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Plant names: 150+ botanical names for girls, boys, pets and houseplants

161 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Plant names are given names that come from trees, herbs, vines and shoots, like Keziah (Hebrew for cassia, a cinnamon-like spice), Erez (Hebrew for cedar) and Tulsi (Hindi for holy basil).

Below are 150+ plant names in nine groups. Real names come first with their meanings: plant names for girls, plant names for boys, unisex plant names and names that mean tree. Then come plant names from myth, botanical names in Latin and Greek, plants named after real people, invented pun names for your houseplants and plant names for pets. Flower names have their own page, so you will not find Lily or Rose here.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Gefen

    Hebrew for grapevine, a symbol of plenty

  • Kalina

    Slavic for viburnum, a shrub with bright red berries

  • Dekel

    Hebrew for palm tree, a modern Israeli name

  • Cardamom

    A warm spice name for a cinnamon-colored cat

  • Aloe Pacino

    A tough succulent with a dramatic monologue

  • Embla

    First woman of Norse myth, shaped from a tree

Find a plant name on this page

Narrow 161 names by section, length or first letter, or search the notes.

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Plant names for girls

Real girl names that come from herbs, vines, shoots and shrubs, with the meaning and language of each. Flower names have their own page.

  1. Cassia 94 in 2025: Roman feminine of Cassius; also the cinnamon-like cassia tree
  2. Verbena Under 5 in 2025: From Latin for leafy twigs; also the vervain plant
  3. Phyllida Under 5 in 2025: From Greek phyllon, leaf; a pastoral form of Phyllis
  4. Palmira Under 5 in 2025: Feminine of Palmiro, pilgrim, from Latin palma; a Palm Sunday name
  5. Mirta Under 5 in 2025: Spanish, Italian and Croatian for myrtle, the evergreen of love
  6. Kalina 135 in 2025: Slavic for viburnum, a shrub with bright red berries
  7. Višnja Under 5 in 2025: Croatian and Serbian for sour cherry; pretty and rare
  8. Dafna Under 5 in 2025: Modern Hebrew form of Daphne, meaning laurel
  9. Latika Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for a little vine or creeper
  10. Lata Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for vine; the legendary singer Mangeshkar bore it
  11. Pallavi Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for new leaves or young shoots
  12. Sanae 6 in 2025: Early rice seedling (depends on characters); Japanese 早苗
  13. Tulsi 35 in 2025: Hindi for holy basil, kept in many Hindu courtyards
  14. Vrinda 24 in 2025: In Hindu tradition, another name for the holy basil plant
  15. Narges Under 5 in 2025: Persian for narcissus, the fragrant spring bulb
  16. Filiz Under 5 in 2025: Turkish for a sprout or young shoot
  17. Keziah US #767: Hebrew for cassia, a cinnamon-like spice tree; a daughter of Job
  18. Rosemary US #251: Rose plus Mary, and also the herb, from Latin ros marinus, dew of the sea

Plant names for boys

Boy names from trees, grasses and herbs in Old English, Hebrew, Welsh, Sanskrit and Arabic.

  1. Ashton US #197: Old English for ash tree town
  2. Palmiro Under 5 in 2025: Italian for pilgrim, after the palm fronds pilgrims carried home
  3. Chandan Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for sandalwood, prized for its scent
  4. Pallav Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for a sprout or young leaf
  5. Ankur Under 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for sprout or seedling, a fresh start
  6. Kush 18 in 2025: Sanskrit for the sacred kusha grass; a son of Rama. It also has a slang meaning in US English
  7. Rayhan 18 in 2025: Arabic for sweet basil, a fragrant herb
  8. Ashok 5 in 2025: Sanskrit for without sorrow; also a sacred flowering tree
  9. Erez 14 in 2025: Hebrew for cedar, strong and evergreen
  10. Elon 90 in 2025: Hebrew for oak tree; a judge of Israel in the Bible
  11. Tomer 5 in 2025: Hebrew for palm tree; in Israel's top 100 as recently as 2015
  12. Dekel Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for palm tree, a modern Israeli name
  13. Collen Under 5 in 2025: Welsh for hazel tree; a 7th-century Welsh saint
  14. Gwern Under 5 in 2025: Welsh for alder tree; Branwen's son in the Mabinogi
  15. Eshel Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for tamarisk; Abraham planted one at Beersheba
  16. Linus 82 in 2025: From Greek linon, flax; an early pope, and Charlie Brown's friend in Peanuts

Unisex plant names

Gender-neutral plant names for boys and girls, from Welsh holly to Hebrew almond trees.

