onomasticsnerd's list "Botanical Baby Names" of 20 great name ideas: Roselle - Cyrilla!

Botanical Baby Names

A list of botanical baby names taken from both common and scientific names of flowers and other plants.

Most contemporary parents would probably opt for the more streamlined Elle. 

Roselle

A fragrant herbal and color name that could make a sensitive, distinctive choice. 

Sorrel

Name of the licorice plant, this spice comes in the shape of a star, giving this name an extra level of sweetness.

Anise

An unusual name related to the willow family.

Salix

Acer is the Latin botanical name for the Maple tree. Where Maple feels quite feminine, Acer is a more masculine way to reference this tree.

Acer

Orchid is a hothouse bloom that has not been plucked by many modern baby namers — yet. In the language of flowers, orchids symbolize love, beauty, and sophistication. 
 In a 1926 silent comedy, femme fatale Gloria Swanson played a burlesque chorus girl named Orchid Murphy.

Orchid

Ambrosia combines some of the more whimsical qualities of more popular Aurora and Isabella, with a heavenly meaning. 

In Greek mythology, Ambrosia was not a goddess or other figure but literally the food and drink of the gods, said to confer immortality. The Ancient Greek word ambrosios, meaning immortal, gave rise to the Latin name Ambrosius, which became the modern Ambrose.

Only a dozen baby girls were named Ambrosia in the US in the most recent year counted.

Ambrosia

Karri is a beautiful Australian native tree famous for its richly-colored strong wood. It's a name that travels well - and one of the few tree names that lends itself more to girls than boys.

Karri

Highly unusual as a baby name for either gender, Yarrow is an herb that grows wild and has long been used for its medicinal property. It's named for the mythical Achilles, who was said to carry yarrow into battle.

Yarrow

Andriana is a feminine name of Greek origin, representing the female variant of Adrian or Andrian. The name derives from the ancient Greek word 'andreios,' meaning 'manly,' 'brave,' or 'warrior,' and the town of Adria in Italy. Despite its etymological connection to masculine qualities, Andriana has evolved into a distinctly feminine name carrying connotations of strength and courage. The name has moderate popularity in Greece, Eastern European countries, and among those with Greek heritage. With its flowing, melodic quality and the appealing nickname options of Andi or Ana, Andriana offers a graceful yet strong choice that balances traditional roots with contemporary appeal. The name's international recognition makes it both distinctive and accessible.

Andriana

Edelweiss, made famous by the Rogers and Hammerstein song in "The Sound of Music", is a rare female name. 

In German 'edel' means 'noble' and 'weiss' means 'white'. Edelweiss is the colloquial name for the Leontopodium alpinum, a small white mountain flower sometimes used in herbal folk medicine.

In this age, though, Edelweiss might make a better <a href="/list/589/white-cat-names">name for a white cat</a> than for a little girl.

Edelweiss

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree. 
 The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator Birch Evans Bayh, who carried the name of his father and was the principal Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment.
 The birch tree has many notable qualities and uses &mdash; including the making of furniture, paper, canoes, and drums, is considered the national tree of Russia (where it used to be worshiped as a goddess), the state tree of New Hampshire, and has spiritual significance in several cultures.

Birch

More uncommon and powerful than garden varieties like Rose and Lily. Named for Scottish botanist Dr Alexander Garden.

Gardenia

Katniss Everdeen is the heroine of the popular Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, whose name comes from the (very real) edible aquatic plant of the genus Sagittaria. Katniss's father tells her that if she "finds herself," she'll never go hungry. 

Other unusual botanical names in the series include Primrose, Posy, Rue, and Clove, all for girls. Several of the boys' names come from ancient Rome: Cato, Seneca, Flavius, Caesar.

Katniss the name has less appeal than Katniss the heroine, though it's definitely more attractive than Renesmee.

Katniss

Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls, who, like many parents, will call the boy the much more manageable Huck. It was also the name of a child on TV's West Wing,

Huckleberry

Name of the Roman goddess of harvest and grain, appropriate for a fall baby. And a palindrome too!

Anona

Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan novel Atonement is spelled Briony, which is the variation and Bryony the original.
 Bryony sounds a lot fresher than the now dated Brittany. Pronunciation is like Brian with an ee at the end, though the name bears no relationship to the male Brian or Bryan.

Bryony

From the botanical name for common heather, Calluna vulgaris, which ultimately derives from the Greek kallos "beauty". A unique, nature-inspired route to the fashionable nicknames Callie and Luna.

Calluna

Carlina is a feminine name with multiple cultural connections. It functions as a diminutive form of Carla, which is the feminine version of Carl or Charles, meaning "free man" or "strong." The name also has Italian and Spanish usage, where the "-ina" suffix adds a sense of endearment or delicacy. Interestingly, Carlina is also the name of a genus of thistle plants, adding a botanical dimension to the name's associations. While never extremely common in the United States, Carlina saw modest usage in the mid-20th century. The name has a melodic, romantic quality with its soft sounds and rhythmic three syllables. Carlina balances traditional roots with a distinctive, slightly exotic flair that sets it apart from more common variants like Caroline or Carolina.

Carlina

Cyrilla is an obscure feminization of Cyril that's a bit buttoned-up but also intriguingly unique, with an authentic pedigree. Spelling Cirilla is more visible thanks to The Witcher series, in which its the name of the heroine Princess Cirilla, nicknamed Ciri. 40 baby girls were named Cirilla in the US in 2021, vs. only 10 called Cyrilla.