Names That Mean Place
- Meribah
Origin:
Biblical place name, HebrewMeaning:
"quarreling"Description:
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.
- Valetta
Origin:
Latin place and surnameDescription:
This name of the major Maltese city takes on an air of attractiveness via model Amber Valletta, making it an appealing alternative to the overexposed Valerie and Vanessa.
- Marston
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"residence near a marshy place"Description:
Streamline it to Marsh, Mason, or Carson.
- Daytona
Origin:
English place nameMeaning:
"Day's town"Description:
Daytona Beach is a city in Florida named after founder Matthias Day in 1870. It is well-known as the home of NASCAR's Daytona International Speedway, the racetrack which hosts the Daytona 500.
- Mosley
Origin:
English place name and surnameMeaning:
"peat bog, mouse clearing"Description:
Mosley has seen a handful of uses — mostly among baby girls — since 2012, the year after Peyton Manning gave it to his daughter. It's much more familiar as a surname, such as that of novelist Walter Mosley.
- Oban
Origin:
Scottish place nameMeaning:
"the little bay"Description:
A pretty town in Scotland, named for its perfect horseshoe-shaped bay.
- Ojai
Origin:
California place nameDescription:
This name of an attractive and arty California town could make an unusual but friendly choice.
- Berian
Origin:
Welsh place nameMeaning:
"open plain or burial place"Description:
The meaning of the place name Berian, in Pembrokeshire, is not known, but it may mean "plain" or "burial place". It would make an interesting -ian ending option for lovers of names like Julian and Adrian who want something a bit more off-the-beaten-track.
- Atwood
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"from the place by the wood"Description:
Family surname or feminist statement name? Either way, this literary surname has a cool, current sound.
- Ashtyn
Origin:
English, variation of AshtonMeaning:
"ash trees place"Description:
This name feels modern and on-trend, thanks to that cool first similar — similar to trendy Asher — as well as associations with actor Ashton Kutcher. This particular spelling is nearly completely equally split between boys and girls in 2022.
- Wanaka
Origin:
Maori placenameMeaning:
"place of knowledge"Description:
This beautiful lakeside town in southern New Zealand would make an unusual but wearable choice for a daughter. It benefits from having a great meaning, too.
- Arfon
Origin:
Welsh place nameDescription:
Arfon is a centuries-old name the area of north-west Wales closest to Anglesey (in Welsh, Môn), so its name literally means "facing Anglesey". Its main town is Caernarfon, "fortress in Arfon". It is sometimes used as a local pride name by parents with a connection to the area.
- Bryher
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"place of hills"Description:
Bryher, a homophone of Briar, is the name of an Isle of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. It was the penname of novelist Annie Winifred Ellerman, who chose the name in honor of the island. Today, Bryher is seen as a girl name in Cornwall, where it is used as a variation of up-and-coming Briar.
- Brinsley
Origin:
British place and surnameDescription:
A rarely used Nottinghamshire place name of the sort now being considered for girls.
- Arantzazu
Origin:
Basque, place nameDescription:
This Basque name, which derives the name of a small town, is less well known than its diminutive version Arantxa. The name comes from the Basque word aratza meaning thornbush.
- 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.
- Larsa
Origin:
Arabic, Sumerian place name, Swedish feminization of LarsMeaning:
"crowned with laurel"Description:
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.
- Arlington
Origin:
English habitational surname, place nameDescription:
Arley is a fast-rising surname-name for girls, and Arlington isn't far behind.
- Norfolk
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place of the northern people"Description:
Would make a difficult choice even for those with ties to the Virginia city or British county.
- Ellerby
Origin:
English surname and place nameMeaning:
"farmstead, village"Description:
A preppy surname and place name derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Ælfweard "elf guardian" + the -by suffix, meaning "village, homestead". Ellerby feels like a quirkier Ellery or Emery.