Fruit Baby Names

Oliver

• Origin:

  Germanic

• Meaning:

  "olive tree"

• Description:

  Oliver derives from Olivier, the Norman French variation of the Ancient Germanic name Alfihar ("elf army") or the Old Norse Áleifr ("ancestor's relic"), from which comes Olaf. Olivier emerged as the dominant spelling for its associations with the Latin word oliva, meaning "olive tree." Oliver was used as a given name in medieval England after the spread of the French epic poem ‘La Chanson de Roland,’ which features a character named Olivier.

Clementine

• Origin:

  French feminine version of Clement, Latin

• Meaning:

  "mild, merciful"

• Description:

  Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that has finally broken back into the US Top 1000 after more than half a century off the list. Still, its style value may mean there are more Clementines than you might guess in your neighborhood—it may be a name that raises Mom's eyebrows, but it won't surprise your friends.

Olivia

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "olive tree"

• Description:

  Olivia is one of the top US baby names as well as one of the top girl names in English-speaking and European countries around the world.

Olive

• Origin:

  English, from Latin, nature name

• Meaning:

  "olive tree"

• Description:

  Though greatly overshadowed by the trendy Olivia, Olive has a quiet, subtle appeal of its own -- and is now enjoying a remarkable comeback. Olive is one of only four girl names starting with O on the US Top 1000. Cool couple Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for their daughter, reviving the name to stylishness, and now Drew Barrymore has a little Olive too, as has country singer Jake Owen.

Avalon

• Origin:

  Celtic

• Meaning:

  "island of apples"

• Description:

  Avalon, an island paradise of Celtic myth and Arthurian legend--it was where King Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds-- and also the colorful capital of the California island of Catalina-- makes a heavenly first name. Actress Rena Sofer and British musician Julian Cope used it for their daughters.

Linnea

• Origin:

  Swedish

• Meaning:

  "twinflower, lime tree"

• Description:

  Linnea is an attractive Scandinavian name that derives from the renowned 18th century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who developed the Linnean system of classifying plants and animals.

Bethany

• Origin:

  Biblical place name and Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "house of figs"

• Description:

  Bethany is a lyrical name that still strikes many parents as a fresher, more substantial substitute for the overused Brittany/Brittney or the more antiquated Beth.

Peaches

• Origin:

  English fruit name

• Description:

  Unlike the other fruit names that are just coming onto the baby name menu, Peaches is an old-timey nickname previously reserved for spangled showgirls, and now would be considered an outrageous -- verging on hip -- choice.

Peach

Crispin

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "curly-haired"

• Description:

  Crispin, which was introduced into the mainstream by actor Crispin Glover and which means "curly-haired" in Latin, has an image very much like its first syllable: crisp, autumnal, and colorful.

Pepper

• Origin:

  English from Latin

• Meaning:

  "berry"

• Description:

  Parents are beginning to scan the whole spice shelf for inspiration, picking up on Saffron, Sage, and Cinnamon -- and opening up a chance for this spiciest possibility of all; used for peppy TV characters.

Fraser

• Origin:

  Scottish from French

• Meaning:

  "strawberry"

• Description:

  Though TV's "Frasier" made the name famous, and Frazier is a well-used variation, Fraser is the original, used mostly in Scotland.

Cherry

• Origin:

  Fruit name

• Description:

  With other fruity names like Clementine, Olive and Plum ripe for the picking, sweet Cherry remains remarkably underused: just 27 baby girls received the name in 2017, down from 343 at its peak in 1948. The unsavory slang meaning no doubt goes a long way towards explaining its fall from grace.

Cerise

• Origin:

  French

• Meaning:

  "cherry"

• Description:

  Infinitely preferable to the tease-inspiring English version of the word.

Strawberry

• Origin:

  Fruit name

• Description:

  Another entry in the fruit name category, this one borne by writer Strawberry Saroyan, granddaughter of William, so named by her hippie parents. While fruit names may become more familiar, they'll never pass without comment -- but maybe that's what you're looking for.

Mirabelle

• Origin:

  French

• Meaning:

  "marvelous"

• Description:

  If you're looking for a fresher belle name than Isabelle, Mirabelle is lovely, and we also like the extra flourish of Mirabella. And if you want a nature tie, Mirabelle is also the name of a delicate French plum.

Huckleberry

• Origin:

  Word name and literary name

• Description:

  Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls, who, like many parents, will call the boy the much more manageable Huck. It was also the name of a child on TV's West Wing,

Tamar

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "date palm tree"

• Description:

  Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her 'fair countenance'.

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.

Apple

• Origin:

  English nature name

• Meaning:

  "apple"

• Description:

  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 daughter. Many have called it ridiculous, but we have to admit, we find it appealing enough to list as one of our top cute baby names. Rocker Bob Geldof named one of his daughters Peaches; Banana Yoshimoto is a hipster writer. Another choice in this genre is the luscious Plum, though for different reasons, neither Prune nor Cherry will fly.

Lemon

• Origin:

  American fruit name

• Description:

  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.

Tamara

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "date palm tree"

• Description:

  Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.

Alani

• Origin:

  Hawaiian

• Meaning:

  "orange tree"

• Description:

  One of those names you may not even be aware of if you haven't been paying attention to recent naming trends, Alani was given to more than 700 baby girls in the US in one recent year, to be the second most popular feminization of Alan after Alana. It's certainly the most modern-sounding female version of Alan.

