Parents are now naming their babies after houseplants

1 November 2021, 14:12

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Plants are now inspiring some baby names in the UK - including Lily, Rose and Rowan.

If you were looking for some baby name inspiration, then look no further than your houseplant.

Yep, it turns out millennials - or those born between 1981 and 1996 - are now naming their kids after their favourite succulents.

According to research by online garden centre Primrose, our love of plants has meant names such as Lily and Bay have become more popular.

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The most popular baby names of 2020 were released by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) last month, with Lily topping the list for plant-inspired girls' names.

It turns out a whopping 2,931 babies were given the name - inspired by Peace lilies - in 2020.

Poppy was second on the list, with 2,457 babies named after the flower in 2020, while Daisy was third.

Holly, Summer and Jasmine were next up, while Rose, Willow, Violet and Iris also proved popular with parents.

As for boys names, Rowan came out as the number one moniker inspired by a plant, with 395 babies named after the tree.

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Elsewhere on the list Robin came in second, followed by Oakley, Basil and Acer.

See the full list of plant-inspired names below:

Girls

1. Lily
2. Poppy
3. Daisy
4. Holly
5. Summer
6. Jasmine
7. Rose
8. Willow
9. Violet
10. Iris

Boys

1. Rowan
2. Robin
3. Oakley
4. Basil
5. Acer
6. Florian
7. Bay
8. Forrest
9. Woodrow
10. Wren

Gardening expert, Evie Lane, said searches for plants increased by 900 per cent in April 2020 during the first lockdown.

"While the demand this year isn't as high as in lockdown," she said, continuing: "Plants are still very much on trend, with Google searches increasing by 560% in the last decade.

"The trend is very likely to have influenced our baby name choices, as we associate gardening with growing new life. Plus, plants are very beautiful to look at, so of course you would want to give your baby an equally beautiful name.

"House plants are proving to be very popular still, with a 944 per cent increase in online searches since 2010. Maybe our 2021 and 2022 babies will be named Aloe or Peace Lily!"