City Dog Names
- Berlin
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"borderline"Description:
Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.
- Columbus
Origin:
Variation of Columbo or Columbia, LatinMeaning:
"dove"Description:
This is a big name, both in heritage and sound. On the right child, this could be inspired, but others may shrink from all the connotations. While your preferred nickname for this option might be Col (or Kit if you're connecting it to Christopher Columbus), you may end up with the slightly more cumbersome "Bus" as the short-form.
- Albany
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
A capital place-name possibility.
- Prince
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"chief, prince"Description:
Prince rose to its highest ranking in a century in 2015, and the tragic death of its most famous bearer in April 2016 propelled it even higher. The Purple Rain legend isn't its only tie to pop royalty: Michael Jackson chose it for not one but two of his sons. Royal names such as King and Prince, once thought of as canine, have begun to be used by human non-royals for their sons.
- Chicago
Origin:
American place name, AlgonquinMeaning:
"wild garlic"Description:
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have done it again for their third child: Chosen a name that feels iconic yet strangely inevitable. They named North and Saint's younger sister Chicago, after Kanye's hometown. The name Chicago derives from a Native American word for "wild garlic," which once grew plentifully in the Illinois city, the third most populous in the US.
- Cleveland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hilly land, from the cliff"Description:
A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Portland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"land near the port"Description:
There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.
- Glasgow
Origin:
Scottish place-nameDescription:
An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.
- Towers
Origin:
English surname, FrenchMeaning:
"one who lives in the tower of a castle; person from Tours"Description:
This lofty sounding surname might put in mind soaring skyscrapers, old castle turrets, or a city in France, but as a given name Towers has yet to catch on. Associated with Lord of the Rings, Mallory Towers, Fawlty Towers, Tim Powers, and a whole variety of other towers worldwide, there is the possibility that some may immediately think of the Twin Towers and understandably not wish to use the name.
- Tijuana
Origin:
Mexican place-nameDescription:
There are more charming places -- and place-names -- for your child.