Place Names for Babies

Consider ODESSA instead.

Not strictly Spanish but Guanche, the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands, this place name became popular as a first in Spain via a trilogy by Alberto Vazquez Figueroa. The Guanche meaning of the place name is "one who shares equally."

Traditional Jewish name and the implement said to have been used by Solomon to cut the huge stones for the building of the Temple.

Fiji is a pleasingly quirky place name that's been little used for babies, but could work for either a boy or girl. Though it has been used quite a lot for fancy bottled water, we don't think it quite qualifies as a water name.

Not yet on the place-name map, this name has Shakespearean ties via the Duke Of Albany character in King Lear.

The island home of Odysseus, and city site of Cornell University, sounds soft and pleasant enough to make it a candidate for babynamehood.

Abyssinia is the ancient name of the Ethiopian Empire, no longer found on any map but with a possible future as a melodic girls' name in the ever-expanding place-name category. Among African names for girls, this one is undiscovered.

Romany is a melodious name referring to the Roma or Romani community and their culture, which makes it a potentially controversial choice for a baby not of that heritage. Romany Malco is an actor who appeared on the television show "Weeds." Other similar ideas: Roman, Romano, or Romeo.

A capital place-name possibility.

Derby might be considered a word name or a surname-name. In England, it would be pronounced darby, causing confusion with that similar name.

Kenya, a name borrowed from the East African nation and theoretically unisex, is now used mostly for girls. While it's had its ups and downs since entering the US Top 1000 in 1968, it currently ranks lower than spelling variant Kenia.

Like Bethany and Shiloh, a meaningful biblical place-name.

An ancient city in Assyria, where Jonah was sent to spread the word of God.

A unisex name with an appealing and nature inspired meaning, Kamari is currently more popular for boys in the US, though it is climbing the charts for girls too, after in entered the Top 1000 in 2019. Derived from the Arabic Qamar meaning "moon", it also appears as Kamaria is Swahili and Comorian.

Zorah, the Old Testament home of Samson, is both soft and substantial.

Resonant place-name of the beautiful Southern California desert.

This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby boy's birth certificate. You could also think of it as a fun, atlas-inspired twist on Denis.

The a ending gives it a feminine feel.

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.