Yarrow: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Yarrow checks plenty of boxes for a stylish baby name now – but is virtually unknown.

Thanks to Emilee for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME YARROW MEAN?

Yarrow is a plant, sometimes called milfoil.

The name started out as the Old English gearwe. It might have something to do with the color yellow, which would have been geolwe.

Or not. Competing theories make this name Greek.

But yarrow – also known by the Latin name achillea millefolium – is usually yellow, or sometimes white, or white and yellow. It’s a member of the daisy family, asteraceae.

While it’s quite pretty, it’s often considered a weed.

Or an herb. Because the yarrow plant does have practical uses, including healing properties and the ability to stanch bleeding. (An alternate name is “nosebleed plant.” Not pretty, but descriptive.) 

It’s scientific name comes from myth and folklore. It’s said the hero Achilles used the plant to cure his warriors of wounds on the battlefield in ancient times. 

In the Victorian language of flowers, yarrow was a cure for heartache.

It can also be made into tea, attracts bees, and grows wild in meadows as well as cultivated in gardens. 

With bold, showy botanical names like Lotus and Azalea under consideration by some families, Yarrow has a gentler appeal, more wildflower than hot house.

There’s a second reason this one qualifies as a nature name. In Scotland, the Yarrow Water is known for excellent salmon fishing.

In that case, the name might come from a Celtic word meaning “rough stream,” describing the river’s waters.

There’s a second river by the name in Lancashire.

YARROW AS A LAST NAME

If your family lived by one of the rivers, or possibly a place where the plant grew abundantly, your surname might’ve become Yarrow.

Way back in 1865, Alfred Yarrow established a shipbuilding firm in Glasgow. His company went on to design and build many a ship for the Royal Navy. He also designed an innovative boiler. For his services to the nation, he was eventually created a baronet.

In more recent history, there’s singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. (If you’ve ever heard “Puff the Magic Dragon,” you’ve heard their most famous work.) Peter’s family was Ukrainian, originally named Yaroshevitz. He passed away in early 2025.

A handful of other notables have answered to the surname.

But how about Yarrow as a given name?

There should be some kids called Yarrow.

Surname names – especially ones of English origin – commonly migrate to the first spot, and our love of nature names has been going strong for decades.

There are a few, but maybe not as many as you would expect:

• In 1972, when Peter, Paul and Mary were at the height of their fame, five girls were given the name Yarrow. That marks Yarrow’s debut in the Social Security Administration data.
• A year later, six boys received the name in 1973.

It’s a gender-neutral name, used in small numbers for boys and girls alike over the last fifty years and counting.

In 2024, nine boys and fewer than five girls received the first name Yarrow.

Not only is Yarrow quite rare, but any personal name starting with Y is seldom heard.

• Familiar(ish) girl names include Yasmin and Yasmina, Ynes, Yara, Yvette and Yvonne, Yolanda, Yelena, Yaretzi, and Yareli, along with spellings like Ysabel.
• For boys, Yves, Yadiel, Yale and Yael, Yehuda, and spellings of Joseph – Yusuf, Yosef, and Yousef – are likely the best known.
• More gender-neutral choices, like Yarden and Yardley, are sometimes heard, too.

Today, Yarrow picks up on several key trends:

• We love names from the natural world, from Kai to Olive to Brooks.
• Scrabble letters with high values, like X and Z, appeal. Why not Y?

Despite all of these attributes, Yarrow remains undiscovered. There’s a charm to this simple, humble, but versatile nature name. It’s a substitute for Willow or Ivy, Arlo or River, a stylish choice that fits in and stands out at the same time.

What do you think of the baby name Yarrow?

First published on September 23, 2015, this post was revised on January 13, 2025 and again on August 9, 2025.