Place Names for Babies

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

An unexplored choice, evocative of the snowcapped Andes, with a pleasant, catchy sound.

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

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 50 baby girls 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".

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

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.

If this name makes you think of Victorian novels, it's because Fairfax was part of Mr Rochester's name in Jane Eyre, and the surname of a minor character in Jane Austen's Emma. It has a distinctly aristocratic feel, despite its straightforward meaning. Fairfax is also a city in Virginia.

Unlikely to make it onto the name map.

Place name and surname that sounds a tad snooty.

The name of an island in the English Channel that might make an attractive first name, but would work better for a boy.

This state name -- it comes from the Ute Indians -- has a strong but feminine sound.

The real city is now known as Mumbai, but the original name is far more evocative.

Both Soho and Noho--no-no.

Ischia is an Italian island thought to be a derivative of the term "insula major", meaning "island par excellence."

Pronounced my-ORK-a, the name of this lovely Balearic Island, located in the Mediterranean, is one of the prettiest and most feminine of place names. The Spanish spelling is MALLORCA.

The name of a port town in Maine, named after the birthplace of one of its founders Alexander Shapleigh, of Kittery Court, Devon, England.

Moorish region and city in Spain that makes a melodic and unusual first name.

An actual Hawaiian first name would convey the aura of the islands more originally and effectively.