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HelpFlowery names (no, literally)
I'm a bit of naturalist, and I have a soft spot in particular for botany so I'm seeing that come through my name preferences. What are your favorite flowery or botanical names?
Here's my list. Tell me what you think and which ones you think are usable.
Amarantha
Camellia
Demetria - I consider this one to be in this group because I like the association with Demeter, which I don't think is as friendly and usable as Demetria irl
Fern
Flora
Calanthe - for this one I also like the nn Calla
Iris
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia - Someone I went to high school with just revealed this as the name of their daughter who is currently on the way; for this one I particularly like the nn Nola
Poppy
Posy - I like this one because it's very cute, but I don't know if I could see it on an adult.
Primrose - Like this one as an interesting middle name option.
Zinnia
Here's my list. Tell me what you think and which ones you think are usable.
Amarantha
Camellia
Demetria - I consider this one to be in this group because I like the association with Demeter, which I don't think is as friendly and usable as Demetria irl
Fern
Flora
Calanthe - for this one I also like the nn Calla
Iris
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia - Someone I went to high school with just revealed this as the name of their daughter who is currently on the way; for this one I particularly like the nn Nola
Poppy
Posy - I like this one because it's very cute, but I don't know if I could see it on an adult.
Primrose - Like this one as an interesting middle name option.
Zinnia
This message was edited 6/21/2015, 9:11 PM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
Not really my scene, but I do like Fern and Iris.
Locally - in South Africa - we use Erica as a kind of heather. And there are also Nerine or Nerina (pretty reddish-pink bulb), Disa (DIEza; a kind of orchid) and Felicia (bright blue daisy with bright yellow centre). And there's a stunning tree with pinky-mauve flowers in spring, called a Virgilia, though I've never met a human one. A similar one, with yellow flowers, is a Calpurnia - it seems there was a Roman poet who was contemporary with Virgil but not so good, and a classically trained botanist named the yellow-flowered tree after him on the grounds that it was a nice tree but not as good as a Virgilia!
Locally - in South Africa - we use Erica as a kind of heather. And there are also Nerine or Nerina (pretty reddish-pink bulb), Disa (DIEza; a kind of orchid) and Felicia (bright blue daisy with bright yellow centre). And there's a stunning tree with pinky-mauve flowers in spring, called a Virgilia, though I've never met a human one. A similar one, with yellow flowers, is a Calpurnia - it seems there was a Roman poet who was contemporary with Virgil but not so good, and a classically trained botanist named the yellow-flowered tree after him on the grounds that it was a nice tree but not as good as a Virgilia!
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I love flower names out of that list I like;
Demetria
I like Calla as the name itself
Flora
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia
Poppy
Posy, I like it as a nickname for Josephine
Other include
Rose
Daisy
Violet
Holly
Wisteria
Dalia o Dahlia
Luljeta its Albanian for flower of life
Pansy - wouldn't use it but a nice word
Saffron - its more of a spice but comes from a flower
Jasmine or Yasmine
Zaynab
PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/151224
Demetria
I like Calla as the name itself
Flora
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia
Poppy
Posy, I like it as a nickname for Josephine
Other include
Rose
Daisy
Violet
Holly
Wisteria
Dalia o Dahlia
Luljeta its Albanian for flower of life
Pansy - wouldn't use it but a nice word
Saffron - its more of a spice but comes from a flower
Jasmine or Yasmine
Zaynab
PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/151224
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Amarantha- fun and pretty, with a range of nicknames
Camellia- less common than Camilla, which is nice
Demetria- I like the association, but it's NMS
Fern- simple, pretty, and under-used. A nice middle, short'n'sweet without being overused.
Flora- okay. I prefer Fleur, or perhaps Florin (on a boy, of course)
Calanthe- I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I really like it. I would use Callie.
Iris- lovely
Juniper- I don't like the sound of it, but it's pretty spunky, I must admit.
Lavender- ugh no. Pretentious and irritating. Almost as bad as Lavinia.
Linnea- gorgeous
Magnolia- I'd love to meet one, though I wouldn't use it. Nola is cute.
Poppy- toooo common, though okay. A bit cutesy
Posy- a storybook child's name.
Primrose- the Hunger Games character makes Prim unusable, which is sad, because that nn was this name's highlight
Zinnia- fun!
