Nature names

What are nature names like?

Hazel takes its name from the hazel tree or the related color word. Ruby comes from the gemstone name.

Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.

Lillian English · elaboration of Lily, from Latin lilium (lily flower)

Hazel English · the hazel tree or light-brown color, from Old English hæsel

Lee English · means 'meadow, clearing', from Old English leah

Violet Latin · from the English word for the violet flower, ultimately from Latin viola

Sylvia Latin · "of the forest, wood"

Jay English · short form of J- names, or from the bird

Lillie Latin · variant of Lily/Lillian, from the flower name, Latin 'lilium'

Ruby Latin · "the ruby," from rubeus, "red," July's birthstone; a favorite of the Victorian gem-name generation alongside Pearl and Opal, and the one that came back strongest a century on. Warm, vivid, and a little retro-glamorous

Crystal Greek · from the word for clear quartz, ultimately Greek 'krystallos' (ice)

Robin Germanic · familiar short form of Robert, "bright fame"

Rose Latin · rose flower

Rosemary English · compound of Rose and Mary, also the herb name

Holly English · the holly tree, a symbol of Christmas (nature name); immortalized by Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Leona Latin · feminine form of Leo, 'lion/lioness'

Lily English · the lily flower; English word ultimately from Latin lilium, associated with purity in Christian art

Lynn Welsh · lake, waterfall

Mae English · possibly a form of Mary, or from the month of May; famously borne by Mae Jemison, engineer and physician who became the first Black woman in space

Amber Arabic · from the gemstone amber (fossilized tree resin), ultimately Arabic 'anbar'

Hunter English · "one who hunts," an occupational surname from the Middle English hunte; it rode the 1990s wave that turned rugged trade surnames into first names, and outlasted most of that wave. Outdoorsy, direct, and hard to shorten

Shelby English · English surname of Old Norse origin, 'willow farm'

Viola Latin · Latin, 'violet'

Dawn English · daybreak, first light

Rosalie French · elaboration of Rose, from Latin "rose flower"

Shannon Irish · traditionally old, wise river

April Latin · the English month name, probably from Latin aperire, 'to open,' referring to flowers opening

Glen Scottish · valley

Harley English · place name/surname, "hare meadow"

Forrest English · woodsman, one who lives near the forest; immortalized by Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)

Olive Latin · from the olive tree/branch

Brooke English · a form of Brook, from an English surname for someone who lived near a small stream

Flora Latin · from Latin 'flos/floris' (flower); Roman goddess of flowers and spring

Perry English · from Old English 'pirige' (pear tree); also a diminutive of Peter or Peregrine

Yolanda Spanish · variant of Violante, related to the violet flower

Erica Scandinavian · ever ruler; also the name of the heather plant

Haley English · from an Old English place name meaning 'hay meadow'

Jewel French · precious stone

Lora Latin · variant of Laura, laurel

May English · the month of May; also a diminutive of Mary/Margaret

Ollie French · diminutive of Oliver, traditionally linked to Old French 'olivier' (olive tree)

Ashton English · from an English place surname meaning "ash-tree settlement", from Old English æsc and tun

Clay English · from an English surname for someone who lived near or worked with clay; also a short form of Clayton ("clay settlement")

Jade English · the gemstone, from Spanish piedra de ijada; a direct translation pick for families whose Chinese name carries 玉 (yù, "jade") or Vietnamese name carries Ngọc (jade/jewel); one of the cleanest meaning-for-meaning matches in this whole list

Laurie Latin · diminutive of Laura, laurel

Lilly English · variant of Lily, from the flower

Myrtle Greek · from the myrtle plant, a classical symbol of love

Irvin Scottish · variant of Irving, green water

Loren Latin · variant of Lawrence, laurel

Lori Latin · diminutive of Laura, laurel

Sylvester Latin · of the forest

Todd English · fox

Ashley English · ash tree meadow

Laurel Latin · 'laurel tree', from Latin laurus

Brooks English · surname, "dweller by the brook"

Ivory English · from the material ivory

Laurence Latin · from Laurentum, crowned with laurel

Lionel French · diminutive of Leon/Lion, meaning 'young lion'

Melissa Greek · honey bee

Reed English · surname, "red-haired" or from the reed plant

Tamara Hebrew · date palm

Verna Latin · spring-like

Darren Irish · traditionally linked to Irish 'darragh', meaning 'oak tree'

