Place Names for Babies

A perfect example of what a difference a single letter can make. Add an 'a' to the ho-hum Cathy and you have the old name for China, often used by such poets as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Ezra Pound.

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

A fun, unexpected way to honor your home state or a Mary in your life. As geographical girl names such as Ireland, Scotland, and Oakland slowly rise up the charts, Maryland could be a future favorite.

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.

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

Pilgrimage site in Italy.

Provo is the name of a conservative Utah city that's unlikely to be among the most fashionable place-names. You'd do better with Utah.

Lacks the cachet of some newer place-names.

A city and river in Scotland; this is upbeat and cheery, but doesn't seem that appropriate as a name.

This name of an old Armenian city, might sound a little too masculine for use here. Variations include the more feminine Garine and Karine.

A Catalan county name used for both girls and boys in its homeland.

Unlikely to make it onto the name map.

A minimalist choice, Uz is the Biblical home of Job. It's also the name of a character in the Bible, the father of Aram and the grandson of Shem, as is Uzziah. Uz is one of those names that could go either way depending on the personality of your child: super-cool or scuzzy. Proceed with caution.

Bardou is a bright-as-a-button name that despite its zippy, modern feel is actually as old as the earth.

Has much too strong of a Brooklyn accent.

Gentle and southern-inflected, redolent of the North Carolina landscape.

An island off the coast of Florida makes an intriguing name choice. Sanibel was originally named Santa Isybella, after Queen Isabella of Castille, and was later shortened to San Ybel and eventually Sanibel. Would make a unique alternative to Annabel or Isabel.

Place name and surname that sounds a tad snooty.

The historic name for the south-west corner of Wales, deriving from the British tribe of the Demetae.

Valletta is the capital city of Malta. It takes on an air of attractiveness via model Amber Valletta and could make an appealing alternative to the somewhat dated Valerie.