Your Top Ten Male Nature Names?

Boy Names
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Here is my admittedly idiosyncratic male nature name list.

1. [name_m]Rainier[/name_m]
As in Mt. [name_m]Rainier[/name_m]. It has a lovely lush sound to it, with the extra vowel.

2. [name_m]Muir[/name_m]
For [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Muir[/name_m]. Also love its soft sound with the strong r ending.

3. [name_m]Tilden[/name_m]
For [name_m]Tilden[/name_m] [name_m]Park[/name_m], in [name_u]California[/name_u]'s [name_m]Berkeley[/name_m] hills. It also reminds me of…

4. [name_m]Walden[/name_m]
For [name_m]Thoreau[/name_m]'s nature book. Sound pleases me too.

5. [name_m]Thoreau[/name_m]
Although [name_m]Thoreau[/name_m] could be a bit of a pompous ranter, the book is still beautiful as is the sound of his name.

6. Fen/[name_m]Fenton[/name_m]
English from the fens, or marshy areas.

7. [name_u]Marsh[/name_u]/[name_m]Marshall[/name_m]
Again, those boggy marshes appeal to me.

8. [name_m]Cornell[/name_m]
I associate this with [name_m]Cornell[/name_m] University with its nature, science, animal, and bird classes.

9. [name_u]Oakley[/name_u]/[name_u]Oak[/name_u]
[name_f]Lovely[/name_f] strong names.

10. [name_m]Fielding[/name_m]
My male equivalent to [name_f]Meadow[/name_f].

What are yours?

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[name_u]Bay[/name_u]
[name_u]Cedar[/name_u]
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_m]Fox[/name_m]
[name_u]Frost[/name_u]
[name_u]March[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Sky[/name_u]
[name_m]Wolf[/name_m]

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Only ten. :wink:

[name_m]Wilder[/name_m], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], [name_m]Birch[/name_m], [name_m]Boone[/name_m], [name_m]Wolf[/name_m], [name_u]Oak[/name_u]/[name_u]Oakley[/name_u], [name_m]Bear[/name_m], [name_u]Roan[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Cedar[/name_u], [name_u]Canyon[/name_u], [name_m]Ridge[/name_m], [name_u]Frost[/name_u], [name_u]Ash[/name_u], [name_m]Flint[/name_m], [name_u]Reed[/name_u] (although I prefer [name_u]Reid[/name_u])

I could not stop at 10. These are not in order and most I would only use as middle names, [name_m]Bear[/name_m] as a nickname.

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and [name_u]Roan[/name_u] are two great names mentioned here that I forgot.

There is something about R names for boys/men that I love. R is so strong and soft at the same time, as are the images of a beautiful bird and a horse of a particular color.

I also love [name_m]Russell[/name_m], the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze.

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Wolfram (It’s kind of nature-y)
[name_m]Fox[/name_m]
[name_m]Cosmo[/name_m]
[name_f]Lux[/name_f]
Oleander
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_f]Autumn[/name_f] (I think this should be unisex)
[name_u]Cedar[/name_u]
[name_f]Orchid[/name_f] (This should also be unisex, especially considering the etymology)
[name_m]Quill[/name_m]

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[name_m]Walden[/name_m]
[name_m]Clyde[/name_m] (does that count?)
[name_m]Birch[/name_m]
[name_u]River/name_u
[name_u]Cedar[/name_u]
[name_m]Moss[/name_m]
[name_m]Forrest[/name_m]
[name_m]Cliff[/name_m]
[name_m]Huckleberry[/name_m]
[name_m]Brooks[/name_m]

Have to stop myself at 10…

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  1. [name_m]Heath[/name_m]
    [name_m]Heath[/name_m] is always my #1 nature name for boys. It’s a beautiful but hardy plant, a soft-but-manly sound, a bit of wilderness cowboy image from The Big [name_f]Valley[/name_f], and none of the over-the-top-swagger of, say, [name_m]Maverick[/name_m]. [name_m]Heath[/name_m] is my favourite.

  2. [name_m]Moss[/name_m]
    [name_m]Moss[/name_m] is cool and shady, mysterious and unexpected. It’s also a diminutive of [name_m]Moses[/name_m], and I really like it for that, too.

