Names That Mean Place

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).

The name of a beautiful village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, Veryan actually derives from a series of misunderstandings: Sen Veryan ("Saint Veryan") is a Cornish corruption of Severian, which is itself a corrupted form of the saint’s name Symphorian, to whom the village church at Veryan is dedicated.

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.

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.

Musical choice that might work great in the middle. Alternative in all its forms, Fife and sister name Fifer are Scottish names for girls that can make a new twist on Piper.

Easton is a stylish Waspy-sounding surname that's climbing up the popularity charts. TV actress Elisabeth Rohm named her daughter Easton August Anthony, which seemed like a real gender bender, and now Rachel Leigh Cook has made it the middle name of her baby Charlotte. Note that Easton is now in the Top 100 for boys--for whom directional names are a real trend-- but we won't be surprised to see more and more little lady Eastons arriving.

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.

Kiska is a Alaskan volcano island that has the sort of brisk sound to it that makes it fit in with both old names like Saskia and modern names like Pax.

This was the old name for ancient Armenia, land of canyons.

A novel creation in the vein of Amari and Akari. Imari is also a place name, connected to the Japanese city, and is the English term for Arita porcelain.

Woodsy names for boys are hotter than ever, so we wouldn't be surprised if Woodland gets picked up by unique baby name hunters in the coming years.

An example of the Welsh love of naming children after rivers and places. Colwyn is rare in the States but has genuine appeal: no hidden spelling traps, and similar-yet-different to names like Colton, Colson and Colin.

Though this Biblical place name is found among early American settlers, usually as a male name, today it sounds completely feminine. As a place name, its gender is mutable in any case. An unusual and intriguing Biblical option, albeit one with an unhappy meaning.

The capital of Peru makes a rare but attractive girl name.

This name of the capital of an ancient Egyptian dynasty makes Lois X-rated.

Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another well-known city with the name. Short form Lex is user friendly.

A rising unisex word name, along with other money-related choices such as Million, Currency, and Cashlyn.

This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby boy's birth certificate. You could also think of it as a fun, atlas-inspired twist on Denis.

Sounds as if it should have a Sir before it or a shire following it.

One of several fascinating names used in Charlaine Harris's Midnight, Texas books and the NBC adaptation thereof, Fiji is a pleasingly quirky place name that's been little used for babies. Though it has been used quite a lot for fancy bottled water, we don't think it quite qualifies as a water name.