Subtle nature names?

General Name Discussion
1

Hey all!

My husband and I have one son named [name]Ilan[/name], which we think is a pretty subtle nature name since it doesn’t actually involve a word from nature (ie [name]River[/name], [name]Winter[/name], [name]Leaf[/name], etc.) - for those of you who don’t know, [name]Ilan[/name] means “tree”. We are expecting again and would love another subtle nature name that compliments [name]Ilan[/name]!

I had this random idea while watching the final World Cup match yesterday, and that was using the name Bosque (pn BOHS-kay). Bosque is a Spanish word that means “woods” or “forest” and is also the surname of the Spain coach (which is why I thought of it - we wouldn’t be naming our son after him though). I think it sounds like it could work as a name. [name]Ilan[/name] and Bosque. Wdyt?

[name]Do[/name] you have any suggestions for subtle nature names? All would be appreciated!

(other names we are considering are [name]Noah[/name] - if not for popularity - and [name]Jago[/name] (pn [name]JAY[/name]-go). )

Thanks!
[name]Megan[/name] :slight_smile:

2

I am not at all cultured and my only language is English, so I pronounced this as Bos-kh, at first glance.

[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Bodhi[/name] ([name]Bodhi[/name] is a type of tree, plus means to be enlightened)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Kai[/name] (sea)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Cyrus[/name] (sun)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Neil[/name] (cloud)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Samson[/name] (sun)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Jasper[/name] (a gem name)
[name]Ilan[/name] and Alder (a tree)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Arden[/name] (great forest)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Silas[/name] (forest; woods)
[name]Ilan[/name] and Carrick (rock)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Eben[/name] (stone; rock)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Piers[/name] (rock)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Avon[/name] (river)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Leith[/name] (broad river)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Romney[/name] (winding river)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Rio[/name] (river)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Altair[/name] (bird)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Murdock[/name] (sea)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Bourne[/name] (stream)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Brooks[/name] (water, small stream)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Flint[/name] (stream)
[name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Strom[/name] (brook, stream)

I like [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Noah[/name].

3

I would pronounce Bosque BOS-kay, but I’m familiar with it because of a Berkshires ski area of that name. I could see it being mispronounced BOSK (like the type of pear, spelled Bosc). I think a subtle nature name would be very nice though. [name]Ilan[/name] is such a great name, btw! You have lots of great suggestions so far.

Because [name]Ilan[/name] is Hebrew, you might go with another Hebrew nature name:

[name]Vered[/name] ([name]Rose[/name])
[name]Varda[/name] ([name]Rose[/name])
[name]Shoshana[/name] ([name]Lily[/name])
[name]Bluma[/name] (Bloom, [name]Flower[/name])
[name]Ayla[/name] ([name]Oak[/name] tree)
[name]Hadassah[/name] ([name]Myrtle[/name] tree)
[name]Idra[/name] ([name]Fig[/name] tree)
[name]Kezia[/name] (tree bark)
[name]Tamar[/name] (Palm tree)
[name]Sabra[/name] (Cactus, Fruit)

Tivon (Nature lover)
Lotem ([name]Golden[/name] Flowers)
Dekel (Palm tree)
Tomer (Palm tree)

[name]Hope[/name] that helps!

4

I have an [name]Oliver[/name], and his name means [name]Olive[/name] Tree, which I [name]LOVE[/name]!
[name]Oliver[/name]'s middle name is [name]Lee[/name], which means “meadow” which I also [name]Love[/name]!

I also like for boys:
[name]Jasper[/name] (gemstone)
[name]Rowan[/name] ([name]Rowan[/name] Tree)
[name]Ashton[/name] (ash tree town)
[name]Oren[/name] ([name]Pine[/name] Tree)
[name]Bodhi[/name] (The tree that Buddha sat under when he reached enlightenment)
[name]Perry[/name] (Pear Tree)
[name]Lyndon[/name] (“lime tree hill”)
[name]Nash[/name] (“at the ash tree”)
Tomer or [name]Tamar[/name] (“palm tree”)
Almas (Means “diamond” in Arabic)

5

names for girls:
[name]Flora[/name] (Latin for flower)
[name]Ione[/name] (From Greek ??? (ion) meaning “violet flower”)
Lule (Means “flower” in Albanian)
[name]Leilani[/name] (Means “heavenly flowers” in Hawaiian.)
Rayen (Means “flower” in Mapuche.)
Xylia (Greek ??? (xylon) meaning “of the forest”.)

6

For a girl, I love [name]Linnea[/name]!

