Names That Mean Purple

Orchid is a hothouse bloom that has not been plucked by many modern baby namers — yet. In the language of flowers, orchids symbolize love, beauty, and sophistication.

Now that Violet is becoming more popular, parents are starting to explore same-but-different options such as the French Violette, which would properly be pronounced with a long e sound in the first syllable and three syllables -- vee-oh-let -- as well as the Spanish Violeta — both of which were among the fastest-rising girl names of 2023.

Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel middle names.

An underused member of the Lily group of names. The spelling makes it clear you want it to rhyme with Willa.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan.

Magenta is a vivid Crayola color name, that could make a vivid, colorful choice. It was named in 1859 after the Napoleonic Battle of Magenta, a town in Northern Italy.

Violeta is the variation of Violet found throughout Eastern Europe -- the name is styled this way in Bulgarian and Roumanian as well as other languages -- and Spain, while Violetta is the Italian form. Violeta re-entered the Top 1000 in 2018. The Violetta spelling is given to about half as many baby girls. A lovely choice for parents who love Violet but want something more unusual.

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that should be ripe for rediscovery.

The Japanese equivalent of Violet, common among Millennial and Gen Z Japanese women.

Jacinth is a gemstone of the Zircon variety. The name is related to the floral Hyacinth.

Rarely heard Hayden alternative -- though, mark our words, you'll spend your life correcting everyone's pronunciation and spelling.

This perky Spanish nickname deserves to be more popular. Singer Michael Bublé recently used it as one of the middle names for his daughter Cielo, which may give Yoli a boost.

From the botanical name for common heather, Calluna vulgaris, which ultimately derives from the Greek kallos "beauty". A unique, nature-inspired route to the fashionable nicknames Callie and Luna.

This ancient saint's name was borne by the infamous midcentury playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa.

A lovely V starting boy name derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the sweet violet flower.

Giacinta is as pretty in its way as Jacinta, the Spanish name for the same purple flower, and is also a saint's name. Gia is the nickname it shares with all Gia-starting names.

Too close to violent.

The surname Hatton has three primary origins — English, French, and Irish/Scottish Gaelic. The English variation is a combination of compounds meaning "heather" and "settlement," while the French is derived from Germanic given names beginning with Hadu-, meaning "battle."

A phonetic variant of the gorgeous Greek name Ione, and one that was used by model Coco Rocha for her daughter in 2015.

Less familiar and appealing than the feminine Jacinta.