Nature Names - Boys

River

Nature name

River shares the tranquil feeling of all the water names, and seems to have pretty much escaped its past strong association with River Phoenix and his unfortunate fate. Actor Joaquin Phoenix named…

Orion

Greek

"boundary, limit"

Orion is a rising star, with both mythical and celestial overtones. The Greek mythological Orion was the legendary hunter who pursued the seven daughters of Atlas, was slain by the goddess Artemis,…

Rocky

English, Italian

"rock; rest; rook"

A popular choice back in the 50s and 70s, Rocky fell into decline after Sylvester Stallone's battered but not beaten boxer character became the overwhelming association many had with the name. Now,…

Clay

English word name; diminutive of Clayton

Clay is a rich, earthy one-syllable name with a southern-inflected handsome-rogue image, featured on soap operas and reality TV. Its longer forms are Clayton and Clayborne. There have been TV…

Forest

French occupational name

"woodsman or woods"

The Forest variation of Forrest, used by actor Whitaker, nudges the meaning more toward the woods and away from the woodsman.

Canyon

Spanish word name

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. Similar but less word-like: Kenyon.

Cliff

Topographical name or short form of Clifford or Clifton

Cliff is a familiar, timeless short form -- never too popular, yet widely known -- that you might also think of as a geographical name ala Vale or Field.

Greene

English

"green"

Greene is a masculine name that originated as an English surname derived from the Old English word 'grene,' meaning 'green.' It was typically given to families who lived near a village green or in…

Rain

Nature name

Mostly feminine, though "Office" star Rainn Wilson gives it a slight masculine twist. You might also use this as a short form of Raines.

Thorne

English

"thorn thicket"

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorne? The E ending gives it a surnamey spin à la Hawthorne. Thorne Smith (born James Thorne) was a comic fantasy…

Zephyr

Greek

"west wind"

If you're looking for a name that's light and breezy, this could be it. A name from mythology: Zephyrus/Zephyr was the Greek god of the west wind, and with its similarity in sound to the likes of…