Place Names for Babies

The Alhambra, which means "red city," is in Granada, Spain. British writer Ali Smith used it for a character in her novel The Accidental.

Asbury Park, a quirky town on the Jersey Shore, was named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Springsteen fans will likely be among those most drawn to Asbury as a first name; the Boss's first album was called "Greetings from Asbury Park."

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 12 baby boys per year in the US, but is familiar to everyone. The actual meaning of the state's name, which comes from that of a local tribe, is unknown, but it has often been said to mean "people of the west wind".

A pleasing place-name that hasn't yet appeared in the baby name atlas.

According to legend -- and, crucially, the Wonder Woman comics and movies -- Themyscira is the home of the Amazons, a mythical race of powerful female warriors. As depicted in the DC comics, Themyscira is a lush utopian island in the middle of a vast ocean. It was also the name of a real town in the Ancient Greek world, on the southern coast of the Black Sea in modern-day Turkey.

Lindus or Lindos was one of the most important towns in ancient Rhodes. Lindus also was the native place of Cleobulus, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.

Britain is an attractive place that is used nearly equally for boys and girls. But spelling it Britton makes it considerably more popular for both genders.

Popular etymology derives this West African country's name from the Wolof words sunu gal, "our canoe". It's an appealing image, of a nation of people all in the same boat. Some country names have taken off as baby names, but this one, not yet.

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.

A new crop of gender-neutral English place names have suddenly become trendy — those ending in -ton. Multi-syllabic but not dramatic, these names are rising quickly for girls and boys. Think Charleston, Lexington, and Kensington. Livingston isn't as hot as some of the others, but its time will soon come. For a girl, Livingston boasts the nickname Liv.

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.

Ephratah appears in the bible as both the name of a woman--she was the second wife of Caleb and grandmother of one of the spies sent by Moses to Canaan to gather information about the Promised Land--and as that of two places. Ephratah is where Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin and is also the ancient name of Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born.

Unexplored Moroccan place name, conjuring up images of camels and palm trees and domed minarets.

A globetrotting placename — Diani Beach is a popular tourist destination on the Indian Ocean in Kenya. It's similar enough to Dion and Diana to feel namelike, although it is actually very rare in the US.

Among the Top Ten Basque baby girls' names, this is actually the place name of an island and is related to other such names as Isla. An unusual O-ending girls' name.

Martinique is a Caribbean island that’s part of the Lesser Antilles, and is a region of France. This could be a fresh way to honor a Martin or Martha.

Wild, lovely place in western Ireland makes wild, lovely name.

Beautiful downtown Burbank -- about as glamorous a place-name as Akron...or Detroit.