  1. Celyn Under 5 in 2025: Welsh for holly, the winter evergreen
  2. Gefen 6 in 2025: Hebrew for grapevine, a symbol of plenty
  3. Shaked Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for almond tree, which blossoms in late winter
  4. Nitzan Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for a bud about to open
  5. Kesar Under 5 in 2025: Hindi for saffron, from Sanskrit
  6. Elah 33 in 2025: Hebrew for terebinth tree; the valley where David met Goliath
  7. Ilgın Under 5 in 2025: Turkish for tamarisk, a feathery desert tree
  8. Berkeley 81 in 2025: Old English for birch wood; also a California city
  9. Arbor 53 in 2025: Latin for tree; a leafy word name for any child
  10. Oakes 56 in 2025: English surname for a family who lived by the oaks
  11. Sage US #160: English for the herb, or for a wise person

Names that mean tree

Names whose meaning is a tree, from Israel's sycamores to Iceland's birches.

  1. Ilanit Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for tree, a feminine form of Ilan
  2. Shikma Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for sycamore fig, a tree of the Bible
  3. Arava Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for willow; also a desert valley in Israel
  4. Derwen Under 5 in 2025: Welsh for oak tree; used for boys
  5. Björk Under 5 in 2025: Icelandic for birch; also the singer Björk's name
  6. Arghavan Under 5 in 2025: Persian for the redbud, a tree of purple spring blossoms
  7. Sidra 162 in 2025: Arabic for the lote tree, named in the Quran
  8. Hadas Under 5 in 2025: Hebrew for myrtle, the root of Esther's Hebrew name Hadassah
  9. Defne 33 in 2025: Turkish form of Daphne, meaning laurel tree
  10. Fidan Under 5 in 2025: Turkish for sapling, a young tree

Plant names from myth and legend

Nymphs, heroes and sacred trees from Greek, Norse, Hindu and Saxon stories, many of whom became plants.

  1. Myrrha: Mother of Adonis, turned into the myrrh tree in a dark myth
  2. Pitys: Nymph who turned into a pine tree to escape Pan
  3. Leuce: Nymph Hades changed into the white poplar
  4. Syrinx: Nymph who became the reeds of Pan's pipes
  5. Minthe: Nymph changed into the mint plant in Greek myth
  6. Smilax: Nymph turned into a twining vine after a sad love story
  7. Lotis: Nymph who became the lotus tree in Ovid's tales
  8. Philyra: Mother of Chiron, turned into a linden; her name means linden
  9. Karya: Beloved of Dionysus, turned into a walnut tree
  10. Ampelos: Satyr Dionysus loved, reborn as the first grapevine
  11. Cyparissus: Youth who grieved his pet stag so deeply he became a cypress
  12. Baucis: Kind old woman Ovid turned into a linden beside her husband's oak
  13. Heliades: Sisters of Phaethon, turned into poplars that weep amber
  14. Dryope: Princess Ovid turned into a tree for picking lotus blossoms
  15. Attis: Phrygian youth of myth linked to the sacred pine
  16. Embla: First woman of Norse myth, shaped from a tree
  17. Yggdrasil: The giant ash tree at the center of the Norse cosmos
  18. Kalpavriksha: Wish-granting tree of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist lore
  19. Ashvattha: Sacred fig of the Bhagavad Gita, an upside-down world tree
  20. Irminsul: Sacred Saxon pillar, perhaps a tree trunk, destroyed by Charlemagne in 772

Botanical names

Latin and Greek genus names that sound like names. Great for houseplants, pets and fantasy characters.

