Names That Mean Town

A nice enough last name that turns supercilious as a first.

Charming Gallic name uncommon in France, and unknown in this country, with literary credibility as the title of a Charlotte Brontë novel.

With place names extending their range, this is an unmapped possibility, though a bit stiff. Baltimore, Maryland was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore. Baltimore is ultimately derived from the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "town of the big house."

Dropping the H off hot surnames gets you a whole new name. The trend is multiplying: Hadley becomes Adley, Harley become Arley, Harlow becomes Arlowe, and now Halston becomes Alston.

Reality TV star Raven Gates gave her on-trend s-ending surname to her son, named Gates Zev. Gates joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and Emma Roberts' Rhodes. Gates is also famously the surname of Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.

An additional H is often found in Puerto Rican names, such as Amahia, a variation of Amaia, and Nahiara, a form of the Basque place name Naiara.

An English place name and surname derived from the name of the River Exe, which runs mainly in Devon and Somerset in the southwest of England. The river's name simply means "water" from Brythonic uisk.

This practically one-of-a-kind name received national attention when Waltine Nauta, an aide of Donald Trump, was indicted along with the former president. Nauta, who goes by Walt, is originally from Guam.

An unlikely place name today, but one that was found among enslaved people in the 1800s.

Unlike many other western city names, Tulsa has not proved attractive to parents. The name derives from Tallasi, meaning "old town" in the Creek language. Elvis Presley played a character named Tulsa in the 1960 musical comedy G. I. Blues.

This interpretation of Kingston is not quite as popular as the other Y-replacement version, Kyngston.

That sound again.

A distinguished and buttoned-up surname name. Chesterton is the name of several small English villages and a town in Indiana. It is commonly associated with 20th-century British writer G.K. Chesterton, known for his Christian and Catholic apologetics.

As far as Texas place names go, Houston is more unique than Austin and Dallas and more attractive than Marfa.

Set apart from other once-male-only surnames because of its peaceful element. This is one of the newest and trendiest names that mean peace.

A surname associated these days with Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston.

The capital of Jamaica is also a popular name for American baby boys, but child actress Kingston Foster is a notable female bearer.

Actress Gates McFadden proves this surname can work just as well for girls as boys. It joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and Emma Roberts' Rhodes. Gates is also famously the surname of Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.

The fastest rising boy name of 2022 — thanks to the Dutton family of the hit show Yellowstone — was used for around 20 baby girls as well. It feels in line with trendy unisex name Sutton, which now ranks in the 200s for girls.