Nature, Place and Word Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Welsh or Hebrew
"steel, or generation of god"
As a Welsh name, Elidor is a modern form of Elidur, an ancient British king name. It was used by British author Alan Garner for the eponymous hero of his children's fantasy novel Elidor (1965). As a…
Arabic
"medicinal substance; philosopher's stone"
Potentially a cool route to Eli.
Georgian
"cohabitant; gold"
This Georgian name is of unclear meaning, but it may derive from Persian zar "gold".
Italian
"blacksmith"
If you're looking for a really unusual international occupational name, this could be it!
English occupational name
"blacksmith, metalworker"
Farrar has two separate origins: an occupational name meaning "smith", and a Scottish river name, from a Pictish word meaning "to wind". Barely ever recorded as a first name, Farrar is a blank slate…
French occupational name
"ironworker"
Surname of a fifteenth-century saint and a twenty-first-century quarterback, Brett Favre.
Nature name
There's a whole quarry of rocky names parents are now considering: Slate, Flint, etc. , but this one is particularly hard-edged and problematic.
Norse
"Thor's stone"
This, like many Norse and Scandinavian names , remains icebound, though with the unexpected rise of such ancient Scandinavian mythology names as Odin, Thor, and Freya, we may see Haldor rise again.
English surname
"at the rocks"
A relatively rare English place and surname, Hallam could make a distinctive but usable boy's name. Hallam was the surname of the beloved Cambridge friend whose death Alfred, Lord Tennyson, mourns in…
Coltan is a modern masculine name that has gained modest recognition in recent decades. It likely developed as a variation of the more common Colton, which itself originated as an English surname…
Color and nature name
Even among the range of blue names on the current baby naming palette -- Blue itself, Azure, Cerulean, Teal, Aqua, Cyan, Indigo -- Cobalt remains the most unusual, not to mention the most masculine.
Gemstone name
Also known as green beryl, Heliodor is the name of a sun-kissed colored gemstone. The name is reminiscent of other -dor names such as Theodore, Esidore, Isidor, Landor, Salvador etc.
English, Greek
"blue larkspur; precious stone"
Though it may not be as sweet and gentle as, say, Violet, the purple-hued Hyacinth still might hold some appeal for the parent seeking a truly unconventional flower name. In Greek mythology…
English
"bright iron"
Isambard is derived from Old German Isanbert, meaning "bright iron" or "famous iron". Its most famous bearer, rather fittingly, is the 19th century British civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel,…
Japanese
"gold; pleasure; close; average"
As with all Japanese names, the meaning of Kin changes depending on which kanji are used.
The discoverer of this lovely bright blue gemstone named it after his daughter Larissa and the sea (mar), hence Larimar. Despite the feminine origins, the harder -mar ending makes this work for boys…
Persian place name
Now deeply associated with the gemstone Lapis Lazuli, Lazuli is derived from one of the places where the stone was first mined. The word Lazuli is the root for words like azure. Lapis Lazuli is a…
Celtic
"iron man"
Melor is the name of a Breton saint who in legend was also a prince, suggesting he was the son of a Cornish king (Mylor is the Cornish variation of the name). Melor was said to have a foot and hand…
Diminutive of Mercury, Roman mythological name
Merc has been introduced to the American public by the network executive character on Showtime's Episodes, and is a contemporary-sounding short form of the Roman god and planet name Mercury. Mercury,…
Carnelian is an ochre-colored semi-precious gemstone, named after a type of cherry.