Camellia- less common than Camilla, which is nice
Demetria- I like the association, but it's NMS
Fern- simple, pretty, and under-used. A nice middle, short'n'sweet without being overused.
Flora- okay. I prefer Fleur, or perhaps Florin (on a boy, of course)
Calanthe- I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I really like it. I would use Callie.
Iris- lovely
Juniper- I don't like the sound of it, but it's pretty spunky, I must admit.
Lavender- ugh no. Pretentious and irritating. Almost as bad as Lavinia.
Linnea- gorgeous
Magnolia- I'd love to meet one, though I wouldn't use it. Nola is cute.
Poppy- toooo common, though okay. A bit cutesy
Posy- a storybook child's name.
Primrose- the Hunger Games character makes Prim unusable, which is sad, because that nn was this name's highlight
Zinnia- fun!
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Yay this list is so nice! My fav flower names are:
Iris x1000
Juniper
Lavender
Daisy
Dahlia
Chrysanthe
Lily-Rose (Lily by itself seems empty to me!)
Rose
Poppy - I actually know a Poppy. It's not her given name but she goes by Poppy and it's the best.
Fleur
Jasmine
Tulip is also a huge GP.
Also I want to like Flora but it so outwardly reminds me of vaginal health that I couldn't take it seriously. I like Florence as a replacement!
Iris x1000
Juniper
Lavender
Daisy
Dahlia
Chrysanthe
Lily-Rose (Lily by itself seems empty to me!)
Rose
Poppy - I actually know a Poppy. It's not her given name but she goes by Poppy and it's the best.
Fleur
Jasmine
Tulip is also a huge GP.
Also I want to like Flora but it so outwardly reminds me of vaginal health that I couldn't take it seriously. I like Florence as a replacement!
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I love/really like:
Lavender
Linnea (although due to my love of ae, I prefer Linnaea)
Iris
Calanthe
Amarantha (I slightly prefer Amaranthe/Amaranth)
Demetria
Zinnia looks nice, but I struggle a bit to say it. I want to say ZEE-nee-uh, but I'm assuming it's more like ZIN-ee-uh, which I don't like as much.
I also think they're all usable, but I like some very out there names. Some of my favourite botanical names, aside from the ones above are:
Marigold
Calluna
Lunaria
Rue
Viola (although I prefer it said Vee-oh-luh, like the instrument not the flower)
Jessamine
Tansy
Azalea
Lilac
Saffron
And some with flowery meanings:
Evanthe
Ianthe
Phyllis
Rosa
Rosalind
Lavender
Linnea (although due to my love of ae, I prefer Linnaea)
Iris
Calanthe
Amarantha (I slightly prefer Amaranthe/Amaranth)
Demetria
Zinnia looks nice, but I struggle a bit to say it. I want to say ZEE-nee-uh, but I'm assuming it's more like ZIN-ee-uh, which I don't like as much.
I also think they're all usable, but I like some very out there names. Some of my favourite botanical names, aside from the ones above are:
Marigold
Calluna
Lunaria
Rue
Viola (although I prefer it said Vee-oh-luh, like the instrument not the flower)
Jessamine
Tansy
Azalea
Lilac
Saffron
And some with flowery meanings:
Evanthe
Ianthe
Phyllis
Rosa
Rosalind
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Of your list I like:
Camellia - surprisingly usable; I once knew someone from Australia with this name
Demetria
Fern
Iris
Linnea
Magnolia
Zinnia
I would also as:
Amaryllis
Anfisa
Blathnat (pr. BLAW-nit)
Calla
Eirlys
Endzela
Fiore / Fiorella
Florea / Floria
Iolanthe
Leilani
Liliana / Lillian
Madelief
Marguerite (French word for "daisy")
Marigold
Maylis
Nasrin
Nerida
Nilofer
Raisa
Rhoda
Rosalia
Rozenn
Růžena (roo-ZHEN-ah)
Sakura
Sarnai
Sayuri
Viola / Violet
Expanding the list to trees, I would also add:
Cedar
Maple
Willow
Camellia - surprisingly usable; I once knew someone from Australia with this name
Demetria
Fern
Iris
Linnea
Magnolia
Zinnia
I would also as:
Amaryllis
Anfisa
Blathnat (pr. BLAW-nit)
Calla
Eirlys
Endzela
Fiore / Fiorella
Florea / Floria
Iolanthe
Leilani
Liliana / Lillian
Madelief
Marguerite (French word for "daisy")
Marigold
Maylis
Nasrin
Nerida
Nilofer
Raisa
Rhoda
Rosalia
Rozenn
Růžena (roo-ZHEN-ah)
Sakura
Sarnai
Sayuri
Viola / Violet
Expanding the list to trees, I would also add:
Cedar
Maple
Willow
This message was edited 6/22/2015, 8:08 AM
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Amarantha - I think it's a bit over the top, but could work. It's not that different from Samantha.
