155 Botanical Girl Names That Celebrate the Beauty of Nature (With Meanings & Origins)

There is something profoundly right about naming a daughter for a plant. Plants are the patient ones, the organisms that understood from the very beginning that the best strategy was to put down roots, turn toward light, and produce something beautiful at exactly the right moment regardless of what the weather was doing in between. A girl named for a plant carries that quality with her into every room she enters, a combination of groundedness and seasonal transformation, of deep roots and abundant flowering, that no other naming tradition quite replicates.

The botanical naming tradition is one of the oldest and most geographically universal in the world. Every culture that has ever paid attention to its landscape, which is every culture that has ever existed, has named people for the plants that sustained them, healed them, marked the seasons for them, and simply stood there being beautiful while civilization worked itself out around them. The Greeks pressed botanical names into their scientific vocabulary and their mythology simultaneously. The Japanese cultivated an entire aesthetic philosophy around flowers and named their daughters accordingly. The Victorians built an entire coded language of floral meaning and gave their daughters names that said things politeness would not otherwise permit. The contemporary naming world has discovered what every previous generation knew and then forgot and then rediscovered, that a girl named for a plant carries something ancient and something immediate and something completely personal all at once.

This collection of 155 botanical girl names spans the full range of the plant world, from the grandest flowering trees to the smallest roadside wildflowers, from the ancient medicinal herbs that have healed people for thousands of years to the contemporary botanical discoveries that are still finding their place in the naming tradition. Whether you are looking for something familiar and beloved or something genuinely rare, something rooted in one specific cultural tradition or something that has traveled across multiple cultures and accumulated meaning as it went, this collection has it. Popularity rankings are based on the most recent Social Security Administration (SSA) data.

Quick Note on Popularity: Names ranked above 1000 on the SSA database are considered truly rare and unique. Names closer to 1 are among the most popular in the United States today.

Table of Contents

• Flowering Trees and Shrubs
• Garden Flower Names
• Wildflower and Meadow Names
• Herb and Aromatic Names
• Woodland and Forest Names
• Vine and Climber Names
• Seed and Grass Names
• Rare Botanical Names
• Frequently Asked Questions

Flowering Trees and Shrubs

Magnolia

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist Pierre Magnol
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol whose contributions to plant classification earned him the honor of having the most spectacular of all flowering trees named in his memory, Magnolia carries the theatrical white bloom tradition in a name that sounds like the specific quality of a Southern spring evening when the waxy flowers open and the air becomes something you could almost eat.

Camellia

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist Georg Joseph Kamel
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Jesuit botanist who documented the flora of the Philippines, Camellia carries the winter-blooming glossy-leafed tradition in a name of four syllables and considerable elegance, belonging to the shrub that produces some of the most formally perfect blooms in the garden and that does so in the dead of winter when everything else has given up.

Forsythia

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist William Forsyth
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Scottish botanist who brought the yellow-flowering shrub to wider cultivation, Forsythia carries the first-color-of-spring tradition in a name whose arrival is as welcome as the plant’s, the brilliant yellow branches appearing before any leaves have emerged and announcing before anything else that winter is finished.

Azalea

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Dry, the azalea shrub
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the dry quality in the Greek botanical tradition because the azalea prefers well-drained soil, Azalea carries the spectacular flowering-shrub tradition in a name whose four syllables arrive with the same sudden visual intensity as the plant’s blooms, which transform entire landscapes into something that requires a moment of adjustment.

Wisteria

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for anatomist Caspar Wistar
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Philadelphia anatomist in the Modern Latin botanical tradition, Wisteria carries the cascading purple-bloom tradition in a name that belongs to a vine of spectacular ambition, one that will cover an entire house facade if given enough time and enough of what it needs.

Lilac

• Origin: Arabic/French
• Meaning: Bluish, from the Persian lilak
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the blue-tinged color in the Arabic-Persian tradition that traveled to France before entering English botanical vocabulary, Lilac carries the heady spring fragrance and the specific color that exists between blue and purple in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary revival warmth.

Acacia

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Thorny tree, from akis
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the thorn in the Greek botanical tradition, Acacia carries the simultaneously defensive and spectacular flowering traditions of a tree that arms itself with spines and then produces flowers of extraordinary delicacy and fragrance, belonging to a girl whose name announces she is capable of both.

