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Searching for the best earthy boy names for your little one? From modern and trending to totally rare – these are the best nature names for boys in 2023.
Originally Published August 9, 2022 ・ Updated August 15, 2023
Choosing a special name for your baby is one of the most exciting rites of passage for expecting parents, but choosing a baby name that feels *just right* is actually a lot tougher than it seems.
That’s why I’ve scoured piles of baby name books, statistics, social media posts, and YouTube videos to pull together this baby names list of my favorite nature names for boys.
For each baby name, you can learn all about the origin and the meaning of the name, as well as how popular it is right now.
The rankings we’ve provided are taken from the United States Social Security Administration data for 2021.
With that, let’s dive in –
Modern Earthy Boy Names
These earthy boy names have either held fast in the top ranks of the baby name charts for boys over the past few years, or have climbed the charts over the past year.
Everest
- Origin: British
- Meaning: dweller of the Eure river
- Popularity: #832
Ocean
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: sea
- Popularity: #604
Bear
- Origin: German
- Meaning: strong and brave bear
- Popularity: #767
Oliver
- Origin: French
- Meaning: olive tree
- Popularity: #3
Weston
- Origin: British
- Meaning: from the western town
- Popularity: #95
Brooks
- Origin: German, English
- Meaning: small stream
- Popularity: #77
Jasper
- Origin: English
- Meaning: bearer of treasure, also a national park in Canada’s Rocky Mountains
- Popularity: #130
- About: Jasper is a reddish-brown gemstone; its name comes from the Old French word “jaspre” and ultimately from a Persian word meaning “spotted or speckled stone”. Jasper is also the name of the largest national park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and this name ranks #130 in popularity.
Arlo
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a fortified hill
- Popularity: #190
River
- Origin: British
- Meaning: a flowing body of water
- Popularity: #110
Kai
- Origin: Hawai’in
- Meaning: sea
- Popularity: #71
Forrest
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: outside
- Popularity: #402
Sage
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: an herb
- Popularity: #427
Onyx
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: black gemstone
- Popularity: #355
Ridge
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a long, narrow mountain range
- Popularity: #532
Ray
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a beam of sunshine
- Popularity: #761
Stone
- Origin: British
- Meaning: dweller by the rocks
- Popularity: #982
Bentley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: grassy wood clearing
- Popularity: #151
Robin
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a small bird with a reddish-orange chest
- Popularity: #795
Cool Earthy Boy Names
Love the idea of a cool, almost edgy name for your baby boy? These cool earthy boy names have just the right feel.
Zev
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: wolf
- Popularity: #996
Wilder
- Origin: English
- Meaning: wild
- Popularity: #368
Fox
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a wild animal from the dog family
- Popularity: #939
Oak
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a tree, and symbol of strength
- Popularity: > 1000
Finn
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: fair
- Popularity: #184
Dune
- Origin: Dutch, German
- Meaning: sand hill
- Popularity: > 1000
Cove
- Origin: English
- Meaning: small coastal inlet
- Popularity: > 1000
Nash
- Origin: English
- Meaning: by the ash tree
- Popularity: #233
Easton
- Origin: English
- Meaning: East town
- Popularity: #70
Beck
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the small stream, or brook
- Popularity: > 1000
Coast
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: land near the sea
- Popularity: > 1000
Wolfe
- Origin: English
- Meaning: wolf-like
- Popularity: > 1000
Strong Earthy Boy Names
Next up, these strong earthy boy names have powerful, strong meanings and perfect for your little warrior.
Arno
- Origin: German
- Meaning: eagle
- Popularity: > 1000
Burke
- Origin: French
- Meaning: from the fortress on the hill
- Popularity: > 1000
Arthur
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: bear
- Popularity: #155
Arden
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: great forest
- Popularity: > 1000
Bjorn
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: bear
- Popularity: #776
Arnett
- Origin: French
- Meaning: resembling an eagle
- Popularity: > 1000
Peter
-
A black gemstone, the name comes from the Old French word “jaiet” and ultimately from a Greek word meaning “black stone”. The name Jet isn’t in the top 1000 most popular names, but the alternative spelling of this name, Jett, sits at number 210.
