So many things influence which baby names become popular – from TV shows to movie stars to famous songs – but you might not have thought that the environment could impact what parents are calling their children.
But, as people work harder than ever to help the environment and live sustainably, eco-friendly baby names are becoming incredibly popular in 2020.
These are names that reflect the natural world, from plants and flowers to planets, stars and the elements.
Parents want their little ones to have a name that reflects their environmentally friendly ethos, and the names just happen to be really pretty as well.
In a bid to discover the trendiest eco-friendly baby names of 2020, SaveOnEnergy examined Nameberry’s Top Baby Names of 2020 and have revealed which names are attracting the most attention in the UK.
They discovered that Luna – the third most desirable girls name of 2020 – is the most popular eco-friendly baby name for girls. The phrases ‘Luna girls name’ and ‘Luna baby name’ have a total of 640 Google searches per month.
The second most popular ‘green’ girl’s name comes from the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora.
Isla – which means ‘island’ in Spanish – is the third most popular sustainable girl’s name, and the fifth most popular girl’s name in the UK according to NameBerry.
The most popular eco-friendly baby names for girls
- Luna – Latin luna (moon)
- Aurora – Roman goddess of dawn
- Isla – ‘Island’ in Spanish
- Hazel – The hazel tree
- Ivy – The climbing evergreen plant
- Iris – ‘Rainbow’ in Greek
- Rose – The fragrant flower rose
- Violet – The purple/blue flower
- Aria – ‘Air’ in Italian
- Chloe – ‘Blooming’ in Greek
SaveOnEnergy
The trendiest eco-friendly baby boys name is Oliver, which stems from the Latin word olivarius meaning ‘olive tree’. According to NameBerry it ranks as the third most popular boys name of 2020 so far.
The second most popular ‘green’ boy’s name is Jasper. The name, although believed to be unrelated to the gemstone Jasper, is still associated with the stone.
Leo – Latin for ‘lion’ – ranks as the third trendiest eco-friendly boys name of 2020. Although it’s not the most popular boys name, there are 600 searches per month from potential parents interested in calling their baby Leo – 100 more searches than Oliver in first place.
The most popular eco-friendly baby names for boys
- Oliver – English origin ‘olive tree’
- Jasper – The gemstone jasper
- Leo – ‘Lion’ in Greek
- Kai – ‘Sea’ in Hawaiian
- Atlas – Ancient God who carried the world on his shoulders
- Rowan – The rowan tree
- Phoenix – Immortal bird from Greek mythology
- Brooks – ‘Stream’ in old English
- River – A stream of water that flows to the sea
- Orion – A constellation of stars
SaveOnEnergy
Why are parents choosing eco-friendly names?
3,400 parents were also surveyed to find out why they are considering eco-friendly baby names for their new-born babies.
When asked ‘Would you give your baby an eco-friendly name?’, three quarters of Brits (72%) said that they would consider doing so, with only 28% wanting to avoid it.
Most were considering these names because they are ‘pretty’ (39%), 22% like the meaning behind the names, 21% are choosing these names simply because they’re trendy, but 18% are considering one of these names because they follow an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Of the 28% who wanted to avoid these eco-friendly names, almost half say it’s because they are ‘too mainstream’, and 26% find the names ‘cringey’.
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