Oleander

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Olive-like, the oleander shrub
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the olive-resembling quality in the Latin botanical tradition, Oleander carries the Mediterranean coastal shrub tradition in a name of four syllables and considerable phonetic grandeur that belongs to the beautiful and poisonous flowering shrub of the warm-climate garden.

Myrtle

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: The myrtle plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sacred aromatic shrub in the Greek tradition where myrtle was associated with Aphrodite and used in wedding ceremonies, Myrtle carries the love and celebration botanical traditions in a name that has been completely unfashionable for fifty years and is consequently at exactly the right point in the vintage cycle to feel genuinely fresh.

Bougainvillea

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Named for explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the French navigator who circumnavigated the globe and whose ship’s naturalist brought specimens of the spectacular tropical climbing shrub back to Europe, Bougainvillea carries the exploration and the vivid-color traditions in a name of six syllables and extraordinary phonetic grandeur.

Elderflower

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: The elder flower, flower of the elder tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the fragrant cream-colored flower of the elder tree in the Old English botanical tradition where elderflowers were used in cordials, vinegars, and fritters and where the elder tree itself was considered one of the most magically significant of all hedge plants.

Spirea

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Coil, spiral, the spirea shrub
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the spiraling quality of the flower clusters in the Greek botanical tradition, Spirea carries the cascading white-bloom tradition of a garden shrub that produces flowers in such quantity that the branches bend under their own abundance.

Hibiscus

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Mallow, the hibiscus genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the mallow family quality in the Greek botanical tradition, Hibiscus carries the large trumpet-shaped tropical flower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable boldness, the hibiscus blooms being among the most vivid and most theatrical of any shrub in the warm-climate garden.

Kerria

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist William Kerr
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Scottish botanist who introduced numerous Asian plants to British cultivation, Kerria carries the arching yellow-bloomed shrub tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable botanical warmth.

Garden Flower Names

Viola

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Violet, the violet genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the violet genus in the Latin botanical tradition, Viola carries the scientific authority of the entire violet family including garden pansies and wild violets in a name of three syllables that belongs equally to the botanical tradition and to the orchestral string section.

Dahlia

• Origin: Swedish
• Meaning: Named for botanist Anders Dahl
• Popularity: #277

Named for the Swedish botanist who is now memorialized in one of the garden’s most dramatic and most geometrically complex blooms, Dahlia carries the dinner-plate flower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary momentum.

Zinnia

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist Johann Zinn
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the German botanist whose name is now attached to one of summer’s most reliable and most vividly colored flowers, Zinnia carries the saturated-color and enduring-bloom traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable phonetic freshness.

Peony

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: From Paeon, physician of the gods
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the divine physician in the Greek mythological tradition because the peony root was used in ancient medicine, Peony carries the healing and the spectacular late-spring bloom simultaneously, belonging to a flower that produces blooms so full they bend the stems and fill an entire room with fragrance.

Aster

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Star, the aster genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the star in the Greek botanical tradition, Aster carries both the celestial and the botanical traditions in a name of two syllables that belongs to the daisy-like autumn flowers that carry the garden’s color through the first frosts.

Cerise

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Cherry, cherry red
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the cherry and its brilliant red color in the French botanical tradition, Cerise carries the fruit-color tradition in a name of two syllables and considerable French phonetic elegance that belongs to the specific shade of red that exists between crimson and pink.

Dianthus

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Flower of Zeus, divine flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the divine flower in the Greek botanical tradition where the genus name combined dios, of Zeus, and anthos, flower, Dianthus carries the supremely botanical divine tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable phonetic authority that encompasses pinks, carnations, and sweet williams simultaneously.

Hellebore

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Fawn food, the hellebore plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the fawn food in the Greek botanical tradition because deer were thought to eat the plant, Hellebore carries the winter-blooming nodding-flower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical popularity, the hellebore being one of the most sought-after plants in the current garden world.

Salvia

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Safe, to save, the sage genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the saving quality in the Latin medicinal tradition where salvare meant to save and the genus included both the culinary sage and hundreds of ornamental species, Salvia carries the healing and the vivid-blue-flower traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical freshness.

Phlox

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Flame, the phlox genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the flame in the Greek botanical tradition because of the vivid colors of the flowers, Phlox carries the flat-clustered fragrant flower tradition in a name of five letters and complete phonetic directness.

Ranunculus

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Little frog, the buttercup genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the little frog in the Latin botanical tradition because the plant grows near water where frogs live, Ranunculus carries the layered-petal flower tradition in a name of four syllables and considerable phonetic grandeur that belongs to one of the most beloved flowers of the contemporary cut-flower world.

