Forest Names
Forest names carry a sense of calm, shelter and a little mystery. People search for them for all kinds of reasons: a baby name that means “woods”, a woodland name for a puppy, the name of a real forest for a trivia night, or an enchanted wood for a novel or tabletop campaign. This page covers all four, with more than 100 forest names and their meanings.
We start with names that literally mean forest, then move to famous forests, forest-inspired names, pet names and invented fantasy woods. For related lists, see our tree names, nature names and, for magical woodland folk, elf names.
Baby names that mean forest or woods
Every name here has “forest”, “wood” or “woodland” in its etymology. The Latin root silva (forest) gives many of them.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Silas | Of the forest (from Silvanus) | Latin / Greek |
| Sylvia | From the forest | Latin |
| Sylvie | From the forest | French |
| Sylvester | Of the woods | Latin |
| Silvio | Of the forest | Italian |
| Silvana | Of the forest | Italian / Latin |
| Sylvan | Of the woods | Latin |
| Woody | From the wood | English |
| Forrest | Forest, woodland | English |
| Bosco | Woods, thicket | Italian |
| Mori | Forest (森) | Japanese |
| Vana | Forest, grove | Sanskrit |
| Aranya | Forest, wilderness | Sanskrit |
| Hurst | Wooded hill | Old English |
| Keith | Wood, forest | Scottish Gaelic / Brittonic |
| Sherwood | Bright wood / shire wood | Old English |
| Sylvain | Of the woods | French |
| Silvanus | Roman god of woods and fields | Latin |
| Shaw | Thicket, small wood | Old English |
| Atwood | At the wood | English |
| Nahele | Forest, grove | Hawaiian |
Famous forests of the world
Real forests that make great inspiration — and great trivia. Pair this list with our mountain names and river names.
| Forest | Location | Why it’s famous |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | South America (nine countries) | Largest tropical rainforest on Earth |
| Black Forest | Baden-Württemberg, Germany | Dense fir woods of Grimm-style fairy tales |
| Sherwood Forest | Nottinghamshire, England | Legendary home of Robin Hood |
| Białowieża | Poland and Belarus | One of Europe’s last primeval forests, home to wild bison |
| Daintree | Queensland, Australia | Among the oldest tropical rainforests on the planet |
| Tongass | Alaska, USA | Largest US national forest |
| Redwood | Northern California, USA | Home of the tallest trees on Earth |
| Sequoia | Sierra Nevada, California | Giant sequoias, including General Sherman |
| Monteverde | Costa Rica | Famous cloud forest |
| Aokigahara | Base of Mount Fuji, Japan | Dense lava-rock forest known as the Sea of Trees |
| Broceliande | Brittany, France | Legendary forest of Merlin and Arthurian tales |
| Hoh | Olympic Peninsula, Washington | Moss-draped temperate rainforest |
| Sundarbans | India and Bangladesh | World’s largest mangrove forest, home to Bengal tigers |
| Taiga | Russia, Canada, Scandinavia | The vast boreal forest belt |
| Arden | Warwickshire, England | Setting of Shakespeare’s As You Like It |
| Epping | Essex, England | Ancient royal hunting forest near London |
| Yakushima | Kagoshima, Japan | Ancient cedar forest that inspired Princess Mononoke |
| Valdivian | Chile and Argentina | Temperate rainforest with ancient alerce trees |
| Hallerbos | Belgium | The “blue forest” of spring bluebells |
| Crooked Forest | Near Gryfino, Poland | Pines with mysteriously bent trunks |
| Congo Rainforest | Central Africa | Second-largest tropical rainforest, home to gorillas and okapi |
| Great Bear Rainforest | British Columbia, Canada | Temperate rainforest of the white Spirit Bear |
| Bavarian Forest | Bavaria, Germany | Germany’s first national park |
| Tarkine | Tasmania, Australia | Vast cool-temperate rainforest |
| Waipoua | Northland, New Zealand | Home of the giant kauri Tāne Mahuta |
| Muir Woods | Marin County, California | Old-growth redwoods near San Francisco |
| Kakamega | Western Kenya | Kenya’s last tropical rainforest remnant |
| Forest of Dean | Gloucestershire, England | Ancient royal forest said to have inspired Tolkien |
Forest-inspired names for girls and boys
These names don’t mean “forest” exactly, but they bring the woods to mind. See nature names for girls and nature boy names for more.
