Place Names for Babies
- Manila
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
The name of the capital city of the Philippines is just conceivable as a baby name, giving off the faint scent of vanilla.
- Quintana
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"the fifth girl"Description:
Mexican place-name famously used by Joan Didion for her daughter, Quintana Roo.
- Canada
Origin:
Iroquois place-nameMeaning:
"village"Description:
Canada is an undiscovered but attractive place-name possibility, up till now a masculine territory.
- Tiree
Origin:
Place nameMeaning:
"Land of corn"Description:
Tiree is the anglicised name of the Scottish island of Tiriodh in the Inner Hebrides. It’s known as Scotland’s "sunshine isle", benefiting from an uncharacteristically warm and sunny climate and beautiful beaches which are popular with surfers and windsurfers. As a given name, Tiree is in rare but regular use in Scotland, England and Wales.
- Prideaux
Origin:
Cornish place nameMeaning:
"meadow of waters"Description:
Prideaux is a Cornish place name and surname that is occasionally attested as a girls' first name. It likely stems from the French phrase "pré de eaux", meaning meadow of waters. For fans of Margaux, Prideaux might be a less-common and very pretty alternative.
- Tahiti
Origin:
Tahitian, meaning unknownDescription:
The Polynesian place name Tahiti was given to the island by its natives, although the origins of this name have been lost to history. Tahiti was once a Polynesian kingdom, but today is a part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia.
- Cleveland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hilly land, from the cliff"Description:
A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.
- Cimarron
Origin:
Spanish, EnglishMeaning:
"wild, untamed"Description:
Cimarron is a Great Plains city and river name used by Edna Ferber as the title of a popular novel. The Cimarron people of Panama were previously enslaved Africans who had escaped from their Spanish masters and lived together in defiance of colonial rule. In the 1570s, they allied with Francis Drake of England to defeat the Spanish conquest.
- Philippine
Origin:
French, feminine variation of PhilippeMeaning:
"lover of horses"Description:
Philippine would be taken as an ethnic identification rather than a name in the U.S. Better try Philippa, though if you don't mind eternally correcting people, Philippine can make an interesting alternative. Pippa can be a short form of Philippine as well as Philippa.
- Tauria
Origin:
Latin, place nameDescription:
The name of an area of Peru, this could be a possibilty for a springtime baby born under the sign of Taurus.
- Dublin
Origin:
Irish place-nameDescription:
With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.
- Detroit
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
Detroit, the name of the down-on-its-heels Michigan city, has a so-far-out-it's-gotta-be-cool quality. A handful of boys were named Detroit last year, and if you have ties to the Motor City -- familial or musical -- you may want to consider it, especially as a middle name.
- Arbel
Origin:
Hebrew place nameDescription:
A popular Israeli baby name inspired by Mount Arbel in the north, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.
- Kendal
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"valley of the river Kent"Description:
Variant of Kendall
- Hanalei
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"crescent bay or garland valley"Description:
An appealing Hawaiian name which belongs to a town, river and bay on Kauaʻi island in Hawaii. The two possible meanings of the name, "crescent bay" or "garland (lei) valley" both describe the beauty of the place.
- Gilead
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"a camel hump"Description:
Like Bethany and Shiloh, a meaningful biblical place-name.
- Palmyra
Origin:
Greek, place nameDescription:
An ancient city in modern-day Syria, which occasionally makes the roster of girl names. Its etymology is uncertain — locally it is called Tadmor, and Palmyra is the Greek version — but it has traditionally been associated with palm trees.
- Anatola
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"from the east"Description:
Attractive place-name, of a beautiful resort region of Turkey.
- Hawaii
Origin:
Proto-Polynesian place nameMeaning:
"place of the gods"Description:
Evocative of the lush islands, Hawaii is a place name that will transport you — at least in spirit.
- Lexington
Origin:
English place nameDescription:
Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another well-known city with the name. Short form Lex is user friendly.