Tea-Inspired Baby Names

Tea. A wonderfully complex drink with a million flavors and ingredients that we Americans mostly forgo in favor of coffee. Me, I love both beverages. However, of the two, tea seems to have more naming potential.

So, if you’re parched and feeling creative, here’s a list of tea-inspired names for children or characters! 

Chai – A spicy tea which is more often consumed in a latte than alone. Chai does not currently appear in the SSA data but variant Shai enjoys unisex usage (49 boys and 30 girls in 2015).  Incidentally, Shai (pr. like the word ‘shy’) is an English transliteration of the Arabic word for ‘tea.’

Grey – as in Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas. On that note, Earl is a also tea-inspired name, but is probably too outdated for most parents.  Grey is much trendier and more modern, and can serve as a nickname for Greyson. In 2015, Grey by itself was the name for 233 boys and 70 girls.

Irish – The name Irish was given to 8 boys and girls each in 2015. Irish Breakfast is a delicious black tea which I single-handedly consumed a 20-oz. pot of earlier. 

Rose – I don’t know how many rose teas there are, but about a month or so ago I imbibed this lovely Pu-erh tea which was apparently made from composted rose petals. Anyway, as a name, Rose currently ranks #166 in the U.S.

Jasmine – Who doesn’t love jasmine tea? Delicate and naturally decaf, this is more reminiscent of Disney Princesses than tea for most people. Current rank: #112. 

Minty – Peppermint tea, Moroccan Mint Tea…I love minty teas. Minty has never appeared in the SSA data, but Mintie appeared as a girls’ name between the late 19th-century and the 1940s. Minty could be a refreshing and adorable nickname for Araminta.

Moroccan – Speaking of Moroccan Mint Tea, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon named their twin son Moroccan in 2011 (his sister’s named Monroe). Although Monroe is semi-popular as a girls’ name, Moroccan has never showed up in the extended data once. 

Camellia – A variety of the camellia plant, Camellia Sinensis, produces tea. Last year, 67 girls were named Camellia and 37 were given the spelling Camelia.

Tea – Funnily enough, 37 girls were named Tea last year. In their case, it’s probably pronounced like Tay-uh or Tee-uh and likely derives from the Greek root-name Thea meaning ‘goddess.’ As far as I can tell, ‘Coffee’ isn’t currently a baby name.

Kombucha – I don’t think anyone has tried to name their kid Kombucha yet, but it sounds like a name and a lot of people love drinking it (it’s not bad, in case you’re wondering). I mean, Kale is a fairly trendy baby name, being the name of 175 boys born last year.

Masala – Nobody seems to use this as a name either, which surprises me somewhat more than the paucity of Kombuchas. Sometimes you’ll see chai referred to as Masala Chai (though personally, Masala reminds me more of Tikka Masala…now I’m craving curry, lol)

Darling – If you truncate “Darjeeling,” you get Darling, a name given to 21 girls last year.

Roman – as in, Roman Chamomile. This name was given to 3862 boys last year, ranking #102. German Chamomile also exists, though German was the name of far fewer baby boys last year (154).

Caffrey – There weren’t any children named Caffeine or Decaf last year, but Caffrey sounds a lot like an abbreviation for “caffeine-free.”  9 boys in 2015. 

Lavender – Ever had a Lavender Tea Latte? Very tasty. Anyway, 60 American girls were named Lavender last year.

Lemon – Some people like lemon in their tea (especially with Earl Grey, if I’m not mistaken). 8 girls were named Lemon last year, and although there weren’t any boys named Lemon, there were 15 named Philemon.

China – As in, the porcelain we often use to contain tea. 33 girls in 2015.

London – (#105 for girls and #605 for boys). I recently had something called a London Fog Tea, which is also known as an Earl Grey Latte. It was basically just Earl Grey and vanilla. But really, how can I write a post about tea and forget the British?!

Boston – Sorry British friends, but I can’t forget my country’s history either. For the uninitiated, the Boston Tea Party was a 1773 incident when Bostonians threw all the English-imported tea into Boston Harbor, protesting a trade law called the Tea Act. It was one of many things that led to the American Revolutio. Name-wise, Boston currently ranks #607 nationally for boys, only appearing as a top 100 name in the state of Utah.

What do you think of these? Are there any other tea-related names you’d add to this list?