Unique Nature Names

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.

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

Quirky and charming flower name. Thistle is Scotland's national symbol.

Jonquil is an unusual flower name that is less outlandish than Daffodil and less common than Daisy. It just might appeal to parents seeking a singular botanical option.

Unlike most flower names, Jonquil wasn't introduced until the 1940s, and saw some usage in the U.K. during the forties and fifties.

Bird name possibility, rarer than Lark and Wren but with the same short, punchy feel.

Most will see this as a refreshing middle name possibility, but Bristol Palin baby daddy Levi Johnston used it as a first name for his new daughter, Breeze Beretta.

There's a whole quarry of rocky names parents are now considering: Slate, Flint, etc. , but this one is particularly hard-edged and problematic.

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.

Lovely entry into the tree name genre, joining Juniper, Oak, and Willow.

Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.

A gem named for its green hue.

The addax is a white antelope that resides in the Sahara Desert. A cool and usable addition to the pool of animal baby names.

The unisex word name Bean, distant cousin of the infamous Apple, was used for the name of a child of mysterious gender in Louise Penny's novel "A Rule Against Murder." While we can imagine Bean as a cute nickname for a yet-unnamed and unborn baby, we don't recommend it for real life.

Molten rock from volcanos, and now a red-hot baby name possibility.

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

A rare, free-feeling flower name for the parent who wants to move far, far beyond Rose and Daisy. Named for German physician Friedrich Freese.

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.

Reddish dye that sounds as if it could be a real name — of the outdated, Old World, Yetta-Hedda variety.

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.

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