  3. [name_u]Ari[/name_u] - ‘lion’ in Hebrew.
    My favourite name, edging out [name_m]Leon[/name_m] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] which I also like. I’ve known a lot of guys named [name_u]Ari[/name_u] but I’ve never gotten tired of it.

  4. [name_m]Zev[/name_m] - ‘wolf’ in Hebrew.
    Can’t really use this, it’s used by too close a relative. [name_f]Do[/name_f] love it. The relative is also one of my favourite people, which probably doesn’t hurt.

  5. [name_m]Fox[/name_m]
    I go back and forth on whether it’s easier in an English speaking country to be a name like [name_m]Zev[/name_m] or a name like [name_m]Fox[/name_m]. [name_m]Fox[/name_m] is familiar, but gets that “it’s a word not a name!” thing. I still find this name deeply endearing.

  6. [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]
    A saint’s name, yes, but what I love it for is the bird. It’s an image of strength and grace and freedom to me.

  7. [name_m]Hart[/name_m], Tzvi/[name_m]Zvi[/name_m] - both meaning deer.
    [name_m]Both[/name_m] could be a way of naming for my granddad. I also just really like the forest-y, wild feel. And I like that not all boy’s names have to be apex predators. I don’t know which is more usable. Probably MNs, which is why they’re ranked so low.

  8. [name_m]Flint[/name_m]
    The ancient firestarter, the original weapon, and a form of quartz. [name_m]Flint[/name_m] is a stone name that feels all-boy to me. I like it’s character.

  9. Jarrah
    The name of an Australian tree. It is used as a name. Australia’s an adopted country to me, I just moved out a couple years ago, but my children will be Aussies, and I sorta like the image of embracing that. It’s also a rather massive, imposing tree, and an admirable namesake.

  10. [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] - Gaelic, “little seal”
    A mix of nature and mythology, relating to the selkies of Irish legend. I find it lilting and playful. It sounds pretty awful with our surname (also Irish, just not euphonious with it) which is why it’s ranked low. I like it for other people. I could swap it out for some of the other nature names I like but I had to limit myself to ten…

Anyway, these are my picks. I might be back to rearrange them or swap them out later.

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pistachio - Haha. I love orchids, but the etymology is what put me off it as a girl name. I suppose it could maybe work for boys…

My top 10:
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m]
[name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]
[name_m]Basil[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_u]Sage[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_f]Briar[/name_f]
[name_u]Dove[/name_u]
[name_u]Sorrel[/name_u]
[name_m]Hart[/name_m]

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The first ten that came to mind:

[name_u]Bird[/name_u]
[name_m]Forest[/name_m]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_m]Wolf[/name_m]
[name_m]Heath[/name_m]
[name_u]Ocean[/name_u]
[name_m]Cliff[/name_m]
[name_u]Grove[/name_u]
[name_u]Oak[/name_u]
[name_m]Hart[/name_m]

10

[name_m]Silas[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] (this is strictly for boys imo)
[name_m]Moss[/name_m]
[name_u]Sky[/name_u] (gp for either gender)
[name_m]Brock[/name_m]
[name_u]Hunter[/name_u]
[name_m]Heath[/name_m]
[name_u]Hollis[/name_u]

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[name_m]Bjorn[/name_m] (bear), [name_m]Njord[/name_m]/[name_u]North[/name_u], [name_m]Tiberius[/name_m], [name_m]Ivar[/name_m]/[name_m]Ivor[/name_m] (yew), and [name_u]Rowan[/name_u].

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[name_u]Robin[/name_u] - best boy name ever. [name_m]Robins[/name_m] are delightful little birds and a sign of yuletide. But the main reason for my love for this name is [name_u]Robin[/name_u] Hood… which is all deliciously deep green and foresty.

Alder - a stunning tree, the alders allow passage between our world and the world of the faeries. It’s a sacred tree, it offers healing and protection.

[name_m]Idris[/name_m] - for Cadair [name_m]Idris[/name_m], a mountain in Welsh Snowdonia. It’s incredibly beautiful, and named either after a magician/giant who used the mountain as a chair while doing his stargazing, or after a Welsh prince who fought a battle there.

