Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Fictional name
"daughter of the forest"
Tauriel is the name of an elf in the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit , played by Evangeline Lilly. She is the head of the Mirkwood Elven guard, and a companion of Legolas. Her name was…
Greek
"green bough"
Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden. A Greek mythological name of a woman who was turned into an almond tree, Phyllis was in the Top 100 from 1916 to 1958,…
Irish
"little pale green one"
Odhran, Anglicized as Oran, was the name of an ancient saint. Today, Odhran is among the Top 100 Irish names for boys in Ireland.
"to sprout, to swell"
Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan…
Czech
"green"
A Czech surname derived from the word for "green", which has a certain spark.
Spanish, from Greek
"beryl, pale green gemstone"
A Latin name with a lot of tango flair.
English
"broad forest"
Currently connected to football Hall of Famer turned actor Terry Bradshaw.
Color name
"grayish green"
Like Cerulean, one of the new and unusual color names -- it's a soft grayish green -- suitable for a boy.
French
"charterhouse"
Chartreuse is the name of a French liqueur, named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery of the Carthusian Monks that produce it. The monastery was built in the Chartreuse mountains of southeastern…
English, German, Norse, Danish tree name
"red, brown"
Strong, straight, and leafy, one of the new tree names used mostly as middles.
"always green"
Nature name
More unusual than Forest or Forrest, Field is a nature name that is simple, evocative, and fresh--sort of the male equivalent of Meadow. Field and Fields are both relatively common surnames, noted…
"grove of trees"
If you find Grover too fusty and furry, this is a much cooler-sounding alternative.
Basque
"fern field"
For the parent who genuinely wants something different, this nature choice is popular in Spain. Downside: connection to words irate and irritation.
Aboriginal, Australian
"tree bark or leaf"
Kirrily, which rhymes with cheerily, is a name that's uniquely popular in Australia. It originated in recent decades as an elaboration of several similar names – the European Kyra or Keira, the Maori…
The nature boy version of the Scandinavian Leif, which actually means "heir". In the creative-naming Phoenix family, Leaf is the former name of the actor we know as Joaquin.
Hawaiian
"leaf bud"
A nature name from the Hawaiian islands that's vaguely reminiscent of trendy names like Luke and Luca. However, it's also the name of a Swedish company that makes mechanical lifts used in medical…
"myrtle,"
There are so many variations of this name in circulation, it makes it hard for any of them to feel as special as they might.
"green or my gift"
A highly unusual Dora name that may be a spin on the Japanese name Midori, meaning "green," or a combination of Mia "my" plus Dora "gift."
Japanese
"green; beautiful bird"
In Japan, color names are used to symbolize human qualities, and the green hues of Midori name are said to represent fame. While it is a unisex choice in its native Japan, Midori is predominantly…
