Place Names for Babies

Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name Sundance was taken from the sun dance ceremony practiced by local Native American tribes.

Alaska's second most populous city makes a baby name with a preppy, even aristocratic, flavor.

This name of an attractive and arty California town could make an unusual but friendly choice.

Larsa was the name of a city-state in Sumer, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It is occasionally used as a baby name in Arabic-speaking cultures, as well as in Sweden, where Larsa is a feminization of Lars.

Daytona Beach is a city in Florida named after founder Matthias Day in 1870. It is well-known as the home of NASCAR's Daytona International Speedway, the racetrack which hosts the Daytona 500.

Miami -- or Florida, for that matter -- hasn't achieved the place-name stardom of southern sisters like Savannah and Georgia. Quincy Jones used it as his daughter KENYA's middle name.

A city of the Shephelah that works as a first but you'll be forever explaining why it's not Kayla.

Moab is a Biblical name and an ancient place name. In the Old Testament, Moab was the son of Lot. The Kingdom of Moab, in modern-day Jordan, was Biblically significant for often being in conflict with Israel.

Preppy P surname, and a potential way to honor a Scott.

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

An ethereal name with elements of Irene and Miriam, Irian is a woman/dragon character in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels, and a historic name for the island of New Guinea, now with colonial associations.

There's a Perth in Scotland and a bigger one in Australia; this name could make a statement similar to Heath.

The name of cities in Mexico and Colorado, Durango is a pleasant, fresh option from the atlas.

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder put this place name on the map when she used it for her daughter Hartford Charlie Rose.

The name of a city in New Hampshire which takes its name from the Nashua River, named by the Indigenous Algonquian tribe the Nashuway or Nashua. A striking alternative to Joshua.

Would make a difficult choice even for those with ties to the Virginia city or British county.

Two-syllable place-names are stylish, and this one is attached to a British city noted for its white chalk cliffs, but there are a couple of minuses: associated with the fish, Dover sole, and also rhymes with the doggy Rover.

With Arley, Remington, Kensigton, Arlo, and Arla on the rise, Arlington might just be heard a little more often in coming years. The surname style name could make a patriotic choice for those in the US, with its connections to Arlington National Cemetery. Given to 14 girls and 24 boys in 2023, it is making moves up the charts, albeit small ones.

With place names extending their range, this is an unmapped possibility, though a bit stiff. Baltimore, Maryland was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore. Baltimore is ultimately derived from the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "town of the big house."