother's maiden name, and you're using it in the middle place, we don't think so. Could be confused with Hazelden, a leading rehab facility.

Olympic athlete Usain Bolt introduced this unusual and electric nature name to the lexicon when he chose it for his daughter's middle name: Olympia Lightning Bolt. Now there's a name with layers of meaning!

Garance is the vivid deep red color that comes from the madder flower and that has become a fashionable name for baby girls in France in recent years. While it's virtually unknown in the US and other English-speaking countries, Garance makes an original choice in the fashionable flower category. While Garance is usually a girls' name in France, there's no reason it has to be gendered female.

Offbeat flower name, sure to raise some eyebrows. But with Lily, Rose, and even Daisy starting to wilt, more alluring blooms such as Geranium, Magnolia, and Azalea may blossom.

Poppy is the most widely-used seed name, opening the door for Sesame. While Sesame has a pretty sound, it is not often used as a name -- fewer than five baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021. In kids' minds, this might be overly associated with Sesame Street.

Sure you could just use Meadow or Lark. But if you really want to go for it, Meadowlark is an option. Meadowlark Lemon, born Meadow Lemon, was a (male) American basketball player known as the "Clown Prince" of the Harlem Globetrotters who played professionally for nearly 40 years.

This very unusual botanical name refers to flowers that have a second color around the edges, commonly found in tulips and carnations. Thomas Hardy named a character Picotee in his novel The Hand of Ethelberta.

One of the few French words/names not attractive to the American ear. It's pronounced moo-gay, not a winner on either syllable. Alternatives: Liliane, Lily, Lilou, Manon.

A genus of birds in the flycatcher family, Elaenia is one of the many unique baby names in the Elena family. But that spelling is sure to trip up some people.

An early African-American name, along with variation Eartha.

In botany, a catkin is a long, thin flower cluster found on trees such as willow, hazel, oak and birch. The word derives from Middle Dutch katteken "kitten", due to the resemblance to a kitten's furry tail.

Spruce is a very rare tree name, given to only six baby boys last year....and no girls. But there's nothing traditionally gendered about this name, which can work just as well for baby girls.

If you prefer the woods to the ocean, you'll want to name your son (or daughter) Beech instead of Beach.

A virtually unknown choice in the U.S. -- after 20 years of researching names, we've just heard of it ourselves -- but definitely attractive and usable for the baby namer who truly wants something different.

Corymbia is the botanical name of many species of beautiful flowering gum trees. It is a rare, but attested, girls name in Australia.

Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.

This Dutch girls' name meaning little flower is one of the more common Dutch-origin names used in the Netherlands today.

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