Rare Place Names for Babies
- Senegal
Origin:
Country nameDescription:
Popular etymology derives this West African country's name from the Wolof words sunu gal, "our canoe". It's an appealing image, of a nation of people all in the same boat. Some country names have taken off as baby names, but this one, not yet.
- Mithian
Origin:
Cornish place nameMeaning:
"unknown meaning"Description:
With other Cornish names like Elowen and Jago catching people's attention, the mythical sounding Mithian might prove an unexpected and magical feeling choice. Traditionally called Mydhyan, Mithian is a village in Cornwall that sits between St Agnes and Perranporth.
- Mithian
Origin:
Cornish place nameMeaning:
"unknown meaning"Description:
With other Cornish names like Elowen and Jago catching people's attention, the mythical sounding Mithian might prove an unexpected and magical feeling choice. Traditionally called Mydhyan, Mithian is a village in Cornwall that sits between St Agnes and Perranporth.
- Glasgow
Origin:
Scottish place-nameDescription:
An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.
- Arabia
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
A phonetically attractive place-name that can be used for babies but rarely is.
- Bolivia
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
If you're tired of Olivia, you could be the first on your block to introduce this unique sound-related place-name with Latin flair.
- Diani
Origin:
Unknown originDescription:
A globetrotting placename — Diani Beach is a popular tourist destination on the Indian Ocean in Kenya. It's similar enough to Dion and Diana to feel namelike, although it is actually very rare in the US.
- Guernsey
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
The name of an island in the English Channel that might make an attractive first name, but would work better for a boy.
- Sweden
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
Unlikely to make it onto the name map.
- Zakynthos
Origin:
Greek MythologyMeaning:
"legendary figure; Greek island"Description:
In Greek mythology, Zakynthos was a legendary figure who founded a colony on an island in the Ionian sea. The island, still known as Zakynthos today, is now a popular tourist destination thanks to its warm weather, white cliffs, and stunning beaches. To the Venetians who ruled the island between the 15th and 18th century, it was known as the "Flower of Levant". Zakynthos may also be written as Zacynthus, and the island is also called Zante.
- Majorca
Origin:
Spanish place nameDescription:
Pronounced my-ORK-a, the name of this lovely Balearic Island, located in the Mediterranean, is one of the prettiest and most feminine of place names. The Spanish spelling is MALLORCA.
- Iberia
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
Iberia, the name of the Spanish-Portuguese peninsula, makes an attractive, unusual first name.
- Brasilia
Origin:
Spanish, place nameDescription:
The name of the 20th-century-created capital of Brazil has a good measure of spicy Latin rhythm and could make a possible female choice, while BRAZIL might work for a boy.
- Verlaine
Origin:
French and Belgium place and surnameDescription:
Originally used as a surname for someone from Verlaine in the Liege province of Belgium, its use as a given name was inspired by the 19th century French poet, Paul Verlaine. Predominantly used as a feminine name, sources suggest it could mean "true" or "truth" from the French vrai or the Latin veritas, or from the French laine meaning "wool" in reference to wool production in Liege.
- Sosa
Origin:
Spanish, PortugueseMeaning:
"salty water; rocky, pebbly"Description:
Sweet, spirited, and unexpected as a given name, reality TV star Lala Kent brought Sosa into the spotlight when she chose it for her daughter in 2024. A Spanish name deriving from the Portuguese surname Sousa, Sosa is a unique choice that still fits in with the likes of Luna, Rosa, Nova, and Luz.
- Kilby
Origin:
English place name and surnameMeaning:
"children's settlement"Description:
A quirky habitational surname, Kilby is a town in Leicestershire in England. Derived from Old English and Old Norse, it could mean "child's settlement" from the elements cilda and by. Though it is rare as a given name, it has been borne by ice hockey player Kilby MacDonald and by folk musician Kilby Snow.
- Kilby
Origin:
English Place name and surnameMeaning:
"children's settlement"Description:
A quirky habitational surname, Kilby is a town in Leicestershire in England. Derived from Old English and Old Norse, it could mean "child's settlement" from the elements cilda and by. Though it is rare as a given name, it has been borne by ice hockey player Kilby MacDonald and by folk musician Kilby Snow.
- Lausanne
Origin:
Place name, LatinMeaning:
"slab"Description:
An unusual place, Lausanne is a hilly city on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Its name comes from the Latin Lausanna, ultimately from a Proto Celtic word meaning "slab" though other sources suggest it could mean "place where one dines".