Rare Place Names for Babies

The capital city of Canada makes an unusual name for a baby, though it was recently used by nutrition and fitness Instagrammer, Kaleigh Kellner. The Canadian city ultimately gets it name from adawe which means "to trade" in the First Nations language of Algonquin.

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.

The place name Ethiopia was derived from the Greek word for an Ethiopian, Aithiops, from the components aithō, "I burn" and ōps "face." As a noun, it takes on the meaning of "Burnt-face," which the Greeks used to distinguish between those in Africa and those from the Middle East, who had lighter skin. In adjective form, Aithiops means "red-brown."

A phonetically attractive place-name that can be used for babies but rarely is.

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.

Corsica, the picturesque Mediterrean island birthplace of Napoleon, makes an easy switch from atlas to baby name book, with its delicate, feminine ending. Just don't consider neighboring island Sardinia.

Rhythmic name with both religious and geographical ties, commonly heard in Latin countries.

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.

Name of a tiny Bahamian island that's better suited to a girl.

An unusual place name with a sea-inspired meaning, Embrun is a commune in the southeast of France, as well as a town in Ontario, Canada. Sometimes known as the "Nice of the Alpes", Embrun could get its name from an Occitan and French word meaning "seaspray".

Son of Sicily.

Likable Irish surname name, but bound to be confused with Clooney.

An interesting and as yet undiscovered place name, Orleans feels similar to the likes of Harlem, Memphis, and Oslo. The English form of the French Orléans, it ultimately derives from the Latin Aurelianum, meaning "gold".

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.

Derived from the Welsh place name Brynmawr, this adventurous sounding name, feels at once as rugged as its meaning but with a hint of gentleness, thanks to the unisex Bryn.

The name of the 20th-century-created capital of Brazil has a good measure of Latin rhythm and could make a possible female choice, while Brazil might work for a boy.

An unusual place, Lausanne is a hilly city on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Its name comes from the Latin Lausanna, ultimately from a Proto Celtic word meaning "slab" though other sources suggest it could mean "place where one dines".

This legendary Andalusian city, according to myth founded by Hercules, is an undiscovered baby name destination.

The Polynesian place name Tahiti was given to the island by its natives, although the origins of this name have been lost to history. Tahiti was once a Polynesian kingdom, but today is a part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia.

Not yet on the place-name map, this name has Shakespearean ties via the Duke Of Albany character in King Lear.