Never-ranked flower names: Jonquil, Celosia, Lunaria

Tansy
Tansy

Looking for flower names that aren’t as run-of-the-mill as Lily, Daisy and Rose?

Here are some flower names — as well as a few other botanical names — that have never ranked among the top 1,000 baby names in the United States before.

  • Acacia
  • Acanthus
  • Alder
  • Alyxia
  • Amaryllis
  • Arbutus
  • Ardisia
  • Aster
  • Begonia
  • Betony
  • Betula
  • Birch
  • Bryony
  • Buttercup
  • Calla
  • Calluna
  • Camellia – The leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are used to make tea.
  • Cassia
  • Cedar
  • Celosia (pronounced see-LOH-zhah, see-LOH-zhee-ah, and other ways)
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Daffodil
  • Dandelion
  • Disa – A genus in the orchid family named for Disa, the heroine in a Swedish legendary saga.
  • Garance
  • Geranium
  • Gloxinia
  • Honeysuckle
  • Hyacinth
  • Jonquil
  • Kalmia
  • Kerria
  • Laelia
  • Lehua
  • Lilac
  • Linnaea – The sole species (Linnaea borealis) in this genus is commonly known as the twinflower.
  • Lobelia
  • Lotus
  • Lunaria – A genus name meaning “moon-like” (which refers to the plants’ decorative seedpods).
  • Lupine
  • Maile (pronounced MY-leh) – A flowering vine native to Hawaii that is used for making leis.
  • Mistletoe
  • Nandina – The sole species (Nandina domestica) in this genus is commonly called “heavenly bamboo.”
  • Nigella
  • Nyssa
  • Orchid
  • Passiflora
  • Peony
  • Pine
  • Poplar
  • Primrose
  • Primula
  • Rhododendron
  • Senna
  • Serissa – The sole species (Serissa japonica) in this genus is one of the most common types of bonsai tree.
  • Sunflower
  • Tansy
  • Thistle
  • Vanda
  • Vernonia
  • Wisteria
  • Zinnia

In case you’re wondering, all of the words above have been used as human names. In fact, most have appeared in U.S. baby name data — just never in the top 1,000 (for either gender). The rest were found by doing records searches.

Which of these do you like most?

Sources: Wikipedia, FamilySearch.org, Flower Names: Beyond Rose and Lily, SSA

Image: Adapted from Atlas roslin pl Wrotycz pospolity by Joanna Boisse under CC BY-SA 4.0.

[Latest update: Feb. 2025]

One thought on “Never-ranked flower names: Jonquil, Celosia, Lunaria

  1. We named our daughter Kalmia and we always get such positive reactions to it. It’s an almost unheard-of name yet sounds so natural. Not to mention, it’s a beautiful flowering bush!

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