  1. Monstera: The Swiss cheese plant, famous for its holey leaves
  2. Philodendron: Greek for tree-loving; many climb trunks in the wild
  3. Peperomia: Greek for pepper-like; tidy little radiator plants
  4. Pilea: Latin pileus, felt cap; home of the pancake-leaf money plant
  5. Oxalis: Greek for sour, after its tangy shamrock-like leaves
  6. Anthurium: Greek for flower tail; glossy red flamingo flowers
  7. Chlorophytum: Greek for green plant; the easygoing spider plant
  8. Senecio: Latin for old man, for its fluffy white seed heads
  9. Crassula: Latin for little thick one; the jade plant's genus
  10. Opuntia: Prickly pear cactus, named for the Greek town of Opus
  11. Epipremnum: Greek for on a tree trunk; the pothos genus
  12. Spathiphyllum: Greek for spathe leaf; the peace lily
  13. Aglaonema: Greek for bright thread; the Chinese evergreen
  14. Nepenthes: Pitcher plants named for a grief-easing potion in the Odyssey
  15. Drosera: Greek for dewy; the sticky, bug-catching sundews
  16. Salvia: Latin for sage, from salvus, healthy
  17. Hedera: The ancient Latin name for ivy
  18. Clematis: From Greek klema, a vine twig; the queen of climbers
  19. Lantana: Butterfly-magnet shrub with clusters of tiny bright blooms
  20. Sedum: Stonecrop succulents that thrive on rocks and rooftops
  21. Quercus: The Latin name for the oak genus
  22. Ilex: The holly genus; in Latin it named the holm oak
  23. Salix: The willow genus; its bark gave us salicin, aspirin's ancestor
  24. Tilia: The linden genus, famous for sweet-smelling summer blossoms
  25. Acer: Latin for maple, and for sharp; also a computer brand

Plants named after people

Botanists name plants to honor people. Each of these plants carries a real person's name, which makes for a story-rich pet or plant name.

  1. Begonia: Honors Michel Bégon, a French official and patron of botany
  2. Gerbera: Honors German botanist and physician Traugott Gerber
  3. Kalmia: Honors Pehr Kalm, a student of Linnaeus who explored America
  4. Lobelia: Honors Flemish botanist Matthias de l'Obel
  5. Forsythia: Honors William Forsyth, a Scottish royal gardener
  6. Gloxinia: Honors Benjamin Peter Gloxin, a German botanist
  7. Dieffenbachia: Honors Joseph Dieffenbach, head gardener to botanist Heinrich Schott in Vienna
  8. Lewisia: Honors explorer Meriwether Lewis; its bitterroot is Montana's state flower
  9. Clarkia: Honors William Clark, Lewis's partner on the journey west
  10. Franklinia: Honors Benjamin Franklin; the tree now survives only in gardens
  11. Washingtonia: Fan palms that honor President George Washington
  12. Poinsettia: Honors Joel Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico
  13. Bougainvillea: Honors French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville
  14. Tradescantia: Honors the Tradescants, father-and-son English royal gardeners
  15. Hoya: Honors Thomas Hoy, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland
  16. Fittonia: Honors Irish botanist sisters Elizabeth and Sarah Mary Fitton
  17. Jeffersonia: The twinleaf, named for President Thomas Jefferson
  18. Hosta: Honors Nicolaus Thomas Host, a Rijeka-born botanist in Vienna
  19. Echeveria: Honors Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría
  20. Haworthia: Honors English botanist Adrian Hardy Haworth
  21. Maranta: The prayer plant, honoring a 16th-century Italian physician and botanist
  22. Plumeria: Frangipani, honoring French botanist Charles Plumier
  23. Alstroemeria: Peruvian lily, honoring Swedish baron Clas Alströmer
  24. Lapageria: Chile's national flower, named for Empress Joséphine
  25. Banksia: Australian shrubs honoring naturalist Joseph Banks

Funny houseplant names

Pun names for the plants on your windowsill, each matched to a plant type.

