Nature Names for Cats

The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.

Vicus, an unusual ancient Roman place-name, is used for modern-day boys in Africa.

Adventurous parents are venturing deeper into the garden in search of fresh names, but remember that this also makes for an alcoholic brunch.

His nickname would inevitably be Bull.

Lilium is the genus of the lily family of plants and sounds a bit botanically formal for a first name. Try Lillia or Lilias.

Veridian is a variation on Viridiana or Viridis, meaning green. Veridian is also the name of an American aeronautical company, so we recommend you stick with the alternatives.

Related to the Arabic Warda, Vered is a strong sounding nature name with a sweet floral meaing.

61 Cygni is a star in the constellation Cygnus. It's pronounced similarly to the Scandinavian name Signe/Signy.

This botanical name is one of the few Dutch names that could work outside the Netherlands, especially in Germany or Scandinavia.

Possible middle name for devotees of detective Sherlock...or the actress Katie.

A highly unusual flower name that could give you Clio for short.

Turquoise is similar in hue to Aqua, which is one of the cool new color names on the palette. Other blue-hued options: Cerulean, Cyan, Indigo, or Blue itself.

Garance is the vivid deep red color that comes from the madder flower and that has become a fashionable name for baby girls in France in recent years. While it's virtually unknown in the US and other English-speaking countries, Garance makes an original choice in the fashionable flower category. While Garance is usually a girls' name in France, there's no reason it has to be gendered female.

This eminent surname name belonged to one of the two leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the western part of the USA. The surname was originally given to someone with a sunny temperament.

Though some forward-looking parents are now choosing wood-related names like Oak, Pine, and Ash, this generic option would be even more avant garde.

Has a pleasant Scottish burr.

This adorable name of the young daughter on "Big Love" might be thought of as a variation of Tansy, an obscure flower name whose star may rise on the heels of such current favorites as Lily and Daisy.

As a name, it's linked to Sir Mulberry Hawk, a character in Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby.

With the tide coming in on a new wave of word names, this one just might catch on, especially for parents who relish sun, sand, and surf. Forest lovers can spell it Beech, like the tree.

Has the offbeat quality and macho feel -- like Stone and Flint -- that appeals to increasing numbers of modern parents.