Camellia - I have known a couple, it's lovely.
Demetria - Nice name.
Fern - Not my style at all, makes me think of rabbits and of annoying television presenters.
Flora - one of my absolute favourite names, it's simple and pretty and underused.
Calanthe - Nice enough, I'm sick of all the little Callie's though.
Iris - Gorgeous.
Juniper - I am starting to like this more and more.
Lavender - Rabbit.
Linnea - gorgeous.
Magnolia - Pretty, I think the option to be Maggie really grounds it.
Poppy - Not really fond of it, but I guess it's not a bad name. It makes me think of grandfathers and "poopy"
Posy - as a nickname it's nice. I like it as a nickname for Josephine.
Primrose - I love this as a middle name, but I think it's a bit twee and frilly for a first name.
Zinnia - beautiful.
Camellia - I have known a couple, it's lovely.
Demetria - Nice name.
Fern - Not my style at all, makes me think of rabbits and of annoying television presenters.
Flora - one of my absolute favourite names, it's simple and pretty and underused.
Calanthe - Nice enough, I'm sick of all the little Callie's though.
Iris - Gorgeous.
Juniper - I am starting to like this more and more.
Lavender - Rabbit.
Linnea - gorgeous.
Magnolia - Pretty, I think the option to be Maggie really grounds it.
Poppy - Not really fond of it, but I guess it's not a bad name. It makes me think of grandfathers and "poopy"
Posy - as a nickname it's nice. I like it as a nickname for Josephine.
Primrose - I love this as a middle name, but I think it's a bit twee and frilly for a first name.
Zinnia - beautiful.
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To be honest, Begonia and Amaryllis are my favorite. I know Begonia makes me seem a bit silly, but I truly love it. It's like the clunky old gem of flowers and reminds me of dusty monikers like Ethel and Myrna (which I also love!).
Some comments on yours:
(mostly positive, since I love floral names)
Amarantha - Pretty. A great alternative to the elongated frilly names in high-society vogue. Amari would be a lovely nickname. It's a bold and gutsy choice though, so the parents ought to be prepared for that.
Camellia - Obviously workable. I do prefer the non-floral Camille much more, but Camellia seems even more name than plant to me.
Demetria - I've heard it used in the name sense, more than as a flower. The plant-link is pretty cool though. To be honest, it's not really my style, but I would root for it for someone else.
Fern - The most dated of the list, but also the ripest for a comeback (barring though already on their way). I like it's simplicity, and dig that it is the earthiest of the bunch.
Flora - Pretty. I have always liked this as a nickname for Florence. I think it definitely works today, and is probably getting more popular as I type.
Calanthe - Totally chic. It's one of those uncommon flower-names that is so refreshing when you hear it, but also has a modern trendy vibe to it. Calla totally makes sense as a modern nickname.
Iris - My fave of this list I think. I actually wanted to use this name myself (Ivy was on my list too). I think it is simple, has a dusty vibe that makes it cool, and has so many beautiful meanings that it just screams "use me!".
Some comments on yours:
(mostly positive, since I love floral names)
Amarantha - Pretty. A great alternative to the elongated frilly names in high-society vogue. Amari would be a lovely nickname. It's a bold and gutsy choice though, so the parents ought to be prepared for that.
Camellia - Obviously workable. I do prefer the non-floral Camille much more, but Camellia seems even more name than plant to me.
Demetria - I've heard it used in the name sense, more than as a flower. The plant-link is pretty cool though. To be honest, it's not really my style, but I would root for it for someone else.
