Maple:
The Jewish holiday Tu BiShvat is celebrated from January 24-25th this year. Also called Rosh HaShanah La’ilanot meaning “New Year for the trees”, the holiday originated in the Talmud — a religious text in Judaism — and the date was chosen based on the agricultural cycle.
Today Tu BiShvat is celebrated with tree-planting ceremonies, viewed as a reminder of peoples’ duty to care for the natural world.
In honor of Tu BiShvat, we are highlighting the name Maple, as in the lovely maple tree native to Europe, North America, Asia, and North Africa. Maple was given to 178 baby girls in the US in 2022, sitting a bit outside of the Top 1000.
Girl names with the “may” sound are stylish as ever, from sweet and simple Mae and May, cutesy Maisie and Mabel, and chic international Esme and Maeve. Combine this sound with a quirky nature name — fitting in perfectly with classmates Clover, Wren, and Meadow — and you’ve got a winner.
Tree names currently in the US Top 500 include Willow, Rowan, Juniper, Hazel, Magnolia, Aspen, and Olive.
Unique tree names include Cedar, Ash, Linden, Cypress, Acacia, Alder, and Oak. Or for a subtler arboreal connection, try Elowen, Grover, Arbor, Sylvie, Ewan, or Eila.
Maple is such an adorable name!