Anemone

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Windflower, daughter of the wind
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the windflower in the Greek mythological tradition where the anemone sprang from the tears of Aphrodite over the slain Adonis, Anemone carries the mythological and the trembling-in-the-breeze traditions in a name of four syllables and extraordinary phonetic beauty.

Alstroemeria

• Origin: Modern Latin
• Meaning: Named for botanist Clas Alströmer
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Swedish naturalist who sent seeds of the South American flower to Carl Linnaeus, Alstroemeria carries the long-lasting cut-flower tradition in a name of six syllables and considerable botanical grandeur.

Fritillary

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Dice box, the fritillary genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the dice box in the Latin tradition because of the checkered pattern on many species’ petals, Fritillary carries the chess-board botanical mythology in a name of four syllables and considerable butterfly-wing and flower-petal warmth.

Nemesia

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: From the name Nemesis
• Popularity: >1000

Named through the Nemesis tradition in the Greek botanical culture, Nemesia carries the delicate-lipped flower tradition in a name of four syllables and considerable South African botanical warmth.

Wildflower and Meadow Names

Meadowsweet

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Sweet meadow plant, the wildflower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sweet-scented meadow wildflower in the Old English botanical tradition where meadowsweet was one of the three sacred herbs of the Druids and whose honey-almond fragrance carries across a meadow on a still summer evening, Meadowsweet carries the sacred botanical and the olfactory traditions simultaneously.

Cowslip

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Cow dung flower, meadow primrose
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the meadow primrose in the Old English botanical tradition with the characteristic directness of a naming culture that recorded exactly where plants grew, Cowslip carries the Shakespearean literary warmth of a flower that decorated Ariel’s bed and that has been declining in British meadows for decades.

Scabious

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Rough, scabby, the scabious flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the rough quality in the Latin botanical tradition because the plant was used to treat skin conditions, Scabious carries the soft lavender-blue pincushion flower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical warmth that belongs to the most graceful of all meadow flowers.

Campion

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: Champion, the campion flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for both the champion and the wildflower in the Old French botanical tradition, Campion carries the victory and the pink-five-petaled meadow flower traditions simultaneously in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical freshness.

Ragged Robin

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Ragged red wildflower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the ragged-petaled pink wildflower of damp meadows in the Old English botanical tradition, Ragged Robin carries the cheerfully disheveled wildflower tradition in a two-element botanical name of considerable poetic warmth.

Teasel

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: To tease fibers, the teasel plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the fiber-teasing quality of the dried flower heads in the Old English botanical and craft tradition where teasel heads were used to raise the nap on woven wool, Teasel carries the architectural and the useful botanical traditions in a name of two syllables.

Agrimony

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Healing plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the healing quality in the Greek botanical tradition, Agrimony carries the long spike of small yellow flowers and the ancient wound-healing tradition in a name of four syllables and considerable phonetic beauty.

Betony

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Named for the Vettones people of Spain
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the ancient Iberian people in whose territory the herb grew abundantly, Betony carries the medicinal purple-flowered wildflower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable medieval herbal warmth.

Loosestrife

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: That which looses strife
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the strife-loosening quality in the Greek botanical tradition where the plant was believed to calm quarrelsome animals, Loosestrife carries the conflict-resolving botanical mythology and the spectacular purple spike of color in a name of three syllables.

Vetchling

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: Little vetch, the small climbing legume
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the little climbing legume in the Old French botanical tradition, Vetchling carries the delicate meadow climber tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable wildflower meadow warmth.

Oxlip

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Ox dung flower, the pale yellow primrose
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the meadow primrose in the Old English botanical tradition, Oxlip carries the Shakespeare fairy bower tradition as the flower that formed Titania’s bank in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ragged Roberta

• Origin: Old English/invented
• Meaning: Ragged wildflower name
• Popularity: >1000

An invented variant extending the Ragged Robin tradition, this name carries the wildflower charm in a form of greater phonetic warmth.

Tormentil

• Origin: Latin/Old French
• Meaning: Small tormenter, the tormentil plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the small tormenter in the Latin-Old French botanical tradition because the plant was used to treat painful conditions, Tormentil carries the four-petaled yellow moorland wildflower tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable phonetic charm.

Spurrey

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: The spurrey plant, small-flowered herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the small-flowered herb in the Old French botanical tradition, Spurrey carries the tiny white starry flower and the sandy-ground botanical traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary botanical freshness.

