Nature Inspired Baby Names

The nature-themed baby names that are most popular in the UK and USA

Preparing to welcome a new baby into the world can seem like a rollercoaster with so many different things to consider all at once. Things like preparing a crib, ensuring there are plenty of baby clothes, and making space for all these new belongings can be a stressful experience. However, long before you start buying plushies, toys and dolls prams, you’ll need to have made the biggest decision involved; choosing the right name for your baby.

There are many different themes that people use for inspiration when naming a newborn, from traditional family names to their favourite fictional characters. One age-old source of inspiration that never goes out of fashion is nature, with thousands of babies receiving nature-themed names every year.
With this in mind, we’ve dived into the data to reveal the most popular nature-inspired names of recent years. So, take a break from picking out dolls pushchairs and explore the top nature-themed baby names both in the UK and the USA.

The top nature-inspired baby names in the UK

Here we can see the most popular baby names for boys and girls in the UK inspired by nature, with the top 20 names revealed for each gender.

Names for girls

1. Lily Total Baby Girls: 40,285

Lily is the most popular nature-themed girls’ name in the UK, being chosen over 40,000 times since 2010. Using flowers as inspiration for names has always been highly popular for girls’ names with lilies currently being the flower of choice.

2. Poppy Total Baby Girls: 33,628

Poppy is the second most popular nature-related girls’ name in the UK, appearing over 33,000 times since 2010. The Latin word for poppy means ‘the milk of happiness’, due to the plant’s medicinal and narcotic properties, though most people choose the name in reference to the poppy’s delicate and pretty appearance. 

3. Ruby Total Baby Girls: 31,292

The third most popular nature-themed girls’ name in the UK is Ruby, with over 31,000 babies taking the name since 2010. Rubies are naturally occurring precious gemstones with a deep scarlet hue, which gives them their glowy appearance and makes them a popular choice for all sorts of jewellery.

Rubies are also the birthstone associated with July, so parents with babies born in that month could see the name as particularly fitting.

Names for boys

1. Leo Total Baby Boys: 43,682

The most popular nature-related boys’ name in the UK is Leo, which has appeared by far the most times since 2010 with over 43,000 babies taking the name. Leo, meaning ‘lion’ in Latin, is also short for several other names such as Leopold, Leonard and Leon. 

Also the name of the fifth sign of the Zodiac, Leo is associated with late July to late August, making it a great choice for a summer baby.

2. Rowan Total Baby Boys: 7,884

Rowan is the second most popular nature-themed boys’ name in the UK, being chosen almost 8,000 times since 2010. Rowan trees are native to the UK and have a deep association with magic and the supernatural, being planted to ward off spirits and witches. 

3. Jasper Total Baby Boys: 7,550

Jasper is the third most popular nature-themed boys’ name in the UK, appearing well over 7,000 times since 2010. Jasper, meaning ‘spotted or speckled stone’ is a naturally-occurring silica stone that appears in a variety of colours, usually red, yellow, brown or green.

The UK nature-inspired baby names that are increasing in popularity

In addition to finding the most common nature-inspired names for boys and girls, we also wanted to highlight those names that have seen the biggest increase in popularity from 2020 to 2021, which is the most recent data available. For this section, we have combined the data for boys and girls to create an overall ranking of the nature baby names that are increasing in popularity the most. 

1. Clementine 2021 % Increase: 57.07%

Clementine is the nature-themed baby name with the biggest annual increase in popularity, going from 191 babies in 2020 to 300 in 2021, which is an increase of 57.07%. The name Clementine comes from the synonymous fruit, a small citrus hybrid between a mandarin and a sweet orange, named after the French missionary Clément Rodier who first discovered it in Algeria in 1902. 

In popular culture, Clementine is also the name of the primary protagonist in the highly popular Walking Dead video game series by Telltale Games, in which she is the main playable character in two of the four instalments.

2. Flora 2021 % Increase: 53.80%

The nature-inspired name with the second largest annual increase in popularity in the UK is Flora, which saw the number of babies given the name rise from 184 in 2020 to 281 in 2021, representing an increase of 53.80%. The name Flora is of Latin origin, meaning ‘flower’, and is also the name of a Roman goddess of fertility, flowers and springtime. 

The term ‘flora’ is also used to refer to the plants of a particular region, habitat or geological period. ‘Flora’ is also the name of a common brand of spread made from vegetable oil, similar to spreadable butter and margarine. 

3. Ocean 2021 % Increase: 52.34%

Ocean is the nature-inspired baby name with the third largest annual increase in popularity in 2021. In 2020 there were 128 babies called Ocean in the UK, rising by 52.34% to 195 in 2021. The name Ocean has been in use since the ancient Greeks, stemming from the name of the world-encircling river Titan Oceanus, son of Uranus and Gaia and the father of many river Gods and the Oceanids.

