115+ Earthy Boy Names (Nature Names for Boys With Meanings)

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 2024.

Originally Published August 9, 2022 ・ Updated March 21, 2024

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

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)