Green Baby Names; A Baby Name With Meaning

With the rise of environmental awareness in the United States, a whole new category of baby names has sprung up to accompany the green movement. Appearing on websites and in books, “green baby names” are a hot category. Usually, the lists are little more than a mashup of nature names, such as Willow, Earth, Brook, Storm, and so forth. Certainly these are “nature” names, but that doesn’t really make them “green” in a meaningful way.

There is, however, a way to come up with green baby names that is directly related to the environmental movement. It is a way that honors the pioneers of conservation, and also adheres to the baby naming tradition of bestowing a name in honor of a person. By naming children after environmental heroes, parents create a name for a child that has two meanings — the meaning of the original name, and the story behind how it was chosen.

What kind of names can be found in the history of green activism? Here are some names to consider, including five each for boys and girls. It’s just a starting point. There are many other heroes of the environmental movement who could be honored and remembered in this way.

For boys, consider:

* Henry, or Henry David. No prizes for guessing who this is! Henry David Thoreau, (1817-1862), through his writings on nature and natural history, helped focus the attention of a nation on the world around us.

* John. In honor of John Muir. Why not be creative, and go with both names? John Muir, (1838-1914), founded the Sierra Club, and his extensive written work helped found the green movement.

* Edward. For Edward Abbey. A noted activist, author Edward Abbey, (1927-1989), wrote The Monkey Wrench Gang, perhaps the most famous of all radical environmental books.

* Aldo. For Aldo Leopold, (1887-1948). Not only does the name Aldo honor the author of A Sand County Almanac, a classic ecological work, it’s an increasingly popular name, picked by some experts to be one of the most popular names of the next decade.

* David, for David Brower, (1912-2000). David Brower was a major figure in the environmental movement of the 20th century. He founded The League of Conservation Voters and The Friends of the Earth, and worked tirelessly his entire life for conservation causes.

And for girls:

* Rachel, for Rachel Carson, (1907-1964). There is probably no more well-known face of the environmental movement, man or woman, than biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson. Her 1962 book Silent Spring, is perhaps the single most famous environmental book of the 20th century. It helped bring about the banning of the pesticide DDT, and was a tipping point in the creation of the environmental movement.

* Dian, in honor of Dian Fossey, (1932-1985). The movie Gorillas in the Mist, starring Sigourney Weaver, brought the work of Dian Fossey to world attention. She spent the better part of her life studying gorillas in Rwanda, where she was killed in 1985 by unknown assailants. Fossey’s work on behalf of Rwanda’s gorillas thrust wildlife conservation onto a global stage, where it remains to this day.

* Lois, for Lois Gibbs, (born 1951). Lois Gibbs was a mom and homemaker when she learned her young son’s elementary school was built on top of a toxic dump. The site was Niagara Falls’ notorious Love Canal, which became a symbol of industrial pollution. Gibbs became a community activist and environmental organizer, and went on to battle the state and Federal government for many years until the cleanup of the Love Canal began. Gibbs’ work helped create the EPA’s Superfund for toxic cleanup, and her activism continues to this day. She is currently Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice.

* Wangari, for Wangari Maathai, (born 1940). She founded the environmental group Green Belt Movement in Kenya, dedicated to fighting deforestation in that country. In 2004, Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on behalf of conservation.

* Jane, in honor of Jane Goodall, (born 1934). Jane Goodall is one of the most famous women ever associated with wildlife conservation and ecological activism. For her lifelong work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, Goodall has been recognized as a world leader on behalf of wildlife and the environment. She is a United Nations Ambassador of Peace, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, through which she works tirelessly on behalf of animals and the environment.

Guest post by Neil Street, co-publisher of Baby Names Garden, a leading resource for unique names.

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