7

Thank you all! These were exactly what I was looking for: subtle names that certainly aren’t as obvious as naming your son [name]Cloud[/name] or your daughter [name]Flower[/name]. I really like the suggestion of going with another Hebrew name, but I think some of my favorites aren’t Hebrew :slight_smile: Here’s what I’ve liked so far (in case this leads you in the direction of more suggestions)

[name]Bodhi[/name] (too trendy?)
[name]Cyrus[/name] (will this always be a [name]Miley[/name]/[name]Billy[/name] [name]Ray[/name] name?)
[name]Neil[/name] (even though it takes away the nature connection, would spelling it [name]Niall[/name] - the Celtic way - be cool since it is almost an anagram of [name]Ilan[/name]? Or is that too cutesy and too limiting for a potential third child?)
[name]Jasper[/name] (too popular?)
[name]Eben[/name] (after browsing for the pronunciation, I believe it can be pronounced either EE-ben or EH-ben. Since we use a soft pronunciation with [name]Ilan[/name] (ih-LAHN, not ee-lahn), I think another soft pronunciation would be nice, and I would therefore go with EH-ben. I really like this one :smiley: )
[name]Piers[/name]
[name]Romney[/name]
[name]Rio[/name] (too non-subtle?)
[name]Altair[/name]
[name]Silas[/name]
[name]Roscoe[/name]
[name]Zephyr[/name] (too unisex?)
[name]Rowan[/name] (again, too unisex? also, [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name] end in the same two letters, but I think they are very distinct sounds, so not sure if this is a problem)
Tomer
[name]Lyndon[/name] (too trendy?)
[name]Nash[/name] (hubby, a suns fan, loves this)

[name]Bluma[/name] (does it seem made up? that’s my only concern…otherwise, I really really like the sound and how it flows with [name]Ilan[/name])
[name]Ayla[/name] (too trendy sounding?)
[name]Kezia[/name]
[name]Ionie[/name]
Xylia (too xylophone?)
Lule

As you can see, I have a few concerns. If you have any thoughts on those concerns, that would be awesome.

So far, I really like [name]Eben[/name], [name]Bodhi[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Nash[/name], and Tomer, with [name]Bluma[/name] and [name]Kezia[/name] for the girls. Hubby loves [name]Nash[/name] and [name]Cyrus[/name] and [name]Bluma[/name] and [name]Ionie[/name]. Obviously, we are not anywhere near a decision. These suggestions have been so helpful! [name]Just[/name] what I needed :slight_smile:

Thanks!
[name]Megan[/name] :slight_smile:

8

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Megan[/name],

I think you have an awesome name list packed with a lot of great choices. I think something like [name]Rio[/name] would work really well with [name]Ilan[/name], since you mentioned Bosque on your original post, leading me to assume that you have some experience with Spanish. [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Rio[/name] have slightly different feels, but I think that makes them mesh together even more!

[name]Bodhi[/name] (too trendy?) - well, this name has been picked up by quite a few celebrities, so I think it will probably shoot up in the next few years. But, I think [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Bodhi[/name] is amazing!
[name]Cyrus[/name] (will this always be a [name]Miley[/name]/[name]Billy[/name] [name]Ray[/name] name?) - to me, yes. I wouldn’t use [name]Cyrus[/name] until [name]Miley[/name] is out of the picture (which could be never)
[name]Neil[/name] (even though it takes away the nature connection, would spelling it [name]Niall[/name] - the Celtic way - be cool since it is almost an anagram of [name]Ilan[/name]? Or is that too cutesy and too limiting for a potential third child?) - I think [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Niall[/name] would be a bit limiting, since a third might feel left out…and I don’t think there’s any more names hidden in [name]Ilan[/name]/[name]Niall[/name]. [name]Neil[/name] is nice though.
[name]Jasper[/name] (too popular?) - with an [name]Ilan[/name], I think so.
[name]Eben[/name] (after browsing for the pronunciation, I believe it can be pronounced either EE-ben or EH-ben. Since we use a soft pronunciation with [name]Ilan[/name] (ih-LAHN, not ee-lahn), I think another soft pronunciation would be nice, and I would therefore go with EH-ben. I really like this one :smiley: ) - I really like this too! [name]Eben[/name] and [name]Ilan[/name] are both soft, but very masculine names, and they are both nickname proof. These work great together.
[name]Piers[/name] - not as great as some of your others
[name]Romney[/name] - same as above
[name]Rio[/name] (too non-subtle?) - [name]LOVE[/name] IT! [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Rio[/name] is near perfect for me
[name]Altair[/name] - interesting choice that I think works nicely with [name]Ilan[/name]
[name]Silas[/name] - nice
[name]Roscoe[/name] - ok, not as great as some of the others
[name]Zephyr[/name] (too unisex?) - in my opinion, yes.
[name]Rowan[/name] (again, too unisex? also, [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Rowan[/name] end in the same two letters, but I think they are very distinct sounds, so not sure if this is a problem) - also too unisex for [name]Ilan[/name]
Tomer - [name]Love[/name] this with [name]Ilan[/name].
[name]Lyndon[/name] (too trendy?) - yes, too trendy
[name]Nash[/name] (hubby, a suns fan, loves this) - ha! [name]Ilan[/name] and [name]Nash[/name] is interesting…

