Nature Names for Girls

In English, a fen is a wetland fed by surface and/or groundwater. In Dutch and Frisian, it's a traditional diminutive of names containing the element frid, meaning "peace".

Not time yet for Thyme.

An attractive update to Gladys.

Gladiola is a character in the 1991 novel and 1995 film How to Make an American Quilt

Aromatic but also problematic.

Spicy.

An old-man name that sounds cute when used for a little girl, and is starting to seem cool again for boys too.

Corymbia is the botanical name of many species of beautiful flowering gum trees. It is a rare, but attested, girls name in Australia.

Nimbus is a new nature name that works for either gender and manages to be both familiar and unique. An evocative and daring nature name for the future.

One of the coolest new word names we've discovered lately — Coast conjures up images of big waves, beach days, and expansive shorelines.

An Italian word name that somehow feels incomplete in itself.

Accessible, aromatic Indian name.

Among the least gimmicky, most appealing and colorful of all the names found in the atlas, Jamaica almost sings out the rhythms of the West Indies.

An edible plant used in seed and spice form.

Malti is an Indian floral name from the plant madhumalti — a tropical flowering vine that is known in English as the Rangoon creeper. In India, Madhu and Malti are often used as twin names or as a first/middle name combination.

The Old Norse and modern Norwegian word name Fjord, which refers to a passage in the sea, could work for children of both genders.

People are likely to want to put that second - Cornell University inspired - L on the end of this name, when in fact it has a completely different etymology. This name is very popular in Romania though American public intellectural Cornel West and South African athlete Cornel Fredericks broadens its use beyond Eastern Europe.

Traditionally a masculine name in Wales, Celyn (pronounced with a hard K) is now used for both boys and girls.

A rare and picturesque floral name, elaborating on the popular Lily. Waterlilies symbolize peace and tranquility, and there's a lovely artistic association too, thanks to French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

A popular flower, but as a name we don't expect it to reach the heights of Lily or Violet. Its origins are not entirely clear: it may come directly from the French word carnation "complexion" (because of the flower's pale pink color), or it may be a corruption of English "coronation".

Poppy is the most widely-used seed name, opening the door for Sesame. While Sesame has a pretty sound, it is not often used as a name -- fewer than five baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021. In kids' minds, this might be overly associated with Sesame Street.