Moses
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: delivered from the water
- Popularity: #519
Murphy
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: sea warrior
- Popularity: > 1000
Unique Nature Boy Names
This next collection of name names for boys includes our favorite unique nature boy names that are outside of the top 100 baby names.
Not quite rare, these names are still found somewhere on the charts, which includes the top 1000 baby names for boys.
Samson
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: little sun
- Popularity: #590
Heath
- Origin: English
- Meaning: someone who lived at a moor or heath
- Popularity: #958
Sterling
- Origin: English
- Meaning: little star
- Popularity: #382
- When you hear the name Sterling, you probably think of Silver. The name Sterling is from the English word meaning “of high quality, excellent” and sits at number 401 in popularity.
Oakley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: meadow of oak trees
- Popularity: #403
Briar
- Origin: British
- Meaning: thorny bush of wild roses
- Popularity: #713
Bradley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the wide meadow
- Popularity: #344
Cyrus
- Origin: Greek, Persian
- Meaning: like the sun
- Popularity: #350
Clay
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who works with clay
- Popularity: #615
- Short for Clayton, clay is also a sticky fine-grained form of earth. The name Clay ranks at number 615 in popularity. Clay has a strong and solid sound, evoking a sense of groundedness and stability. Clay is also associated with artistic creation, and is the material that pottery and sculptures are made from.
Rudy
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: famous wolf
- Popularity: #819
Coltan
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: famous wolf
- Popularity: #819
- Coltan is a metallic ore and also a variant of the name Colton, which is of Old English origin and means “coal town”. The name Colton ranks at number 91 on the most popular American baby names list, and Coltan doesn’t rank at all, putting it outside of the top 1000 names.
Marshall
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who loves horses
- Popularity: #379
Morgan
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: born of the sea
- Popularity: #612
Caspian
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the sea
- Popularity: #723
Rare Nature Boy Names
Lastly, our longest collection of earthy boy names – rare nature boy names.
These names are totally unique but still super wearable.
Hartley
- Origin: British
- Meaning: deer meadow
- Popularity: > 1000
Alcott
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the old cottage
- Popularity: > 1000
Barclay
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the meadow of birch trees
- Popularity: > 1000
Carrington
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the rocky town
- Popularity: > 1000
Cairn
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: from the mound of rocks
- Popularity: > 1000
Covey
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a brood of birds
- Popularity: > 1000
Flint
- The name Flint comes from the Old English word “flint” meaning “a hard gray rock”. The name Flint isn’t in the top 1000 most popular baby names; it is a good choice for a strong and rugged name for a boy that is rare in the USA.
Clarence
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: from the Clare river
- Popularity: > 1000
Indium
-
Indium is a metallic element, which is named after the indigo color. The name sounds similar to the name Indigo, which is number 982 in popularity, although the name Indium is outside of the top 1000 most popular names. It’s a great name choice if you’re looking for something truly unique.
Caen
- Caen is a name of French origin that comes from the name of a city in Normandy, France, which may come from a Gaulish word meaning “rock”. The city Caen is famous for the limestone that comes from the area and this name sits outside of the top 1000 most popular baby names. Many famous historical sites like Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London were built from limestone that came from Caen.
Roscoe
- Origin: Germanic, Old Norse
- Meaning: deer wood
- Popularity: > 1000
Canyon
- Origin: English, Spanish
- Meaning: from the deep ravine
- Popularity: > 1000
Calder
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: of the rough waters
- Popularity: > 1000
Brentley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the meadow near the hill
- Popularity: > 1000
Elm
- Origin: British
- Meaning: someone who lived near an elm grove
- Popularity: > 1000
Atwood
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who lives at the forest
- Popularity: > 1000
Arley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the hare’s meadow
- Popularity: > 1000
Stone
-
Stone is from the English word meaning “a hard solid substance”. If you’re looking for a baby name that embodies resilience, Stone is a strong choice. It sits at number 982 in popularity.
