Mother and baby play on the beach at sunset.

Popular Earthy and Gender-Neutral Baby Names

Nature is a wonderful source of baby names that evoke traits of strength, peace, and the beauty found in the great outdoors. Many names that have inspiration from the natural world are unisex – not necessarily associated strictly with girls or boys, and lovely for any baby. You might just fall in love with one of these enchanting names. 

Nature-Inspired Names Through the Ages

Mother lifting up happy baby outdoors.
Photo Credit: Sergey-Mironov/Shutterstock.

Parents have drawn inspiration from the awe and wonder of nature for baby names for millennia. For instance, the ancient Egyptian name Khepri means ‘morning sun.’, and the ancient Celtic name Taran means ‘thunder.' 

Ash

Mom holding cute baby with islands and the beauty of nature surrounding them
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Ash is sometimes short for the unisex name “Ashley” but it can also refer to the Ash tree, or to the ash from a volcanic eruption. 

Aspen

Aspen trees in Banff national park in autumn.
Photo Credit: SNEHIT-PHOTO/Shutterstock.

This is a beautiful name for any gender and refers to the Aspen tree, whose name comes from the Old English word æspe.

Phoenix

Mother holding happy baby walks in a park.
Photo Credit: Natalia Lebedinskaia/
Shutterstock.

This unisex name is both a place name and a bird name referring to the fiery rising-from-the-ashes Phoenix of Greek myth. 

River

A mother and new born baby taking a nap together.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

River is a name that brings to mind both the power and free-flowing spirit of water. It represents a constant, adaptable, and peaceful presence. 

Ocean

Child running on beach in rainbow swimsuit
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The name Ocean is a tribute to the expansive and mysterious waters that cover our planet. It embodies depth, exploration, and a sense of vastness. 

Sage

Sage plants in nature
Photo Credit: Silvio Rossi, via Wikimedia Commons

Sage is a name associated with wisdom and deep knowledge, much like the sage plants used in herbal remedies. It reflects a sense of calm and insight drawn from nature.

Briar

Briar rose
Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Briar invokes the image of tangled, thorny vines in the forest. It symbolizes resilience, protection, and the untamed beauty found in nature.

Oakley

Oak branches against the sky
Photo Credit: Anasuyas, via Wikimedia Commons

Derived from the mighty oak tree, Oakley symbolizes strength, endurance, and resilience. It's a name that conveys a sense of grounding and stability.

Lux

adult hand h0olding babies hand with rainbow of light over them
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Meaning “light” in Latin, Lux is a name that signifies illumination, clarity, and the transformative power of nature's radiance.

Elowen

Elm Tree against a blue sky
Photo Credit: Marty Aligata, via Wikimedia Commons

Elowen is a name of Cornish origin, meaning “elm tree.” It celebrates the strength, growth, and interconnectedness found in the natural world.

Keziah

Cassia Tree flower
Photo Credit: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Keziah is a name inspired by the aromatic cassia tree. It signifies fragrance, healing, and a deep connection to the earth's resources.

Luca

Baby boy in a field of lavender
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Luca is a name inspired by “light” in Italian. It symbolizes clarity, illumination, and the guiding presence of nature's brilliance.

This post was made with help from Babynames.com, and Nameberry.

Names That Evoke the Hope of a Rainbow

Adorable baby boy learning to crawl and playing with colorful rainbow ball toy in white sunny bedroom.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

We collected an entire set of names inspired by rainbows.

The Good, the Bad, and the Judgy: How to Handle Criticism of Your Parenting Like a Pro

Portrait of a mother on a bench holding a baby with many hands pointing at her in judgement. She is rolling her eyes.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Sometimes, people want to tell you everything about what you're doing wrong, from what you name your child to how you feed them.

How to Tuck Away Special Moments So You Always Remember Them

Happy woman and her little daughter are looking through photos and smiling while sitting on couch.
Photo Credit: Dikushin-Dmitry/Shutterstock.

We want to remember it all, every milestone. This isn't possible, of course, but there are some fun ways to tuck away significant memories to revisit them. One we love:

Alissa Zorn stands near a pond with an orange shirt on wearing a black button down over that.

Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.