  1. Figgy Stardust: For a fiddle-leaf fig with rock star ambitions
  2. Jade Pinkett: For a glamorous succulent with Hollywood poise
  3. Frond Sinatra: A fern that does everything its way
  4. Tomato Cruise: For a windowsill veggie with action-hero energy
  5. Hoya Lansbury: A trailing wax plant with a mystery-solving streak
  6. Ficus Fitzgerald: A rubber plant with a velvet voice
  7. Cactus Cassidy: An outlaw succulent that refuses to be watered
  8. Alocasia Keys: An elephant ear plant that is simply on fire
  9. Calathea Zeta-Jones: A dramatic calathea, cousin of the prayer plant
  10. Dracaena Barrymore: A tall, sunny dragon tree from a famous family
  11. Yucca Ono: A spiky desert plant with avant-garde taste
  12. Aspidistra Franklin: A cast-iron plant that demands a little respect
  13. Snake Gyllenhaal: A mother-in-law's tongue with brooding leading-man looks
  14. Fern Hathaway: A graceful, frond-filled beauty ready for its close-up
  15. Pothos Brosnan: A suave trailing vine, licensed to grow
  16. Aloe Pacino: A tough succulent with a dramatic monologue

Plant names for pets

Garden, grain and herb names for cats, dogs, rabbits and horses.

  1. Bonsai: For a tiny pet with a big, carefully groomed personality
  2. Bamboo: For a panda-patterned cat or a fast-growing puppy
  3. Okra: A Southern garden staple for a laid-back hound
  4. Quince: An old-fashioned golden fruit for a golden retriever
  5. Artichoke: For a pet who is prickly outside, soft at heart
  6. Oats: For a horse, a hamster or any pet who loves breakfast
  7. Sorghum: A sweet-syrup grain for a sweet country dog
  8. Cactus: For a prickly cat who only cuddles on her own terms
  9. Chervil: A delicate French herb for a dainty bunny
  10. Oregano: A zesty herb for a pet with Italian flair
  11. Lentil: For the tiniest guinea pig in the litter
  12. Burdock: For a farm dog who comes home covered in burrs
  13. Mulberry: For a dark-coated cat with a sweet streak
  14. Cardamom: A warm spice name for a cinnamon-colored cat
  15. Gourd: For a round, roly-poly pet who loves autumn
  16. Squash: For a pet who squeezes into every lap
  17. Sapling: For a gangly puppy still growing into its legs
  18. Beansprout: For a pet who seems to grow overnight
  19. Kohlrabi: A quirky vegetable name for a quirky rabbit
  20. Catnip: Obviously, for a cat who knows what she likes

How to pick the right name

Choose a plant you love

A name means more when the plant does. If your family has a cedar in the yard or a pot of basil on the sill, Erez or Rayhan carries that memory.

Check the real meaning

Some names only look like plants. Lawrence means from Laurentum, a Roman town, and Basil means royal. Linus really is one: it comes from the Greek word for flax. Every given name here has a documented link to a plant.

Use botanical Latin for pets

Genus names like Salvia, Hedera and Tilia sound like old-fashioned names and work beautifully for cats, dogs and the plants themselves.

Mix languages

Plant names exist in every language. Celyn is Welsh holly, Shaked is Hebrew almond and Filiz is a Turkish sprout, so there is a plant name for almost any heritage.

Plant names: 161 ideas from Nomezo

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Plant names, checked: the ones US parents actually use, the ones that only look botanical, and which namesake plants are safe around pets

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

Most plant names are rare in the US. Of the 55 real given names on this page, only Sage, Ashton, Rosemary and Keziah made a 2025 top 1,000, and 32 went to fewer than 5 babies. Several rare ones are climbing, though: Keziah, Sidra and Cassia for girls and Oakes and Arbor for boys all had their best year yet in 2025.

Some names that sound botanical are not, and some namesake plants are toxic to pets. The finder above narrows the names by section, length or first letter, and the tags show each real given name's 2025 US rank or count.