Bay

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "berry"

• Description:

  One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position.

Anara

• Origin:

  Kazakh, Persian, and Hindi

• Meaning:

  "pomegranate flower"

• Description:

  Anara is a name that strikes a perfect balance between simple and unusual. It's easy to understand and pronounce for a Westerner, and yet it's highly distinctive, used for only 20 girls in the US in 2020. A recommended and unusual nature option.

Fig

• Origin:

  Fruit name

• Description:

  Fig was the unlikely name of a beautiful character in Curtis Sittenfeld's Man of My Dreams. Better bets: Plum, Quince, or even Apple. Still, you might consider Fig as an unusual nickname for any more formal F-starting name, from Frances to Fiona.

Melora

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "golden apple"

• Description:

  Euphonic hybrid of the sounds of Melissa and Laura. Melora Hardin is an actress who was featured on The Office.

Aeron

• Origin:

  Welsh

• Meaning:

  "berry"

• Description:

  Aeron was possibly a minor Celtic god of war, and is definitely a river in modern-day Wales.

Malina

• Origin:

  Feminine form of Malcolm or spelling variation of Melina or Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian

• Meaning:

  "raspberry"

• Description:

  Malina is a synthetic-feeling name that may be a feminization of the Scottish Malcolm or a spelling twist on the Greek Melina and that also has a fruit meaning in several Eastern European languages. For all that it's a little bit of lots of things, Malina doesn't feel very much like itself.

Pomeline

• Origin:

  French, related to "apple"

• Meaning:

  "apple"

• Description:

  A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.

Bramble

• Origin:

  Nature name

• Meaning:

  "blackberry shrub"

• Description:

  Related to blackberry plants and colloquially to any thorny shrub, Bramble also has history as an English surname.

Garnet

• Origin:

  Jewel name, for the French

• Meaning:

  "pomegranate"

• Description:

  One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, for both boys and girls, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl. But interestingly, Garnet means pomegranate, the fruit who shares a deep red color with the jewel.

Sabra

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "prickly pear"

• Description:

  Term for a native-born Israeli, first brought to notice in Edna Ferber's 1929 novel Cimarron. Prickly pear has neen interpreted to mean tough on the outside, soft and sweet within.

Mio

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "beautiful, or, cherry"

• Description:

  Mio is a lovely Japanese name for girls that has migrated beyond its native country. One Berry reports several young girls named Mio in Australia, and the name has potential in the rest of the English-speaking world for parents who want to move beyond Mia and Maya.

Peri

• Origin:

  Greek; Hebrew; Persian

• Meaning:

  "mountain dweller; fruit; fairy"

• Description:

  This name used for both sexes in several cultures is quite well used in Israel.

Danner

• Origin:

  German

• Meaning:

  "dweller near the fig tree"

• Description:

  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 handsome.

Umeko

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "plum-blossom child, patient"

• Description:

  Unfamiliar Asian choice that can work for a parent in search of something really different.

Pomona

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "apple"

• Description:

  This name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees is also associated with a suburban town in Southern California.

Mora

• Origin:

  Spanish

• Meaning:

  "blueberry"

• Description:

  Intriguing derivation, though people will assume it's a simplified form of Maura.

Sycamore

• Origin:

  Nature name

• Meaning:

  "fig mulberry"

• Description:

  Tree name with a pleasant sound and rhythm.

Zetta

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "olive"

• Description:

  A rarely heard Hebrew name whose zippy first initial Z transforms it from dated Yetta-like image to more lively Catherine Zeta Jones-like appeal.

Melinoe

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "having the color of quince"

• Description:

  In Greek Mythology, Melinoe was the daughter of Persephone, and fathered by both Zeus and Hades. She was one of two moon goddess, the other being Hecate, but was thought to be the bringer of nightmares and madness. Her name means "having the color of quince," a fruit with a yellow-greenish color that would have been associated with illness and death.

Quince

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "applelike fruit"

• Description:

  The girls have Apple, Plum, Peaches, Cherry, and Berry: here's one variety of fruit suitable for a boy.

Chamomile

• Origin:

  Nature name

• Meaning:

  "earth apple"

• Description:

  A daisy-esque flower, although chamomile is much more commonly associated with the tea that's made from it.

Idra

• Origin:

  Aramaic

• Meaning:

  "fig tree"

• Description:

  Idra is one of the less obvious botanical names. In ancient times, a fig tree was a symbol of learning, peace, and prosperity.

Pom

• Origin:

  French diminutive

• Meaning:

  "apple"

• Description:

  Pom is a shortened word name that's not much used in France, but cute and familiar here as one of Babar (the Elephant's) triplets. Pom, pommy and pommie are (non-derogatory) terms sometimes used by Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans to denote a person of English heritage. 

Anzu

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "apricot"

• Description:

  A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

Malus

• Origin:

  Latin botanical name

• Meaning:

  "the apples"

• Description:

  A name given to apple--specifically crab apple--trees. The first syllable rhymes with Cal.

Momoko

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "peach child"

• Description:

  Momoko is a Japanese name meaning "peach child." It's also the name of a character in the popular Sailor Moon manga series.

Kiyomi

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "sacred and beautiful; clean and beautiful"

• Description:

  The name of a Japanese citrus fruit that is rising among baby girls in the US.