Fern English · fern plant

Hailey English · "hay meadow," from the surname Hayley and the English villages behind it; barely used as a first name before the 1960s, then a chart-climber with a dozen spellings, of which Hailey leads in the US. Fresh-air sound, minimal baggage

Heather English · heather plant

Rosalyn Germanic · variant of Rosalind, traditionally translated as 'gentle horse', later reinterpreted as 'pretty rose'

Rosemarie German · blend of Rose and Mary

Summer English · the season itself, from the Old English sumor; taken up as a name in the 1970s nature wave beside Autumn and Dawn, and warmed back up in the 2000s. Sunny by definition, casual by nature

Carmela Hebrew · garden, vineyard (from Mount Carmel)

Corbin French · surname, "raven, dark-haired"

Dillon Welsh · variant of Dylan, traditionally translated as 'son of the sea'

Esmeralda Spanish · "emerald"

Leigh English · meadow, clearing

Lorene English · elaboration of Laura, traditionally 'laurel'

Marlin Welsh · variant of Merlin; traditionally sea fortress

Merle French · blackbird

Chloe Greek · "young green shoot" in Greek; a name for Demeter, the harvest goddess, referring to new growth in spring. A woman named Chloe appears once in the New Testament. The name later became popular in France and in English-speaking countries

Harlan English · surname from a place name meaning "hare land" in Old English; in America sometimes given in honor of Justice John Marshall Harlan

Hollis English · surname meaning 'dweller by the holly trees'

Jasmine Persian · jasmine flower

Muriel Irish · traditionally 'sea-bright'

Rhoda Greek · rose

Skylar Dutch · from the Dutch surname Schuyler, meaning "scholar", with a spelling that follows its English pronunciation

Althea Greek · healer, healing power

Forest English · vocabulary name meaning 'woodland', from Old French/Latin 'forestis'

Ginger English · the spice; nickname for Virginia

Hadley English · place name/surname, "heather field"

Laverne French · from 'la Verne,' the alder tree, or Latin vernus, 'spring-like'

Monte Italian · mountain

Neva Spanish · snow

Robyn English · variant of Robin, bright fame

Rosetta Italian · little rose

Susanna Hebrew · lily

Wiley English · willow meadow

Diamond English · precious gem, unbreakable

Elma English · shortened form of names like Wilhelmina or Anselma; sometimes linked to the elm tree

Garland English · from an Old French word for a wreath, or an English surname meaning 'triangular land'

Heath English · vocabulary name for a tract of open uncultivated land

June English · month name

Lilian Latin · variant of Lillian (probably a diminutive of Elizabeth, or an elaborated Lily); a Brazilian classic of the 1970s and 80s, one l lighter than the original

Liliana Latin · a form of Lillian, which may be an expanded form of Lily, from Latin lilium, "lily"

Rachelle Hebrew · variant of Rachel, ewe

Raven English · from the bird

Rosario Spanish · rosary; rose garden

Roscoe English · deer forest (place name)

Savannah English · "treeless plain," from the Taino word zavana by way of Spanish sabana; the grassland word became a graceful Georgia port city, and the city became a name. Southern in flavor, tropical in root, steady since the 1990s

Woodrow English · row of houses by the wood

Avis Latin · traditionally 'bird', though some trace it to a Germanic name meaning 'refuge in war'

Birdie English · vocabulary/pet name from 'bird'

Brock English · from Old English 'brocc', meaning badger

Carmella Hebrew · garden, orchard (from Mount Carmel)

Cullen Irish · Irish surname, traditionally from Gaelic 'cuileann' meaning holly

Dahlia Scandinavian · from the flower, named after botanist Anders Dahl

Elwood English · old forest

Gale Hebrew · short form of Abigail, 'father's joy'; also the English word for a strong wind

Gemma Italian · "gem, precious stone"

Glenna Irish · feminine form of Glenn, 'valley'

Grover English · English surname, 'one who lives by a grove of trees'

Krystal Greek · modern respelling of Crystal, clear ice

Lynne Welsh · variant of Lynn, 'lake' or 'waterfall'

Oakley English · from a surname and place names meaning "oak clearing" in Old English; famously borne by sharpshooter Annie Oakley

All 1,103 nature names, A to Z

Nature names

What are nature names like?

All 1,103 nature names, A to Z

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