Chinese naming often picks characters whose meaning belongs to one of the five elements: a river character for Water, a tree character for Wood. English has no such tradition, so this page is an adaptation, inspired by Chinese naming. Each name here carries Earth in what it really means, as name dictionaries and word-origin sources give it.
Some names reach Earth through yellow, which Chinese tradition assigns to the same element. Each name says how it is linked.
Fewer girls' names carry this meaning, so the names for either are listed too.
Check your baby's chartEnter a birth date or a due date to see which element the chart needs.
Boys
Boy · English place name
Old English place name, 'ford by a cliff or steep bank' Well attested
linked with: cliff
US 2025: #1352 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #3684
Related names: Cliff
Related in meaning in Chinese: 嶂 zhàng (cliff)
Boy · Scottish surname, from Gaelic
Gaelic cnoc, 'round hill'; first a Scottish surname Well attested
meaning: hill
US 2025: #196 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #822
Related in meaning in Chinese: 山 shān (mountain)
Either
Either · Spanish, via a US place name
The US state, named from Spanish montaña, 'mountain' Well attested
meaning: mountain
US 2025: #1033 (girls), #1525 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #2006 (girls)
Same meaning in Chinese: 山 shān (mountain)
Chinese characters linked with mountain: 山 shān (mountain), 岭 lǐng (mountain ridge), 岱 dài (sacred mountain), 岳 yuè (great mountain), 峰 fēng (peak), 崧 sōng (high mountain), …
Girls
Girl · Greek, via Latin
Feminine form of Peter; Greek petra, 'rock' Well attested
In this tradition stone belongs to Earth
US 2025: #1372 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #2138
Same meaning in Chinese: 岩 yán (rock)
Boys
Boy · Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic creag, 'rock, crag' Well attested
In this tradition stone belongs to Earth
US 2025: #1644 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #1705
Same meaning in Chinese: 岩 yán (rock)
Boy · Old English
Old English for 'dark stone': dunn, 'dark, brown', + stan, 'stone' Well attested
In this tradition stone belongs to Earth
Rare
Same meaning in Chinese: 石 shí (stone)
Boy · Greek
Greek petros, 'stone, rock' Well attested
In this tradition stone belongs to Earth
US 2025: #187 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #287
Related names: Pedro, Pierce, Piers
Same meaning in Chinese: 石 shí (stone)
Boy · English
The word stone, from Old English stan; also an English surname Well attested
In this tradition stone belongs to Earth
US 2025: #916 (boys)
Related names: Flint
Same meaning in Chinese: 石 shí (stone)
Chinese characters linked with stone: 石 shí (stone), 岩 yán (rock), 磬 qìng (stone chime), 磐 pán (firm rock), 矶 jī (rocky shore)
Girls
Girl · Greek
Greek for 'earth'; the Earth itself in Greek myth Well attested
meaning: earth
US 2025: #1392 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #520
Also spelled: Gaea
Same meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Girl · Greek, via Latin
Feminine form of George, from Greek for 'farmer' Well attested
meaning: farming
US 2025: #99 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #175
Related names: Georgina
Related in meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Girl · Latin
Latin for 'earth, land'; also the Roman earth goddess Well attested
meaning: earth
US 2025: #2434 (girls)
Same meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Boys
Boy · Hebrew
Hebrew for 'man', linked with adamah, 'earth, ground' Likely
linked with: earth
US 2025: #101 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #26
Related in meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Boy · English surname
The word clay, from Old English; a surname, also short for Clayton Well attested
meaning: clay
US 2025: #573 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #845
Related in meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Boy · Greek
Greek georgos, 'farmer', literally 'earth-worker' Well attested
meaning: farming
US 2025: #126 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #7
Related names: Jorge
Related in meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Either
Either · English, from Greek
Pet form of George, Georgia or Georgina; from Greek for 'farmer' Well attested
meaning: farming
US 2025: #1361 (girls), #5688 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #309 (girls), #497 (boys)
Related in meaning in Chinese: 地 dì (earth)
Chinese characters linked with earth: 地 dì (earth), 坤 kūn (earth), 陆 lù (land), 坪 píng (level ground)
Girls
Girl · Scottish Gaelic, via English
Feminine form of Glen, from Gaelic gleann, 'valley' Likely
meaning: valley
US 2025: #12349 (girls)
Related in meaning in Chinese: 峡 xiá (gorge)
Boys
Boy · English surname
Old English dæl, 'valley'; a surname for someone living in a dale Well attested
meaning: valley
US 2025: #1410 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #2952
Also spelled: Dayle
Related in meaning in Chinese: 峡 xiá (gorge)
Boy · Scottish surname, from Gaelic
Spelling of Glen, from Gaelic gleann, 'valley' Well attested
meaning: valley
US 2025: #1443 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #4275
Also spelled: Glen
Related in meaning in Chinese: 峡 xiá (gorge)
Either
Either · English place name
From Kendal in Cumbria, 'valley of the river Kent' Likely
meaning: valley
US 2025: #328 (girls), #1232 (boys) · England and Wales 2025: #1133 (girls)
Also spelled: Kendal
Related in meaning in Chinese: 峡 xiá (gorge)
Chinese characters linked with valley: 峡 xiá (gorge)
Girls
Girl · Latin
Feminine of Flavius, probably from Latin flavus, 'yellow, blond' Likely
yellow is Earth's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #8027 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #2788
Girl · Greek
Greek for 'yellow-haired, blond', from xanthos, 'yellow' Well attested
yellow is Earth's color in Chinese tradition
US 2025: #7468 (girls) · England and Wales 2025: #983
The claim: Hillary is often said to mean 'hill'.
What the sources say: It comes from Latin Hilarius, from hilaris, 'cheerful'. The 'hill' is only a look-alike in the spelling.
Sources:
The claim: Sandy is often said to mean 'sand'.
What the sources say: As a first name it began as a pet form of Alexander, recorded from the late 1400s; it is also a pet form of Sandra.
Sources:
The claim: Arlo is often said to mean 'fortified hill'.
What the sources say: That meaning isn't supported. The origin is uncertain: Spenser used Arlo in the 1590s for a hill in The Faerie Queene, and others trace it to Italian.
Sources:
Popularity: US Social Security Administration 2025; Office for National Statistics 2025, England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.