Place Names for Babies

The Arabic word for Palestine made the US charts for the first time in 2021. It makes a unique first or middle name choice to honor Palestinian heritage.

An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.

One of the major American city names that's very unlikely to catch on as a baby name, although a small number of children are given the name each year.

Lisa Loeb used this intriguing name as the middle for her son Emet.

Brittany is firmly a mom name today, but Britain could easily be her daughter. The Britton spelling variation is more common for both genders.

Both Soho and Noho--no-no.

This name of Angola's capital city has occasionally been used for baby girls.

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.

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.

With its trendy -o ending and connotations of luxury, we think the name of one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the world has rich baby name potential.

The place name Ethiopia was derived from the Greek word for an Ethiopian, Aithiops, from the components aithō, "I burn" and ōps "face." As a noun, it takes on the meaning of "Burnt-face," which the Greeks used to distinguish between those in Africa and those from the Middle East, who had lighter skin. In adjective form, Aithiops means "red-brown."

A picturesque city in eastern France that would make an unusual and stylish addition to the list of place names off the map.

Originally the name of a town in northern England, Airton and common variant Ayrton have taken on lives of their own as first names in Portugal and Brazil. This version is closely associated with Brazilian soccer player Airton Ribeiro Santos.

Quito is a place-name (it's the capital of Ecuador) with lots of lively energy--as long as it's pronounced correctly.

The name of an area of Peru, this could be a possibilty for a springtime baby born under the sign of Taurus.

Name of a tiny Bahamian island that's better suited to a girl.

If you're tired of Olivia, you could be the first on your block to introduce this unique sound-related place-name with Latin flair.

Closely tied to the widow of John Lennon.

In the Bible, there is a reference to the Kerith Ravine, where God told Elijah to hide in order to be provided with water during a drought. There is also a Kerith in the James Michener novel The Source. A soft and gentle and very unusual addition to the category of biblical place names.

If you're looking for an African place-name, this one belongs to the main town in eastern Morocco.