Apple baby names range from the familiar Anna and Alexander to the downright daring. After all, with over 7,500 varieties of the fruit, it’s no surprise some might be possible names for children. I’d avoid Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp, of course … but a great many feel far more wearable.
ARIANE
Just like favorites Arianna and Ariana, this name traces its roots to the mythological Ariadne. It’s French – both the apple and the name. It charted briefly in the US, way back in 1978. My first thought? Led Zeppelin’s “All of My Love.” Except that haunting song was released in 1979. Instead, credit goes to a French film, a perfume by Avon, a series of rockets developed by the European Space Agency, or a combination of the above.
CRISPIN
Little wonder that someone called an apple the Crispin – crisp means pleasingly firm. Except that’s not the origin of the name; it derives from the Latin crispus, meaning curly. Saint Crispin’s Day features large in Shakespeare’s Henry V, best known for the “Band of Brothers” speech.
CYBELE
An ancient goddess predating the Greek pantheon, Cybele serves as the equivalent of Gaia or Rhea. It sounds something like the stylish -bell names, and brings to mind Zoe, Chloe, and Penelope, too. But it’s among the rarest names on this list – and that’s saying something!
DARCY
The D’Arcy Spice apple has history, plus it brings to mind Pride and Prejudice. That makes it a romantic, dramatic name that also happens to make the list of apple baby names.
ELISE
As a variety, Elise debuted in the world of apples recently. As a name, Elise feels pleasingly traditional.
EVELINA
Evelina follows logically from Evelyn and Eva. A lovely, surprising name, Evelina also belongs to a variety of apple, a cousin to the Golden Delicious.
EVERARD
Saint Everard apples take their name from a Duke of Friuli born during the reign of Charlemagne. We know Everard as Everett, but the original also appeals.
FRANKLIN
If you love names like Oliver and Henry, Franklin might appeal, too. Worn by a near-legendary president and an animated turtle, Franklin also grows on trees, making it a great choice for apple baby names!
GALA
Party and Festival fall flat, but Gala? As apple baby names go, Gala seems like one you’ll probably find in most grocery stores. But it’s also an interesting, unexpected word name possibility. It might be short for Galilea, or maybe even Galatea, too.
INGRID
Sweden’s Ingrid Bergman became a Hollywood legend. Her given name marries the fierce and the feminine. It makes a great Scandinavian heritage choice, but works for families of any background.
JUBILEE
Jubilee shares the ‘oo’ sound of Ruby, Lucy, and Jude. A few high profile mentions of the name have put it on some parents’ radar. It sits just outside of the current US Top 1000 for girls. The spiritual associations suggest that it might work well for a daughter or a son.
KATYA
A Slavic and Scandinavian short form of Katherine, this name is also spelled Katia and Katja. Kaitlyn is fading today, but Katherine remains a classic forever open to reinvention.
LILIBET
Apple baby names should be sweet, right? The Sweet Lilibet apple might inspire some families. The current Queen Elizabeth answered to Lilibet as a during her childhood. Maybe this belongs with the intriguing smooshes. Or maybe it fits with all of those popular Lily names. Either way, Lilibet might belong with the wearable rarities.
MARIGOLD
Marigold counts as a botanical baby name, but it is also found in the apple orchard. And, of course, Downton Abbey.
MILO GIBSON
Milo feels bright and wearable, an upbeat name with history to spare. Gibson also intrigues, and the combination sounds like a super stylish first-middle combination.
MOLLIE
You’re probably used to seeing Molly, but the apple baby names version is Mollie with an ie. Once short for Mary, now this name stands on its own – no matter how you spell it.
OPAL
Two apples are called Opal. While most see this as a gemstone name, that makes it a nature name, too.
PENDRAGON
You might remember Pendragon from the list of middle names other than Danger. Pendragon comes from Arthurian legend, and yes, it’s among the apple baby names, too.
PILOT
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Apple inspired this post, but Jason Lee’s son Pilot Inspektor makes those same bad baby name lists. And yet we’re naming our children Jett by the thousands. And as it happens, there’s a large, stripy yellow fruit that puts Pilot among the apple baby names.
PRISCILLA
Pretty, elegant Priscilla seems like a logical successor to names like Isabella and Penelope.
SPENCER
Spencer kept company with Tanner and Tyler in the 1990s, but has faded slightly since then. It makes the apple baby names list, too.
