Names That Mean Place

In the Bible, Elim is an oasis where the Israelites stopped during their Exodus from Egypt. It is a place of plenty representing the natural blessings of God, with twelve springs of fresh water and seventy date palm trees to provide food and shade.

A town in Catalonia, sometimes used as a unisex name.

Oriini Kaipara is a Māori journalist who made headlines by becoming the first person with a face tattoo (Moko Kauae) to host the prime-time news in New Zealand. Her name may derive from the New Zealand place name Orini.

Arran Island (not to be confused with the Aran Islands in Ireland) is a large island in Scotland's Firth (or bay) of Clyde. An attractive name, long popular in Scotland, but may be confused with the Biblical Aaron elsewhere. Currently in the Scottish Top 100, it recently re-entered the charts in England and Wales too.

In the Bible, Calvary is the hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. This religious significance, along with a pleasant sound, have led some parents to begin using it as a name for their daughters.

Larsa was the name of a city-state in Sumer, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It is occasionally used as a baby name in Arabic-speaking cultures, as well as in Sweden, where Larsa is a feminization of Lars.

Family surname or feminist statement name? Either way, this literary surname has a cool, current sound.

A mash-up of popular name trends, French is all at once a place name, word name, and surname name. It's evocative of a favorite celebrity baby name fad of using nationalities as names as opposed to places, as in Mariah Carey's Moroccan.

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.

A picturesque city in eastern France that would make an unusual and stylish addition to the list of place names off the map.

Also a dog breed

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.

The name of a port town in Maine, named after the birthplace of one of its founders Alexander Shapleigh, of Kittery Court, Devon, England.

A popular Israeli baby name inspired by Mount Arbel in the north, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.

The name of the capital city of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, which is thought to come from a Kansa word meaning "good place to grow potatoes".

Saima derives from Saimaa, the name of Finland's largest lake. It was also the name of a 19th-century Finnish nationalist newspaper.

Lovely Italian island name, Kardashian style.

A Biblical place name referred to by the Old Testament prophet Ezra. It may be a corruption of Caspian, or may derive from Hebrew keceph "silver, money".