Names for World Environment Day
by Ruth Fitzpatrick
June 5th is World Environment Day, so to honor it we thought we'd compile a list of our favorite environmentally friendly names. Why recycle the usual suspects, when you can draw directly from nature and give your son or daughter a unique sounding name which is full of untamed promise and connectivity to the world?
Meadow Although there's nothing stopping you from giving this name evocative of springtime and wildflowers to your son, it has become fairly established here in the US as a girl's name. It sounds breezy but substantive and hasn't the overly hippy ring to it, which some parents may wish to avoid. It has been in the top 1000 of names every year of the 21st century, and its popularity is still rising.
Field More robust and masculine sounding than Meadow, though still entirely usable as a unisex name. It has the appeal of other straightforward, wildness names such as Hunter and Scout, but is in much less common usage, making it a unique and trend-setting option. For a slightly less direct option, you could choose Fielding, which has a slightly less wild feel to it.
Skye Sky (#779), Skyla (#553) and Skye (#417) all appeared in 2016's top 1000 for girls. While it's yet to make an impact among new parents of baby boys, Sky could easily be adopted as a celestial-inspired boy's name.
River A popular unisex name: last year River was in the top 300 for both boys and girls. High-profile Rivers have tended to be male, but its rolling and melodious sound makes it an excellent choice regardless of gender.
Brook If River seems too voluminous, then a trickling Brook name might be for you! Brook has a simple but solid sound. Though it's become almost an almost exclusively girl's name, the long-standing male variant Brooks is available as an option. Brooks has been in America's top 1000 since records began, and is now experiencing greater popularity and use than ever before.
Keanu A Hawaiian name with an incredible rich and evocative meaning: 'cool breeze over the mountains'. A really pretty name that loses none of its forcefulness to its natural lyrical lilt.
Savannah A popular girl's name that's been in the top 50 every year since 1996. It has a huge amount of cross-cultural appeal: its origins are Spanish, and it means 'flat tropical grassland'; it is instantly evocative of sprawling wild plains across the Americas, Africa and Asia, and - of course - shares the name with Georgia's oldest city, on the banks of the Savannah River.
Forrest Definitely gaining in popularity in the States, and has positive associations with the Oscar-winning actor. Even still, it's a name of caliber that's also a unique, outdoorsy choice. Doesn't seem likely it will crossover to use as a girl's name, but parents have the very pretty and classically stylish option of Sylvia for daughters. This girl's name means 'from the forest'
Sana A super simple name that is unique and exotic. It's an Arabic girl's name which means 'mountaintop, splendid, brilliant'. For a mountain-inspired boy's name, Hammond could be a good option. It means 'mountain home' and sounds robust and powerful.
Cove Probably best suited as a boy's name rather than as a girl's, Cove comes across as less quirky and more established than Beach or Shore. It's also a better choice to another beach-y name, Obama. Obama means 'little beach' in Japanese, but it's unlikely anyone in the States will get the nature connection and will instead take it as a political statement.
Brynn A Welsh girl's name that resonated of Celtic mystery and mythology. Its rather commonplace meaning is 'hill', but it sounds full of wilderness and rolling winds.
Tide If Tyler, Tylor and Taylor have made it big, then why not the natural force of nature, Tide? But if that sounds a little too soapy to handle: Rafferty and Hurley are too strong Irish names with tidal translations. For your daughter, the French Maree could make a fresh alternative to Mary or Marie. It means 'ocean tides'.