[name_m]Jasper[/name_m] - the gemstone, known for it’s cleansing powers.

[name_m]Ivo[/name_m] - [name_m]German[/name_m] name for the yew, the lovely sacred evergreen. It’s another tree very important to me.

[name_m]Hawthorn[/name_m] - the magical tree of [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Day[/name_u] and joy, love, faeries and fertility. It’s so beautiful.

Siderion - Latin for vervain, the herb of purification, love, protection and healing, one of the most sacred herbs in my religion.

[name_m]Silvan[/name_m] - after [name_m]Silvanus[/name_m], [name_m]Roman[/name_m] God of the woodlands and wilderness. It’s also the name of the wood-dwelling elves in Tolkien’s realm (the [name_m]Silvan[/name_m] elves).

Snowdon - the highest mountain in Snowdonia, the gorgeous national park in [name_m]Wales[/name_m].

Okkervil - a river in [name_f]Russia[/name_f].

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[name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_m]Leif[/name_m], [name_u]Beck[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Everest[/name_u], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], Oleander, [name_u]Brook/name_u, [name_m]Jasper[/name_m], [name_m]August[/name_m] (does this count as a nature name???)

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[name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_u]Ash[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_m]Heath[/name_m], [name_m]Jasper[/name_m], [name_m]Silas[/name_m], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_m]Brock[/name_m], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], [name_m]Bjorn[/name_m]

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I’ve been seeing Oleander pop up on nameberry. It is a beautiful word (I love [name_m]Leander[/name_m]), but I am so conditioned to fear its poison that I can’t imagine naming anyone that.

Curious if others are repelled by the poisonous but lovely sounding names (Belladonna, [name_m]Jimson[/name_m], Datura, Amanita, etc.)

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[name_m]Rainier[/name_m]
[name_m]Fielding[/name_m]
[name_u]Bay[/name_u]
[name_u]Cedar[/name_u]
[name_m]Birch[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_m]Bear[/name_m]
[name_u]Ash[/name_u]
[name_m]Lion[/name_m]
[name_m]Fox[/name_m]

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  1. [name_u]Sequoia[/name_u] - I’ve gotten a lot of crap about this being a “girl’s name”, but I’m still convinced it’s pretty solidly masculine. The towering giant redwoods are magical and awe-inspiring, one of the world’s last megaflora. The trees are thought to be able to live several thousands of years. checkthis TED Talk out for more of why I am so obsessed with these trees.

  2. [name_u]River[/name_u] - This one is decidedly unisex, but still. [name_m]Rivers[/name_m] are strong and sweet, angry and tumultuous. I love the way the word / name sounds and evokes a different image for everyone who hears it.

  3. [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] - I also love it because of the [name_m]Prince[/name_m] in C.S. [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], but I think technically it is a nature name because of the [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] Sea, which I have
    always wanted to visit.

  4. [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u] - the west wind, another wonderful unisex choice

  5. [name_m]Lochlan[/name_m] (or [name_m]Lachlan[/name_m]) - meaning “lake land” which refers to the Viking’s home - Norway.

  6. [name_m]Banyan[/name_m] - another megaflora, I was introduced to this name when I lived in Florida, as many of them grow there. One of my dear friends named his son this and I have always thought it was both strong and lovely

  7. [name_u]Onyx[/name_u] - Fierce, fiery and dark.

  8. Aleutian - usable? maybe not, but I still think it would make an awesome name and I am obsessed with visiting the island chain of this name one day

  9. [name_u]Dale[/name_u] - a pretty familiar name that I don’t think gets nearly enough love with the meaning of “valley” Old-worldy and sweet

  10. [name_m]Jubal[/name_m] - it means “river” and has quite an ecstatic association with words like Jubilant (although etymologically unrelated

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My sister gave my niece ‘Oleander’ as her MN, FN [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. She told me that the flower was not simply beautiful, but so much more - evergreen and deadly. She didn’t want to give her daughter a name that was simply pretty, and she wanted her little girl to question things in life that look pretty on the surface. I like it as a MN and the resulting nn of “Sophio” is cute.

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@moonkai: For what it’s worth, I think [name_u]Sequoia[/name_u] on a guy is great.

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Thank you. I’m glad you like it as a guy’s name!