unique nature names that you will love

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in different spellings and forms, from John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Ella Bleu to Alicia Silverstone's Bear Blu. Dave 'The Edge' Evans named his daughter Blue Angel back in 1989.

A handsome, spruced-up post-Bruce tree name.

A cool, nature-inspired surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, also spelled Oakes.

Strong, straight, and leafy, one of the new tree names used mostly as middles.

Canyon is a unique baby name evocative of natural splendor and the old Steve Canyon comic-strip heroism, making it an intriguing new word-name possibility.

A flower name containing both beauty and power, Lotus has significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing purity, grace and spiritual growth — not to mention a familiar yoga position.

One of the most unusual flower names, Tulip is cute but tough to pull off as a first. It has some celebrity cred via Charlie Tamara Tulip, twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. It derives from Persian dulband "turban", due to the distinctive shape of the flowers.

Whether you think of it as Cale with a K, or a pet form of Kalen or Kaleb, this is just the kind of short, synthetic name finding a lot of favor now, but remember -- it's also the name of a vegetable.

This yellow harbinger spring bloom was named for Scottish botanist William Forsyth, and is even more unusual than such species as Acacia and Azalea.

The nature boy version of the Scandinavian Leif, which actually means "heir". In the creative-naming Phoenix family, Leaf is the former name of the actor we know as Joaquin.

Yes, though it seems so extreme, girls were actually sometimes given this name a century ago; now it is so uncommon it would make a strong springtime statement. Biggest obstacle: the nickname Daffy.

Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, that may lean too dazzling for some, but more grounded for others, thanks to its similarity of Alden, Auden, Elden and Gordon. Given to 100 babies in a recent year, Golden is currently a gender neutral choice.

We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.

Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.

A rarer-than-rare floral name with a sting in the tail!

Sweet but sharp, Lemon was given to a surprising 50 girls back in 2021, while in a more recent year, it was given to just shy of 30. Some parents may find it summery and refreshing, while others may feel it leaves a sour taste in the mouth; either way, Lemon sounds similar enough to on-trend choices like Lennon, Clementine, and Leni that it does have the potential to be used more often.