90 Nature Boy Names (Trees, Water, Sky and Stone)

Nature names split cleanly into two kinds, and it's worth knowing which you're choosing.

There are word-names, where the meaning is right there in the sound — River, Bear, Forest, Storm. And there are hidden ones, where the nature meaning has been buried for centuries: Oliver is an olive tree, Peter is a rock, Dylan is the sea. Nobody hears Oliver and pictures a tree.

The first kind makes a statement. The second gives you the meaning without the exposure. Ninety names below, grouped by what they actually come from, with honest notes on which ones are already everywhere.

Trees and woods

1. Oak — English. Short, solid, no explanation needed.
2. Rowan — Gaelic, a tree with red berries. Popular and climbing; expect company.
3. Alder — English, a riverside tree. Uncommon and very usable.
4. Linden — Germanic, the lime tree. Soft, unusual, ages well.
5. Aspen — English. Used both ways; leans feminine in the US.
6. Ash — English. Blunt in the best way, and a natural nickname for Asher.
7. Asher — Hebrew, "happy" — but heard as a tree name, which is most of its current appeal.
8. Forest — English. The spelling with one R reads as a name; two reads as a place.
9. Silas — Latin, "of the forest". The hidden version of Forest, and much older.
10. Sylvan — Latin, "of the woods". Rare and quietly beautiful.
11. Oliver — Latin, olive tree. Enormously common right now.
12. Cedar — English. Warm, American, increasingly used.
13. Hazel — English. Overwhelmingly feminine in current US use.
14. Bay — English, both a tree and a body of water.
15. Birch — English. Crisp; works better as a middle name.
16. Elm — English. Three letters, unusual, no baggage.
17. Hawthorn — English. Big, literary, best shortened to Thorn or Haw.
18. Willow — English. Predominantly used for girls now.
19. Juniper — Latin. Also mostly feminine in the US.
20. Bosco — Italian, "woods". Cheerful and rare.

Water — rivers, seas and rain

21. River — English. Very popular now; a lovely name with a crowd.
22. Brooks — English. Surname-style, tidy, well used without being everywhere.
23. Kai — Hawaiian, "sea". Short, global, widely used.
24. Dylan — Welsh, "son of the sea". The hidden water name, and a classic.
25. Murray — Gaelic, "of the sea". Due a revival.
26. Marin — Latin, "of the sea". Clean and unfussy.
27. Douglas — Gaelic, "dark water". Currently unfashionable, which is the opportunity.
28. Cove — English. Small, warm, genuinely uncommon.
29. Ford — English, a river crossing. Sturdy.
30. Rio — Spanish, "river".
31. Jordan — Hebrew, a river name. Familiar and unisex.
32. Lake — English. Plain and calm.
33. Delta — Greek. Rare for boys, striking.
34. Fisher — English. Occupational and watery at once.
35. Wade — English, a shallow crossing. Short, Southern, underused.
36. Caspian — A sea. Grand, literary, increasingly picked up.
37. Nile — A river. Simple and strong.
38. Irving — Gaelic, "green water".
39. Beckett — English, "bee cottage" or "small stream" depending on the source. Popular.
40. Rain — English. Better as a middle name for most people.

Mountains, stone and earth

41. Tor — Norse/English, a rocky peak. Three letters, enormous weight.
42. Peter — Greek, "rock". The oldest hidden nature name in wide use.
43. Fell — Norse, a hill or moor. Uncommon and blunt.
44. Cliff — English. Mid-century, ready to return.
45. Craig — Gaelic, "rock". Same story as Cliff.
46. Boulder — English. A place name that just about works as a name.
47. Denali — Koyukon, the mountain. Bold and American.
48. Everest — English. Big claim; excellent middle name.
49. Kenya — Also a mountain. Used both ways.
50. Slate — English. Cool-toned and modern.
51. Flint — English. Hard consonants, no softness — deliberate.
52. Clay — English. Warm and Southern.
53. Terran — Latin, "of the earth".
54. Adam — Hebrew, "earth". The oldest one on the list.
55. Heath — English, open scrubland. Understated and good.
56. Vale — English, a valley. Soft, rare.
57. Glen — Gaelic, a narrow valley. Ready for a comeback.
58. Bryn — Welsh, "hill". Short and unisex.
59. Dell — English, a small valley.
60. Canyon — English. Big and unmistakably American.

Sky, weather and light

61. Sky — English. Simple; often a middle name.
62. Storm — English. Strong, and a lot to carry as a first name.
63. Gale — English. Mostly feminine in current US use.
64. Rai — Japanese, "thunder".
65. Nimbus — Latin, a cloud. Unusual, a little grand.
66. Zephyr — Greek, the west wind. Distinctive and well-liked.
67. Boreas — Greek, the north wind. Heavy but real.
68. Sol — Latin, "sun". Also appears in our names that mean light, which covers the sun and fire names in depth.
69. Ciel — French, "sky".
70. Altan — Turkish/Mongolian, "red dawn".
71. Anemos — Greek, "wind". Rare and worth a look.
72. Cirrus — Latin, the high cloud. Modern-sounding.
73. Sunny — English. Cheerful; check it still fits a forty-year-old.
74. Hail — English. Sharp and uncommon.
75. Frost — English. Cold-toned, surname-ish, striking.

Animals and creatures

76. Bear — English. Warm and very popular now.
77. Fox — English. Sharp and increasingly used.
78. Wren — English. Predominantly feminine in the US, still lovely.
79. Hawk — English. Direct.
80. Falcon — English. Bigger, rarer.
81. Colt — English, a young horse.
82. Drake — English, a male duck — though everyone now hears the musician.
83. Wolf — Germanic. Strong, has climbed steadily.
84. Ari — Hebrew, "lion". Short and widely liked.
85. Leo — Latin, "lion". Very common right now.
86. Corbin — Latin, "raven".
87. Jay — English, the bird. Excellent middle name.
88. Robin — English. Vintage, unisex, gentle.
89. Phoenix — Greek. Big, bold, increasingly used both ways.
90. Orson — Latin, "bear cub". The hidden version of Bear.

Choosing between the two kinds

If you want the meaning without the exposure, take the hidden ones — Silas, Oliver, Peter, Dylan, Orson. They've carried nature meanings for centuries without ever sounding like a trend, and nobody will ask about them.

If you want the statement, take the word-names — but check the current US numbers first. River, Rowan and Bear are all beautiful and all popular, and "beautiful and popular" is exactly how you end up with three in a class.

More lists: 80 boy names that mean light, 150 strong boy names with meanings, and classic boy names that never date.