999+ Nature Names for Babies

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.

The Spanish and Portuguese word for "sea" is a Top 100 name in Spain. In America, it's sometimes used as a nickname for names like Martina and Marina, but it could also plausibly stand on its own.

A widely used name in medieval Europe that's been almost completely forgotten. Blanche still reads as old lady-ish, and the frilly "-fleur" doesn't make it feel younger. But it could be a striking, not to say iconic, choice for a bold parent, especially if they had some sort of connection to white flowers or the Middle Ages.

A modern Cornish word name with a sturdy natural namesake, Derowen may appeal as an alternative to Elowen and Rowan. Derwa is a related Cornish saint's name.

From the botanical name for common heather, Calluna vulgaris, which ultimately derives from the Greek kallos "beauty". A unique, nature-inspired route to the fashionable nicknames Callie and Luna.

This name is the feminine of Chrystanthos, meaning golden flower (think Chrysanthemum).

A red spice made from dried bell peppers.

As a name, notable bearers include Danish actress Paprika Steen (born Kirsteen), and Paprika from the children's TV show Blue's Clues

Heron fits in with the modern nature names that are so stylish at the moment, but it also has history as the name of a Greek inventor and Egyptian saint. Both were male, but Heron's image as a word name makes it accessible for girls as well.

Related to the Arabic Warda, Vered is a strong sounding nature name with a sweet floral meaing.

Armoni may for some be an alternate spelling of the popular designer name Armani, but in Hebrew the word pronounced ar-moan means chestnut, so this can make an original gender neutral nature name, with a melodic feel.

May derive from Estonian "sirel", meaning "lilac flower".

Lemon is one of the more unique names related to fruit, compared with sisters Clementine and Apple. That may be because lemon is also a word that's slang for a clunker, something that doesn't work very well. No baby wants to feel like a Lemon, so this is one of those unusual names that is best avoided.

Among the least gimmicky, most appealing and colorful of all the names found in the atlas, Jamaica almost sings out the rhythms of the West Indies.

The most popular flower name in Israel, though that popularity does not extend to the US.

An undiscovered gem with clunky, buttoned-up appeal and a literary feel thanks to poet Delmore Schwartz.

Faroese nature name.

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 countries or that could work for a family with roots in both cultures.

As well as Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, two Yankees ballplayers, Hideki Irabu and Hideki Matsui, made this name familiar to Americans.

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.

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.