Place Names for Babies

This Scottish town name sounds strong and modern on both boys and girls.

While Maui was a male trickster god in Polynesian mythology, the well-known Hawaiian place name Maui can work for either gender.

With Arley, Arlo, Remington, and Kensington on the rise, Arlington might also start to appeal. The surname style name could make a patriotic choice for those in the US, evoking Arlington National Cemetery, which is maintained by the military and considered the most hallowed ground in the States. Given to 7 girls and 22 boys in a recent count, it is currently a rare option.

With its trendy -o ending and connotations of luxury, we think the name of one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the world has rich baby name potential.

This Scottish surname and Scottish and Australian place name has a pleasant airy and breezy sound to it. Camden mayor Lara Symkowiak chose the name for her daughter born in 2016.

A little-used but equally cool alternative to Huxley and Loxley.

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.

The name America is given to around 100 baby girls each year, mostly within the Hispanic and Latin American communities. The national charts do not record diacritical marks like accents, but at least some of those baby girls spell their names with one. Model América González is among them.

Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. Twice as many girls as boys were given the name in 2021, but the gender gap is closing.

Fargo as a baby name? Though we haven't heard of any babies named for this frigid North Dakota city, it's certainly on the map of possibilities.

Lacks the cachet of some newer place-names.

Tied to the bluesy southern city and to the world heritage cite in Egypt after which it was named, Memphis is a modern choice with ancient history. Currently significantly more popular for boys in the US, as a place name with sounds reminiscent of Paris, Meredith and Emma, it has plenty of potential as a unisex choice.

It's a hat, it's a race, and it's even been known to be a name. In Britain, it would be pronounced darby.

Among the Top Ten Basque baby girls' names, this is actually the place name of an island and is related to other such names as Isla. An unusual O-ending girls' name.

With place names extending their range, this is an unmapped possibility, though a bit stiff. Baltimore, Maryland was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore. Baltimore is ultimately derived from the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "town of the big house."

The scope of biblical names has expanded to include sacred place-names, and this makes a plausible possibility, though it does have a masculine feel.

Place-name with character.

Martinique is a Caribbean island that’s part of the Lesser Antilles, and is a region of France. This could be a fresh way to honor a Martin or Martha.

This romantic name of a city in Yemen was chosen for her son by supermodel Liya Kebede.

Variant of Kendall