Vespertine's Botanical Favorites

Violet

English from Latin

"purple"

Violet is soft and sweet, yet with a vivacious edge. Today, Violet is the top flower name for girls, outranking Lily and Iris in the Top 100, and the most popular color name for girls, pulling ahead…

Hazel

English

"the hazelnut tree"

Hazel has a pleasantly hazy, brownish-green-eyed, old-fashioned image that more and more parents are choosing to share. Former Old Lady name Hazel reentered the popularity lists in 1998 and now is…

Ivy

Botanical name

The quirky, offbeat and energetic botanical name Ivy is enjoying a deserved revival, propelled even higher by its choice by high-profile parents Beyonce and Jay-Z for daughter Blue Ivy. Ivy is also…

Rosalie

French variation of Rosalia, Latin

"rose"

Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the…

Rosemary

Latin or English

"dew of the sea, or rosemary (herb)"

Despite appearances, Rosemary is not a "smoosh" name, not even a traditional one. The name derives from two Latin terms "Ros" meaning dew and Marinus meaning of the sea. The plant was termed dew of…

Briar

English

"a thorny patch"

Fairy-tale memories of Sleeping Beauty inspire some parents—such as Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen—to call their daughters Briar Rose. But Briar plus a different middle name might work even…

Lilia

Spanish, Italian and Russian

"lily"

Lilia is pretty double L name that makes for sparkly, floral choice with plenty of international flair. More distinctive that Lily, less popular than Liliana, Lia, and Lilian, Lilia was a new entry…

Margaux

French spelling variation of Margo

Yes, it's pronounced with a long o sound at the end, just like Margo and Margot. This spelling was popularized by supermodel, actress, and tragic Hemingway granddaughter Margaux, whose name spelling…

Rue

Botanical names or word name

"herb; regret"

Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine to a fresh alternative to beloved middle name Rose. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in…

Calla

Greek

"beautiful"

Calla is a botanical name that is much more distinctive than popular Lily or similar Callie. Rarely heard today, it did appear in the popularity lists in the last decades of the nineteenth century.…

Rosaline

Medieval variation of Rosalind

Rosaline, which can be pronounced to rhyme with mine or mean in its final syllable, has a deeper, richer pedigree than it might seem. Rosaline was used twice by Shakespeare and was also used in the…

Aster

English, Amharic

"star"

A fresh addition to the botanical name lists, Aster has in fact been in use since the 1910s, albeit quietly and sporadically. It began taking off for girls in the late 2000s, coinciding with comedian…

Delphine

French from Greek

"of Delphi; womb"

Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed…

Lilac

English, from Persian

"bluish or lilac"

Could Lilac be the next Lila or Lily or Violet? It certainly has a lot going for it--those lilting double 'l's, the fabulous fragrance it exudes, and the fact that it's a color name as well,…

Hyacinth

Flower name, from Greek

"blue larkspur; precious stone"

Though it may not be as sweet and gentle as, say, Violet, the purple-hued Hyacinth still might hold some appeal for the parent seeking a truly unusual flower name. In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was…

Wisteria

Flower name, from English surname

"Wister's flower"

A frilly southern-accented flower name yet to be planted on many birth certificates. In the language of flowers, the wisteria is a symbol of devotion. It is named for American horticulturalist John…

Lilou

Occitan pet form of French Liliane, or French compound of Lili and Louise

"lily; lily + renowned warrior"

Sweet, enchanting Lilou is considered both a pet name from the Occitan language (spoken in Provence in the south of France), and a compound name, blending floral Lili with classic Louise. It peaked…

Artemisia

Greek, variation of Artemis

You might think Artemisia is the feminine form of the name, but in fact the original Artemis is feminine too, the name of the Greek mythological goddess of the moon. Artemisia Gentileschi was an…

Lupine

Flower name from Latin

"pertaining to the wolf"

Lupine (spelled Lupin outside of North America) is a flower related to sweetpeas. It was given its wolfish meaning because the plant was said to deplete the soil. Comedian Jenny Slate used it as a…