Place Names for Babies

We've seen babies with Texas city names like Austin, Houston and Dallas--, why not the unexplored Laredo, which has a lot of cowboy charisma? Laredo might make for a more modern and creative namesake for an Uncle Lawrence/Larry--as could the related Laramie.

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.

Evokes picture-postcard image of colorful Indonesia. Bali Barret is a Paris fashion insider who oversees women's style for Hermes. Bali rhymes with tally or galley.

Ravello is an Italian town on the Amalfi Coast. It's a popular travel destination and was a favorite spot for many notable creatives, including Virginia Woolf, Greta Garbo, and Tennessee Williams.

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.

Consider ODESSA instead.

This French place name, which may derive from a word meaning "plowed land", is occasionally used for girls. It is best-known for two things: the grand Palace of Versailles, the historic seat of the French royal family; and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War.

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

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

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.

The a ending gives it a feminine feel.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Resonant place-name of the beautiful Southern California desert.