999+ Nature Names for Babies

  1. Plum
    • Origin:

      Fruit name
    • Description:

      British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The French equivalent, Prune, is very fashionable there but would not fly with English speakers.
  2. Neri
    • Origin:

      Hebrew or Greek
    • Meaning:

      "my candle; ocean spirit"
    • Description:

      A simple but unusual name with roots in disparate cultures, Neri appears in the Bible as a male name and is still sometimes used for boys as well as girls. The appeal of Neri are its deep roots combined with its simple, upbeat, modern feel, ala Peri and Rory.
  3. Ara
    • Origin:

      Armenian
    • Meaning:

      "king"
    • Description:

      Simple and yet distinctive, Ara is a mythological name of a famously handsome king. Although it originated as a boys' name, in the contemporary US, it's now much more commonly used for girls.
  4. Belladonna
    • Origin:

      English from Italian
    • Meaning:

      "nightshade, beautiful lady"
    • Description:

      Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.
  5. Florin
    • Origin:

      French and Romanian
    • Meaning:

      "flower; flourishing"
    • Description:

      Florin is one of the legion of names derived from the root word for flower, most of them like Flora and Florence used for girls. But the boys' form Florin is among the popular French names for boys, along with sister name Fleur for girls. There was a ninth century Swiss St. Florin. The related Florian was the name of a second century Roman saint.
  6. Anemone
    • Origin:

      Flower name; Greek
    • Meaning:

      "daughter of the wind"
    • Description:

      Anemone is a floral name that relates to the ancient Greek myth of the famous love story of Aphrodite and Adonis, in which Aphrodite transforms her wounded lover's blood into a flower, the crimson anemone, whose blossoms are opened by the wind — accounting for its other name, windflower.
  7. Acantha
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "thorn, prickle"
    • Description:

      Acantha is one of the unique baby names in the stylish mythological category that also might count as a flower name. In Greek mythology, Acantha was a nymph beloved by Apollo. An unusual and attractive choice that could make a creative way to honor a grandma Rose.
  8. Avani
    • Origin:

      Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "the good earth"
    • Description:

      A name quite common in India, with a soft but spirited sound and an attractive meaning for lovers of nature.
  9. Celyn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "holly"
    • Description:

      Celyn, which starts with the hard K sound and rhymes with Helen, is a Top 100 name in Wales although largely unknown outside that tiny, beautiful country. It is usually a masculine name.
  10. Edelweiss
    • Origin:

      Flower name, from German
    • Meaning:

      "noble white"
    • Description:

      Edelweiss, made famous by the Rogers and Hammerstein song in "The Sound of Music", is a rare female name.
  11. Narcissa
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "daffodil"
    • Description:

      This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa and Daffodil theoretically make perfect names for December babies.
  12. Sierra
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "saw-toothed"
    • Description:

      Sierra is a name borrowed from the western mountain range, with Latin rhythm and cowboy charm. It is now probably past its peak for girls, but remains a striking nature-inspired choice for boys, with a strong, surprising and energetic sound. The meaning refers to the sharp, irregular peaks of some of the Western mountains such as the Sierra Nevada.
  13. Kailani
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "sea and sky"
    • Description:

      This name's similarity to Kalani and pretty Hawaiian origin helped catapult it into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013.
  14. Suzanne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Susan
    • Meaning:

      "lily"
    • Description:

      Suzanne became popular along with Susan but has just dropped out of the Top 1,000. Wait a generation (or two) in the US, though in France Suzanne is once again tres chic.
  15. Calanthe
    • Origin:

      botanical name
    • Meaning:

      "Christmas orchid"
    • Description:

      If you love Calliope and Callista, you'll love Calanthe, which combines the trendiness of the Greek 'cal' names with the equally fashionable "the" ending (like Xanthe and Evanthe) and a connection to the beautiful Christmas Orchid. Color Calantha one of the more unusual and captivating names for Christmas babies.
  16. Nyssa
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "goal"
    • Description:

      A fairly common Greek name that would fit in well here.
  17. Elm
    • Origin:

      English, German, Norse, Danish tree name
    • Meaning:

      "red, brown"
    • Description:

      Strong, straight, and leafy, one of the new tree names used mostly as middles.
  18. Bay
    • Origin:

      English word, Old English
    • Meaning:

      "an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
    • Description:

      One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May or Rae.
  19. Cypress
    • Origin:

      botanical name
    • Description:

      Lovely entry into the tree name genre, joining Maple, Pine, Oak, and Willow.
  20. Muriel
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "of the bright sea"
    • Description:

      Once a poetic Celtic name, that of the angel who governs the month of June, Muriel became the mom or grandma on TV sitcoms. She does have literary cred via Edinburgh-born author Muriel Spark, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and also appears as a character in Anne of Green Gables. Muriel was a Top 200 name from 1912 to 1933.