These Popular Nature Baby Names Capture Kids' Untamed Personalities

Whether a new parent is looking for names for boys, names for girls, or gender-neutral names, there are certain trends that come up over and over again. While some of these cycle in and out quickly others have remarkable staying power, like nature baby names inspired by the beauty of the world around us.

"Parents may appreciate nature names for their connections to serenity or peacefulness, or see them as evoking a wild, untamed quality," says Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of baby-naming website Nameberry. "Others may opt for nature names because of their evocative images — we’ve seen many parents choose a name like River, for example, in connection to a special river in their hometown or an otherwise meaningful place."

These qualities have made nature names exceedingly popular. "We’ve identified landscape names as one of the biggest baby name trends of 2025," she adds. "These are short, streamlined names that immediately conjure a specific image. Think Coast, Ridge and Field. But the most common nature names in the U.S. are botanical names for girls — Violet, Hazel, Ivy, and Willow are in the Top 50 — and water names for boys, like Dylan (meaning “son of the sea”), Kai (meaning “ocean”), Brooks and River, which are in the Top 150 for boys."

Ready to be inspired by nature? Check out these nature baby names.

Most Popular Nature Baby Names

These names rank among the most popular baby names in the United States, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). They all rank within the country's top 500 names.

Boy Names

1. Dylan

2. Kai

3. Brooks

4. Rowan

5. River

6. Onyx

7. Banks

8. Orion

9. Ares

10. Sage

11. Forrest

12. Reed

13. Apollo

14. Eden

15. Wells

Girl Names

1. Luna

2. Violet

3. Hazel

4. Lily

5. Aurora

6. Nova

7. Ivy

8. Willow

9. Stella

10. Ruby

11. Autumn

12. Iris

13. Jade

14. Daisy

15. Juniper

Gender-Neutral Nature Names

In addition to nature names, unisex names are a huge trend among the current crop of new parents. Luckily, there are a ton of names that fit both categories. In fact, while the SSA splits the most popular names into "boy names" and "girl names" — a distinction that's becoming increasingly irrelevant — there are so many crossovers. Dylan, Kai, Rowan, River, Sage, Eden and Nova actually rank on both lists. (They're included on the list where they rank higher.) Here are some other gender-neutral nature names:

1. Briar

2. Cedar

3. Cove

4. Cyprus

5. Ocean

6. Robin

7. Sequoia

8. Sunny

9. Wren

10. Zephyr

Plant/Flower Names

Blossoms, herbs, spices — it's all fair game for baby-name inspiration, Start with these names, which evoke a sweet scent just by looking at them.

1. Azalea

2. Basil

3. Bud

4. Clover

5. Dahlia

6. Elwood

7. Flora

8. Heath

9. Holly

10. Indigo

11. Jasmine

12. Leaf

13. Marigold

14. Oleander

15. Petunia

16. Poppy

17. Rose

18. Sorrel

19. Valerian

20. Zinnia

Tree Names

Among plants, trees are a subgenre so big they get a category of their own. There are also variants of tree names — think Oakley and Oaklynn, after Oak — or you can just go with the short-and-sweet common tree name. There are also names that evoke a wooded place, like Arbor, Sylvan or Forest.

1. Alder

2. Apple
   

3. Ash

4. Aspen
   

5. Birch
   

6. Ewan
   

7. Koa

8. Laurel
   

9. Lilac
   

10. Linden
    

11. Magnolia

12. Oak

13. Olive

14. Spruce

15. Woody

Water Names

Some of the most popular nature names we've seen so far, like Ocean and River, call to mind a place with a view of the water. If that appeals, these names evoke the mysteries of the deep.

1. Bay

2. Caspian

3. Delta

4. Fjord/Ford

5. Hudson

6. Lake

7. Loch

8. Marina

9. Rain

10. Reef

11. Rio

12. Navy

13. Sailor

14. Tiberius

15. Wade

Sky Names

From the depths below to the heavens above, these celestial names look to the skies for inspiration. Think stars, planets, constellations and other up-in-the-air features, as seen in names like Luna (meaning moon), Aurora (meaning daybreak) and Nova (a kind of star).

1. Atlas

2. Andromeda

3. Castor

4. Celeste

5. Cosmo

6. Dawn

7. Elio

8. Estella

9. Leo

10. Phoebe

11. Selena

12. Skye/Skylar

13. Sol

14. Soleil

15. Vesper

Gemstone Names

If a baby name isn't found in the stars, maybe it'll come from the Earth, like jewel and gemstone names like Onyx, Ruby and Jade.

1. Amber

2. Amethyst

3. Ebony

4. Emerald

5. Coral

6. Crystal

7. Garnet

8. Jasper

9. Jem

10. Mercury

11. Obsidian

12. Opal

13. Pearl

14. Sapphire

15. Stone

Looking for more great baby names? Check out these Good Housekeeping guides: Most Popular Names for Boys | Most Popular Names for Girls | Disney Baby Names | French Baby Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Irish Boy Names | Irish Girl Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Names for Boys | Long Names for Girls | Short Names for Boys | Short Names for Girls

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