Hollis
- Origin: English
- Meaning: the holly tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Carrick
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: from the rocks
- Popularity: > 1000
Iver
- Origin: French
- Meaning: winter
- Popularity: > 1000
Bartley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the meadow of birch trees
- Popularity: > 1000
Devereaux
- Origin: French
- Meaning: riverbank
- Popularity: > 1000
Elmore
- Origin: English
- Meaning: moore with elm trees
- Popularity: > 1000
Barlow
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the bare hill
- Popularity: > 1000
Garnet
- Origin: English
- Meaning: pomegranate, or a precious stone
- Popularity: > 1000
Atley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the meadow
- Popularity: > 1000
Slate
-
Slate is name of the dark gray or bluish-gray rock, which comes from the Old French word “esclate”. This rugged, strong name is uncommon and sits outside of the top 1000 most popular baby names. If you’re looking for more one syllable boys names, check out this list next.
Clifford
- Origin: Old English
- Meaning: fjord by the cliff
- Popularity: > 1000
Lowell
- Origin: Old French
- Meaning: young wolf
- Popularity: > 1000
Oakes
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who lives by an oak tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Atworth
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who lives at the farmstead
- Popularity: > 1000
Jett
-
A black gemstone, the name comes from the Old French word “jaiet” and ultimately from a Greek word meaning “black stone”. The name Jet isn’t in the top 1000 most popular names, but the alternative spelling of this name, Jett, sits at number 210.
Oleander
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: evergreen tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Dale
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the valley
- Popularity: > 1000
Linder
- Origin: German
- Meaning: lime tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Weldon
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the hill near a spring
- Popularity: > 1000
Alder
- Origin: German
- Meaning: alder tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Atwell
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who lives at the spring
- Popularity: > 1000
Griffin
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: a bird of prey
- Popularity: #232
Oren
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: light and fair, or pine tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Ash
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: of the ash tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Fjord
- Meaning: a passage in the sea
- Popularity: > 1000
Aston
- Origin: English
- Meaning: ash tree settlement
- Popularity: > 1000
Adair
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: ford of the oaks
- Popularity: > 1000
Elwood
- Origin: British
- Meaning: elder tree forest
- Popularity: > 1000
Cedar
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: cedar tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Lyndon
- Origin: English
- Meaning: lives by the linden tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Perry
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who dwells by the pear tree
- Popularity: > 1000
Berg
- Origin: German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish
- Meaning: mountain or cliff
- Popularity: > 1000
Grover
- Origin: English
- Meaning: living near a grove of trees
- Popularity: > 1000
Beaumont
- Origin: French
- Meaning: beautiful mountain
- Popularity: > 1000
Bramley
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the raven’s meadow
- Popularity: > 1000
Wren
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: small bird
- Popularity: > 1000 (but #184 for girls)
Bradburn
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the wide brook
- Popularity: > 1000
Douglas
- Origin: Scottish, English
- Meaning: dark stream, but also the name of an evergreen tree
- Popularity: #828
Cypress
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: evergreen trees and shrubs with small overlapping leaves
- Popularity: > 1000
Bourne
- Origin: English
- Meaning: from the brook
- Popularity: > 1000
Wrapping Up
How did we do?
Have you gone gaga for any of these earthy boy names?
When you really dig in, our big, beautiful world truly provides endless inspiration when it comes to naming your little one – from the water and the waves, to the wonderful woodlands.
What’s next:
🍼 75+ Totally *Underrated* Gender Neutral Names (That Aren’t Dated & Boring!)
🍼 165+ Handsome One Syllable Boy Names That Are Short & Strong
🍼 125+ *Strikingly Pretty* Earthy Girl Names (with Meanings)