Herb and Aromatic Names

Lavender

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Lavender plant, to wash
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the washing tradition in the Latin botanical culture where lavender’s fragrance was used to perfume laundry, Lavender carries the Mediterranean hillside and the specifically purple-gray color that belongs to no other plant in the world in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary warmth.

Rosemary

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Dew of the sea, rosemary herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sea dew in the Latin botanical tradition, Rosemary carries the aromatic Mediterranean herb whose name contains within it an entire coastal landscape and whose fragrance is one of the most powerful memory-triggers available in the plant kingdom.

Marjoram

• Origin: Latin/Arabic
• Meaning: Joy of the mountains, the marjoram herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the joy of the mountains in the Latin-Arabic botanical tradition, Marjoram carries the sweet oregano fragrance and the mountain herb tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Bergamot

• Origin: Italian/Turkish
• Meaning: From Bergamo, the bergamot orange
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the Italian city in the botanical etymology tradition, Bergamot carries the Earl Grey tea and the citrus-flower fragrance traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable aromatic warmth.

Lemon Balm

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Bee plant, honey balm
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the bee plant in the Greek botanical tradition where melissa meant bee because the plant was beloved by honeybees, Lemon Balm carries the apiary and the citrus-scented herb traditions in a compound botanical name of considerable warmth.

Vervain

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Sacred bough, the verbena family
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sacred bough in the Latin ceremonial botanical tradition where vervain was used in purification rites, Vervain carries the ritual and aromatic botanical traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary magical warmth.

Elecampane

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Helen’s plant, from Inula helenium
• Popularity: >1000

Named for Helen of Troy in the Latin botanical mythology where the plant was said to have sprung from her tears, Elecampane carries the Trojan war mythology and the tall yellow daisy-like flower tradition in a name of four syllables and extraordinary botanical phonetic grandeur.

Mugwort

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Midge wort, the mugwort herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the plant that repelled midges in the Old English botanical tradition where mugwort was one of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxon tradition, Mugwort carries the protective and the aromatic botanical traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable wild-herb warmth.

Pennyroyal

• Origin: Old French/Latin
• Meaning: Royal thyme, the pennyroyal mint
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the royal thyme in the Old French-Latin botanical tradition, Pennyroyal carries the powerful-scented mint and the ancient medicinal herb traditions in a name of four syllables and considerable historical botanical depth.

Spikenard

• Origin: Greek/Latin
• Meaning: Pointed nard, the spikenard plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the pointed aromatic root in the Greek-Latin botanical tradition where spikenard was the most expensive perfume ingredient in the ancient world, used in the ointment that anointed Jesus’s feet, Spikenard carries the sacred and the luxurious simultaneously.

Calamus

• Origin: Greek/Latin
• Meaning: Reed, sweet flag root
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the reed in the Greek-Latin botanical tradition, Calamus carries the aromatic reed and the ancient incense traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable biblical botanical depth.

Horehound

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Hoary plant, the horehound herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the white-hairy plant in the Old English botanical tradition where horehound was one of the most important cough remedies in European folk medicine, Horehound carries the healing and the bitter aromatic traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable old-world botanical warmth.

Meadowsweet

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Sweet meadow plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the honey-almond-scented meadow wildflower, Meadowsweet carries the Druidic sacred herb tradition in a name that is both a scent and a landscape simultaneously.

Costmary

• Origin: Latin/Hebrew
• Meaning: Balm of Mary, the Bible herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the balm of Mary in the Latin-Hebrew botanical tradition where costmary was used to flavor ale before hops became standard, Costmary carries the Marian botanical and the ale-wife traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable medieval warmth.

Woodland and Forest Names

Elowen

• Origin: Cornish Celtic
• Meaning: Elm tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the elm tree in the Cornish Celtic language tradition, Elowen carries the arboreal mythology of the westernmost Celtic tongue in a name of three syllables and extraordinary phonetic beauty that sounds like light filtered through leaves.

Ash

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Ash tree, the world tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the ash tree in the Old English arboreal tradition where the ash was Yggdrasil, the world tree that connected all the realms of Norse cosmology, Ash carries the cosmic botanical mythology in a name of three letters and complete phonetic authority.

Hawthorn

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Hedge thorn tree, the May tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the thorny hedge tree in the Old English botanical tradition where the hawthorn was the May tree whose flowering marked the beginning of summer and whose blossoms were the essential material of Mayday celebrations, Hawthorn carries the boundary and the seasonal tradition simultaneously.

