Names Categorized "herbs"

Amaro m Galician, Portuguese, Spanish
Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Latin amarus "bitter", or maybe from the Visigothic name Amalric. This was the name of a legendary saint who was said to have sailed across the Atlantic to a paradise. He is especially popular in Galicia and Asturias in Spain.

Angelica f English, Italian, Romanian, Carolingian Cycle
Derived from Latin angelicus meaning "angelic", ultimately related to Greek ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their Orlando poems (1483 and 1532), where she is the love interest of both Orlando and Rinaldo. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.

Anise f English (Rare)
From the English word for the herb, also called aniseed.

Basil 1 m English
From the Greek name Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning "king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.

Bayard m Carolingian Cycle
Derived from Old French baiart meaning "bay coloured". In medieval French poetry Bayard was a bay horse owned by Renaud de Montauban and his brothers. The horse could magically adjust its size to carry multiple riders.

Betony f English (Rare)
From the name of the minty medicinal herb.

Biljana f Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovene
From the South Slavic word биље (bilje) meaning "herb".

Cassia f Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Cassius.

Cicely f English
Medieval variant of Cecily.

Coriander f English (Rare)
From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).

Ginger f English
From the English word ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.

Kamilla f Russian, Hungarian, Polish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Russian and Hungarian form of Camilla, as well as a Polish and Scandinavian variant. This is also the Hungarian word for the chamomile flower (species Matricaria chamomilla).

Lavender f English (Rare)
From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.

Marjolaine f French
Means "marjoram" in French, from Latin maiorana. Marjoram is a minty herb.

Marjolein f Dutch
Dutch cognate of Marjolaine.

Marjolijn f Dutch
Variant of Marjolein.

Melisa f Spanish, Bosnian, Albanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani
Spanish, Bosnian, Albanian, Turkish and Azerbaijani form of Melissa.

Melissa f English, Dutch, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Means "bee" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius this was the name of the sister of the nymph Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem Orlando Furioso belonging to the fairy who helps Ruggiero escape from the witch Alcina. As an English given name, Melissa has been used since the 18th century.

Mimoza f Albanian, Georgian
From the Albanian and Georgian word for the mimosa plant, a flowering herb. It is ultimately derived from Greek μῖμος (mimos) meaning "mimic".

Minttu f Finnish
Means "mint" in Finnish.

Mynte f Danish
Means "mint" in Danish.

Nigella f English (Rare)
Feminine form of Nigel.

Odell m & f English
From an English surname that was originally from a place name, itself derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

Ramunė f Lithuanian
Means "chamomile (plant)" in Lithuanian.

Rayhana f Arabic
Means "basil" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet Muhammad.

Reyhan f Turkish, Uyghur
Turkish and Uyghur form of Rayhana.

Reyhangül f Uyghur
Uyghur elaboration of Reyhan using the suffix گۈل (gül) meaning "flower, rose".

Rihanna f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ريحانة (see Rayhana). This name is borne by the Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty (1988-), known simply as Rihanna. In the United States it jumped in popularity between the years 2005 and 2008, when Rihanna was releasing her first albums. It quickly declined over the next few years.

Rosemary f English
Combination of Rose and Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.

Rue f English
From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of Ruth 1.

Rūta f Lithuanian, Latvian
Means "rue" in Lithuanian, the rue plant being a bitter medicinal herb that is a national symbol of Lithuania. This is also the Lithuanian form of Ruth 1.

Saffron f English (Rare)
From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic زعفران (zaʿfarān), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".

Sage f & m English (Modern)
From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

Saige f English (Modern)
Variant of Sage.

Sorrel f English (Rare)
From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.

Thảo f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 草 (thảo) meaning "grass, herbs".

Tupaarnaq f Greenlandic
Means "wild thyme" in Greenlandic.

Valerian m Russian, Georgian, Romanian, History
From the Roman cognomen Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.

Vanaheo'o f Cheyenne
Means "sage woman" in Cheyenne.