TIOGA
Tioga comes from an Iroquois word referring to the place where two rivers meet. Plenty appear on the map, and place names often make great choices for daring baby namers. It brings to mind Diego and Santiago, but it might work equally well for a daughter.
YATES
Poetic and preppy, Yates brings to mind William Butler Yeats. Plus, ends-in-s names are having a moment, like Brooks and Ames.
ZARI
Zari fits with names like Zuri and Zoe, and yes, it’s on the list of apple baby names, too.
Pick your own bumper crop at Orange Pippin, the source of all the apple varieties listed here.
This post was published on October 13, 2011. Following substantial revision, it was reposted on October 21, 2016 and revised again on September 26, 2019.
Our favorite apples are Fujis, Pink Ladies, and Grannie Smiths. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pink or Smith on future baby name lists.
I just fell in love with Jubilee.
I personaly think Gala is very cute and have long been a fan of the name Jubilee. I was surprised not to see Braeburn on your list. Jonagold might work as well although it is a little “out there” for me.
So funny you posted this the day the iPhone 4s released. I was just teasing my hubs that his 0.4 kg “baby” from China just arrived and that I was going to name her Eve (for lack of creativity that was the only name associated with an apple that came to mind). Franklin has definitely been on our boy list as a middle and Jonathan would be a very subtle apple reference for the apple lovers out there…although it is not perhaps the most exciting apple in the world. 🙂
I really like Gala and Jubilee–more noun names, of course! When my brother lived in Washington DC, he and his then-wife adopted a kitten they named Jefferson nn Jeff. A year later, they adopted another kitten they named Franklin, nn Frank.
I also know a woman named Gala, she is originally from the Ukraine…although now that I think of it that may be short for something…
I would assume that Gala was short for Galina. I went to high school briefly with a Galina and always loved the name.
Franklin is a definite contender for a boy’s middle name. It appears several times on my family tree, and I adore the nickname Frankie. I don’t quite like Franklin enough to use in the first name spot though. Lately I’ve been really liking Ingrid too. And you know what? I’m actually not all that opposed to Apple as a name. I think it works better in the middle spot.
I had a Russian co-worker whose wife was named Gala, I think it was Anglicization of Galina, but it may have been her full name.
I adore Franklin, but I can’t sell the name to my husband. He thinks the full name is pretentious and that Frank is a hotdog.
In our backyard we have a Rome Beauty and a Honeygold. They sound an awful lot like names for ponies, but I could see Rome used as a name.
One of my French teachers in high school was named Gala and she was awesome so it’s got all kinds of good memories for me! Plus they are my favourite apples 😉 I think Adanac (which is Canada spelled backwards AND is the name of an apple) would be so cute for a little boy. Ambrosia (which was discovered near me!) would be an intriguing choice too. Oh and Dulcet and Fortune (I know a Fortuna). I keep coming back to Pippin too but as a nickname for Philip.
I really like the name Lilibet, she’s rather darling – I would definitely use her if given the chance. I also agree with you about Pendragon, he’s the right kind of quirkiness to suit the middle name spot.
I’m loving these names! And how cute would twins Gala and Jubilee be?
I really like many of these. I would probably spell Gala as Gayla if I were to use it as a name.
Around this time last year, on a trip to South Wales, there was a magnificent selection of different varieties of apples on disply at Tretower (an ancient house near Abergavenny). It was a beautiful sight!
I grow some rare Welsh varieties in my garden, some of which have great names, such as Bardsey, (Pig) Aderyn, Afal Deimwnt (Diamond Apple), Afal Champagne (Champagne Apple) and Marged Niocalas. There’s Croen Mochyn too, which has a great ring to it — but means “pig skin” :).
I have been to Abergavenny. I have genealogical roots from there.
I like Katya, Crispin (which has long been a favorite of mine), and Ariane, although I am still madly in love with the lovely-but-probably unusable Ariadne. I have considered using the Polish version of Katya, Katja, to honor both my Polish roots and my grandmother Kathleen.
I definitely think Gala and Lillibet are coming up, and I love Pilot for the “Middle Names Other Than Danger” list – my cousin named her son Wolfgang Pilot (called “Wolfy”), and that totally works for me!
And is the Milo GIbson apple named with Mel Gibson’s son in mind? Assuming no, but what a coincidence!
Jubilee is pretty.
And my almost-4-year-old wants to rename his baby brother “Franklin”. I’d probably pick Frank over Franklin.
My favorite eating apple is the Jonagold.
I think that it is neat that Ingrid is on the list. I just started liking it and put it on my list. Ingrid Susanna, that’s what’s on my list.