  1. Step 1Pick a sectionGirls, boys, unisex, trees, myth or pets.
  2. Step 2Check it is usedSage is No. 160; Verbena had fewer than 5.
  3. Step 3Check it is a plantLinus is flax; Basil means royal.
  4. Step 4Mind your petsMonstera and pothos are toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant names US parents actually use

Given names on this page with the most US babies, 2025
NameUS babies, 2025Trend
Sage1,853 girls (No. 160), 684 boysMost girls in 2022 (2,014)
Ashton1,801 boys (No. 197), 85 girlsMore girls than boys from 1986 to 1997
Rosemary1,222 girls (No. 251)Peaked at No. 74 in 1946
Keziah354 girls (No. 767)Its best rank yet
Sidra162 girlsIts most yet
Kalina135 girlsDown from 171 in 2019
Cassia94 girlsIts most yet
Linus82 boysDown from 166 in 2017
Oakes56 boysIts most yet; first recorded in 2012
Arbor32 boysIts most yet

Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year, like Verbena and Gwern in 2025, are not published.

Plant or not? Names that look botanical

What each name really means
NameFrom a plant?Meaning
LinusYesFrom Greek linon, flax
KeziahYesHebrew for cassia, a cinnamon-like spice tree
SageYes, or wisdomThe herb, or a wise person
RosemaryPartlyRose plus Mary; also the herb, from Latin ros marinus, dew of the sea
CassiaNoFeminine of the Roman name Cassius, though it shares the cassia tree's spelling
LawrenceOnly distantlyFrom Laurentum, a Roman town whose name probably comes from laurus, laurel
BasilNoGreek for royal, kingly

Source: Behind the Name, for example Linus, Keziah, Cassia, Lawrence and Basil. Lawrence and Basil are not on this page; Basil is on our classic boy names page.

How botanical names work

  • Two parts. A plant's formal species name pairs a genus with an epithet, like Quercus robur, the English oak (Wikipedia). The genus, such as Salvia or Tilia, is the part that works as a name.
  • A 1753 starting line. Plant names count from 1 May 1753, when Linnaeus published Species Plantarum (Wikipedia).
  • Names for people. Botanists often honor someone by adding -ia or -a to a surname: Michel Bégon gave Begonia, the Fitton sisters Fittonia and Thomas Hoy Hoya.
  • Franklinia lives only in gardens. The tree has been extinct in the wild since the early 1800s, and every Franklin tree today descends from seed collected by William Bartram (Wikipedia).

Naming a pet after a plant? Check the plant

Namesake plants on this page and what the ASPCA says
PlantNames hereASPCA rating
Monstera (Monstera deliciosa)MonsteraToxic to dogs and cats
Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)Epipremnum, Pothos BrosnanToxic to dogs and cats
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)SpathiphyllumToxic to dogs and cats
Lantana (Lantana camara)LantanaToxic to dogs, cats and horses
OreganoOreganoToxic to dogs, cats and horses
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)ChlorophytumNon-toxic to dogs and cats

Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Monstera, pothos, peace lily, lantana, oregano and spider plant. A name is harmless; the plant itself is what to keep out of reach.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What are some plant names for girls?

Good plant names for girls include Keziah (cassia), Rosemary, Verbena, Mirta (myrtle), Kalina and Tulsi (holy basil). Names that mean tree, like Ilanit, Hadas and Arava, also suit girls.

What are some plant names for boys?

Strong plant names for boys include Erez (cedar), Elon (oak), Ashton (ash tree town), Linus (flax), Chandan (sandalwood) and Gwern (alder).

What is a botanical name?

A botanical name is a plant's formal scientific name. A species has two parts, like Quercus robur, the English oak; the first part, the genus, is the one that works as a name. Genus names like Salvia, Hedera and Tilia also sound lovely for pets or characters.

What names mean tree?

Ilanit means tree in Hebrew, and many names mean a specific tree: Erez is cedar, Elon is oak, Shikma is sycamore fig, Derwen is Welsh for oak and Björk is Icelandic for birch.

What should I name my houseplant?

Match the name to the plant. A pun like Frond Sinatra suits a fern and Aloe Pacino suits an aloe, while a botanical name like Monstera or Pilea gives it a classy touch. If you have pets, check that the plant itself is safe for them.

Is Linus a plant name?

Yes. Linus comes from the Greek name Linos, from linon, flax. It is rare in the US: 82 baby boys were named Linus in 2025.

Which plant names are most popular for babies?

Of the names on this page, Sage leads, with 1,853 US girls and 684 boys in 2025. Ashton (1,801 boys), Rosemary (1,222 girls) and Keziah (354 girls, its best rank yet) come next.

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