The American midwest and south have cultures all their own related to a history of agriculture and simple village living that many people are fighting to keep alive today amidst urban sprawl and industrial farming. If your family has been a part of this culture for many generations, you may want to pick a name for your child that honors this more recent heritage.
Simple, rustic names can be beautiful and unique. You may want to choose a name related to nature. Willow is an unusual, but lovely name, typically for girls. It’s an English language name taken from the tree, but also related to the meaning “freedom.” Hadley is a name that could work for girls or boys and comes from an old English word meaning “heather meadow.”
You might also choose a name related to a location. Savannah is a lively and diverse city in Georgia, but it also makes a fun and modern girl’s name. Savannah comes from the Spanish word meaning “treeless plain.” If your family comes from Jacksonville or Jackson Hole, the boy’s name Jackson might be especially attractive. The simple English name means “son of Jack,” but also has a biblical meaning, “God has been gracious.”
For a name that works for both girls and boys, while relating to American literary history, you might pick the name Harper. While the name literally means a “harpist or minstrel” in English, many people think of the American author Harper Lee and her famous novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Amaryllis
Meaning: Sparkling. A flower name after the lily-like plants called Amaryllis; poetically used to mean ‘a simple shepherdess or country girl’
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Arizona
Meaning: The name comes from an Indian word possibly meaning “small spring”
Origin: Indian
Gender: Girl
Audrey
Meaning: ‘As You Like It’ A country wench
Origin: Shakespearean
Gender: Girl
Austin
Meaning: Great, magnificent
Origin: French, Latin
Gender: Boy
Billy
Meaning: Determined protector
Origin: Old English and Old German
Gender: Boy
Blaze
Meaning: Lisp, stutter
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Brandon
Meaning: ‘As You Like It’ A country fellow, in love with Audrey
Origin: Shakespearean
Gender: Boy
Buck
Meaning: Male goat or deer, used as a given name or nickname that denotes a robust and spirited young man
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Bullcalf
Meaning: ‘King Henry IV, Part 2’ Peter Bullcalf, a country soldier
Origin: Shakespearean
Gender: Boy
Canyon
Meaning: Footpath
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Carson
Meaning: Son of the marsh-dwellers
Origin: Scottish and Old English
Gender: Boy
Cash
Meaning: Vain
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Cassidy
Meaning: Curly-headed; ingenious, clever
Origin: Welsh and Gaelic
Gender: Girl
Chyna
Meaning: Based on the country name China
Origin: English
Gender: Girl
Cliff
Meaning: Cliff-side slope
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Clint
Meaning: Fenced settlement
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Cody
Meaning: Helper
Origin: Irish and Gaelic
Gender: Boy
Cole
Meaning: Swarthy, coal-black, charcoal
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Colt
Meaning: Young horse; frisky
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Colton
Meaning: Swarthy person; coal town or settlement
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Cooper
Meaning: Barrel maker
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Corbin
Meaning: Crow
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Dakota
Meaning: Friend, ally
Origin: Native American
Gender: Girl
Dallas
Meaning: From the dales, the valley meadows
Origin: Irish, Gaelic and Scottish
Gender: Boy
Dale
Meaning: Valley
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Dingbang
Meaning: Protects the country
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Boy
Dusty
Meaning: Brave warrior; dusty area
Origin: Old German, Old English
Gender: Boy
Hadley
Meaning: Heather meadow
Origin: English
Gender: Boy/Girl
Haran
Meaning: Mountainous country
Origin: Biblical
Gender: Boy
Harper
Meaning: Harpist, minstrel
Origin: Old English
Gender: Girl
Houston
Meaning: Hugh’s town; settlement on the hill
Origin: Irish, Gaelic and Old English
Gender: Boy
Inda
Meaning: The country India
Origin: English
Gender: Girl
Indiana
Meaning: From India. Also the name of the Middle Western state
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Jackson
Meaning: Son of Jack
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Jessie
Meaning: The Lord exists
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Josie
Meaning: Pet form of Josephine
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Girl
Lanfranco
Meaning: Derived from a name of Germanic origin composed from of landa- ‘earth’ and franka ‘free’, meaning ‘free man in his country’
Origin: Italian
Gender: Boy
Marilis
Meaning: Abbreviation of Amaryllis
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Marshall
Meaning: Caretaker of horses
Origin: Old French
Gender: Boy
Montana
Meaning: Mountain
Origin: Latin
Gender: Unisex
Owen
Meaning: Born of yew; youth
Origin: Scottish and Greek
Gender: Boy
Preston
Meaning: Priest’s town
Origin: Old English
Gender: Boy
Sandra
Meaning: Short form of Alexandra
Origin: English
Gender: Girl
Savannah
Meaning: Treeless plain
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Sierra
Meaning: Saw
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Rose
Meaning: Flower rose
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Rider
Meaning: Horseman
Origin: Old English
Gender: Girl
Travis
Meaning: Crossing; crossroads; toll gate
Origin: English
Gender: Boy
West
Meaning: Western stream
Origin: Old English
Gender: Girl
Willow
Meaning: A slender and graceful wood tree
Origin: English
Gender: Girl
