Fabric & Textile Names

  1. Argyle
    • Origin:

      Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "an Irishman, from the land of the Gaels"
    • Description:

      Nice Scottish sound, but too tied to sweaters and socks.
  2. Brocade
    • Calico
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Meaning:

        "cotton cloth imported from India; a blotched or spotted animal"
      • Description:

        A word name with fashionable o-ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago.
    • Cashmere
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        Cashmere is soft, luxurious -- and way out of the ordinary. One of the unique names found in The Hunger Games series.
    • Chantilly
      • Origin:

        French place name
      • Meaning:

        "white"
      • Description:

        The name of a French city famous for its fine lace. Another association: Chantilly cream – a sweetened whipped cream apparently invented there in the 17th century by a chef at the Château de Chantilly. The town probably takes is name from the Gallo-Roman personal name Cantilius, derived from a word for "white".
    • Cotton
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        A name heard in Puritan times -- Cotton Mather was a minister involved in the Salem witchcraft trials -- which really deserves modern consideration as it blends nature and softness into a really trendy and wearable masculine name.
    • Cambric
      • Camo
        • Charmuese
          • Corduroy
            • Denim
              • Origin:

                Word name
              • Meaning:

                "sturdy cotton"
              • Description:

                With Levi in vogue and country names on trend, Denim could fit in among the Waylons, Walkers, Coltons, and Rhetts. As a boys name, it brings to mind the qualities of the fabric: hardworking, cool and versatile. Singer Toni Braxton chose this name for her son in 2001, and parents have been using it for boys and girls ever since.
            • Damask
              • Dobby
                • Flax
                  • Gingham
                    • Heather
                      • Origin:

                        English botanical name
                      • Description:

                        This flower name was one of the most popular in her class in the seventies and eighties (in the 1989 movie Heathers, every snobby girl in the high school clique bore that name). Now, though still pretty and evocative of the Scottish moors, it has faded in favor of other purplish blooms, having fallen out of the Top 1000 after having been as high as Number 3 in 1975, when it was given to close to 25,000 girls.
                    • Herring
                      • Jean
                        • Origin:

                          English and Scottish, from French variation of Johanna
                        • Meaning:

                          "God is gracious"
                        • Description:

                          Originally a feminine of John, Jean was popular in Scotland long before it found favor elsewhere, and had its most shining moment here in the era of Jean Harlow (born Harlean), ultimate symbol of silver screen glamour. Now, though there are many grandmas and even moms with the name, it doesn't seem all that baby-friendly. Though that could change, and Jean could join Jane.
                      • Jersey
                        • Origin:

                          English place name, Old Norse
                        • Meaning:

                          "Geirr's island"
                        • Description:

                          An established place name, associated with a sunny island in the English Channel, the Garden State in the US, knitted pullovers, reality TV, and a Broadway musical. It peaked in the late 2000s and though it is now in decline, 130 girls and nearly 50 boys received the name in 2023.

                          -ey meaning "island". Alternative theories suggest it comes from jarl ,meaning "earl" or hjǫr meaning "sword".
                      • Lacey
                        • Origin:

                          English
                        • Meaning:

                          "from Lassy"
                        • Description:

                          A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity. It's currently associated with actress Lacey Chambert.