Top 10 Celebrity Names that Bloom
1. Daisy Lowe
The British beauty is an internationally recognised fashion model. Daisy is Pearl Lowe’s daughter but she only discovered in her teenage years that her biological father was singer Gavin Rossdale. The name Daisy was popular in the Victorian era as well as other flower names and has blossomed once again after a century in hibernation. The name has inspired a number of fictional characters including Daisy Duke in the American television series the Dukes of Hazzard and it is also the leading ladies name in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The name is derived from Margarita which is a Latin word meaning “Pearl” and Spanish for the “daisy flower”.
2. Poppy Delevingne
Daisy Lowe isn’t the only famous British model to be named after a flower or plant! Poppy Delevingne is Cara Delevingne’s older sister who has modelled for fashion brands Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. The British model shares the name with Australian actress Poppy Montgomery who starred in hit TV drama “Without a Trace”. Poppies are most commonly identified as bright red flowers that symbolise peace and as such are used on Remembrance Day (11th November) when we pause to remember all those soldiers who have died over the years in warfare. Interesting to note is that poppies are actually available in a variety of different colours and are often used as decorative centrepieces!
3. Violet Anne Affleck
Violet Anne is the eldest daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Violet is a Latin name that was popular a hundred years ago in the early 1900’s and has become fashionable once again. Violet means purple and the flower violet is a soft purple flower that is small and pretty. Violets are often hidden in the wild by larger flowers and hence have long held associations with modesty. The phrase “a shrinking violet” is often used to describe a very shy person.
4. Blue Ivy Carter
Another Hollywood power couple opting to name their child after a flower are Beyonce and Jay-Z who have one daughter named Blue Ivy Carter. The unusual name has sparked a revival in the popularity of the name “Ivy”. Blue Ivy Carter was born in January 2015 and the name Ivy featured at no. 21 in Australia’s top 100 baby names for that year (up 3 spaces since 2012). The name Ivy has also featured in a number of recent TV shows including Gossip Girl, Downton Abbey and 90210. Ivy is a climber plant and in the world of plants Ivy signifies faithfulness.
5. Holly Valance
Australian actress, singer and model Holly Valance is known for her stint on popular TV soap Neighbours which she left in 2002 in order to pursue a career in singing. She released her first single “Kiss Kiss” in 2002 which went to straight to no. 1 in the UK and Australian charts. Holly is an old English name which is often given to girls born around the Christmas period as holly is traditionally hung in homes at Christmas time and is closely associated with the holiday festivities. Holly is a popular girl’s name in Australia placed at no. 46 on the 2012 list of top 100 baby names. Holly Golightly was the heroine in Truman Capote’s Breakfast in Tiffany’s played by the superb Audrey Hepburn.
6. Lily Allen
The controversial London-born singer Lily Allen is as well known for being outspoken as she is for her music! Ironic, when you consider the meaning of the name “Lily” is purity and innocence! Lily Allen isn’t the only celebrity to be named after the most popular of the flower names. The name seems to be a favourite of celebrity parents including Irish actor Chris O’Donnell, English actress Kate Beckinsale and A-listers Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis who have all chosen the name for their children. While a lot of people are named Lily Rose including Lily Allen and Johnny Depp’s daughter, the most extravagant celebrity name including Lily has to be Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence who is the daughter of the tragically deceased Australian singer Michael Hutchence and British TV presenter Paula Yates. The name Lily was no. 11 in the top 100 Australian baby names for 2015.
7. Rose Byrne
Australian actress Rose Byrne was awarded two Emmy and two Golden globe nominations for her performance in TV series Damages. She has also starred in successful big screen films including Insidious, X-Men: First Class and Bridesmaids. Other famous Rose’s over the years have included Rose Kennedy, mother of American president John F. Kennedy and on screen Roses’ have featured in movies including Titanic and Harry Potter. There are a lot of variations of the name Rose including celebrity names such as Rosie Huntington-Whitelay who is a famous British model and maybe not as obvious – Suri Cruise whose first name Suri is Persian for “Rose”.
8. Willow Smith
Willow is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and is named after the ancient Willow tree. Historically the Willow tree was believed to possess magical powers and features in literature throughout the ages with reference made to it by Shakespeare and more recently in Harry Potter.
9. Heather Mills
While not as popular as some of the other names we featured on this list, Heather is the common name for various plants and is originally a Scottish botanical name. Heather Mills is an English charity campaigner and former model who is best known for her relationship with the former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney. The male version of this name is Heath which of course reminds us of the late Australian actor Heath Ledger.
10. Orlando Bloom
While there are many male versions of botanical names such as Will from Willow and Heath from Heather, the name that came to our minds when we thought of celebrities named after flowers was the lovely Orlando Bloom! Bit of a stretch we realise but how could we not include that smile?!
