Heather

Heather is an English nature name taken directly from the word for the flowering plant of the genus Calluna, which thrives on open moorlands and heaths across Scotland and northern England. The word itself derives from Middle English hather, of uncertain earlier origin, possibly related to the Old English term for heath or open wasteland. The name came into common use as a given name in the nineteenth century alongside the broader Victorian fashion for botanical and nature-inspired names, and it enjoyed particular popularity in English-speaking countries during the mid-twentieth century. Variants and related forms include Heath, used as a masculine given name drawn from the same landscape word.