Begonia

Begonia entered English as the name of a genus of flowering plants named in honour of Michel Begon (1638-1710), a French colonial administrator and patron of botany. The genus was named by the botanist Charles Plumier after Begon's support of his botanical expeditions in the Caribbean. The flower name has been used in English-speaking countries as a given name since the late 19th century, following the Victorian fashion for floral names such as Violet, Lily, and Iris.

Begonia sits within the rich Victorian tradition of floral given names that flourished in the latter half of the nineteenth century, when names such as Violet, Lily, Iris, Daisy, and Primrose became fashionable across all classes of English society. The Victorians had a particular enthusiasm for botanical naming, reflected in the language of flowers, or floriography, where each bloom carried a coded meaning and could be used to send messages of love or sentiment. Begonias, with their extraordinary range of colours and their ability to thrive in shaded conditions, became highly popular as both conservatory and cottage garden plants in Britain from the 1860s onward. As a given name, Begonia has a distinctly romantic, slightly operatic quality that sets it apart from the more common floral names. In Spain and Latin America, where the name Begona (from the Basque shrine of Our Lady of Begona near Bilbao) is an entirely separate and common name, it carries religious associations. In English-speaking countries it remains rare, making it a genuinely distinctive floral choice with a botanical pedigree and a warm, exotic sound.