Floral Names

As a passionate gardener and passionate plant name lover, I am curious what draws people to floral names.

[name_f]My[/name_f] main curiosity Is whether you need to know and love the plant and its name to like the plant name or can you just like the word/name?

Most people know what a rose or a lily looks like, but what about the more rare plants? [name_f]Forsythia[/name_f], [name_f]Liriope[/name_f], Nandina, Lantana, [name_f]Fuchsia[/name_f], [name_f]Begonia[/name_f], [name_f]Diantha[/name_f], [name_f]Delphinium[/name_f], Hollyhock, etc.

If I had a daughter today, Iā€™d name her [name_f]Forsythia[/name_f], even though the plant is nowhere near my top choice. Others would have to be crazy about the plant to choose it as a name.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] curious.

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I do think I go with sound first over whether I totally love the plant - however, if I like its name, I often start to like the plant, if that makes any sense? For example, I discovered the name ā€˜Tansyā€™ before I discovered what a tansy looks like, but now I love the flowers too. Same thing happened with [name_f]Acacia[/name_f], [name_f]Celandine[/name_f], and [name_f]Amaryllis[/name_f].

However, some of my favourite flowers are Ranuculus and Nasturtiums which arenā€™t exactly right for names :grin:

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[name_f]Eglantine[/name_f] (french, english) / Eglantina (in my language)
[name_f]Angelica[/name_f]
[name_f]Camelia[/name_f] (in my language it is [name_f]Camelia[/name_f] and I prefer it to [name_f]English[/name_f] Camellia)
[name_f]Liriope[/name_f]
[name_f]Violetta[/name_f] (violet in my language)

are some more particular ones that I would actually use

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I donā€™t need to love the plant - I donā€™t find Marigolds exceptionally pretty, but [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] is one of my favourite names.

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I think sound is the most important as ultimately thatā€™s what youā€™ll say all the time and the overall sound is what will be focused on rather than the imagery of flower/plant. For example my daughter is [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] that sound is more focused on than rather than the actual flower. To explain further Iā€™m thinking off getting a tattoo in honour of my best friend who passed away and my daughter when I was talking about getting a [name_f]Lily[/name_f] tattoo to add to the overall design off the tattoo everyone was confused people didnā€™t actually connect the flower to my childā€™s name despite her name literally being [name_f]Lilia[/name_f]. So I would honestly focus on the sound you love rather than your love of flower as that isnā€™t a massive concern. Saying this itā€™s a nice plus if you also love the flower. Iā€™m lucky as I also absolutely love lilies!

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this rambling makes sense.

[name_f]Forsythia[/name_f] is so cool :bouquet:

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I should clarify that I am not naming a child or animal (though if I got another female cat, [name_f]Forsythia[/name_f] would be at the top of the list!).

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The sound is what initially appeals to me, however I usually like the plant as well. (Of course Iā€™m not picky when it comes to flowers, I pretty much like them all)

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Loving Forsythia, Liriope, Delphinium and Hollyhock! :heart_eyes:

Interesting question. I donā€™t think that Iris was consciously my favorite flower before naming my daughter, though it certainly is now because it makes me think of her.
I liked that it means rainbow and that the flower symbolizes faith, wisdom and valor. I also liked that it is the state flower of Tennessee (where half my husbandā€™s family is from) and one of the flowers for the month of February (the month I was born).
It also reminded me of van Goghā€™s painting.

I actually learned a lot more about the flower after the name became #1 on our list. :blush:

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I am a big fan of floral names and flowers/plants in general. I am mostly drawn to the sound and usability of the name. [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Lilac[/name_f] & [name_f]Lavender[/name_f] are names that I loved plainly for their colours, but the flowers of the same name are a good association. I donā€™t necessarily like the plant, but love the name [name_f]Artemisia[/name_f].

I also have:
[name_f]Chrysanthemum[/name_f] - although I am really unlikely to use it
[name_f]Rose[/name_f] / [name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Anemone[/name_f]
[name_f]Liriope[/name_f]

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I hope to meet a [name_f]Liriope[/name_f] in this life!

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So Iā€™m ringing in because Iā€™m actually not usually a fan of floral names (a lot of that, though, is because theyā€™re classically popular like [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and Daisy).

If I were to go with a floral name, it would need to evoke a certain unique elegance for me (and not be ultra common).

Iā€™m more fine with them for middles, though.

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I know youā€™re not Iā€™m really familiar with your story and posts! Still I wanted to share as a mum to a child with a floral name :bouquet: [name_f]Forsythia[/name_f] is super cool for a cat or baby :baby:t4::cat2:

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I really love [name_f]Azalea[/name_f] as a name, but it might be a bit too out there for me to personally use. I also really like [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_u]Ivy[/name_u], [name_u]Fern[/name_u], [name_u]Hazel[/name_u], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], and [name_f]Flora[/name_f].

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I love plants, flowers, and names, and floral names are my personal favoritesā€‹:cherry_blossom: I love some because I love the name in itself, some because of how much I love the flower, and some because of both!! My favorites out of the names you included are Begonia, Diantha, Lantana, Fuschia, and Delphinium :tulip: Forsythia and Liriope are also beautiful and so stunning!!

My personal favorite flower names that I would absolutely use areā€¦.

Flora
Amarantha
Daphne
Stellaria
Poppy (used as my dogā€™s namešŸ’–)
Posy / Posie
Wisteria
Hydrangea
Gardenia
Jasmine
Lavender
Azalea
Petunia
Callalily / Calla
Tulip
Magnolia
Hyacinth
Orchid
Violet
Zinnia
Lilac
Iris
Blossom
Bloom
Primrose
Petal
Peony
Dahlia
Chamomile
Yasmin
Chrysanthemum
Periwinkle
Lotus
Indigo
Oleander
Plumeria
Freesia
Daffodil
Daisy

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I like [name_f]Margarita[/name_f] ( [name_f]Margherita[/name_f] in my language) because in itā€™s greek origin it means pearl but in my language itā€™s the word for tiger-lily so you get a flower and a pearl at the same time :smile:

[name_f]Lilia[/name_f] - is a very refined name in my opinion and at least in my language the connection with the flower is not that obvious for many people because we do not call the flower [name_f]Lilium[/name_f], we call it ā€œ giglioā€, (which is derived from Lilium), so itā€™s a totally different spelling and sound.

[name_f]Camellia[/name_f] (Camelia in my language). I prefer it spelled [name_f]Camelia[/name_f] actually.

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ahh, I love floral names! At one point it started as a ā€œthis just feels like my momā€ because some of my earliest memories were of her in her gardens. But I have come to be such a huge fan of flowers myself that it just seems an extension of me, too. I donā€™t know that I necessarily stick with flower names that are my favorite flowers, so I guess I lean toward the second? [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Lavender[/name_f], [name_f]Lilac[/name_f] are my favorite floral names (although I like [name_f]Camellia[/name_f] and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] a lot too), but my favorite actual flowers are daisies, lilies, peonies, maybe jasmine, tulips, lilacs. Some I would consider, like [name_f]Azalea[/name_f], [name_f]Zinnia[/name_f], etc., even though I honestly donā€™t remember what they look like (correction: I just remember that I think Zinnias are nowhere near as lovely in visual appearance compared with the sound of the name, ha!)

If I had a daughter today and went with a floral name, itā€™d probably be some combo of meaningful flower and name interests - sheā€™d probably be [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] ā€œDaisyā€.

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