I read a fictional story once about a family with the surname of Apple. The father was determined to name all of his children after apples. He named them Jonathan, MacIntosh(Mac), Delicious(Delia), Snow, and Ann. Ann because Mrs. Apple liked it and insisted. It was called Mr. Apple’s Family by Jean McDevitt.
I like Crispin and Cybele. Pomeline is nice, too.
I know a woman named Gala — she’s Colombian, though the other place I’ve seen the name is on the Russian-born wife of Salvador Dal
Am I the only one that doesn’t find Apple to be that odd of a name? haha! Perhaps I’ve gotten so used to seeing it over the years that my “odd name detector” has become de-sensitized. I find it rather cute!
Ariane is lovely, although not as lovely as Ariadne, which has been one of my top favorites for years!
Apple doesn’t seem too odd to me, but I’m really fond of nature and plant names. I think it was more the brand name Apple that made it “weird” to people more than the fruit meaning.
Apple doesn’t seem odd to me either. I think the problem is that people are only comfortable with what they know. Rose and Lily get passes, but Magnolia seems out there. Clementine is a name, but people balk at Apple and Plum. *shakes head*
Apple has grown on me, but at the time, it seemed about as logical as naming a child Banana or Asparagus.
HA! So true …
What about… Granny Smith? 🙂
That was my first thought when I saw today’s theme was apple names.
Smith Jerrod worked on Sex and the City! 🙂
I love, love, love Jubilee! It feels like a celebration just saying the name! It’s one of those words that you think should have become a word name but hasn’t somehow.
I really like the idea of a Gala, short fo Galatea. It helps that Gala apples are my favourite.
As I just started over on last week’s post, Pendragon is AWESOME and I wish I had the guts to use him.
Ingrid has long been a favourite — she’s on my list of great girl’s names featuring “g”: Gertrude, Margaret, Ingrid, Gretl, Dagmar. . .
I like Gertrude, too!
Oooo! Lilibet would be an adorable nickname for a little Lily or Elizabeth! Though I agree that it is a bit too adorable for a stand alone first name. It brings to mind the lilliputians from Gulliver’s Travels.
I can’t find a single name on this list that I dislike 🙂 Though Tioga is a bit awkward and makes me think of Toga parties and Greek Fraternaties.
Tioga mainly makes me think of the Portuguese Tiago.
My favorite apple is the pink lady variety….hardly a fitting name for a child. Lol.
They’re my favourite too! But you could name a girl Pink, and Lady has been used as a girl’s name before.
I know a little girl named Galatea, which is a name with an interesting history, and I find it a little more wearable than Gala. Not an apple, though, unfortunately. 😉
I had a peek at the list of apple varieties; some names that jumped out at me are Newell, Rajka, D’Arcy, Sonya, Junami, Holly and Ingrid Marie. I doubt anyone outside the apple industry would recognize any the apple connection of any of those right away, though.
Benjamin Franklin was never president. Oops. Milo Gibson is a little too close to Mel Gibson. I love Katja and Ariane.
Penguin, I was thinking of Franklin Roosevelt. 🙂
…and I, thinking of Franklin Pierce, was going to quibble with your characterization of him as legendary. How did I think of Pierce before Roosevelt? Franklin is my grandfather’s middle name, named for his grandfather. Who could have been named for Franklin Pierce for all I know. It’s been derided as a terrible name by everyone in the family that I can’t bring myself to consider it, but Frank is very cute!
My great-great-great-grandparents were surnamed Matz and Apple — therefore Mott’s apple juices and sauces make me smile when I see them. A decade ago when I started my genealogical research and found those ancestors of mine, we had just started to seriously consider baby names and immediately added the middle name Apple, and the first name Matthew with the nickname Matz to our list. Now though, Apple has been done and there are simply other names I’d use before Matthew. I never considered another apple name to honor them!
Oh, what a sweet pair to find on your family tree!
Well I just love apples (maybe predestined, given my apple-y name), but I think these are just fantastic. Can’t go past Crispin!
Gala Brand is the name of one of the Bond girls – it’s short for her real name, Galatea! (She was named after a ship her father was on). It’s a name that seems fun and flirty to me, without being insubstantial or fluffy.
Another apple name is the Rennet or Reinette – it’s from the French for “little queen”, and it’s the name of a character in “Cold Comfort Farm” by Stella Gibbons.
I’ve also always thought Russet would make a nice name.