Wild Nature Names

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.

This big cat name is especially striking with its X ending.

Worthy sibling for Oak, Elm, Juniper, and Spruce.

In the garden of herb names, Rosemary and Basil are perennials and Sage is a new upshoot, but Fennel is a real rarity. The aniseed-tasting plant, used to add flavor to dishes around the world, gets its name from the Latin word feniculum, meaning "little hay".

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.

Moss is an authentic nature name in English, but the name Moos, popular in the Netherlands, sounds like Moose in English, a not-very-complimentary animal name.

Nimbus is a word from nature for a type of cloud that has occasionally -- very occasionally -- been used for a human. But it's evocative and upbeat and certainly makes an intriguing and stylish nature name.

This cosmological name has a zippy feel that might work well for the galactic parent looking for the perfect name for their own little star.

A rarer-than-rare floral name with a sting in the tail!

This may be a bit quirky to make it as a name, especially in first place. If you love it, you might try it in the middle.

An eider is a sea duck whose feathers make ultra-soft eiderdown.

An (understandably) rare word name, Kite nevertheless has the sounds of two favorites — Kai and Kit. The word kite possibly derives from Proto-Indo-European roots and means "screech", however, it is better known as the name of a bird of prey and a toy designed to be flown in the wind. It might also be used to describe a fraudulent bill, cheque, or receipt.

Short, simple international names like this make distinctive middle name possibilities. Nir also makes for a nature-oriented first name that's both straightforward and unusual. But be prepared for a lifetime of "...and far" jokes.

A handsome, spruced-up post-Bruce tree name.

Bamboo is a plant name that you might want to save for the zoo's name-the-panda contest. It was used for a starbaby in 2000, though, the rapper Big Boi.

A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelia, Oriole is extremely rare as a name: No babies were given the name in the US in 2022. But most people are aware of the Oriole bird, which makes this name uncommon yet possible.

Oceania is one of the most elaborate of the trending Ocean-related names. Oceania also refers to the area of the world including Australia and neighboring islands.

Nature names are often associated with Spring and Summer, but Glacier is ideal for a winter baby.

This evocative name of a dramatic tropical Indian fig tree is ready to move west.

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.