Cottagecore is billowing dresses and fields of wildflowers. It’s cozy stone homes with an English garden and a bicycle propped up under an open kitchen window. The pastoral aesthetic that reigned in 2020 is holding strong in 2021 as many are still working from home and craving comfort above all. Cottagecore is based on a nostalgia of simplicity and romanticizing of rural life, providing the perfect escapism from our Zoom rooms and home offices.
The names that make up our list embody the romantic, outdoorsy, free-spirited, and vintage cottagecore aesthetic, either in feel or in meaning. So if you’d rather be frolicking in fields than typing away at your laptop, read on for our list of cottagecore baby names!
Antonella
Italian beauty Antonella is decidedly romantic. It feels to us like the baby name equivalent of a flowing garden dress.
Arlo
While Arlo has several possible origins, one is that it’s derived from “aherlow,” a Celtic word meaning “between two highlands.” In the past 10 years, Arlo has gone from unranked to #271.
Bromley
An English name meaning “meadow where broom grows,” Bromley is also loaded with surname style.
Cecelia
A sweet name with an old-fashioned feel, Cecelia is an underused vintage choice. The Cecilia spelling is much more popular, but we find Cecelia a bit more intuitive if you’re planning on nickname Celia or CeCe.
Darcy
The very Jane-Austen-esque Darcy has a “dark” meaning, but it has a brightness and grace that keeps it feeling light.
Elowen
Elowen, or spelling variation Elowyn, has a fairy-like enchantment to us. It’s a nature name (meaning “elm”) that only feels familiar, never having been in the top 1000 baby names in the US.
Geraldine
Geraldine definitely enjoys flower pressing, hand-written letters, and a big cup of tea. Gigi, Gerrie, and Dina provide parents with a variety of great nickname options.
Hettie
While Hattie’s been busy climbing up the popularity chart, Hettie’s been gathering dust. Hettie peaked in 1890s, and this vintage nickname name is ready to be brushed off and adored.
Hutton
This name meaning “ridge enclosure” has a similar feel to the exceedingly more popular Hudson.
Jed
You could use the full Jedediah for a completely different feel, but the simplicity of Jed makes it perfect for the cottagecore parent looking for a baby name.
Jolene
Jolene peaked in the 1970s but feels very fitting for today. It’s less buttoned-up than Josephine but still gives us the sweet, southern-feeling nickname Jo.
Lennox
Lennox feels like a modern creation, but the name made an appearance in two different Agatha Christie novels. The Scottish name’s meaning, “elm grove,” also adds to its cottagecore vibe.
Louisa
There’s a quaintness to Louisa and an association with Little Women (from author Louisa May Alcott) that makes it fitting on a list of cottagecore baby names.
Maribelle
We can’t decide if we like Maribelle or Maribel more. Both are just so darn charming. Mary is a classic and “belle” adds some romance.
Montana
Like many place names, Montana is a great gender-neutral baby name. And its meaning, “mountain,” makes it a bit earthy, too.
River
River is currently at its most popular point in the US rankings, which speaks to the trend of nature names and water names in particular. We can’t help but think of dipping our toes in a flowing stream.
Romy
Romy is a diminutive of other Ro- names but has somehow stayed out of the limelight unlike the similar Roman. The name has international appeal and a casual sophistication.
Susanna
A Hebrew name meaning “lily,” Susanna is a subtle take on the floral trend. Or, spell it with an -h on the end, and the name takes on a more biblical feel.
Theda
This variation of Theodore peaked in the 1910s and has ranked outside the top 1000 baby names in the US since 1948! Let’s bring this beauty back, y’all!
Willa
This short form of Wilhelmina has recently soared up the charts, perhaps because of the nature feel it borrows from the weeping willow tree.
And that’s our list of cottagecore baby names! Of course it’s always subjective when you’re trying to capture an aesthetic. What names would you add or take off the list? What names feel cottagecore to you?
I quite like Cherry as a name, I feel it fits into a cottagecore category
My name is Cheri – maybe that seems like a more namelike alternative to Cherry 🙂