City Names for Babies
- Dublin
Origin:
Irish place-nameDescription:
With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.
- Cleveland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hilly land, from the cliff"Description:
A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.
- Manila
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
The name of the capital city of the Philippines is just conceivable as a baby name, giving off the faint scent of vanilla.
- Genoa
Origin:
Italian place-nameDescription:
One of the newer geographical site names, it has the advantage of sounding like a real girl's name because of its jen beginning and feminine a ending.
- Atlanta
Origin:
Place nameMeaning:
"Atlantic Ocean"Description:
The capital of Georgia is far from the ocean, but got its name from the Western and Atlantic Railroad which ran through the city. Best known as a hub of industry and transport, and for its roles in the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it has never been popular as a baby name despite sounding like one. Its peak popularity was in 1995, the year before Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.
- Philadelphia
Origin:
Greek place-nameMeaning:
"brotherly love"Description:
Place-name mentioned in the New Testament and not yet on the name map. Philadelphia Thursday was the character played by Shirley Temple in John Ford's 1948 "Fort Apache."
- Lexington
Origin:
English place nameDescription:
Lexington is rising as a place name used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic ring, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another famous place with the name.
- Quito
Origin:
Spanish, Place-nameDescription:
Quito is a place-name (it's the capital of Ecuador) with lots of lively energy--as long as it's pronounced correctly.
- Venezia
Origin:
Italian place-nameDescription:
This is the Italian way to say Venice -- Ven-ETZ-ee-a -- but you might also opt for the softer Venetia or Venice itself.
- Sevilla
Origin:
Spanish place-nameDescription:
This legendary Andalusian city, according to myth founded by Hercules, is an undiscovered baby name destination.
- Miami
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
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.
- Galway
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris both hail from Galway.
- Dover
Origin:
British place-nameDescription:
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.
- Quebec
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
An interesting Canadian province and city name that has some literary history as the name of a character in Dickens's Bleak House; could make a distinctive choice for parents with northern roots.
- Tangier
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
Unexplored Moroccan place name, conjuring up images of camels and palm trees and domed minarets.
- Jakarta
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
Jakarta, the name of the capital and largest city of Indonesia, is located on the island of Java. Both Jakarta and Java could make interesting and unusual choices for a girl.
- Irvine
- Portland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"land near the port"Description:
There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.
- Palermo
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
Son of Sicily.
- Glasgow
Origin:
Scottish place-nameDescription:
An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.