Another trend in the McCrindle 2022 Baby Names Report is naming babies using botanicals. This especially has been true for girls’ names, given girls do like pretty things, of which flowers are. If you would like a sweet sounding name, a floral name will do just the job. With the plethora of different flowers, you will be spoilt for choice. It will just come down to how you like the sound of the name, its meaning and perhaps the type of flower you like or would like for your baby.
You will learn a lot about the different flowers in the meantime while choosing a floral name!
We have gathered a bunch of floral names with details about the flowers behind them.
Floral names for your baby girl
Alyssa- Related to the alyssum flower.
Blossom- This is an English name that means ‘flower, lovely, fresh’.
Bryony- Greek name meaning ‘a plant’, in particular, a white bryony climbing plant. According to Wildlife Trusts, it displays five-petalled flowers and red berries. It is highly poisonous, mainly found in England.
Calanthe – A French name meaning ‘beautiful flower’. Also a winter-blooming genus aptly named from the Greek words kalos (beautiful) and anthe (flower). The Queensland Orchid Society reports that it grows in the rainforests and flowers around Christmas, so it is called the Christmas orchid, or Christmas lily.
Calla- an Arabic name meaning ‘castle’, but also a name for the beautiful, colourful Calla Lily blooms.
Camellia- An Italian name for a flowering plant, known for its beautiful blooms and evergreen shrubs, and according to Gardenia, ranked as one of the best flowering shrubs.
Coral- Means ‘small stone’ while the plant produces a bright, coral coloured flower of wispy stems that bloom like a waterfall.
Cassia- A Greek name meaning ‘champion,’ but it is also a tree. Its bark makes the spice cassia which is similar to cinnamon. Cassia bark is also used in flavouring for cooking.
Lily- An Old German name meaning ‘industrious, strength’. The lily flower has brilliant coloured blooms that are so beautiful and elegant that they are often a favourite for wedding bouquets.
Primrose- An English name meaning ‘first rose’. Famously this name appears in the movie ‘The Hunger Games.’ Primrose is the younger sister of the heroine Katniss.
Dahlia- A Scandinavian name meaning 'valley, flower.' This flower is a part of the daisy family and comes in many amazing shades.
Fuchsia- An English name meaning ‘the fuchsia flower or the colour fuchsia’. There are many different species of the fuchsia flower. It exhibits vivid blooms of purple and red, hence the colour fuchsia. The Bunnings website says they are grown for their unusual hanging flowers, which are often described as looking like colourful ballerina skirts.
Azalea- Hebrew name meaning ‘spared by Jehovah’. It is also a popular garden plant that comes in many varieties, with flower colours ranging from white to purple, pink, red, orange and yellow.
Clover-An English name meaning ‘from the meadow’. Clover species are generally small and have three leaves, although some will have five or seven. This is the plant that is said to bring luck if one finds a four-leaf clover.
Daisy- Old English name meaning ‘day's eye’. According to the Better Homes and Gardens’ website, these flowers symbolise purity, freshness, simplicity and loyalty. It’s also the birth month flower for April, which may suit if your baby happens to be born in that month.
Floral names for your baby boy
Aster- A unisex name of English origin, meaning ‘from the stars’. Its flowers are usually white and pink but also, at times, a striking rich purple lavender and blue.
Aciano- A flower with a strong blue colour, and according to Project Noah, often used for culinary decoration.
Ash- A large tree with yellow leaves in autumn.
Ren- Irish, Japanese name, with lots of positive meanings including ‘charming, water lily and wealthy’. It usually has red, red-orange, or yellow flowers. According to the American Orchid Society, some species provide a spectacular display of 100+ flowers.
Sage- Of French, English origins, meaning ‘wise’. Sage has a long history of use as a spice and as a remedy for health purposes. Today, sage is promoted for a sore mouth or throat, memory loss, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and other conditions.
Indigo- From the Indigo plant, with flower colours of soft purple hues. It’s of Latin origin, meaning dark blue.
William- An English, French and German name meaning ‘determined protector’. A favourite plant well known for its dense, flattened clusters of small flowers.
Hamilton- An old English name for ‘beautiful mountain’. However, it’s also in the name of a type of rose, called Rose Lady Emma Hamilton, which provide stunning tangerine, yellow and orange blossoms.
Heath- The meaning of this Old English name is ‘wasteland.’ It’s also a low maintenance, strong and hardy plant that can change colour all year round.
Perry- An Anglo-Saxon name meaning ‘pear tree’.
Rhodes-Greek name meaning ‘roses’.
Fiorello- Italian name meaning ‘little flower’.
Laurence- An English name meaning ‘laurel trees’.
Watson- From the Watsonia plant varieties.
Blaze- Blaze roses are a popular climbing rose for their vibrant red colour and low maintenance.
Don’t forget that you can always use the Huggies Baby Name Generator to your advantage to help you come up with interesting combinations based on your desire for meanings or initials. With thousands of names to choose from, be inspired by popular, unique and original baby names.
REFERENCES
https://www.azaleas.org/about-azaleas/
https://themomfriend.com/flower-names-for-boys/
https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/about-heaths-and-heathers
https://momlovesbest.com/baby-flower-names
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/white-bryony
https://www.qos.org.au/uploads/4/1/4/3/41433817/the_genus_calanthe.pdf
https://www.tesselaar.net.au/calla-lilies
https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/camellias-all-you-need-to-know
https://www.britannica.com/topic/cassia-spice
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/sage
https://www.aos.org/orchids/orchids-a-to-z/letter-r/renanthera.aspx
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/dianthus-barbatus-sweet-william
https://www.todaysparent.com/pregnancy/baby-names/beautiful-flower-names-for-your-baby/
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/russelia-equisetiformis-coral-plant
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/rose-lady-emma-hamilton-ausbrother
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1719976006
Written by Tracey Cheung, April 2023. Tracey is a freelance writer with particular interest in writing about topics that promote health and wellness in the community. As a mother she has personal experience in writing content that helps other parents.
Last Published* May, 2024
*Please note that the published date may not be the same as the date that the content was created and that information above may have changed since.