Nature names: 110+ earth, forest and sky names with meanings
112 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest
Popular nature names include Willow (the tree), River (flowing water) and Sylvia (of the forest), and almost every language has its own words for earth, sky and forest that work as names.
Below are 110+ real nature names with their meanings and origins. Girl, boy and unisex names come first, then names for trees and forests, for earth, stone and mountains, for rain, snow and wind, and for the sky, the dawn and the seasons. English word names like Willow and Meadow are marked as word names. For blooms, see our list of flower names.
Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks
Haunani
Beautiful snow or dew; Hawaiian hau and nani. Say how-NAH-nee
Silvia
Of the forest; Latin. Mother of Romulus and Remus in legend
Elowen
Elm tree; a recently coined Cornish name
Fern
English word name for the feathery woodland plant
Rawda
Meadow, garden; Arabic. Say RAW-da
Kamaile
The maile vine, a fragrant leafy vine of Hawaii; Hawaiian
Find a nature name on this page
Narrow 112 names by how common they were for US babies in 2025, by section, length or first letter, or search the meanings.
Nature names for girls
Leafy English word names, Greek plant names and earthy picks from Turkish, Sanskrit, Japanese, Arabic, Irish and Hawaiian.
- Nehir 6 in 2025: River; Turkish. Say neh-HEER
- Prakriti Under 5 in 2025: Nature, the material world; Sanskrit. Say PRUH-kri-tee
- Rawda 7 in 2025: Meadow, garden; Arabic. Say RAW-da
- Rayhana 15 in 2025: Basil; Arabic. Borne by a woman in the Prophet Muhammad's household
- Kamaile Under 5 in 2025: The maile vine, a fragrant leafy vine of Hawaii; Hawaiian
Nature names for boys
Landscape surnames, Latin forest names and earthy boy names from Japan, India and Hawaii.
- Forrest US #374: Forest; an English surname for someone who lived by one. Once used in honor of a Confederate general, so some parents prefer Forest
- Glyn Under 5 in 2025: A valley; Welsh. Say GLIN
- Sylvester 64 in 2025: Wooded, wild; Latin. The name of three popes
- Silvio 45 in 2025: Of the forest; Italian and Spanish form of Silvius
- Daichi Under 5 in 2025: Great earth (depends on kanji); Japanese 大地. Say DYE-chee
- Girish Under 5 in 2025: Lord of the mountain; Sanskrit, a name of Shiva. Say gi-REESH
- Prithvi 14 in 2025: Earth; Sanskrit, from a word for wide. Say PRITH-vee
- Liko Under 5 in 2025: A leaf bud; Hawaiian. Say LEE-ko
Unisex nature names
Gender-neutral nature names used for boys and girls, from English word names to Turkish and Hebrew.
- Rain 275 in 2025: English word name for falling water, from Old English regn
- Tal 16 in 2025: Dew; Hebrew, for girls and boys. Say TAHL
- Doğa 5 in 2025: Nature; Turkish. Say doh-AH
- Toprak Under 5 in 2025: Soil, land; Turkish. Say top-RAHK
- Ekin Under 5 in 2025: Harvest, crops; Turkish. Say eh-KEEN
Tree and forest names
Names from trees, woods and forests, from Latin silva to Hebrew ilan and Japanese 樹.
- Silvanus 8 in 2025: Of the woods; Latin. The Roman god of forests
- Tamar 73 in 2025: Date palm; Hebrew. A biblical name. Say TAH-mar
- Ilana 71 in 2025: Tree, from Hebrew ilan; an Israeli girl's name. Say ee-LAH-na
- Alon 18 in 2025: Oak tree; Hebrew. Say ah-LONE
- Alona 43 in 2025: Oak tree; Hebrew, feminine of Alon. Say ah-LOH-na
- Oren 174 in 2025: Pine tree; Hebrew. Say OR-en
- Itsuki Under 5 in 2025: Tree (depends on kanji); Japanese 樹. Say EET-soo-kee
- Çınar Under 5 in 2025: Plane tree; Turkish, from Persian. Say chuh-NAR
- Garrick 12 in 2025: Oak tree grove; Occitan, via a Huguenot surname
- Rowan US #59: From the Irish name Ruadhán, little red one; also given for the rowan tree, a word of Norse origin
Earth, stone and mountain names
Names that mean earth, soil, rock and stone, including Peter and its forms.
- Bhumi 17 in 2025: Earth, soil; Sanskrit. A Hindu earth goddess. Say BOO-mee
- Dharani Under 5 in 2025: Earth, literally the bearer; Sanskrit. Say DHUH-ruh-nee
- Piers 5 in 2025: Rock, stone; a medieval English form of Peter
- Avani US #806: Earth; Sanskrit, a rising US girls' name
Rain, snow, mist and wind names
Names for rain, clouds, dew, mist, snow and the wind in 11 languages.
- Yağmur Under 5 in 2025: Rain; Turkish, for girls and boys. Say yah-MOOR
- Baran 24 in 2025: Rain; Persian, Kurdish and Turkish, for girls and boys. Say bah-RAHN
- Ghaith 96 in 2025: Rain; Arabic. Say GHAYTH
- Varsha 6 in 2025: Rain; Sanskrit. Say VUR-sha
- Megha 12 in 2025: Cloud; Sanskrit. Say MAY-gha
- Bulut Under 5 in 2025: Cloud; Turkish. Say boo-LOOT
- Rüzgar Under 5 in 2025: Wind; Turkish. Say rooz-GAR
- Pavan 7 in 2025: Wind, air, purification; Sanskrit, a name of the god Vayu
- Nasim 8 in 2025: Breeze; Arabic and Urdu, for boys and girls. Say na-SEEM
- Kamakani Under 5 in 2025: The wind; Hawaiian. Say ka-ma-KA-nee
- Shabnam Under 5 in 2025: Dew; Persian and Urdu. Say shub-NUM
- Iseul Under 5 in 2025: Dew; Korean. Say ee-SEUL
- Haunani Under 5 in 2025: Beautiful snow or dew; Hawaiian hau and nani. Say how-NAH-nee
- Nieves Under 5 in 2025: Snows; Spanish, from Our Lady of the Snows. Say NYEH-ves
Sky, dawn and season names
Names for the open sky, the first light of morning and the turning seasons.
