Names That Mean Place
Across 17 pages
of 17
Cellan
Welsh place name, possibly "little cell"
"little cell"
An attractive alternative spelling to Kellan, but the authentic Welsh "ll" sound may be hard to come by outside Wales.
Inari
Finnish place name; Japanese
"loaded with rice"
A unisex cultural crossover that has seen a little use from the 1990s onwards. In Japanese mythology, Inari is an androgynous deity associated with rice, tea and foxes. In Finland, it is the name of…
Winchester
English place name
A distinguished-sounding place name with a cool, positive "win" sound. The original Winchester was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.
Guthrie
Scottish
"windy place"
Guthrie, folk singer Woody's last name, makes a perfectly fine first choice for a girl. Names such as Guthrie that have no gendered history can make true nonbinary names.
Xois
African place name
This name of the capital of an ancient Egyptian dynasty makes Lois X-rated.
Dresden
German place name
"people of the forest"
Sad tinge to the name of the beautiful German city firebombed during World War II. Its name derives from Sorbian drezga , meaning "forest".
Emmaus
Greek place name from Aramaic
"hot spring"
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus after his death, burial and resurrection.
Zanzibar
Swahili place name from Persian
"black coast"
Zanzibar is an island region off the coast of Tanzania. It's never been recorded as a baby name, but for those with a connection to Zanzibar, it's an intriguing and unique option chock full of zesty…
Williamsburg
English place name
"William's town"
An unlikely place name today, but one that was found among enslaved people in the 1800s.
Aldridge
English surname and place name
"alder farmstead"
A preppy-yet-rugged choice that proves there are plenty of last names as first names that are rare and distinctive, but not wacky or made up.
Penrose
Cornish and Welsh place name and surname
"top of the heath"
Penrose – an ancient locational surname derived from several villages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Welsh border country of England – might work as a first name, although the "Rose" syllable might lead…
Afton
Scottish place name "Æffa's farmstead"
"Æffa's farmstead"
This Scottish town and river name sounds strong and modern on both boys and girls, similar in style to names like Alden, Aspen, and Arden. ossibly derived from Old English to mean "Æffa's farmstead"…
Fyfe
Scottish
"place name"
Variant spelling of Fife, borne by English musician Fyfe Dangerfield and Scottish journalist and reporter Fyfe Robertson.
Colwyn
Welsh place name / river name
An example of the Welsh love of naming children after rivers and places. Colwyn is rare in the States but has genuine appeal: no hidden spelling traps, and similar-yet-different to names like Colton,…
Leyre
Basque place name
Leyre is an important name in Navarre, Spain, as it is both the name of a mountain and an ancient monastery. It is derived from the Basque Leire, of uncertain origins. Both spellings currently rank…
Aran
Irish and Catalan place name
A versatile name with many roots. Aran can simply be an alternative spelling of Aaron. The Aran Islands lie off Ireland's west coast, while the Aran Valley is a region of Catalonia bordering the…
Lucca
Spelling variation of Luca; Italian place name
This spelling is more unisex than either Luca or Luka, perhaps because it is also an Italian city name. However, it fell for both genders in 2021, as the Disney movie Luca sent that spelling…
Huxley
English
"inhospitable place"
Huxley is an increasingly popular surname-name for baby boys in the US and now is beginning to be used for girls as well. The -ley suffix, usually denoting a place, is common in names for both…
Wilt
Diminutive of Wilton, English
"place by a stream"
Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain (born Wilton) lends a sort of mythic quality to his name. Few have ventured to use it since it is so tied to the famed Chamberlain, but it could make an inspired…
Elim
Biblical place name
"place of strong trees"
In the Bible, Elim is an oasis where the Israelites stopped during their Exodus from Egypt. It is a place of plenty representing the natural blessings of God, with twelve springs of fresh water and…