Secret nature names are an intriguing category: baby names that reference animals or weather or some other aspect of nature in their meaning without being explicit about it the way names such as Lily and Fox are.

If you're a nature lover but value subtlety in your name choices, these kinds of secret nature names may be perfect for you. We've explored secret garden names in the past, but today we turn our attention to nature names from the sky: names that mean butterfly and bird, that relate to rain and clouds and the sky itself.

Here, a wide range of secret nature names from many cultures:

GIRLS

Alizeh - This Persian name meaning "wind" was used by actress Geena Davis for her daughter.

Amaya - A Basque name but its homonym Amaya is a Japanese name that means "night rain."

Branwen - A Welsh name that might be thought of as Bronwen's lesser-known cousin, Branwen means "blessed raven."

Farasha - This lovely Arabic names means "butterfly."

Jarita - A legendary bird in Hindu mythology.

Kimana - A Shoshone name meaning "butterfly."

Mariposa - Another butterfly name, long used as a first name in Spanish cultures.

Mavis - Another traditional first name, French for "songbird."

Niley - This Aboriginal name meaning "shell" could be a fresh twist on Miley.

Palila - A rhythmic Hawaiian name that means "bird."

Sena - A genus of moth and also an African name that means "bringing heaven to earth."

Talia - The Hebrew Talia, as in Rocky actress Talia Shire, means "gentle dew from heaven."

Tori - It may be famously short for Victoria, but it's also a Japanese name that means "bird."

Vanessa - This literary classic invented by Jonathan Swift is also a species of butterfly.

Yara - This Arabic name meaning "small butterfly" is used in Brazil and Spain.

BOYS

Branson - This patronymic means "son of the raven" - or owner of the airline.

Corbin - This name meaning "crow" was introduced in the 1980s by actor Corbin Bernsen but may just now be coming into its own via its trendy sound.

Dasan - Simple yet exotic, Dasan is a Native American name that means "son of bird clan leader."

Dion - This '60s pop star name is Greek and means "child of heaven and earth."

Efron - The handsome Efron is a Hebrew name that means "lark."

Ingram - This unusual German name has the somewhat foreboding meaning "angel-raven."

Kane or Keyne - A Celtic name meaning "man of the eastern sky."

Lonan - This attractive Irish alternative to the overused Logan means "blackbird."

Neal, Neil or Niall - This Irish name and its variations mean "cloud."

Zeru - A Basque name that means "sky."

EITHER

Halcyon - The fashionable Halcyon references the mythological kingfisher bird.

Merle - Long used as a first name for both sexes, Merle is French for "blackbird."

Zephyr or Zephyrine - Quirky and strong, these names are Greek for "west wind."

Nameberry is a baby-naming site produced by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz, co-authors of 10 bestselling baby name guides, including the newest, "Beyond Ave and Aiden: The Enlightened Guide to Naming Your Baby." See more at http://nameberry.com

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