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Place Names for Babies

  1. Mecca

    • Origin:

      Arabic, exact meaning unknown

    • Meaning:

      "holy city; temple; place of great importance"

    • Description:

      The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Officially called Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Makkah, it is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Millions of Muslims from across the world make a pilgrimage there each year, while Non-Muslims are understandably not allowed inside the city.
  2. Malta

    • Origin:

      Place-name

    • Description:

      An archipelago near the center of the Mediterranean, the name derives from the Greek word for honey. Malta has been heard as a girl’s name in the past and was used as a character name by both Dickens and Murakami.
  3. Sinai

    • Origin:

      Biblical place name, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "hatred"

    • Description:

      Mount Sinai is a place sacred to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions, the mountain on which Moses received the Ten Commandments. Sinai is also the name of the peninsula where Mount Sinai is located.
  4. Memphis

    • Origin:

      Greek and Coptic place-name

    • Meaning:

      "Enduring and beautiful"

    • Description:

      Tied to the bluesy southern city and to the world heritage cite in Egypt after which it was named, Memphis is a modern choice with ancient history. Currently significantly more popular for boys in the US, as a place name with sounds reminiscent of Paris, Meredith and Emma, it has plenty of potential as a unisex choice.
  5. Colwyn

    • Origin:

      Welsh place name / river name

    • Description:

      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.
  6. Essex

    • Origin:

      English place-name and surname

    • Description:

      A rarely-used place name (probably because of the last three letters), Essex was the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons and is now a county in England. The singer David Essex used it as his stage surname, and reality TV couple JP and Ashley Rosenbaum used it for their daughter's name, though few have followed suit.
  7. Venezia

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      This is the Italian way to say Venice -- Ven-ETZ-ee-a -- but you might also opt for the softer Venetia or Venice itself.
  8. Milano

    • Origin:

      Italian

    • Meaning:

      "from Milan"

    • Description:

      An attractive surname, but also the name of a popular cookie.
  9. Hadar

    • Origin:

      Israeli place name and Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "fruit or glory"

    • Description:

      A Hebrew name also used for girls, with many variations to choose from. Hadara is another version. The name is associated with the holiday of Sukkot.
  10. Seychelle

    • Origin:

      French

    • Meaning:

      "island name"

    • Description:

      Actress Seychelle Gabriel is named after the Seychelles, an archipelagic island nation in the Indian Ocean. The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XV's Minister of Finance.
  11. Wellesley

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "the farm amonst the willows"

    • Description:

      Even if you'd like your daughter to attend the venerable women's college, don't saddle her with this pretentious British surname.
  12. Atlanta

    • Origin:

      Place name

    • Meaning:

      "Atlantic Ocean"

    • Description:

      The capital of Georgia is far from the ocean, but got its name from the Western and Atlantic Railroad which ran through the city. Best known as a hub of industry and transport, and for its roles in the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it has never been popular as a baby name despite sounding like one. Its peak popularity was in 1995, the year before Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.

  13. Samaria

    • Origin:

      Place-name, ancient Palestinian city in present-day Jordan

    • Description:

      Similar to but distinct from Samara, this pretty name was chosen for his daughter by rapper LL Cool J.
  14. Andorra

    • Origin:

      European place-name

    • Description:

      Andorra is the pretty name of a pocket-sized princedom in the Pyrenees, noted for its skiing.
  15. Jerusalem

    • Origin:

      Place name

    • Meaning:

      "city of the ancient god Shalem"

    • Description:

      Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.
  16. Mecca

    • Origin:

      Arabic, exact meaning unknown

    • Meaning:

      "holy city; temple; place of great importance"

    • Description:

      The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Officially called Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Makkah, it is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Millions of Muslims from across the world make a pilgrimage there each year, while Non-Muslims are understandably not allowed inside the city.
  17. Chicago

    • Origin:

      American place name, Algonquin

    • Meaning:

      "wild garlic"

    • Description:

      Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have done it again for their third child: Chosen a name that feels iconic yet strangely inevitable. They named North and Saint's younger sister Chicago, after Kanye's hometown. The name Chicago derives from a Native American word for "wild garlic," which once grew plentifully in the Illinois city, the third most populous in the US.
  18. Joplin

    • Origin:

      English surname

    • Meaning:

      "son of Job"

    • Description:

      Used as a first name for a handful of girls every year, Joplin could be seen as a distant cousin of other -lin names, like Caitlin, Brooklyn and Braelynn. We think it works even better as a musical middle name possibility for fans of Janis... or Scott. Both great connections — albeit very different from one another.

  19. Richmond

    • Origin:

      German

    • Meaning:

      "powerful protector"

    • Description:

      Richmond is a place-name — it's the capital of Virginia — that makes a fresh way to honor an ancestral Richard.
  20. Oceania

    • Origin:

      Place name and feminine variation of Oceanus, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "ocean"

    • Description:

      Oceania is one of the most elaborate of the trending Ocean-related names. Oceania also refers to the area of the world including Australia and neighboring islands.