Hazel

Hazel is the color of certain eyes in good light, the tree that hedges English lanes, and the witching wood that dowsers once used to find water underground — a divining rod cut from a hazel branch was the standard tool of European folk hydrology for centuries. The name comes straight from that tree (Old English hæsel), old and unshowy, and was a popular Edwardian choice in the early twentieth century before falling almost entirely out of use through the middle decades.

Watership Down's Hazel — the steady rabbit chief — gave the name a quiet literary glow in 1972; Hazel Grace Lancaster in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars gave it twenty-first century tenderness; Julia Roberts used it for her daughter in 2004, helping trigger a full-scale Edwardian revival. After a century-long absence, Hazel re-entered the American top 100 in 2014 and climbed steadily into the top 20 by 2020. Famous bearers include Hazel Hawkins (a small army of folk and gospel singers), the cartoon character Hazel from the long-running Saturday Evening Post comic strip, and the actress Hazel Court.

Two syllables with a soft z that feels almost onomatopoeic — HA-zul — the sound of a leaf turning, or a small autumn wind. Pairs beautifully with other earthy or vintage names (Hazel Mae, Hazel Wren, Hazel June, Hazel Rose). Nicknames are rare; the name is already short and complete. Cottagey, earthy, faintly enchanted, with the slight wildness of a name that has roots in actual plant life. A name with dirt on its boots and a book in its pocket.