Eccentric Botanical Names for Girls

Amaranth

botanical name

Amaranth is a beautiful herb with bright fuchsia flowers and a tasty seed that flavors many Eastern dishes. The name is filled with potential for the more adventurous namer, with nickname potential…

Amarantha

Flower name; Greek

"unfading"

Amarantha is a rare botanical name whose mythical equivalent was believed to be immortal. The Italian and Spanish form is the somewhat-more-acccessible Amaranta.

Amaryllis

Greek

"to sparkle"

If you love both unique baby names and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you. A showier flower name than Lily, but in the same botanical family, Amaryllis is not as…

Ambrosia

Latin, feminine form of Ambrose

"Immortal"

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…

Amidala

Italian

"beautiful flower"

An attractive enough name, but for die-hard Star Wars fans only.

Anemone

Flower name; Greek

"daughter of the wind"

Anemone is a floral name that relates to the ancient Greek myth of the famous love story of Aphrodite and Adonis, in which Aphrodite transforms her wounded lover's blood into a flower, the crimson…

Anise

Nature name

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

Anthea

Greek

"flowery"

This unjustly neglected floral name is smart and crisp, with a touch of Athena, Anna, and Cynthia about it. It also has that stylish Greek mythological heritage: Anthea is an epithet of Hera, the…

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…

Aster

English; Amharic

"star"

This is a fresh new addition to the botanical list; comedian Gilbert Gottfried made it a real bouquet when he named his daughter Lily Aster. And the name of the little girl on television's Dexter…

Begonia

French

"Begon's flower"

Begonia is a pretty flower named for French administrator and amateur horticulturalist Michel Bégon, who was an avid naturalist but also a proponent of slavery. A rare floral choice which has never…

Belladonna

English from Italian

"nightshade, beautiful lady"

Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.

Berenice

Greek

"she who brings victory"

A name with a surprising amount of history--it was the name of the wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt, occurs in the New Testament, and belonged to a fourth century saint. In the US, it has long been spelled…

Betula

Betula is an uncommon feminine name derived from the scientific Latin name for the birch tree (Betula). The birch has significant cultural importance in many northern European traditions, symbolizing…