Azalea and Edelweiss: Daring Flower Names

Flower names for girls are nothing new. Our daughters have been named from the garden for generations. Plenty of traditional choices have floral ties, from Greek mythology to the Victorian era.

Looking at names parents are choosing today, there’s tremendous range. Classic girl names Lily and Rose share the same kindergarten classroom with bold and unexpected choices like Azalea, Zinnia, and Lotus.

This list looks at flower names from the popular to the surprising. If you’re after an uncommon name, floral inspiration might balance the best of both worlds – a familiar word, seldom heard as a given name.

We all know girls called Daisy and Violet, so we’re generally accepting of botanical choices. Chances are that it will be relatively easy to spell and pronounce. But many of the names on this list are far from common – several have never appeared in the US Top 1000.

You might also appreciate:

• A pan-botanical name, one that refers to flowers broadly, like Flora.
• One of the many, many names related to Rose.
• There’s also a wealth of Lily names to consider.

Or look for a bloom that’s relatively rare as a given name. There’s no shortage of possibilities!

TRADITIONAL & VINTAGE FLOWER NAMES

DAHLIA

This name is more popular today than ever. But with figures like fictional Aunt Dahlia, from the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse, it is easy to see this one as an antique revival.

DAISY

From a phrase meaning day’s eye, Daisy suggests innocence and new beginnings. Thanks to the French translation – marguerite – it’s long been associated with classic Margaret, too. 

DAPHNE

In Greek myth, Daphne was turned into a laurel tree to escape the god Apollo. It’s not the most obvious of flower names for girls, but it fits.

HAZEL

Proof that rare flower names can become mainstream favorites? Hazel has gone from a very different choice to a solid, Top 100 favorite. 

HEATHER

When it comes to flower baby names from the 1970s, Heather tops the list.

HOLLY

A seasonal choice associated with Christmas, but popular year-round.

IRIS

The Goo Goo Dolls scored a huge hit with “Iris” in 1998. The came the 2001 biopic Iris, starring Jim Broadbent, Judi Dench, and Kate Winslet – and earning all three of them Oscar nominations. The goddess of the rainbow in Roman mythology, Iris carries lots of meaning.

IVY

Another of the vintage flower names that’s back in a big way. It speaks to our love of nature names, but also our affection for mini names and the middle v.

JASMINE

A floral favorite boosted by a Disney princess.

LAUREL

Sometimes seen as a twist on traditional baby girl’s name Laura, this name also references the laurel tree, as well as its flowers.

LILY

Symbolizing purity and virtue, the lovely Lily has been a popular choice across generations. It’s also spelled Lilly and Lillie.

MAGNOLIA

For an unconventional way to get to the nickname Maggie, look no further than Magnolia. In 2013, Magnolia re-entered the US Top 1000 – a blend of elaborate Olivia and floral favorites like Rose. It’s steadily climbed in use since.

POPPY

The vibrant red flower is a powerful symbol of remembrance for those who lost their lives in war. After many years’ popularity in the UK, it’s recently started gaining in the US, too.

ROSA, ROSE

The classic name Rose offers simplicity and elegance. Rosa is slightly more romantic, preferred in many European languages. Sparky nickname Rosie takes the name in yet another direction.

VIOLET

Known for its purple flowers, the violet is a striking bloom. In another generation, we spoke of “shrinking” and shy Violet. But ever since Downton Abbey gave us the indomitable Violet Crawley, the name’s image has shifted – perhaps permanently.

FLORAL IMPORTS

AMAPOLA

A Spanish name meaning poppy.

AZELIE

The French form of Azalea might have more history. Marie-Azelie Martin was the mother of the future Saint Therese de Lisieux, known as Zelie. Madame Martin was canonized in 2015, along with her husband, Louis. The name might come from Azalaïs, a medieval cousin to Adelaide. The French translation for the flower today is azalée.

AZUCENA

A Spanish cousin of Shoshana and Susan, Azucena means lily. It was the name of a famous Venezuelan televnovela in the 1980s, and long before, the name of a character in Verdi’s Il trovatore.

BRIALLEN

Daring nature names can be found in many a language. Briallen comes from the Welsh word for primrose.