| Name | Connection | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan | The rowan tree | Any gender |
| Linden | The linden tree | Any gender |
| Hollis | Near the holly trees | Any gender |
| Fern | Forest-floor plant | Girls |
| Hazel | The hazel tree | Girls |
| Oakley | Oak clearing | Any gender |
| Ashby | Ash-tree farm | Boys |
| Juniper | Evergreen shrub | Girls |
| Birch | The white-barked tree | Boys |
| Cedar | Fragrant evergreen | Any gender |
| Laurel | The bay laurel | Girls |
| Moss | Soft green plant | Any gender |
| Briar | Wild thorny rose | Girls |
| Thorne | Thorny bush | Boys |
| Glade | Open space in a forest | Any gender |
| Holt | Small wood (Old English) | Boys |
| Leigh | Woodland clearing | Any gender |
| Bentley | Clearing with bent grass | Boys |
| Aspen | The quaking aspen | Any gender |
| Spruce | The spruce tree | Boys |
| Hawthorn | The hawthorn tree | Any gender |
| Elm | The elm tree | Any gender |
Forest names for pets
Woodland names suit dogs, cats and small pets with an outdoorsy streak. More ideas on our dog names and fox names pages.
| Name | Inspired by | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Acorn | The oak seed | Small pets, hamsters |
| Pinecone | The seed cone | Hedgehogs, round cats |
| Timber | Felled wood | Big dogs |
| Bramble | Blackberry bush | Scruffy terriers |
| Toadstool | Forest mushroom | Frogs, tiny pets |
| Thicket | Dense undergrowth | Fluffy long-haired pets |
| Chestnut | The nut and its color | Brown horses and dogs |
| Truffle | The forest fungus | Pigs, food-loving dogs |
| Bark | Tree bark (and a dog joke) | Dogs, obviously |
| Sap | Tree sap | Sweet, sticky-sweet pets |
| Squirrel | The forest acrobat | Energetic small dogs |
| Ranger | Forest ranger | Hunting and working dogs |
| Maple | The maple tree | Red or tan coats |
| Twig | A thin branch | Skinny pups and kittens |
Fantasy forest names for stories and games
Invented names for enchanted woods in novels, D&D campaigns or video games. For famous fictional forests, see the last few rows. Our fantasy city names and druid names pair well.
| Name | Style / vibe | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Whisperwood | Gentle, eerie | Haunted or fey forests |
| Thornveil | Dark, tangled | Cursed woods |
| Silverbough | Elegant, elven | Elf kingdoms |
| Mossmere | Damp, ancient | Swampy borderlands |
| Duskhollow | Twilight, mysterious | Werewolf territory |
| Emberglade | Warm, autumnal | Fire-touched groves |
| Gloamwood | Shadowy | Starting-zone dark forest |
| Starfall Grove | Celestial | Sacred druid sites |
| The Tanglewild | Wild, overgrown | Beast-filled wilderness |
| Ashenvale | Burned, melancholy | Post-war regions |
| Mirkwood | Tolkien’s dark forest in The Hobbit | Reference only |
| Fangorn | Tolkien’s forest of the Ents | Reference only |
| Lothlórien | Tolkien’s golden elven wood | Reference only |
| Forbidden Forest | Woods beside Hogwarts in Harry Potter | Reference only |
| Hundred Acre Wood | Home of Winnie-the-Pooh | Reference only |
| Lost Woods | Recurring maze forest in The Legend of Zelda | Reference only |
Tips for choosing a forest name
- Know your root words. Latin silva (Silas, Sylvia), Italian bosco, Japanese mori and Sanskrit vana all mean forest — a helpful shortcut when searching.
- Trees are forest names too. If a literal forest name feels too on-the-nose, a tree like Rowan, Linden or Cedar gives the same mood.
- For fantasy settings, combine two images. A texture (moss, thorn, ash) plus a landform (wood, vale, hollow) makes names like Mossmere or Ashenvale.
- Avoid copying famous fictional forests in published work; use them as inspiration and invent your own.
- For pets, match coat and character. Chestnut for a red-brown dog, Twig for a skinny kitten, Timber for a big lumbering pup.
Frequently asked questions
What names mean forest?
Silas, Sylvia, Sylvie, Sylvester and Sylvan come from Latin silva (“forest”). Bosco (Italian), Mori (Japanese), Vana and Aranya (Sanskrit), Keith (Scottish) and Forrest (English) also mean forest or woods.
What is a good girl name that means forest?
Sylvia, Sylvie, Silvana, Vana and Aranya are lovely girl names meaning forest; Fern, Hazel and Juniper are forest-inspired alternatives.
What is a boy name that means forest?
Silas, Sylvester, Forrest, Woody, Bosco and Keith all have forest or woodland meanings.
What is the biggest forest in the world?
The taiga (boreal forest) across Russia, Canada and Scandinavia is the largest forest biome; the Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest.
What is the name of Robin Hood’s forest?
Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, which still contains the ancient Major Oak.