Sienna

Sienna, an earth pigment and a warm reddish-brown colour.

Sienna is an English girls’ name drawn from the colour and pigment word. The colour association is richer than a single shade: raw sienna is yellowish brown, while heating it produces the redder pigment called burnt sienna. That background gives the name an earthy, painterly feel. Its warmth can suggest terracotta or an artist’s palette without making the name sound elaborate. The city behind the pigment is Siena, spelled with one n; Sienna follows the English colour spelling. Siena is also used as a variant of the given name. In English, Sienna has three syllables, with the emphasis on the middle one. That rise and gentle fall can appeal if you like a name with movement, while the colour provides a more concrete image to hold on to.

Etymology: From the English colour word sienna, ultimately from Italian terra di Siena, “earth of Siena”, referring to the Italian city.