Fern - The most dated of the list, but also the ripest for a comeback (barring though already on their way). I like it's simplicity, and dig that it is the earthiest of the bunch.
Flora - Pretty. I have always liked this as a nickname for Florence. I think it definitely works today, and is probably getting more popular as I type.
Calanthe - Totally chic. It's one of those uncommon flower-names that is so refreshing when you hear it, but also has a modern trendy vibe to it. Calla totally makes sense as a modern nickname.
Iris - My fave of this list I think. I actually wanted to use this name myself (Ivy was on my list too). I think it is simple, has a dusty vibe that makes it cool, and has so many beautiful meanings that it just screams "use me!".
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It has been a long time goal of mine that if I should have a daughter a botanical middle or first name will wind up somewhere in the mix. This has definitely influenced the handle I use here. :) I totally understand you!
Amarantha is very pretty, but quite a lot of name.
Camellia is an absolute favorite of mine. It does have Camille to warm people up to it, and it has such a lovely sound. The nickname potential is vast.
Demetria, I tend to think of more as mythological than botanical, as you've stated. I actually think it is pretty, but find the unusualness of Demeter more attractive.
Fern is adorable.
Flora is so lovely, hence why I use it as my name here. I'd love to name a daughter this, but it has been nixed, sadly.
Calanthe is pretty the way Amarantha is, but easier to manage.
Iris is pretty and classic, but not overused.
Juniper is very cute.
Lavender is one of my favorites. I'd love to use at is a middle name. Unfortunately I think a lot of people in my generation would think of Lavender Brown from Harry Potter.
Linnea, I like it... but I like it for someone else's kid if that makes sense.
Magnolia, as a Southern girl... I love this. I have a friend who narrowly missed having this be her middle name 28 years ago.
Poppy, it isn't my favorite. It is quirky, a la Daisy, but it doesn't have the elegance that it does. It is hard to imagine on an adult. Also, knowing that morphine comes from poppies deters me even more.
Posy, exactly what you said...
Amarantha is very pretty, but quite a lot of name.
Camellia is an absolute favorite of mine. It does have Camille to warm people up to it, and it has such a lovely sound. The nickname potential is vast.
Demetria, I tend to think of more as mythological than botanical, as you've stated. I actually think it is pretty, but find the unusualness of Demeter more attractive.
Fern is adorable.
Flora is so lovely, hence why I use it as my name here. I'd love to name a daughter this, but it has been nixed, sadly.
Calanthe is pretty the way Amarantha is, but easier to manage.
Iris is pretty and classic, but not overused.
Juniper is very cute.
Lavender is one of my favorites. I'd love to use at is a middle name. Unfortunately I think a lot of people in my generation would think of Lavender Brown from Harry Potter.
Linnea, I like it... but I like it for someone else's kid if that makes sense.
Magnolia, as a Southern girl... I love this. I have a friend who narrowly missed having this be her middle name 28 years ago.
Poppy, it isn't my favorite. It is quirky, a la Daisy, but it doesn't have the elegance that it does. It is hard to imagine on an adult. Also, knowing that morphine comes from poppies deters me even more.
Posy, exactly what you said...
This message was edited 6/22/2015, 6:32 AM
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I really like flower names. :)
Your whole list is great but I particularly like:
Amarantha
Calanthe
Iris
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia
Poppy
Primrose
Zinnia
I agree that it's hard to see Posy on an adult, but it would be cute as a nickname for Josephine.
Flower/plant names on my PNL:
Amaryllis
Anise
Calla
Chrysanthemum
Daisy
Eirlys (Welsh for "snowdrop")
Endzela (Georgian for "snowdrop")
Hazel
Holly
Ivy
Marigold
Rose
Tansy
Violet
Willow
Your whole list is great but I particularly like:
Amarantha
Calanthe
Iris
Juniper
Lavender
Linnea
Magnolia
Poppy
Primrose
Zinnia
I agree that it's hard to see Posy on an adult, but it would be cute as a nickname for Josephine.
Flower/plant names on my PNL:
Amaryllis
Anise
Calla
Chrysanthemum
Daisy
Eirlys (Welsh for "snowdrop")
Endzela (Georgian for "snowdrop")
Hazel
Holly
Ivy
Marigold
Rose
Tansy
Violet
Willow
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