While Ocean may be increasing in popularity as a given name, it’s more commonly found as a surname in popular culture. Popular musicians such as Frank Ocean and Billy Ocean are possibly the two most famous examples.

The top nature-inspired baby names in the USA

This section looks at the most popular nature-themed baby names for boys and girls in the USA, again with the top 20 names revealed for each gender.

Names for girls

1. Lily Total Baby Girls: 79,023

Lily is the most popular nature-themed name in the US, with 79,000 babies taking the name since 2010. Lilies are one of the most popular flowers, with a huge variety of colours and types, and can be found all over the world.

2. Savannah Total Baby Girls: 58,761

Savannah is the second most popular nature-inspired name in the US, being chosen almost 59,000 times since 2010. Savannahs are lush grasslands with scattered trees, commonly found in countries with warmer climates.

One of the most famous savannahs is the Serengeti of northern Tanzania, which is home to a vast variety of wildlife including lions, leopards, wildebeest, giraffes and zebras. 

3. Violet Total Baby Girls: 52,102

The third most popular nature-inspired name in the US is Violet, appearing over 52,000 times since 2010. Violet, derived from the Latin ‘Viola’, is another word for purple, and lends its name to a type of flower commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere.

Names for boys

IMA

1. Leo Total Baby Boys: 59,603

The most popular nature-themed name for boys in the US is Leo, with almost 60,000 appearances since 2010. Meaning ‘lion’ in Latin, Leo is a name associated with strength and pride.

2. Rowan Total Baby Boys: 25,863

The second most popular nature-inspired name for boys in the US is Rowan, with almost 26,000 babies being given the name since 2010. In addition to being associated with the supernatural, the rowan tree produces attractive creamy white flowers in the spring, as well as tart berries traditionally used to make jam.

3. Jasper Total Baby Boys: 23,650

The third most popular nature-related boys’ name in the US is Jasper, being chosen well over 23,000 times since 2010. This colourful stone is popular in jewellery, such as pendants, and often features spotted, striped or ringed patterns that make it especially appealing to look at. Jasper is a traditional birthstone for the month of March, and is also considered a healing stone, removing stress and aiding with focus.

The USA nature-inspired baby names that are increasing in popularity

1. Lotus 2021 % Increase: 65.98%

Lotus is the nature-inspired baby name that saw the biggest rise in popularity in 2021, with the number of babies given the name increasing by 65.98% from 97 in 2020 to 161 in 2021. The name Lotus comes from the synonymous aquatic flower that makes its home in ponds, flood plains and slow-moving rivers. 

The Lotus flower has important religious symbolism in both Hinduism and Buddhism, denoting the path to enlightenment and spiritual awakening. The flower also held religious significance in ancient Egypt, representing the path from death to rebirth to the afterlife. 

In modern culture, Lotus is the name of a brand of British sports cars as well as lending itself to the name of the White Lotus resort chain in the smash hit series, The White Lotus, suggesting that this name could continue to surge in popularity.

2. Onyx 2021 % Increase: 65.71%

Onyx is the name with the second biggest increase in popularity in 2021, with the number of babies given the name rising by 65.71%. The name Onyx comes from the naturally occurring precious stone of the same name, used for a wide variety of purposes from jewellery to ornaments or even fireplace mantels. 

As a birthstone, onyx can be used in place of ruby, which is the traditional birthstone for July. Onyx is popular as a gemstone for its purported healing properties, providing the wearer with support in stressful times and comforting those who are dealing with grief. It is said to boost confidence and help to balance the wearer’s yin and yang energies.

3. Flora 2021 % Increase: 64.39%

Flora is the name with the third biggest increase in popularity in 2021, with the number of babies being given the name rising by 64.39% to a total of 457. Flora appears to be in vogue on either side of the Atlantic, seeing a surge in popularity in both the USA and the UK.

Flora is a traditional name both within the English-speaking world and further afield, with many famous women as examples. This includes the British-Canadian author Flora Kidd who wrote over 70 novels in her time, as well as Dame Flora Robson, the highly successful 20th Century actress from South Shields, in the north east of England. 

Methodology

We wanted to find out which nature-inspired baby names are the most popular in the UK and the USA.

To do this, we put together a list of over 200 names with links to nature and cross-referenced them against official baby name data. For baby names in the USA, we used data published by the Social Security Administration, while UK data was compiled from ONS data for England and Wales, NISRA data for Northern Ireland, and data from National Records of Scotland for Scottish baby names.

We found the total number of babies given each name from 2010 up to 2021, the most recent data released at the time of this study.