LEILANI

A Hawaiian name meaning heavenly flower, Leilani is one of several names borrowed from the language in recent years. Many have ties to the natural world and beauty of the islands.

MILLARAY

It looks like a Milla-Ray smoosh, but this name comes from an indigenous language, spoken in South America. It means golden flower, it’s big in Chile.

SAKURA

The Japanese name for cherry blossoms, rich with symbolism, and very wearable, maybe even for a child without ties to Japan.

SHOSHANA

The Hebrew word rose or lily, Shoshana is an ancient name with modern appeal.

YASMIN

Jasmine remains very popular, while the Arabic original – Yasmin – has long been in her shadow.

RARE & OBSCURE FLOWER NAMES

ABELIA

Honeysuckle might be too daring, even for the boldest namer. But Abelia, the scientific name for some members of the family, has possibilities. Named for Clarke Abel, an early nineteenth century naturalist, Abelia sounds like the popular Amelia, and shortens to Abby.

AMARYLLIS

A long and frilly for an equally elaborate bloom, Amaryllis would shorten nicely, to Amy, Mara, or Rilla.

ANEMONE

In Finding Nemo, the little clownfish stumbles over this word. Nemo is referring to a sea anemone, a reef-dwelling sea creature, not the plant, but it’s one reason an entire generation can pronounce this flower name. The aquatic version takes its name from the flower, and the flower name comes from the Greek “daughter of the wind.”

ANTHEA

More of a pan-botanical than a daring flower name, Anthea simply means “blossom” in Greek, and has a respectable history as a girl’s given name. One particularly charming find? A botanist named Anthea Phillips who specializes in the plants of Borneo.

ASTER

A flower named for its shape – aster means star in Greek

AVEN

It looks like an Ava-Aiden smoosh, but Aven is a wildflower.

AZALEA

Azalea sounds like a girl’s given name in the twenty-first century, at home with so many A-a names, from Amelia to Aurora. It debuted the US Top 1000 in 2012.

BLUEBELL

In our age of Navy and Indigo and so many colorful names, Bluebell might fit in nicely.

BRIONY, BRYONY

Atonement, Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel, gave this name to the child narrator. Saoirse Ronan earned an Oscar nomination as the 13-year old Briony in the 2007 big screen adaptation. 

CALANTHA, CALANTHE

Calanthe is a type of orchid. In Greek, the name means “beautiful flower.” Calantha and even Calanthia have been seen as forms of the name, but all three are rare – though they’re also pretty wearable.

CALLA

You could go with Calla Lily, to reinforce this name’s botanical origins. But Calla – from the Greek word for beautiful – stands on its own nicely in our Ella-Stella age.

CAMELLIA

Camille and Camila are traditional names with roots in ancient Rome. Floral Camellia feels like a wearable possibility for a daughter.

CASSIA

From the yellow cassia flowers. This name is also associated with a type of cinnamon, putting in in the spice and herb category, too.

CLOVER

A name rich with good luck. In our age of Harper, Piper, and other ends-with-r choices for girls, it might wear well.

DELFINA, DELPHINE, DELPHINIA

Delphine and Delfina have histories as given names; Delphinia is far rarer. It comes from the delphinium flower – also known as the larkspur.

EDELWEISS

An Alpine flower, rich with symbolism and familiar to all thanks to The Sound of Music, Edelweiss has seen some sparing use in recent years. Bonus? The lullaby comes ready-made!

EGLANTINE

Eglantine is the name of the little sister owl in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series. Long before that, Geoffrey Chaucer gave it to a character. The flower is better known as sweetbrier in the US.

GARDENIA

An elegant flower, and one that has seen some use as a given name, too. Back in 1953, Nat King Cole crooned the title track to Fritz Lang film “Blue Gardenia,” if you’re looking a name both musical and floral.

HANA

It looks like a slimmed down version of the Biblical Hannah, meaning grace. But Hana actually has separate roots as a Japanese name meaning flower.

