Nature Names for Girls

As nature names get more popular, parents look to undiscovered nature words and terms that can be turned into baby names. Rice is certainly undiscovered, but may not make the transition from word to baby name as smoothly as, say, River.

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.

Africa's fourth-longest river would make a unique name choice.

Quirky tree name with baby name potential.

An order of carnivorous insects, most notably dragonflies and damselflies.

Soft and creative update of Marsha.

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").

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.

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.

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.