Nature Names for Girls

Common California place-name that could work for a girl.

Word name possibility carrying the scent of licorice-like anise. Fennel gets its own name from the Latin word feniculum, meaning "little hay".

New Zealand writer Ngaio (born Edith Ngaio) Marsh is the best-known bearer of this Maori nature name, properly pronounced ng (like the end of sing) -EYE-oh. It is the name of a tree indigenous to New Zealand, also called the Mousehole Tree.

Feather, though it was used for a character in a Walter Mosley novel, seems too light and fluttery for a real-life girl.

In botany, a catkin is a long, thin flower cluster found on trees such as willow, hazel, oak and birch. The word derives from Middle Dutch katteken "kitten", due to the resemblance to a kitten's furry tail.

One of the most adaptable of the Middle Eastern names, partly because of its similarity to the western Camilla.

Also know as the salt cedar, a plant known for enduring harsh conditions. This makes Tamarisk an intriguing nature name, suggesting resilience and strength, similar to the name Oak for boys.

Olympic athlete Usain Bolt introduced this unusual and electric nature name to the lexicon when he chose it for his daughter's middle name: Olympia Lightning Bolt. Now there's a name with layers of meaning!

A virtually unknown choice in the U.S. -- after 20 years of researching names, we've just heard of it ourselves -- but definitely attractive and usable for the baby namer who truly wants something different.

With River and Ocean becoming mainstream, why not consider Sea?

Common Asian surname also works as a first, as with the singer Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power (and born Charlyn).

Lots of parents choose nature names, but only a few choose Nature as a name each year. It is equally used for boys and girls in the USA.

Suggests the salty, windswept air of the seashore.

Offbeat flower name, sure to raise some eyebrows. But with Lily, Rose, and even Daisy starting to wilt, more alluring blooms such as Geranium, Magnolia, and Azalea may blossom.

She may have been an appealing Chinese heroine in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but her name won't translate for a modern American girl. Better choices: Snow, or Flora.

Fresh, evocative choice.

Marjoram is a herb and flower. With nicknames like Margie and Jo at the ready, we think that if Marigold can make a comeback, why not Marjoram?

A genus of tropical shrubs that bear white and pink flowers.

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.

Sweet and feminine Eastern flower name.