Nature Names for Girls

As a new set of word names washes up on the shore, names like Beach could appeal to parents with a love for the sand and the waves. If you prefer hiking and forests over surfing and dunes, Beech would be a more appropriate spelling.

This name comes from a type of butterfly famous for its red spot.

A common name for the plumeria flower, named after the 16th-century Marquis Muzio Frangipani of the Italian noble family. He invented a perfume using the flower.

A unique compound name taken from a variety of mint known for its medicinal properties.

The name of a river that flows through Texas into the Gulf of Mexico is given to a dozen or so baby boys and a handful of girls each year. The name derives from Spanish río de los Brazos de Dios ("river of the Arms of God").

Soft and creative update of Marsha.

Seagrasses are aquatic plants — the only flowering plants that grow underwater. They often exist in seagrass beds or meadows — rich ecosystems that house and feed organisms as well as protect against erosion and pollution. For lovers of the ocean and the environment, Seagrass could make a meaningful middle name.

Fragrant herb often used for cooking, but scarcely as a name.

For the boyds. Er, boys, if only judging my the statistics, which have this rare bird name given to a handful of baby boys in the US but no recent baby girls. But it certainly would make a majestic choice for a child of either gender.

This name derives from the name of a genus of butterfly. Apart from this delightful connection, the name offers good nickname options such as Kallie and Lili, as well as fitting in to the current trend of Kal names such as Kalliope and Calista.

Briar is a rising unique unisex name and Bryars is a spin introduced as the middle name of one of the Waldrop sextuplets, Layke Bryars, who happens to be a boy. But the name works just as well for girls.