User-created list
All the Botanical Girls
Across 5 pages
of 5
The names
Birch
English, German, Danish, and Swedish surname and tree name
"dweller in the birch wood"
One of the rarer tree names, Birch evokes imagery of the beautiful paper-white bark tree. Although a unisex name, the most notable people named Birch are men, such as Indiana senator Birch Evans Bayh…
Branch
Word name
Branch is a novel unisex name with ties to nature and trees and also to branching out with new experiences and ideas. Branch can also be considered a surname name, as in country singer Michelle…
Buttercup
Flower name, from English
"yellow wildflower"
Though Buttercup is most often reserved for cows (and pets of other kinds), this humble flower name was given to the princess in "The Princess Bride" and to one of The Power Puff Girls . Yet to rank…
Cedar
English from Latin tree name
"cedar tree"
A fresh and fragrant nature name, Cedar is one of the new tree/wood names that parents are starting to consider. While it is currently more popular for boys, it sounds similar enough to Selah, Celia,…
Apricot
Fruit name
A very unique fruit name heard more often on peachy-colored dogs than on baby girls.
Ash
Diminutive of Ashley, English
"ash tree"
Ash is a gender-neutral choice that calls to mind the '80s favorite: Ashley. But view it as a nature name -- as in the tree, not the charred bit of soot in the fireplace -- and it makes a cool choice…
Tangerine
Word name
We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.
Oak
Nature name
Ten times as many boys are named Oak as girls: about 50 boys last year to five girls. Of course, nature names don't have any traditional gender identification the way names like John and Mary do, so…
Larkspur
English botanical name
A rarer-than-rare floral name with a sting in the tail!
Foxglove
Flower name, from English
"fox's glove"
A rare flower name that works as well for boys as it does for girls, so named because of its resemblance to a small glove.
Freesia
Flower name, from German surname
"Freese's flower"
A rare, free-feeling flower name for the parent who wants to move far, far beyond Rose and Daisy. Named for German physician Friedrich Freese.
Sorrel
Botanical name and French
"reddish brown"
A fragrant herbal and color name that could make a sensitive, distinctive choice.
Bay
English word, Old English
"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…
Heliotrope
botanical name
Despite the beauty of this flower's appearance and fragrance, this is one of the clumsier flower names.
Snapdragon
Flower name, from English
"dragon's mouth"
Feisty floral name that would work better as a middle name than as a first, so called because of the flower's resemblance to a dragon's open mouth.
Sequoia
Native American, Cherokee
"sparrow"
This name of a giant tree, itself named for a nineteenth-century Cherokee who invented a way to write his tribe's language, makes a strong, stately statement.
Patchouli
Nature name
This fragrant name was sometimes seen in hippie communes in the days of flower power. There were no babies named Patchouli in the US last year, but there were about 25 baby girls named Indica and…
Oleander
Botanical Name
The name of this pretty Mediterranean shrub is reminiscent of vintage Olive, and interestingly its etymology appears to overlap too: oleander most likely derives from Greek rhododendron "rose tree",…
Mimosa
Latin plant name
Adventurous parents are venturing deeper into the garden in search of fresh names, but remember that this also makes for an alcoholic brunch.
Hydrangea
Flower name, from Greek
"water vessel"
Prettier than the other name the plant goes by, Hortensia.