Woodruff

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Woods plant, the woodruff herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the woodland plant in the Old English botanical tradition where sweet woodruff was used to flavor May wine and where its dried leaves produced the characteristic fresh-cut-hay scent, Woodruff carries the forest-floor and the aromatic traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable woodland warmth.

Bracken

• Origin: Old Norse
• Meaning: Fern, the bracken fern
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the large coarse fern in the Old Norse botanical tradition, Bracken carries the moorland and forest-floor traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable atmospheric warmth that belongs to the open hillside in late summer when the bracken turns to gold.

Sorrel

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: Sour, the wood sorrel
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sour-tasting herb in the Old French botanical tradition, Sorrel carries the woodland and meadow foraging traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary warmth.

Gale

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Sweet gale, the bog myrtle
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the sweet gale or bog myrtle in the Old English botanical tradition where the intensely aromatic shrub was used to flavor beer before hops and where its fragrance was associated with the wet moorland landscapes of northern Britain, Gale carries the aromatic bog plant and the landscape tradition.

Larch

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Larch tree, the European larch
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the only deciduous conifer in the Latin botanical tradition, Larch carries the paradox of a tree that belongs to the conifer family but sheds its needles in autumn in a name of five letters and considerable contemporary botanical freshness.

Spindle

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Spindle tree, the spinning tool tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the tree whose dense hard wood was used to make spindles for spinning in the Old English botanical tradition, Spindle carries the craft and botanical traditions simultaneously and produces in autumn some of the most spectacular pink and orange berries of any native British tree.

Rowan

• Origin: Gaelic
• Meaning: Rowan tree, little red one
• Popularity: #353

Named for the mountain ash tree in the Gaelic botanical tradition where the rowan was the tree of protection against enchantment and whose red berries were strung as protective charms, Rowan carries the protective arboreal mythology in a name of contemporary rising popularity.

Hornbeam

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Hard beam tree, the hornbeam
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the hard wood of the beam tree in the Old English botanical tradition where hornbeam was one of the hardest of all European trees, Hornbeam carries the enduring strength tradition in a name of two syllables and considerable arboreal warmth.

Walnut

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Welsh nut, the walnut tree
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the foreign nut in the Old English botanical tradition where the walnut was the nut that came from the Romans, Walnut carries the ancient Roman botanical introduction and the rich oily nut tradition in a name of two syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Hazel

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Hazel tree, the hazel nut
• Popularity: #29

Named for the hazel tree in the Old English arboreal tradition whose forked branches were used for water divining and whose nuts carried all the wisdom of the world in the Irish mythological tradition, Hazel carries the most complete botanical name currently in mainstream use.

Vine and Climber Names

Clematis

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Climbing vine
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the climbing vine itself in the Greek botanical tradition, Clematis carries the flowering climber tradition of over three hundred species including everything from the small-flowered species that have been cloaking hedgerows since antiquity to the large-flowered garden hybrids that cover garden walls in summer.

Passionflower

• Origin: Spanish/Latin
• Meaning: The passion flower vine
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the vine whose extraordinary flower structure was interpreted by Spanish missionaries as representing the instruments of the Passion of Christ, Passionflower carries the botanical and the theological traditions in a compound name of considerable contemporary boldness.

Bryony

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: To grow luxuriantly
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the luxuriant growth quality in the Greek botanical tradition, Bryony carries the vigorous hedgerow climber tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical warmth.

Bindweed

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: The bindweed vine
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the twining wild vine in the Old English botanical tradition, Bindweed carries the persistent growth and the morning glory flower traditions in a name that belongs to someone who grows toward light regardless of what surface is available.

Honeysuckle

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Honey-suckling vine, the honeysuckle
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the honey-sucking quality of the fragrant tubular flowers in the Old English botanical tradition, Honeysuckle carries the summer evening fragrance and the climbing vine traditions in a compound name of considerable nostalgic warmth.

Convolvulus

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: To roll around, the bindweed genus
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the rolling or twining quality in the Latin botanical tradition, Convolvulus carries the delicate morning glory flower and the tenacious climbing traditions in a name of four syllables and extraordinary phonetic grandeur.

Hops

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: The hop plant, brewing herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the brewing herb in the Old English botanical tradition where the female flower cones of the hop plant became the essential bittering ingredient of beer, Hops carries the brewing and the vigorous climbing traditions in a name of four letters and complete directness.

