585+ Botanical Baby Names

As well as Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, two Yankees ballplayers, Hideki Irabu and Hideki Matsui, made this name familiar to Americans.

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".

Accessible, aromatic Indian name.

Une amie for Gwyneth's little girl.

The unique O-ending makes this name memorable, especially for someone with ties to Texas.

This Thai name can get shortened to Niki or Nika.

Beguiling alternative to Johanna.

This fragrant name was sometimes seen in hippie communes in the days of flower power.

Boys' names beginning with "El" were all the rage in the 1910s, but today Elmore - along with Elwin, Ellsworth and others - has barely been used for decades. It has literary connections through writer Elmore "Dutch" Leonard. More recently, several children's book characters have given the name a cuddly feel: Holly Hobbie's Elmore the Porcupine, and Elmore Green in Lauren Child's "The New Small Person".

An energetic Japanese name that would make for an on-trend choice in the English-speaking world. Especially appropriate for a first-born son.

Penthia might not be the most charming flower name, but as the lovely Penelope ascends, and the lovely Cynthia fades away, a compromise may be in order.

This tree, famous for the honey produced from its flowers, can be used as a masculine or feminine name.

Amaranta is the unusual and intriguing Latinate form of the Greek botanical name Amarantha, which connects to an eternal mythical figure. An excellent choice for the parent who wants an A name but wishes to move beyond the usual complement of names from Amelia to Annabel.

Mawar is another of the "rose" variants that is almost unheard of outside its home country (in this case, Indonesia), but which deserves consideration given its lilting sound.

One of the few French words/names not attractive to the American ear. It's pronounced moo-gay, not a winner on either syllable. Alternatives: Liliane, Lily, Lilou, Manon.

Palindromic name often heard in Ethiopia.

This botanical name, referring to the vivid deep red color and to the madder plant from which it derives, is almost unknown to English speakers. But it's been trending in France recently, reaching the Top 100.

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.

Tupelo, the name of a Mississippi city as well as a tree with soft, light wood that grows in the swamps of the south, attracted some attention as a first name via author Tupelo Hassman. The song Tupelo Honey also brought it some notoriety.

A Korean name that can work for either gender, Yunhee can be anglicized as Yun-hui and Yoonhee, among other variations. Like other Korean names, it has a number of meanings depending on the hanja or characters used to write the name's syllables, with lotus flower and pleasure two of the most common.