Place Names for Babies

Pop princess Amerie is half Korean, half African-American. Her name may relate to Amelia, Emily, Emery, or Amory, though there's no exact equivalent among historical names. But doubtless there will be more Ameries, starting now.

In the Bible, Joram and "all his chariots" pass over Zair.

An attractive North Carolina unisex place name, Raleigh's soft sound is particularly appropriate for a girl.

Caledonia is a rhythmic and alluring place name used by singer Shawn Colvin for her daughter. It would make an interesting and apt choice for a girl with Scottish ancestry.

We usually think of place-names as a modern invention, but in fact Arizona ranked on the US Top 1000 from its inception in 1880 until 1911, when it vanished below the surface. It peaked at Number 510 in 1882, before Arizona became a state. One notorious vintage bearer: criminal "Ma" Barker, born Arizona Clark.

This name, from the picturesque town on the Italian Riviera, borrows a bit from Amelia and a bit from Emily.

Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. Twice as many girls as boys were given the name in 2021, but the gender gap is closing.

When playwright Thomas Lanier Williams adopted the pen name of Tennessee, he created a new possibility among American place-names, although it's admittedly a bit bulky in size.

Nevis — as in the island in the West Indies making up the nation St. Kitts and Nevis — was derived from the Spanish name Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, meaning "Our lady of the snows"

Lovers of the languid South Carolina city might be attracted to this rich-sounding name. Could make an interesting update on Charles -- and can certainly work for a girl too. Actor Joey Lawrence used it for his daughter.

Overly trendy western place-name, as stated in the title of our book Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana.

This is a great American name that deserves more attention from parents looking for a name that balances a soft sound with a more traditionally masculine cowboy image.

Everest has an attractive enough sound and lofty enough meaning to come into style, à la Sierra. George Lucas bestowed this aspirational name on his baby daughter in 2013 and it has been climbing up the charts ever since. Currently in the US Top 1000 for boys, it was also given to around 100 girls in a recent year.

Sad tinge to the name of the beautiful German city firebombed during World War II. Its name derives from Sorbian drezga, meaning "forest".

Palma is an appealing Latin name that's both geographical -- it's the romantic city on the Spanish island of Majorca -- and botanical, relating to the palm frond. Sometimes given to girls born on Palm Sunday, it appeared in the US Top 1000 in the early 20th century. Its elaborated form is Palmina.

Interesting Old Testament name that embraces many traditional female attributes; also name of a place in the Jordan Valley. In the Bible, a daughter of King Ammon and wife of Solomon.

Brixton, a formerly rough but now cool-and-gentrified area of London, is also gaining notice as a baby name, especially for boys. About 20 baby girls were given the name in the US in the most recent year, vs. about 300 baby boys. Its similarity to the trendy Braxton and the x in the middle place help make it appealing to contemporary parents.

A Greek island and a prestigious scholarship make an upper-crusty first name with the uber-stylish S ending. Rhodes was recently chosen by actress Emma Roberts for her son, born in 2020, but it has also started to be given to a small number of girls each year too.

The cruelly-macho character of Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones would seem to mitigate against this name being seen as the least bit girlish, but in 2021 there were 120 female Ramseys born to 134 male, placing it among the most popular of the truly unisex baby names.

Ephron was the Old Testament son of Zohar who sold his field and cave to Abraham to use as a family burial ground. Ephron is also a Biblical place-name, a mountain range that formed the northern border of the land of Judah.