Seed and Grass Names

Sedge

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Sedge grass, marsh plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the grass-like marsh plant in the Old English botanical tradition where sedges have formed one of the most important habitat-creating plant communities in temperate wetlands, Sedge carries the wetland and the quiet persistence traditions in a name of five letters and considerable contemporary botanical freshness.

Quill

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: Hollow stem, the quill
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the hollow stem in the Old French botanical tradition, Quill carries the writing and the botanical traditions simultaneously in a name of five letters that belongs to both the reed from which pens were made and the seed heads of various grasses.

Tassel

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: Clasp, the tassel-like flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the tassel-shaped flower clusters in the Old French botanical tradition, Tassel carries the ornamental grass and the dangling seed head traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Spikelet

• Origin: Modern botanical
• Meaning: Small spike, the grass flower unit
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the individual flower unit of grasses in the modern botanical tradition, Spikelet carries the essential reproductive structure of the most important plant family in human nutrition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical distinctiveness.

Millet

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Small grain, the millet grass
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the small grain in the Latin botanical tradition where millet was one of the first grasses to be domesticated by human agricultural communities, Millet carries the ancient grain and the golden seed head traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable warmth.

Amaranth

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Unfading, the amaranth plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the unfading quality in the Greek botanical tradition where the brilliant red seed heads of amaranth retained their color when dried, Amaranth carries the immortality and the grain traditions simultaneously in a name of three syllables and extraordinary phonetic beauty.

Quinoa

• Origin: Quechua
• Meaning: Mother grain, the quinoa plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the mother grain in the Quechua indigenous tradition of the Andes where quinoa was one of the most sacred agricultural plants, Quinoa carries the indigenous botanical and the nutritional traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary warmth.

Rare Botanical Names

Alkanet

• Origin: Arabic
• Meaning: Henna, the alkanet plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the henna plant in the Arabic botanical tradition where alkanet was used as a red dye for lips and cheeks, Alkanet carries the cosmetic botanical and the brilliant blue flower traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Elecampane

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Helen’s plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for Helen of Troy in the mythological botanical tradition where the plant sprang from her tears when she was carried to Troy, Elecampane carries the Trojan mythology and the tall yellow daisy tradition in a name of four syllables and extraordinary phonetic grandeur.

Soapwort

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Soap plant, cleansing herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the cleansing plant in the Old English botanical tradition where soapwort produced a gentle lather used to wash delicate textiles, Soapwort carries the cleaning and the pink-flowered roadside plant traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Pellitory

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Wall plant, the pellitory herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the wall-dwelling plant in the Latin botanical tradition where pellitory grew on old walls and ruins and was used in ear remedies, Pellitory carries the ancient ruins and the healing botanical traditions in a name of four syllables and considerable phonetic character.

Glasswort

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Glass plant, the salt marsh succulent
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the plant whose ash was used in glassmaking in the Old English botanical tradition, Glasswort carries the industrial botanical and the salt marsh succulent traditions, now better known as samphire, in a name of two syllables and considerable coastal botanical warmth.

Celandine

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Swallow plant, the celandine flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the swallow in the Greek botanical tradition where celandine was said to flower when the swallows arrived and fade when they departed, Celandine carries the avian botanical mythology and the brilliant yellow flower traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable literary warmth through Wordsworth’s poems.

Samphire

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Saint Peter’s herb, the rock samphire
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the herb of Saint Peter in the French botanical tradition because it grew on coastal rocks where Peter might have walked, Samphire carries the maritime botanical and the culinary gourmet traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable contemporary freshness.

Alexanders

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Alexander’s plant, the alexanders herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for Alexander the Great in the Greek botanical tradition because the plant was thought to have come from Macedonia, Alexanders carries the historical botanical and the celery-like coastal herb traditions in a name of four syllables and considerable archaeological botanical warmth.

Navelwort

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Navel plant, the navelwort succulent
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the belly button-shaped leaves in the Old English botanical tradition, Navelwort carries the anatomical botanical mythology and the wall-dwelling succulent traditions in a name of three syllables and considerable whimsical warmth.

Tutsan

• Origin: Old French
• Meaning: All healthy, the tutsan plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the all-healthy quality in the Old French botanical tradition where tutsan was a wound-healing herb, Tutsan carries the medicinal botanical and the aromatic St. John’s Wort relative traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable medieval herbal warmth.