[name]Bluma[/name] (does it seem made up? that’s my only concern…otherwise, I really really like the sound and how it flows with [name]Ilan[/name]) - [name]Bluma[/name] does sound a bit “made up”, but I actually really like it with [name]Ilan[/name]
[name]Ayla[/name] (too trendy sounding?) - I know this name definitely has a firm, real base as a Hebrew name, but it does seem like you’re following the [name]Kayla[/name] trend.
[name]Kezia[/name] - awesome!
[name]Ionie[/name] - I think it would be nice if each child had their own letter at the start of their name
Xylia (too xylophone?) - for me, yes
Lule - nice

Good luck, and hope these comments help!
[name]Keelie[/name] [name]Cat[/name]

9

One that I didn’t see on here is [name]Sylvie[/name]/[name]Silvie[/name] means “From the woods” which I think is a really cool meaning.

Some more…

[name]Avalon[/name]
[name]Bryn[/name]
[name]Yvonne[/name]
[name]Aveline[/name]
I love [name]Kezia[/name] nn [name]Kezi[/name]!!!
[name]Olivette[/name]
[name]Laura[/name] (and variations)
[name]Caprina[/name]
[name]Chandra[/name]
[name]Selena[/name]
[name]Luna[/name]
[name]Demetria[/name]
[name]Fiammetta[/name]

[name]Isabel[/name]

10

[name]Just[/name] wanted to comment on [name]Bluma[/name] (which I love btw). It may sound a bit made up but it’s definitely not. I know a few girls named [name]Bluma[/name] (It’s also the Hebrew name of one of my cousins). It’s very pretty and goes great with [name]Ilan[/name]!

11

My uncle named his son [name]Bodhi[/name], nearly 5 years ago. He says, as soon as he picked out the name, the skier [name]Bode[/name] [name]Miller[/name] seemed to just come out of the woodwork and become a household name. Probably because of the timing of the World Championship in 2005 and then the [name]Winter[/name] Olympics in 2006. I’ve also seen one dog named Bodie.

I’ve never met one person named [name]Bodhi[/name]. No one spells it this way and I don’t understand. I mean, any other way looks like “Bowed” or “Body.” I think that with more popular names like [name]Boden[/name], Bodie has become a variant or nickname. I’ve ever seen baby books (when shopping for baby name books, I look up [name]Bodhi[/name] and if it has it listed as a girl name, a variant of Bodie, a variant of [name]Boden[/name], I put it back) which say it’s a variant of [name]Boden[/name], via Bodie.

[name]Long[/name] story short, I don’t know of other celebs who have used this name or other people who have even heard of it. It was pretty out-there when my uncle chose it and it took us until the day he was born to get used to it. Our great grandmother still can’t spell it, haha. Bohdi. I love [name]Bodhi[/name]. I think it looks cool and sounds cool. It sounds like it would go along with the trendier [name]Brady[/name] and [name]Brody[/name], so maybe that’s why it sounds trendy.

12

A lot of these names I considered for my children, before I gave them so-called “classic” names. Here are the ones I REALLY love:

[name]Bodhi[/name]
[name]Zephyr[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]

Xylia

Good luck!

13

Lizzyq-- Yes, [name]Ione[/name] is Greek. It is pronounced eye-OWN-ee. It does not mean violet flower, it meand purple gemstone.

14

Our son is named Bodie after the ghost town in [name]CA[/name], Bodie State [name]Park[/name]. We spent a weekend hiking in the [name]Ansel[/name] [name]Adams[/name] Wilderness, kayaking on Mono [name]Lake[/name], and visiting Bodie. It’s a great name and fantastic part of the country to explore. And with it spelled out exactly how it sounds, Bodie, we’ve never had any issues with people questioning the pronunciation (like they do [name]Bode[/name]). [name]Bodhi[/name] is the main character in Point Break, played by [name]Patrick[/name] Swayze. It’s short for Bodhisattva in Buddhism.