When thinking of possible baby names, some expecting parents look at family history. Some get ideas from celebrities or seasons. And others get baby name inspiration from…flowers. ???
Last month, the Knowledge Academy, a global professional training company based in the United Kingdom, conducted a survey of the 100 most popular floral baby names around the world. They decided to do this after learning that the name Ivy had risen 221 spots in the U.K. since 2010, becoming the sixth most popular girls’ name there.
Ivy rounds out the top 20 floral baby names on the Knowledge Academy’s global list. The top baby name, William, was “incredibly surprising,” said spokesperson Talveer Sandhu, “as it’s not a name you typically associate with flowers.” Having a son with that name partially because of my obsession with Sweet William flowers during my pregnancy with him, I was not as surprised. But I was surprised to see many of the other top floral baby names on the list—like Jared, Kamal, and even Veronica. Floral-inspired names are more popular for girls than they are for boys.
“We hope this study will serve as a valuable resource to parents who might be considering a floral name for their child, and want to examine popularity whilst finding names they hadn’t previously associated with flowers,” Sandhu shared. Will it inspire you?
Top 20 Floral Baby Names
| Rank | Name | World Popularity Ranking | Approximate No. Of People With This Name | Gender |
| 1 | William | 51 | 635,1385 | M |
| 2 | Rosa | 52 | 633,4723 | F |
| 3 | Susan | 107 | 376,7287 | F |
| 4 | Rose | 181 | 285,0867 | F |
| 5 | Veronica | 211 | 255,9608 | F |
| 6 | Kamal | 218 | 251,9397 | M |
| 7 | Cynthia | 388 | 173,5516 | F |
| 8 | Rosemary | 956 | 949,349 | F |
| 9 | Iris | 1202 | 783,027 | F |
| 10 | Flora | 1373 | 703,618 | F |
| 11 | Soma | 1420 | 684,756 | M |
| 12 | Erica | 1526 | 643,900 | F |
| 13 | Ren | 1891 | 530,460 | M |
| 14 | Daisy | 2245 | 453,518 | F |
| 15 | Rosalie | 2305 | 443,374 | F |
| 16 | Delphine | 2545 | 405,218 | F |
| 17 | Violet | 2741 | 380,013 | F |
| 18 | Holly | 3229 | 322,862 | F |
| 19 | Marguerite | 3518 | 298,069 | F |
| 20 | Ivy | 3700 | 284,346 | F |
1. William:
Not your typical floral themed name; William gets its floral association from Dianthus Barbatus which has the common name of ‘Sweet William’. William is an incredibly popular name, gaining the top spot on this list as the 51st most popular name in the world. William’s popularity can likely be credited with its long history among royalty from William the Conqueror to Prince William.
2. Rosa:
Rosa is a girl’s name with Spanish, Italian and Portuguese origins, meaning ‘Rose’, and takes the 52nd spot in the world’s popularity rankings. With such strong figures like the First Lady of the civil rights movement Rosa Parks and political philosopher Rosa Luxemburg, women named Rosa are among legends.
3. Susan:
Susan, a girl’s name of Persian origin meaning ‘Lily flower’ gains the third spot in this list. With a world popularity ranking of 107, this name is shared by a diverse range of famous women, from American Suffragette Susan B. Anthony to the rock singer Siouxsie Sioux whose real name is Susan Janet Ballion.
Top 10 Boys’ Floral Baby Names
| Rank | Name | World Popularity Ranking | Approximate No. Of People With This Name |
| 1 | William | 51 | 635,1385 |
| 2 | Kamal | 218 | 251,9397 |
| 3 | Soma | 1420 | 684,756 |
| 4 | Florin | 3999 | 263,243 |
| 5 | Florian | 5002 | 208,719 |
| 6 | Jared | 5740 | 183,069 |
| 7 | Basil | 7581 | 137934 |
| 8 | Kunal | 7630 | 136,803 |
| 9 | Florent | 7679 | 135,508 |
| 10 | Briar | 185598 | 1712 |
Top 10 Girls’ Floral Baby Names
| Rank | Name | World Popularity Ranking | Approximate No. Of People With This Name |
| 1 | Rosa | 52 | 633,4723 |
| 2 | Susan | 107 | 376,7287 |
| 3 | Rose | 181 | 285,0867 |
| 4 | Veronica | 211 | 255,9608 |
| 5 | Cynthia | 388 | 173,5516 |
| 6 | Rosemary | 956 | 949,349 |
| 7 | Iris | 1,202 | 783,027 |
| 8 | Flora | 1,373 | 703,618 |
| 9 | Erica | 1526 | 643,900 |
| 10 | Daisy | 2245 | 453,518 |
Elizabeth Siris Winchester is a Content Director for Davler Parents (mommybites.com, nymetroparents.com, siparent.com). Her oldest son is named William.
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