Colour-themed baby names can be a great source of inspiration to new parents. For one thing, there are plenty to choose from. Don't forget that there's a huge range of shades besides the main colours for you to explore - Olive, Ruby and Hazel, for instance. The best thing about colour-inspired names is that they include choices to suit all tastes. The likes of Apple and Blue Ivy might not be for everyone, but colour names include classics like Violet and Rose.
That said, it's true that colour names also open up a world of new and innovative choices. Rare hues like Cerise, Magnolia or even Magenta easily lend themselves to unique and charming baby names.
In general, boys' names tend to come from darker and more neutral colours, reflecting the earthiness of earth, stone and plants, while girls' names cluster around vivid hues and flower names.
Here are our top pick of colour-themed names for boys and girls, covering just about every shade of a B&Q paint chart!
Boys
Ash
Jet
Sage (an increasingly-popular unisex name - actress Toni Collette called her daughter this in 2008)
Moss
Slate
Grey
Raven
Red (more common as a nickname, just starting to emerge as a standalone name)
Flint
Auburn
Sterling (also spelt Stirling, as in racing driver Stirling Moss)
Jasper
Girls
Coral
Mauve (once considered firmly out of fashion, these delicate Victorian names are creeping back)
Sienna (not everyone is aware that this name, popularised by the actress Sienna Miller, is a reference not to the Italian city but to a warm, earthy shade of a orange-brown)
Hazel
Rose
Marigold
Scarlet
Clementine (both Ethan Hawke and Claudia Schiffer chose this name for their daughters)
Pearl
Ebony
Olive
Violet
Ginger
Has our colourful collection got your creative juices flowing? Why not check out our list of the latest hipster names (with some suggestions for more mainstream alternatives)?
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