Color Names

  1. Sienna
    • Origin:

      Italian color name
    • Meaning:

      "orange red"
    • Description:

      Sienna has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 2005, the year after Sienna Miller's acting breakthrough in the hit movies Alfie and Layer Cake. In the US, it also got a big boost in the early noughties, before dropping slightly then rebounding to reach an all-time high in 2022.
  2. Rose
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "rose, a flower"
    • Description:

      Rose is derived from the Latin rosa, which referred to the flower. There is also evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning "famous type," and also Hros, "horse". In Old English it was translated as Roese and Rohese.
  3. Poppy
    • Origin:

      Flower name, English from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "red flower"
    • Description:

      Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in the US, where it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
  4. Marigold
    • Origin:

      Flower name, from English
    • Meaning:

      "golden flower"
    • Description:

      Marigold, once found almost exclusively in English novels and aristocratic nurseries, is beginning to be talked about and considered here. It has a sweet, sunny, quirky feel. The marigold was the symbol of the Virgin Mary.
  5. Sterling
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "of the highest quality"
    • Description:

      A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets, though it could easily be seen as a virtue-adjacent choice, like Merit, Chosen, or Hero. It has been a rising star in the US in recent years, appearing in the Top 400 in the latest count, when it was given to 880 boys.
  6. Dove
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Meaning:

      "dove, a bird"
    • Description:

      One of the new bird names, like Lark and Wren, this one's associated with the billing and cooing sounds of love. Soft and gentle, Dove also has the admirable association with peace.
  7. Roan
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Rowan, Irish, Frisian, English word name
    • Meaning:

      "little redhead; rowan tree; raven; animal with a coat of two interspersed colors"
    • Description:

      This sleek, warm-hued spelling spin on Rowan was chosen by Sharon Stone for one of her three sons back in the 2000s and it has since risen in popularity in the US. While it remains a long way behind its sometimes sound-alike Rowan, it was still given to more than 140 babies in a recent year.
  8. Indigo
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "Indian dye"
    • Description:

      Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India, is particularly striking for both girls and boys. Indigo is the name of a character in the Ntozake Shange novel Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and was used for his daughter by Lou Diamond Phillips.
  9. Lavender
    • Origin:

      English color and flower name
    • Meaning:

      "purple flower"
    • Description:

      Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold. In fact, 2024 saw it enter the US Top 1000 for the first time, when it was given to nearly 260 girls.
  10. Sapphire
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Greek, and Latin jewel name
    • Meaning:

      "blue"
    • Description:

      Sapphire goes waaaaay beyond Ruby and Pearl. This September birthstone, occasionally used a century ago, might be worth a reappraisal, perhaps as a Sophie/Sophia alternative. Sapphire is the pseudonym of Romona Lofton, who wrote the book Push, which was turned into the movie Precious. Sapphire entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022, and is proving to be one of the freshest gem names for girls. Another intriguing variation is the lovely Sapphira.
  11. Emerald
    • Origin:

      Gem name; Persian
    • Meaning:

      "green"
    • Description:

      Emerald is the intriguing color and jewel name of the deep green stone treasured as far back as ancient Egypt — it's supposed to open one's heart to wisdom and to love and be good for strengthening relationships — which could make for an interesting, unusual name, particularly with the popularity of so many Em-starting names.
  12. Cerise
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "cherry"
    • Description:

      Infinitely preferable to the tease-inspiring English version of the word.
  13. Ebony
    • Origin:

      English
    • Description:

      An attractive and now underused nature name belonging to a tree whose wood is prized for its dark color and dense texture, which shines when polished. Ebony joined the most popular girl names list in the US in the early 1970s, peaked in 1982 at #132, and dropped back below the Top 1000 in 2006.
  14. Roux
    • Origin:

      French from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "russet"
    • Description:

      Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat. Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that forms the foundation of many gravies or sauces. Most of today's children with this name, pronounced roo, will actually spell it Rue, for the female character in The Hunger Games.
  15. Ash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Asher, English
    • Meaning:

      "ash tree"
    • Description:

      Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or any other "Ash" name.
  16. Raven
    • Origin:

      Word and animal name
    • Description:

      Bird name Raven, once a symbol of pride for both African-American and Wiccan parents, is finding new life as a superhero name. Raven Darkholme is the real name of Mystique, heroine of the X-Men films played by Jennifer Lawrence. And there is another Raven superheroine in Teen Titans. Some parents may still choose Raven to signal black pride or mystical powers or maybe even Edgar Allan Poe fandom, but we are guessing most inspiration is coming from the comics.
  17. Moss
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Moses"
    • Description:

      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 as The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take it With You.
  18. Azure
    • Origin:

      English color name, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "sky blue; lapis lazuli"
    • Description:

      Azure is a colorful gender-neutral choice, currently used equally for baby girls and boys in the US. It refers to a specific shade of blue seen in a cloudless sky. Elon Musk revealed Azure to be the name of his daughter with Shivon Zilis, twin sister to Strider.
  19. Claret
    • Origin:

      English word name from French and Latin
    • Meaning:

      "deep purple-red; clear"
    • Description:

      Rich purplish red color choice that may gain favor along with Claire, though the wine connection can't be ignored.
  20. Jet
    • Origin:

      Mineral and word name
    • Description:

      This super-charged variation of Jett is on the rise -- along with the unlikely newcomer Jetson.

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