Names That Mean Place

Oriini Kaipara is a Māori journalist who made headlines by becoming the first person with a face tattoo (Moko Kauae) to host the prime-time news in New Zealand. Her name may derive from the New Zealand place name Orini.

Oriini

Cambric

Larsa was the name of a city-state in Sumer, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It is occasionally used as a baby name in Arabic-speaking cultures, as well as in Sweden, where Larsa is a feminization of Lars.

Larsa

Mino is traditionally a name for people born along Spain's Minho River or Rio Mino. It may be a surname or a first name.

Mino

Family surname or feminist statement name? Either way, this literary surname has a cool, current sound.

Atwood

A mash-up of popular name trends, French is all at once a place name, word name, and surname name. It's evocative of a favorite <a href="https://nameberry.com/fameberry">celebrity baby name</a> fad of using nationalities as names as opposed to places, as in Mariah Carey's Moroccan.

French

Jericho, a Biblical city, has popped in and out of the Top 1000 since 2013, never making it above the 900s. That means it's unlikely that Jericha, a feminization, will break into the mainstream anytime soon — perfect for parents on the hunt for a unique name with religious significance.

Jericha

Merrilee has several different origins. It's an alternative spelling of the unusual word name Merrily, as well as a variant of the smoosh name Marilee (Mary + Lee). Merrilee, Merrilees or Mirrlees are also found in Scotland, deriving from a Scottish place name.

Merrilee hit the Top 1000 for a few years in the 1940s, but disappeared from the charts completely back in 2007. In 2023, however, 5 baby girls were given name, as it joined <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/lost-names-2023">a number of vintage revivals</a> making a reappearance in the US.

Merrilee

A picturesque city in eastern France that would make an unusual and stylish addition to the list of place names off the map.

Auxerre

Akita

The name of a port town in Maine, named after the birthplace of one of its founders Alexander Shapleigh, of Kittery Court, Devon, England.

Kittery

A popular Israeli baby name inspired by Mount Arbel in the north, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.

Arbel

The name of the capital city of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, which is thought to come from a Kansa word meaning "good place to grow potatoes".

Topeka

The capital of Kenya makes a melodic and worldly name. 

Nairobi

Everglade

A Biblical place name referred to by the Old Testament prophet Ezra. It may be a corruption of Caspian, or may derive from Hebrew keceph "silver, money".

Casiphia

A popular name during the Victorian period, given in honor of Sir Redvers Buller, a British Army general awarded the Victoria Cross for his services during the Boer War. The name comes from a Norman surname, de Reviers, describing someone who lived in the town of Reviers. The town name may mean "place of rivers".

Redvers

A utopia is the concept of a perfect society — a lot to live up to as a baby name! Despite that, Utopia was used for a string of years in the late '70s and early '80s. However, it has never been given to more than eight baby girls in a single year.

Utopia

The city name Dublin ultimately derived from Irish elements dubh, meaning "dark," and lind, "pool." The dark pool in question was a tidal pool behind Dublin Castle.
 
As a baby name, Dublin is a rare but evocative choice.

Dublin

A preppy surname and place name derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Ælfweard "elf guardian" + the -by suffix, meaning "village, homestead". Ellerby feels like a quirkier Ellery or Emery.