103 Pretty And Cute Butterfly Names For Girls And Boys

By Samantha

There is something about butterflies that has captured human imagination for thousands of years.

The transformation. The color. The way they appear suddenly in summer and disappear just as quietly. Every culture on earth has a word for them, a story about them, and names inspired by them.

Butterfly names are having a real moment right now. Parents are reaching for names that feel light, nature-connected, and full of beauty without being obvious. And butterfly names deliver all of that perfectly.

Here are 105 of the prettiest and most unique butterfly names for girls and boys.

Girl Names Inspired By Butterflies

Butterfly girl names tend to have a softness to them. An openness. They feel like names that move through the world with ease and color and quiet confidence.

Some of these names directly mean butterfly. Others come from the flowers, gardens, and skies that butterflies call home. All of them carry that same lightness.

  1. Vanessa — An actual genus of butterflies that includes the Painted Lady and the Red Admiral.
  2. Mariposa — The Spanish word for butterfly.
  3. Papillon — The French word for butterfly.
  4. Psyche — In Greek mythology, Psyche was depicted with butterfly wings.
  5. Cressida — A stunning butterfly found in Papua New Guinea with striking black and white wings.
  6. Lycorea — A gorgeous butterfly genus found across Central and South America. Completely unused as a given name and completely ready to be.
  7. Calypso — A tropical butterfly genus with some of the most vivid coloring in the natural world.
  8. Aurelia — The chrysalis of some butterfly species has a golden sheen. This name captures that perfectly.
  9. Luna — The Luna moth is one of the most breathtaking creatures in North America.
  10. Flutter
  11. Meadow
  12. Blossom
  13. Zinnia
  14. Dahlia
  15. Celeste
  16. Iris
  17. Flora
  18. Wren
  19. Willow
  20. Fern
  21. Clover
  22. Juniper
  23. Petal
  24. Dove
  25. Lark
  26. Saffron
  27. Aurora
  28. Soleil
  29. Fleur
  30. Violet
  31. Scarlett
  32. Coral
  33. Pearl
  34. Opal
  35. Amber

More Girl Names With Butterfly Energy

These names carry the spirit of a butterfly without directly naming one. Light, colorful, transformative.

  1. Wisteria
  2. Lavender
  3. Primrose — A real wildflower that butterflies are deeply drawn to.
  4. Clementine
  5. Hyacinth
  6. Rosalind
  7. Elara
  8. Seraphina
  9. Calista
  10. Evangeline
  11. Isolde
  12. Thessaly
  13. Ondine
  14. Jade
  15. Indigo

Boy Names Inspired By Butterflies

Butterfly boy names tend to pull from mythology, nature, and the actual science of butterflies. Entomologists have given butterfly species some of the most striking names in the natural world, and many of them work beautifully as boy names.

  1. Morpho — One of the most famous butterflies on earth, with iridescent electric blue wings that seem to shift as you move.
  2. Atlas — The Atlas Moth is one of the largest winged insects in the world.
  3. Apollo — An actual butterfly genus. The Apollo butterfly lives in mountain meadows across Europe.
  4. Zephyr — The west wind that carries butterflies across meadows in the Greek tradition.
  5. Monarch
  6. Orion
  7. Helios
  8. Leander
  9. Florian
  10. Jasper
  11. Forrest
  12. Robin
  13. Finch
  14. Sparrow
  15. Sage
  16. Caspian
  17. Evander
  18. Sylvan — From the Latin word for forest. Butterflies live at the edge of forests and clearings.
  19. Glen
  20. Reed
  21. Linden
  22. Asher
  23. Elm
  24. Birch
  25. Cedar
  26. Arlo
  27. Flynn
  28. Lysander — A character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s most butterfly-filled play.
  29. Puck — Also from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Quick, mischievous, and nature-bound.
  30. Luca

Gender Neutral Butterfly Names

Butterflies themselves do not divide by gender. Neither do these names.

  1. Azure — The Azure butterfly is a small, vivid blue species found across North America and Europe.
  2. Copper — The Copper butterfly has wings of burnished orange-gold.
  3. Skipper — A family of butterflies known for their quick, darting flight.
  4. Elfin — The Elfin butterflies are a group of small, early-spring species.
  5. Brimstone — The Brimstone butterfly was likely the original butter-fly, the yellow insect whose color gave butterflies their English name.
  6. Painted — As in the Painted Lady, the most widespread butterfly species in the world.
  7. Scout
  8. Sunny
  9. Goldie
  10. River
  11. Robin
  12. Indigo
  13. Swallowtail
  14. Sage
  15. Sunday

Rare And Unusual Butterfly Names From Around The World

Every language has a word for butterfly and many of them are extraordinary as given names.

  1. Cho — Japanese
  2. Farfalla — Italian
  3. Kipepeo — Swahili
  4. Flutura — Albanian
  5. Parpar — Hebrew
  6. Kelebek — Turkish
  7. Borboleta — Portuguese
  8. Sommerfugl — Norwegian and Danish, pronounced SOM-mer-fool. It literally means summer bird.
  9. Fjäril — Swedish
  10. Baoshu — Chinese

Wrapping Up

Butterfly names carry something special. They speak to transformation, to color, to the way beauty can appear suddenly and make the whole world feel different.

Whether you go for a direct butterfly name like Vanessa or Morpho, a nature name with butterfly energy like Zephyr or Willow, or a word for butterfly from another language entirely, every name on this list will grow beautifully with your child.

Save this pin so you can come back to it whenever you need the perfect butterfly name.

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