Pellicle

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Thin skin, botanical membrane
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the thin skin in the Latin botanical anatomy tradition, Pellicle carries the botanical structural tradition in a name of three syllables and considerable contemporary botanical distinctiveness.

Fumitory

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Earth smoke, the fumitory plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the earth smoke in the Latin botanical tradition because the grey-green plant rising from the soil resembled smoke rising from the ground, Fumitory carries the elemental and the delicate pink-flowered botanical traditions in a name of four syllables and extraordinary phonetic beauty.

Groundsel

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Ground swallower, the groundsel plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the ground-swallowing quality of its rapid spread in the Old English botanical tradition, Groundsel carries the common but beautiful wildflower and the groundbirds’ food traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable phonetic warmth.

Henbane

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: Hen killer, the henbane plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the hen-killing quality in the Old English botanical tradition because of the plant’s toxicity to chickens, Henbane carries the poisonous botanical and the beautiful pale yellow flower traditions in a name of two syllables and considerable Gothic botanical warmth.

Weld

• Origin: Old English
• Meaning: The weld plant, yellow dye herb
• Popularity: >1000

Named for the plant that provided the brightest and most lightfast yellow dye available to medieval textile workers in the Old English botanical tradition, Weld carries the craft and botanical traditions in a name of four letters and complete phonetic directness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this botanical girl names article different from other flower name lists?

A: This collection reaches well beyond the familiar flower names to include the full botanical world, the medicinal herbs of the hedgerow and the apothecary garden, the woodland and forest trees, the climbing vines, the grasses and sedges, the wildflowers of the meadow and the roadside, and the extraordinary tradition of plants named for the botanists who documented them. Many of the names here, Fumitory, Elecampane, Pellitory, Glasswort, and Tutsan, are not found in any other naming collection because they come from the more obscure corners of the botanical tradition that most naming resources never reach.

Q: Are there botanical names that carry specific historical or cultural meanings beyond the plant itself?

A: Many botanical names carry entire civilizations within them. Spikenard was the most expensive perfume in the ancient world and appears in both the Old and New Testaments. Elecampane carries the mythology of Helen of Troy. Vervain was sacred to multiple ancient religions including the Druids and the Romans. Celandine carries Wordsworth’s devotion in three of his most personal poems. Woodruff carries the May wine tradition that connected spring celebrations across medieval Europe. Every plant with a long enough human history carries within its name the record of everyone who has ever grown it, used it, celebrated it, or been healed by it.

Q: Which of these rare botanical names would work best in everyday use?

A: Among the rarer names, Bryony, Sorrel, Rowan, Bracken, Sedge, Amaranth, Celandine, and Samphire have phonetic accessibility that makes them comfortable for everyday use while remaining genuinely distinctive. The longer names like Elecampane, Convolvulus, and Alstroemeria carry extraordinary botanical character but require a family comfortable with an unusual name that will always invite the question. The medium-length names like Agrimony, Scabious, and Fumitory occupy an interesting middle territory, unusual enough to be genuinely distinctive but short enough to be practically manageable.

Q: Are botanical names gender-neutral or specifically feminine?

A: While this collection focuses on feminine use of botanical names, the majority are genuinely gender-neutral in their botanical origin, plants having no grammatical gender except in botanical Latin where species are classified as masculine, feminine, or neuter according to conventions that have nothing to do with gender expression. Names like Rowan, Ash, Sage, Bracken, Sedge, Bay, and Cedar work beautifully for any gender. The specifically feminine character of many botanical names in the English naming tradition is a cultural convention rather than an etymological fact, and many families are choosing botanical names for sons with equal success.

Conclusion

Botanical girl names carry within them the most patient and most persistent tradition in the natural world, the tradition of organisms that have been turning sunlight into life for four hundred million years and that have developed along the way an extraordinary diversity of forms, fragrances, colors, and strategies for thriving under every possible condition. A girl named Magnolia carries the theatrical winter bloom that arrives when everything else is bare. A girl named Sorrel carries the tart forest-floor herb that sustained foragers for millennia. A girl named Celandine carries the swallow’s mythology and Wordsworth’s devotion. A girl named Fumitory carries the earth-smoke of a plant so ancient it remembers when the landscape was different. Whatever botanical name you choose from this collection, you are giving your daughter a connection to something that has endured every season the world has produced and found in each of them a reason to keep growing. Which name is your favorite? I would love to hear in the comments below!