Most names with the Ab beginning, including the more familiar Abigail and Abner, mean father, as does this streamlined Arabic choice. American children might recognize Abu as the name of Aladdin's pet monkey in the Disney film.

This Ethiopian boy name looks like a shortening of popular Addison, but has separate roots. Nonetheless, with Addison's popularity, Addis would fit in while standing out as a boy's name in English-speaking countries. Addis means "new", as seen in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, meaning "new flower".

Addis

Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for girls since 1421. The church of the Virgin "Nuestra Senora de Africa" is in Ceuta, the Spanish city she is Patron of, in North Africa.
 There have been several other theories as to the origin of the name. Some believe it refers to the name of the ancient Berber people who inhabited North Africa, others believe Africa means "greyish" in reference to the color of sand, and yet another theory is that it is a Phoenician word meaning "colony," as Africa was once a colony of the Roman Empire. To complicate matters further, spelled Affrica, it is also used in Spanish-speaking countries, meaning "pleasant."
 Africa has been a recorded name in the U.S. since the eighteenth century.

Africa

Given to children of both sexes as far back as colonial times, this carries a lot of baggage. However, parents continue to take the risk. Actress America Ferrera may be have inspired some families to choose the name. Ferrera's Honduras-born mother shares her unusual name.

America

Amman

City name less mellifluous than Paris, London, or even Trenton.  It was the name of the character portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio in "Gangs of New York."

Amsterdam

Andorra is the pretty name of a pocket-sized princedom in the Pyrenees, noted for its skiing. 

Andorra

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

Arabia

South America provides a continent of interesting, undiscovered names -- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and the tango-rhythmed Argentina. 

Argentina

Asmara

Athens is one of the newer place names, used for both baby boys and girls. The Greek city got its name from Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage.

Athens

Athens the city takes its name from Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and courage. If you prefer place names to mythological names and like gender neutral names better than those that are gender distinct, Athens may be a good alternative to Athena.

Austria is an nteresting, appealing, unexplored geographic destination, much fresher than American cousin Austin.
 A related and attractive possibility is Austria's capital city, Vienna, the name of the character played by Joan Crawford in "Johnny Guitar," and also heard on the soap "As the World Turns."

Austria

Ababa

Abu Dhabi

Abuja

Accra

Addis Ababa

Aires

Albania

Algeria

Algiers

Angola

Ankara

Antananarivo

Antigua

Apia

Armenia

Ashgabat

Astana

Asunción

Australia

Azerbaijan

Why settle for Brooklyn or Boston when you can name your child for someplace so much more interesting. 

Baku

Bandar

This is one place-name we'd put off-limits, for obvious reasons. 

Bangkok

This Central American place-name would make a unique alternative to Bella or Belle. The name Belize comes from the Mayan word Balix, meaning "muddy waters" — a reference to the Belize River.

Belize

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name. 

Berlin

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

Hip short form of Bernard, also Swiss place-name. 

Bern

If you're tired of Olivia, you could be the first on your block to introduce this unique sound-related place-name with Latin flair. 

Bolivia

A geographical name that does the samba...and was also borne by a Celtic saint: a winning combination. Well used in the Creole community.

Brazil

Baghdad

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bamako

Bandar Seri Begawan

Bangladesh

Bangui

Banjul

Barbados

Barbuda

Basseterre

Begawan

Beijing

Beirut

Belarus

Belgium

Belgrade

Belmopan

Benin

Bhutan

Bishkek

Bissau

Bloemfontein

Bogotá

Bosnia

Botswana

alyshadragonfriend's list "Country And Capital Names" of 580 great name ideas: Abu - Zimbabwe!

Country And Capital Names

Have you traveled to another country? How many countries and their capitals can you name? Well, here is a list of all of the ones that I believe could be used as names for children or pets.