Boy Names Lists · Nature, Place and Word Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Greek
"thorny; or, innocent, not evil"
Acacius is a Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Akakios and can be interpreted to relate to the same root as the name Acacia, for the thorn bush, or Akakios which means "not evil." With the modern…
English from Latin tree name
"young"
Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the…
Word name
"a place of temporary accommodation; deliberately theatrical and exaggerated"
The word name Camp fits into the trendy, woodsy category for boys, where it joins Arrow, Trail, Venture, and Timber. While it was given to only 17 boys in a recent year, it has been quietly gaining…
English
"one who lives near a grove of trees"
Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in…
"lives where hawthorn hedges grow"
The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and nature names , for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more…
Spelling variation of Conan, Irish
"little wolf"
Konan is a spelling twist on the more familiar Irish Conan, given to a few dozen baby boys in the US last year. In the Irish language, there is no letter K but Irish names such as Ciaran and Caitlin…
American invented name
"oak lake"
About 50 baby boys wee named Oaklyn in the US last year, vs. 600 baby girls. For girls, the Oaklynn spelling is three times more popular; for boys that's reversed. For boys and girls, the most…
English tree name
"willow tree"
Fresh and surprising on a boy – and how can you not love the cool classic nickname Will?
Irish
"little deer"
Oisin is one of the most popular Irish baby names in its native land, though largely unknown in the US. The original Oisin was the mythological son of Finn McCool and Sadb, the goddess who was…
Variation of Perry or Peter, English or Greek
"dweller near the pear tree or rock, stone"
Perrin has been in long use as a surname, derived from Peter, and is now used quietly as a first name. It may rise higher now that it's a character name in the popular TV adaptation of Robert…
Greek mythology name
The Greek god Triton was the messenger of the sea and the son of sea god Neptune. He is usually represented as a merman, the the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea creature.…
"air"
Aire is a bygone spelling of "air", now reserved for poetic uses and in Kylie Jenner's case, baby names. Jenner originally announced her son's name to be Wolf, but quickly changed her mind and left…
Celtic
"bear"
Some sources say Artis is a form of Arthur, and it certainly has the same root and meaning of bear. But Artis is a name in its own right with a 60-year history on the US Top 1000, from about 1900…
Nature name
"hawk, a bird"
Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname,…
"descendant of Moses"
This evocative green nature name, heard much more frequently as a surname, is associated with playwright Moss Hart (born Robert), who co-wrote (with George S. Kaufman) such enduring Broadway comedies…
Wyoming place-name, French
"canopy of leafy boughs"
Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.
Variation of Auberon
"elf king; noble bear"
The Shakespearean character Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream is King of the Fairies, but the name, with its bold 'O' beginning has plenty of strength alongside its magical qualities. Oberon was…
French
"yew wood"
On paper, with its stylish ties to fashion legend Yves Saint-Laurent (born Henri), Yves looks great, but the pronunciation--EVE-- could lead to gender confusion. German variation Ivo might be cooler…
Nature name or Greek
"hero"
Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy…
Geographical name
Vale is part place name, part nature name -- a poetic term for a type of valley. Today Show coanchor Savannah Guthrie put Vale on the baby name map when she chose it for her daughter, but there's no…