- Sahar 43 in 2025: Dawn; Arabic and Persian. Say sa-HAR
- Akash 23 in 2025: The sky, open space; Sanskrit. Say AH-kash
- Bahar 30 in 2025: Spring, the season; Persian and Turkish. Say ba-HAR
How to pick the right name
Pick a landscape you love
Choose a name from a place that matters to your family: Sierra or Montana for mountain people, Brooke or Nehir for river lovers, Sylvia or Silvio for forest walkers.
Decide between word names and meaning names
Word names like Willow and River say their meaning out loud. Meaning names like Daphne (laurel), Tamar (date palm) or Daichi (great earth) keep it as a quiet story.
Check the meaning in the original language
Japanese names depend on the kanji, so Yuki can mean snow or happiness. Turkish and Hebrew nature names are everyday words, so they read clearly to native speakers.
Watch for surprises
Some names only look like nature words. Reed began as a nickname from Old English read, red, and Terra is usually a spelling of Tara, not Latin for earth. Moss has two origins, a word for bog or moss and a medieval form of Moses.
Save this list for later
Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.
Nature names in US data: the record highs of 2025, the names that already peaked, and tree names by tree
By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names
2025 was a record year for nature names. Aurora reached No. 15 for US girls, Juniper entered the top 100 for the first time, and Rowan hit No. 59 for boys, each its best rank ever. Some favorites are already past their peak: Willow was No. 37 in 2022 and No. 44 in 2025.
Not every name that sounds natural is about nature, and some namesake plants are toxic to pets. The finder above narrows the names on this page by section, length and US popularity, and the tags show each name's 2025 rank.
Nature names at record highs in 2025
- Past their peak. Willow's best rank was No. 37 in 2022 (No. 44 in 2025), Ivy's No. 36 in 2024 (No. 39), Wren's No. 184 in 2022 (No. 231) and River's No. 105 for boys in 2022 (No. 111). Hazel, No. 21 in 2025, first peaked at No. 18 back in 1897.
- TV can launch a name. Meadow was very rare until The Sopranos gave the name to Tony Soprano's daughter (1999 to 2007) (Behind the Name).
| Name | US rank, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Aurora (girls) | #15 |
| Rowan (boys) | #59 |
| Juniper (girls) | #100, its first year in the top 100 |
| Daphne (girls) | #178 |
| Sylvie (girls) | #282 |
| Meadow (girls) | #286 |
| Briar (girls) | #400 |
| Elowen (girls) | #798 |
| Avani (girls) | #806 |
Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025.
Tree names, tree by tree
| Tree | Names |
|---|---|
| Oak | Alon, Alona, Oakley, Garrick |
| Ash | Ash, Ashley |
| Elm | Elowen (Cornish) |
| Laurel | Laurel, Daphne |
| Pine | Oren (Hebrew) |
| Date palm | Tamar (Hebrew) |
| Lime or linden | Linden |
| Maple | Kaede (Japanese) |
| Plane | Çınar (Turkish) |
| Any tree | Ilan, Ilana, Itsuki |
Meanings from Behind the Name, for example Elowen. Rowan is mostly an Irish name, Ruadhán, though it is also given for the rowan tree (Behind the Name).
Check before you choose
- Some names only look natural. Reed began as a nickname from Old English read, red (Behind the Name), and Terra is usually a spelling of Tara, perhaps influenced by Latin terra (Behind the Name).
- Some namesake plants are toxic. Holly and English ivy are toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA: holly, English ivy), which matters if the name inspires a gift, a nursery plant or a pet's name.
- Gender changes by country. Bryn is almost always a boy's name in Wales but mostly a girl's name in the US, where 94 girls and 12 boys got it in 2025 (Behind the Name).
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What are good nature names?
Willow, Hazel, Ivy, River, Sylvia and Juniper are popular picks. For something less common, try Linden, Alona, Kaede or Eira.
What name means nature?
Doğa means nature in Turkish and Prakriti means nature in Sanskrit. Sylvia and Silvio mean of the forest, and Gaia means earth.
What names mean earth?
Gaia means earth in Greek, Bhumi and Dharani mean earth in Sanskrit, Prithvi means earth and Daichi can mean great earth in Japanese. Toprak means soil in Turkish.
What are nature names for boys?
River and Rowan lead US boys' nature names, at No. 111 and No. 59 in 2025. Forest, Heath, Oren (pine tree) and Alon (oak tree) are classic choices, and Daichi, Akash (sky) and Itsuki (tree) come from Japanese and Sanskrit.
What names mean forest?
Sylvia, Silvia, Sylvie and Silvio come from Latin silva, forest, and Silvanus was the Roman god of forests. Forrest and Forest are English names meaning forest.
What are the most popular nature names in 2025?
For US girls, Aurora (No. 15), Hazel (No. 21), Ivy (No. 39), Willow (No. 44) and Juniper (No. 100). For boys, Rowan (No. 59) and River (No. 111). Aurora, Juniper and Rowan were at their highest ranks ever.
Which names only look like nature names?
Reed comes from Old English for red, Terra is usually a spelling of Tara, and Rowan is mostly the Irish name Ruadhán, though it is also given for the tree. Moss can be either a nature word or a medieval form of Moses.
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