Names That Mean Place
- Thackeray
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place with thatching"Description:
The name of the famous British man of letters might just appeal to some English majors as a more interesting alternative to Zachary. An appropriate playmate for Russell Crowe's boy Tennyson.
- Bethlehem
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"house of bread"Description:
The Spanish name Belén is a well-established girl name, but parents have been slower to use the English equivalent. It is beginning to come into wider use, along with other New Testament place names like Galilee and Nazareth.
- Arbel
Origin:
Hebrew place nameDescription:
A popular Israeli baby name inspired by Mount Arbel in the north, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.
- Edyn
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"place of pleasure, delight"Description:
This spelling variation of the Biblical place name Eden is beginning to rise as well. While Eden ranks for both girls and boys, the Edyn spelling is strictly feminine.
- Kimberley
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"Cyneburga's meadow"Description:
Kimberley is a town in South Africa associated with diamonds and with wealth and luxury in general. It was name for Lord Kimberley, whose surname derived from an English place name. Used for boys in the early twentieth century, it re-emerged as a girls' name in the 1940s, usually spelled Kimberly.
- Jericha
Origin:
Feminine variation of Jericho, Biblical place nameDescription:
Jericho, a Biblical city, has popped in and out of the Top 1000 since 2013, never making it above the 900s. That means it's unlikely that Jericha, a feminization, will break into the mainstream anytime soon — perfect for parents on the hunt for a unique name with religious significance.
- Aspyn
Origin:
Variation of Aspen, tree name and place nameDescription:
Divorces Aspen from its nature and ski resort associations. Aspyn first broke into the Top 1000 in 2020.
- Versailles
Origin:
French, place nameDescription:
This French place name, which may derive from a word meaning "plowed land", is occasionally used for girls. It is best-known for two things: the grand Palace of Versailles, the historic seat of the French royal family; and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War.
- Lexington
Origin:
English place nameDescription:
Lexington is rising as a place name used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic ring, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another famous place with the name.
- Maui
Origin:
Hawaiian place name and Polynesian mythology nameDescription:
While Maui was a male trickster god in Polynesian mythology, the well-known Hawaiian place name Maui can work for either gender.
- Armistead
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hermit's place"Description:
This dignified Old English surname was brought into the modern consciousness by author Armistead Maupin, who wrote the San Francisco stories Tales of the City. There was also a Civil War general named Lewis Armistead.
- Ballantine
Origin:
Scottish surnameMeaning:
"worship place"Description:
Best known to most as a brand of Whisky, Ballantine is a Scottish surname relating to the Celtic god Bal. It has potential as a off-the-beaten-track boys name that is still familiar. Ballantine is the brand name of a whiskey, a beer, and a publishing imprint.
- Utopia
Origin:
Greek word nameMeaning:
"imagined place of perfection"Description:
A utopia is the concept of a perfect society — a lot to live up to as a baby name! Despite that, Utopia was used for a string of years in the late '70s and early '80s. However, it has never been given to more than eight baby girls in a single year.
- Keverne
Origin:
Cornish saint and place nameDescription:
St. Keverne is a town on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula and also the name of an ancient saint. While the name is virtually unused for children in the modern world, it could be a Kevin update and has contemporary possibilities.
- Aquitaine
Origin:
French place nameDescription:
If you're looking for a really untouristed place name, Aquitaine could be it. Aquitaine is a region of France that includes both Bordeaux and Biarritz and is famous for such food and drink as its pates and cassoulets, Armagnac brandy and Bordeaux wines.
- Barnett
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place cleared by burning"Description:
Has some creative credibility via abstract painter Barnett Newman, but we'd prefer his nickname, Barney.
- Tokyo
Origin:
Japanese place nameMeaning:
"Eastern capital"Description:
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, was given as a first name to two dozen girls and a handful of boys in 2022, popularized by a character in the popular Spanish Netflix crime drama La casa de papel / Money Heist.
- Alessandria
Origin:
Italian place nameDescription:
While many will see this as a alternate version of more popular Alexandria and Alessandra -- and some parents may indeed intend it as such -- it is also the name of a province and city in northwest Italy. Just 12 baby girls in the U.S. were given the name Alessandria in 2016.
- Ashtyn
Origin:
English, variation of AshtonMeaning:
"ash trees place"Description:
As Ashley becomes one of today's "mom names" thanks to its popularity amongst millennial-borns, Ashton is a fresh alternative. This particular spelling is nearly completely equally split between girls and boys in 2022.
- Tilden
Origin:
English place nameMeaning:
"fertile valley"Description:
Tilden is mostly seen as a male name, but we love it just as much for a girl. It's an androgynous answer to Tilda, and still gets you the super-sweet nickname Tilly (or Tildy).