There is something about nature names that just feels right.
Not trendy right. Not right because everyone is doing it. Right in a deeper way. Like the name belongs to something real. Something that existed long before baby name lists and Pinterest boards and will exist long after all of that too.
When you name a baby after something in the natural world, you are giving them a connection to something that does not go out of style. Rivers do not go out of style. Mountains do not go out of style. The names that come from the earth and the sky and the sea carry that same kind of staying power.
And honestly, some of the most beautiful names in any language are nature names. They just are.
Here are 191 of them, for boys and girls both.
Flower Names That Go Beyond Rose and Lily
Rose and Lily are beautiful. No argument there.
But if you love flower names and want something that feels a little less expected, there is a whole world of botanical names that most people have never thought of. Names from wildflowers and climbing plants and old garden varieties that sound extraordinary on a baby and even better on a grown person.
- Elowen — Cornish, meaning elm tree, soft and completely original
- Amaryllis
- Wisteria
- Larkspur
- Columbine
- Foxglove
- Eglantine — the wild rose of medieval poetry
- Hyacinth
- Delphinium
- Bryony
- Clover
- Thistle
- Hawthorn
- Elderflower
- Juniper
- Briar
- Camellia
- Verbena
- Tansy
- Clementine — also a citrus fruit, warm and full of character
- Zinnia
- Aster
- Calla
- Sorrel
- Saffron
Tree Names for Boys and Girls
Trees have been given to babies as names for centuries.
And it makes complete sense when you think about it. Trees are strong. They grow slowly and steadily. They outlast almost everything around them. There is not a better thing to name a person after.
- Ash
- Rowan
- Cedar
- Birch
- Elm
- Oak
- Maple
- Willow
- Hazel
- Alder
- Linden
- Aspen
- Sequoia
- Cypress
- Olive
- Laurel
- Bay
- Yew
- Holly
- Ivy
- Balsam
- Tamarisk
- Acacia
- Banyan
- Ebony
Water and Ocean Names
Water is everywhere in nature and everywhere in naming traditions too.
Every culture that ever lived near the sea or a river built names around it. Because water is life. It moves, it changes, it finds its way around every obstacle eventually. All qualities you want in a person.
- River
- Brook
- Beck — a small stream in northern English dialect, short and strong
- Cove
- Bay
- Reef
- Coral
- Marina
- Nereid — meaning sea nymph in Greek
- Ondine
- Thalassa — meaning sea in Greek
- Caspian
- Lake
- Mere — an old English word for a lake or pond
- Fen
- Marsh
- Delta
- Ford
- Wade
- Tide
- Swell
- Surge
- Inlet
- Estuary
- Pelagic — meaning of the open sea, bold and completely original as a name
Sky and Weather Names
Look up on any given day and the sky is doing something extraordinary.
Clouds building. Light changing. The air before a storm feeling completely different from the air after one. The names that come from the sky and the weather carry that same quality of constant movement and change and beauty.
- Storm
- Rain
- Cloud
- Mist
- Fog
- Haze
- Gale
- Zephyr — the west wind in Greek mythology, gentle and warm
- Tempest
- Aurora — the northern lights, one of the most beautiful names in any language
- Soleil — French for sun, luminous and warm
- Sol
- Dawn
- Dusk
- Twilight
- Eclipse
- Solstice
- Equinox
- Thunder
- Lightning
- Frost
- Sleet
- Cirrus — the highest and lightest of all clouds
- Nimbus
- Stratus
Bird Names
Bird names have a particular kind of freedom built into them.
Something light and quick and completely alive. A bird name on a baby feels like you are wishing them something. Speed. Joy. The ability to rise above things. And some of the most beautiful nature names in any language are bird names.
- Wren
- Lark
- Robin
- Finch
- Martin
- Swift
- Crane
- Heron
- Jay
- Rook
- Raven
- Dove
- Linnet
- Merlin — also the wizard, also the small falcon
- Kestrel
- Falcon
- Hawk
- Starling
- Sparrow
- Waxwing
- Bunting
- Chat
- Wheatear
- Kingfisher
- Osprey
Gem and Mineral Names
The earth makes extraordinary things underground.
Crystals that took millions of years to form. Stones that carry color so deep it almost does not look real. Names from the mineral world carry that same sense of something rare and beautiful that had to wait a long time to be found.
- Jade
- Jasper
- Flint
- Slate
- Onyx
- Garnet
- Opal
- Pearl
- Amber
- Coral
- Obsidian
- Quartz
- Feldspar
- Pyrite
- Beryl
- Topaz
- Zircon
- Cobalt
- Sienna
- Ochre
- Umber
- Vermeil
- Alabaster
- Basalt
- Granite
Landscape and Place Names
Some of the most beautiful names come from the land itself.
Not from what grows on it or flies above it but from the shape of the earth. Valleys. Cliffs. Moors. Fields that go on longer than you can see. Names from the landscape carry a quiet strength that is very hard to find anywhere else.
- Glen
- Vale
- Dale
- Heath
- Moor
- Cliff
- Ridge
- Tor — a high rocky peak, short and strong
- Fell — a high stretch of open land in northern England
- Holm — a small island in a river or lake
- Holt — a small wood or thicket
- Lea — an open meadow
- Mead
- Weald — a heavily forested area, old English
- Chase — a stretch of unenclosed land
- Shaw — a small wood or thicket
- Grove
- Copse
- Glade
- Clearing
- Summit
- Crest
- Bluff
- Mesa
- Steppe
Season and Time of Day Names
Morning. Midnight. The last week of autumn before everything goes bare.
Some of the most evocative names in the natural world are not about a thing in nature but about a moment in it. The time of day when the light does something particular. The time of year when everything changes.
- Autumn
- Winter
- Solstice
- Dawn
- Dusk
- Vesper — the evening star, the most beautiful time of day in a single word
- Matins — the morning prayer, connected to first light
- Noon
- Equinox
- Harvest
- Frost
- Thaw — the moment winter starts to let go
- Bloom
- Verdant — meaning green and fresh, the feeling of early spring
The Final Two
- Seren. Welsh for star. One syllable, luminous, completely peaceful. It sounds like exactly what it means and that is a very rare thing in any name.
- Fen. An old English word for low marshy ground. Short, earthy, ancient. The kind of name that sounds like it belongs to someone who knows exactly who they are and does not need to explain it to anyone.
Wrapping It Up
Nature names work because they connect your child to something real.
Something that was here before any of us and will be here long after. That is not nothing. That is actually a lot to carry in a name.
Go back through the sections that felt right to you. Say the names out loud. Nature names have a quality when spoken that you cannot quite get from reading them. Softer. More alive.
The right one will feel like it was always there, just waiting for you to find it.