When thinking of new names for the baby, try out some of these herbal and spice names that have not only been around for centuries, but have wonderful meanings such as anise, basil, betony, cilantro, cinnamon, clove, coriander, ginger, herb, mace, marjoram, mint, myrrh, pepper, rosemary, saffron, sage, salt, sorrel, spice and thyme.

FEMALE NAMES

• ACHILLEA is the feminine form of Latin Achilleus meaning he who embodies the grief of the people. This is also the name of a medicinal herb named after Achilles who was said to have treated wounds. Because of the herb's feathery foliage, the name is turned into a thousand leaves.
• ANISE is an English name derived from the name of the herb, meaning anise.
• BASEMATH, BASHEMATH, BASMAT, BASMATH names are the Anglicized form of Hebrew Bosmath, meaning spice or sweet smelling.
• BETONY is the name of a plant of the mint.
• BILJANA is a Serbian name meaning herb.
• BILYANA is the Bulgarian form of Serbian Biljana, meaning herb.
• BOSMAT, BOSMATH is a variant spelling of Hebrew Bosmath, meaning spice or sweet smelling.
• BRYONY is an English name derived from the tendril-climbing, perennial herb meaning to grow, sprout, swell.
• CASSIAS, CASSIAH are the Latin forms of Hebrew Qetsiyah, meaning cassiaa bark similar to cinnamon.
• CORIANDER is the English name derived from the spice name coriander (also commonly called Cilantro) referring to the smell of the spice which is similar to the odor of bedbugs, hence smells like a bedbug.
• GINGER is the English pet form of Latin Virginia, meaning maiden, virgin.
• KASSIA, KASSY, KEISHA, KESHIA, KETZIA, KEYSHA, KEZIA, KEZIAH, KISHA, KIZZIE, KIZZY, LAKEISHA, LAKESHIA, LAKISHA, NIKEISHA and QETSIYAH is the English variant spelling of Latin Cassia, meaning cassia, a bark similar to cinnamon.
• MARJOLAINE is the French spice name meaning marjoram.
• MARJOLEIN is of Dutch Marjolijn, meaning marjoram.
• MARJOLIJN is Dutch form of French Marjolaine, meaning marjoram.
• MARVA is a Hebrew name derived from the name of a mint plant.
• MARWA is an Arabic name derived from the name of a fragrant herb of ancient continental repute, spoken of in legends as an ingredient in medicine, soups, perfumes and even love potions. It is known in Latin as amaracum, in Greek as amarakos, in English as sweet marjoram.
• MINTA, MINTHA, MINTHE are the English and Greek forms of Latin Mintha, meaning mint. In mythology, this is the name of a water nymph who was turned into a mint plant.
• MINTTU, MINTY is Finnish and English names meaning mint.
• MIRA: Variant spelling of English Myra, meaning myrrh. Compare with other forms of Mira.
• MYRA is an English name invented by the 17th century poet Fulke Greville and used in healing salves, perfumes and incenses. In ancient times, myrrh was worth more than its weight in gold, priced at 5 times that of frankincense, and it was one of the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
• MYRRINE is an Ancient Greek name derived from the word myron, meaning myrrh.
• PIPRA is an Esperanto name meaning peppery.
• ROSEMARY is the English name derived from the herb rosemary, from Latin rosmarinus, composed of ros dew and marinus the sea, literally meaning dew of the sea.
• RUTA is a Lithuanian name meaning rue.
• SAFFIE is a form of English Saffron, meaning saffron (the spice).
• SAFFRON is an English name derived from the name of the spice which comes from the crocus flower meaning yellow.
• SAGE is an English unisex name which can mean either sage the spice or profoundly wise one.
• SORREL is also an English unisex name derived from the name of a perennial herb, sorrel, from Old French surele, from Frankish sur, meaning sour.
• SALACIA is a Roman myth name of a goddess of salt water, meaning salt.
• TAMARA, TAMERA and TAMIA is a Russian form of Hebrew Tamar, meaning palm tree.
• TUPAARNAQ: Greenlandic name meaning arctic thyme.

MALE NAMES:

• BAS, BASIL is the short form of English Basil, meaning king or basil the herb.
• HALWN, HALWYN is a Welsh Arthurian legend name meaning salt.
• HERB is the English short form of German Herbert, meaning bright army.
• MACE is the English name which may mean either mace the spice or mace the weapon.
• MEKHAG is an Armenian name meaning clove.
• MIRON is a Russian form of Greek Myron, meaning myrrh.
• MYRON is a Greek name adopted by early English Christians because of its association with the gift of myrrh given to Jesus by the Magi, derived from the Greek word myron, meaning myrrh.
• NGAI is a Vietnamese name meaning herb.
• RISHI is a Hindi name meaning sage.
• SABOLA: Egyptian name meaning pepper.
• SAGE is an English unisex name which can mean either sage the spice or profoundly wise one.
• SORREL is also an English unisex name derived from the name of a perennial herb, sorrel, from Old French surele, from Frankish sur, meaning sour.
• WICASA is a Native American Dakota name meaning sage.