Nature Names for Girls

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.

More modern than Helen or Helena, and an interesting alternative to Hayley and Hallie. By coincidence, heli also means "saltwater" in Welsh.

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

This name of the mythological mother of Achilles might suffer from English speakers making the rhyming association to the word fetus. The traditional Greek pronunciation might alleviate that problem.

Stockard Channing -- "West Wing" 's first lady -- picked this strong, Waspy first name over her original, Susan.

Merrill, once fairly common for males, is rarely used for girls (or boys either, for that matter) with this spelling. Chef Emeril Lagasse dropped the initial E from his name and called his daughter Meril.

One of the rarer tree names, Birch evokes imagery of the beautiful paper-white bark tree.

Although a unisex name, the most notable people named Birch are men, such as Indiana senator Birch Evans Bayh Jr.

Birch trees are very symbolic in many cultures. In Russia, birch trees are emblematic of grace, beauty, and strength. In Celtic culture, birch trees represent growth, stability, and adaptability.

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.

Occasionally heard in Ireland, small chance of success here.

Named for its snowcapped mountains, Nevada is a state name which, unlike Carolina, Montana, and Dakota, has been relatively undiscovered. Warning: today's unvisited place-name could become tomorrow's trampled tourist attraction.

Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.

Wildflower may be the ultimate hippie name, added to the lexicon by Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden when they chose it as one of their daughter's middle names. It's generic in the way that Flora and River are, as opposed to Iris and Nile, say. But it has a certain free and creative charm.

This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby girl's birth certificate.

Destined to remain a one-person name -- in this country anyway.

Dune is a haunting and evocative sandy-beach name, which also has sci-fi connections. Dune is a science fiction franchise that was launched by Frank Herbert's 1965 novel. Some interesting Dune character names include Alia, Leto, Siona, Bellonda,and Tamalane.

Has a pleasant Scottish burr.