Place Names for Babies

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

On trend for boys but with plenty of unisex appeal too, the place name Cairo was put on the map for girls when model Beverly Peele chose it for her daughter. Given to around 50 girls each year, it hasn't caught on just yet but with its similar sounds to Kaia and Skyler, it might do in the future.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin put Ireland on the map when they chose it as a first for their daughter, saying that geographic names were a family tradition. And it seems they were a bit ahead of the curve (or trendsetting)—Ireland has been among the fastest-rising names of recent years. Other Irish place names include Shannon, Kerry, Galway, and Dublin.