Place Names

A preppy surname which could work as a tough and distinctive alternative to Ainsley, Ainsworth blends the sounds of the the 2000s favorite with a modern virtue-style ending. Originally a place name in the north of England, it combines the Old English given name Ægen meaning "to possess" with the element worþ meaning "enclosure" .

Ainsworth

Nebra is the name of a town in Germany, notable for the Nebra Sky Disc, a Bronze Aged disc inlaid with gold symbols of the sun, the moon and stars, significant in revealing the astronomical knowledge of the period. 
 
It is also used as a Spanish short form of Ginebra, itself a variant of the Italian Ginevra, meaning "white shadow, white wave". As a surname, it may also derive from the Latin nebula meaning "fog" or "cloud" and given that the German word for fog is nebel, it is possible the town takes its name from this meaning too. This is not confirmed however.
 
As a masculine name, Nebra was borne by an early Egyptian pharaoh in around 2850 BC, and in this case, could mean "Lord of the sun".

Nebra

Roxby is the "proper" name of the Leo Woodall character in the movie Mad About the Boy, the fourth instalment in the Bridget Jones franchise. In the film, he goes by the cool boy nickname, Roxster.
 
A habitational name taken from several towns in England, Roxby is derived from the Old Norse name, Rauthr, meaning "red" and the element bȳ meaning "farmstead, village, settlement" or from the name Hrókr, meaning "rook, crow". Either way, its use in the popular film franchise and its similarity to the likes of Roscoe, Rocco, Robin, or Colby could see Roxby find favor among parents in coming years.

Roxby

Finch has been given to a small number of boys each year since the 2010s, likely inspired by the rise of Robin, Wren, and Birdie, and because it appears in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, as the surname of the central family. This longer form, however, has yet to catch on, but it may appeal to those who want a stand-out choice with the familiar sounds of Finley, Wrenley, and Fletcher. 
 
Finchley may also be used as a last name and is given to a large district north of London, UK.

Finchley

Bird name Finch has been quietly used in the US since the early 2010s, perhaps thanks to the rise of Wren and Birdie, and because of its connection to Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Longer form Finchley has yet to appear in the stats, however, it may interest those who like Wrenley and Finley, but also want something ultra-rare. 
 
Finchley is a district in North London and may also be used as a surname.

An English place name associated with a now ruined palace and a set of 12th century laws which defined the relationship between church and state, Clarendon is a surname-style choice with historical grandeur. Also the name of places in Jamaica, the US, and Canada, Clarendon likely means "Clare's hill" or "hill associated with Clare", making this an unexpected way to honor a Clare or Clara in your life. 
 
Some may recognize Clarendon as a heavy, boldface type, which is what drew entrepreneur and designer Perry Haydn Taylor to the name, which he gave to one of his three daughters. The others are Perpetua and Helvetica, named to honor his love for typography.

Clarendon

Used in a medieval Spanish tale as the name of a Norwegian princess, Olinda is also a place in both Brazil and Australia and the name of a species of moth. Olinda could be related to the Greek word Olynthos meaning "wild fig tree", however, it could also be related to the Norwegian Ole or Oline meaning "ancestor's descendant" or to the element lind meaning "soft, tender, flexible" and "beautiful". Occasionally, it has also been used as a variant of Yolanda, meaning "violet flower".
 
Borne by Golden Age actress Olinda Bozán and by resistance fighter and politician Olinda Morais, Olinda could be an interesting alternative to Olivia or Lydia, or an unexpected honor for a Linda.

Olinda

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. 

Corsica

Taken from the name of an English city, Leicester has an aristocratic look about it, though its shorter and simpler than it looks at first glance. Said just as the same as Lester, the more stripped back spelling is usually preferred, bringing with it less risk of mispronunciation. 
 
Used as a given name by Charles Dickens in his novel Bleak House, the name comes the Latin castra meaning "military camp" or "fort", combined with the name of a river.

Leicester

An intriguing place name that appears on the map in Wales, the Menai Strait (also known as Afon Menai) is a section of sea between the island of Anglesey and the mainland. The name derives from the Welsh main-aw or main-wy meaning "narrow water", making this a nature related name, connected to the ocean.
 
With its bright sound, reminiscent of Sarai, Danae, and Malakai, Menai began to appear (albeit rarely) as a given name in the mid-19th century. It is also used as the name of a suburb in Australia.

Menai

Lomond is one of those names that exists mainly in one place in the world, Scotland, thanks to its famous Loch Lomond (with its bonnie bonnie banks).

Lomond ranks among the Top 1000 baby names for boys in Scotland. The meaning in Scottish Gaelic relates to words for both "elm", as in the tree, and "blaze", as in fire.

Lomond

Although Chet is the more popular spelling, Chett with a double T somehow feels more complete, in line with Rhett.

Chett

Cézembre is a tiny island off the coast of northern France, and is occasionally used as a baby name.

Cézembre

Unique and fluid river name with the lilt of a Viennese waltz. 

Danube

This Catalan classic — spelled Nuria in Spanish — is the name of a valley in Catalonia with a shrine to the Virgin Mary, making this both a Marian name and simply a place name. Or maybe not so simply: during Franco's dictatorship, place names were a way to sidestep the rule that all names had to be Spanish, so Núria became popular as an act of Catalan patriotism. It is still in the region's Top 100 girl names.

Núria

This Old English name feels as if it could have stepped out of a fantasy novel, but it may be just similar enough to Everett and Elliot that it could work in the real world. Derived from the elements elfitu meaning "swan" and either ēa meaning "stream, river" or ēg meaning "island", it is a nature related option name, given to an area in the city of Durham in England.
 
Another possible origin is from the medieval Welsh poem, Y Gododdin, about a hero king who fights and dies at the Battle of Catraeth in the 7th century. Known as Madog Elfed or Madawc Elvet, it is suggested that readers are meant to interpret Madog as King of Elvet, Elvet possibly referring to a place in Wales, the aforementioned Durham area, or to Elmet, an old independent kingdom in what is now Yorkshire. In this case, Elvet or Elfed could be a poetic Welsh word for "autumn", though this is speculation rather than certain.

Elvet

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. 
 
Yet to appear in the US stats, it does come with the grounding nickname Otto.

Ottawa

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

Arabia

A multicultural and unisex choice, Shiraz is connected to a city in Iran and a type of wine made from Syrah grapes. While the exact meaning of the place name is unknown, one theory is that it comes from the Persian shir meaning "lion", possibly combined with azad meaning "free". As such "lion", "king", or "free as a lion" have been suggested as the origin of the city name.
 
Predominantly used as a masculine name from its Persian roots, Shiraz is also a Hebrew name with a whimsical meaning. Blending shir meaning "song, poem" with raz meaning "secret, mystery", it forms an intriguing girls name, most notably used in Israel.

Shiraz

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.

Brasilia

Place names for babies is an ever-expanding category, as some place names — Savannah, Dakota, London — become popular and parents look to adopt undiscovered locales as names for their babies.

Here are some of the more unusual new choices of place names. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.

Place names for babies is an ever-expanding category, as some place names — Savannah, Dakota, London — become popular and parents look to adopt undiscovered locales as names for their babies. Here are some of the more unusual new choices of place names. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically. (Page 11)