HYACINTH, GIACINTA, JACINDA, JACINTA

This one instantly brings to mind legendary Britcom Keeping Up Appearances and the legendary character Hyacinth Bucket. (“That’s Bouquet,” she would insist.) Jacinda, Jacinta, and Giacinta are international options.

IOLANTHE

Cousin to Yolanda, Iolanthe is sometimes credited to Gilbert and Sullivan. The duo did create an 1882 operetta by the name – but nearly forty years earlier, Henrik Hertz used it in the drama King Rene’s Daughter. Hertz based his character on the fifteenth century Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine. Tchaikovsky’s 1892 opera Iolanta comes from the Hertz play. They’re all cousins to Violet.

JESSAMINE, JESSAMY

Obscure forms of the wildly popular Jasmine, though they more closely resemble former top name Jessica.

JONQUIL

Related to the daffodil, the flower is usually found in shades of white or yellow, and sometimes the name of a shade of yellow, too. In Game of Thrones, Jonquil is an unseen character, a figure from legend. It’s a lovely, tailored rarity.

LAVENDER

A Harry Potter character helped give Lavender a boost.

LILAC

A pretty shade of purple, but far less common than Violet, or even Lavender.

LINNEA

Linnea comes directly from a botanist. In this case, it honors Carl Linnaeus. Also known as the twinflower, it was said to be his personal favorite.

LOTUS

The slumber-inducing lotus tree was a thing of myth, but the lotus flower is lovely and plentiful. A bonus: the lotus symbolizes immortality. One possible drawback: dark, twisty, smash hit streaming series The White Lotus makes this name familiar, but strongly associated with a fictional luxury resort.

MARGUERITE

It’s been ages since Marguerite cracked the US Top 1000. It’s the French form of Margaret, but also the French word to refer to a daisy.

MARIGOLD

From the phrase Mary’s gold, probably referring to the Virgin Mary. It’s rare as a given name, but it could wear well. There have been a handful of fictional uses, most famously in Downton Abbey.

MIMOSA

It’s a brunch cocktail in the US, and so despite the pretty little flowers, it is tough to imagine this name on a daughter. Then again, Brandy spent over a decade in the Top 100.

ORCHID

If Lavender and Lilac are rare, Orchid is nearly unknown. Some suggest that the literal translation – testicle – is a deal-breaker.

PANSY

A lovely flower, but a name with several negative associations.

PEONY

Something about the sound is a little awkward, even though the flowers are pretty. It comes from Paean, which can means a song of praise or refer to the divine healer who treated the injured gods n Greek myth.

PETUNIA

She’s Porky’s girlfriend in Looney Tunes cartoons, and Harry Potter’s dreadful aunt in the tales of the boy wizard. On the plus side? It would be easily spelled and pronounced.

PRIMROSE

Little sister to Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy, Primrose is pretty – and brave. It literally means “first rose” in Latin, which makes this a great name for an early spring birth, or maybe a firstborn daughter.

RUE

Another name associated with a flowering herb, though Rue also brings to mind characters from The Hunger Games, as well as Euphoria.

SENNA

Rhyming with Jenna and Brenna, senna isn’t the kind of plant that comes to mind, like a rose or a carnation. It has some drawbacks, but on sound alone, it succeeds.

TANSY

If Daisy is mainstream, why not Tansy? The flower is also known as mugwort and considered a weed in many places. It might even serve as a fresh nickname for classic, serious Constance.

TIGERLILY, TIGER LILY

Whether smooshed together or written out as Tiger Lily, this comes straight of Peter Pan. In 1996, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence welcomed daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. She wasn’t the first, and others have followed.

TULIP

When Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell welcomed twin daughters years ago, one received a traditional floral middle, while the other put this one on the list of daring floral names: Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip.

VIOLA

It’s the Latin word for violet, as well as a musical instrument, a Shakespearean character, and a vintage favorite.

WISTERIA

A flowering vine, and an attractive sound, too – and yet, Wisteria seems like one of the rarest flower names.

ZINNIA

With bright colors and that zippy Z, there’s something vibrant and very wearable about Zinnia.

Which flower names for girls do you like best?

First published on July 4, 2014, this post was revised substantially on March 5, 2020; May 12, 2023; and April 24, 2025.