585+ Botanical Baby Names

Derived from the Greek myrtos, Myrto appears a number of times throughout Greek mythology. It is the name of one of the Maenads (followers of Dionysus), the sister of Patroclus, and an Amazon woman.

Soma makes an unusual (outside Hungary) choice of nature name. It is rare that a beautiful flowering tree is used for a boy, so if you're looking for something floral for a boy, make sure you consider this choice.

Khloe's a variation of the popular Chloe, thanks to reality star Karshadian of the K-named family. Khloe jumped a whopping 101 places into 2009's Top 100 and peaked at 42 in 2010 but has declined in popularity in recent years.

As Theo and Thea get more popular, so do Teo and Tea, short forms of the Latinate variations of Theodore and Matthew -- which include Dorotea and Mattea. But like Theo and Thea, Tea can stand perfectly well on its own and blends seamlessly into any Anglophone or European culture, if that is your aim. Some may argue that the Tea version is the prettiest and it's certainly the sleekest.

Thallo, the Greek goddess of spring, buds, and blooms has a decidedly less flowery name than her Roman counterpart, Flora. Thallo is one of the Horae in Greek mythology: goddesses associated with the cycle of life, growth and the seasons.

Could be confused with the much less captivating Leanne.

The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.

In addition to being the appellation of an ancient grain goddess, this name was also borne by two mythic Irish figures, one of whom was betrothed to legendary chieftain Finn MacCool, the other the brave sixteenth century pirate Grainne Ni Mhaille— known in English as Grace O'Malley-- whose name passed into poetry as a symbol of Ireland.

Lomond is one of those names that exists mainly in one place in the world, Scotland, thanks to its famous Loch Lomond (with its bonnie bonnie banks).

Acer is the Latin botanical name for the Maple tree. Where Maple feels quite feminine, Acer is a more masculine way to reference this tree.

The Spanish word for "berry" makes a deliciously intriguing word name possibility.

With Clementine on the rise and Clemence and Clemency considered chic in Europe, this unusual Latinate option could be a fresh alternative. Clementia is another, more common, spelling.

Nicandra is the name of a plant known as apple-of-peru and also shoo-fly plant. It's also the feminine form of Nicander, an ancient Greek poet, physician, and grammarian.

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

Diminutive of Dillon

A felicitous combo of two sweet names; also a Queens, New York neighborhood.

Mango might be cute as a short form of a related name like Manuel, or for a pet name. But we're not feeling it as a full baby name for a child of any gender.

The trendy gender-neutral Briar leans slightly more masculine with the Bryar spelling, given to about 60 baby boys last year in the US vs. 50 girls. By contrast, Briar was used for about 500 baby girls compared with 400 baby boys.

Basque names, indeed the entire Basque language, are unrelated to any other. Arantxa is a diminutive of Arantzazu. This obscure choice was made known by tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

With the recent arrival of fruit names like Apple and Plum, this more traditional example, symbolic of fertility, might rise in popularity. Photographer Berry Berenson was born Berinthia.