Names That Mean Place
Across 17 pages
of 17
Leire
Basque place name
Also spelled Leyre and taken from the name of a monastery fortress, the popular and lilting choice in Spain will pose pronunciation problems elsewhere. Among the Top 100 girls' names in Spain, Leire…
Naiara
Basque place name
Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.
Nirvana
Sanskrit
"place of great bliss"
Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?
Louisianna
Spelling variation of Louisiana, French place name
LeeLee Sobieski, who knows a thing or two about unique names , chose this spelling twist for her daughter. Does the extra n make it more of a name and less of a place, or more of an invention and so…
Cathay
Anglicized version of Italian Catai; place name
A perfect example of what a difference a single letter can make. Add an 'a' to the ho-hum Cathy and you have the old name for China, often used by such poets as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Ezra Pound.
Mosley
English place name and surname
"peat bog, mouse clearing"
Mosley, former best known as the surname of author Walter, has been put in play as a first name for girls by football great Peyton Manning, who used the name for his twin daughter, sister of…
Lathan
English surname or place name
Lathan is a surname recorded as relating to the towns of Layton or Latham and meaning, depending on its derivation, barn or leek farm or farm by the water. As a first name, it's reminiscent of the…
Merida
Latin
"one who has achieved a high place of honor"
You'll probably be hearing more of this name thanks to the newest Pixar film, featuring Princess Merida, the first Pixar princess--a feisty, athletic, independent medieval Scottish girl with wild red…
Kerala
Indian place name
Kerala, the name of the most beautiful and touristed state of India, has recently debuted on the U.S. extended popularity list as a first name for girls . And why not? Kerala sounds lovely and…
Keverne
Cornish saint and place name
St. Keverne is a town on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula and also the name of an ancient saint. While the name is virtually unused for children in the modern world, it could be a Kevin update and has…
Clifton
English
"place on a cliff"
A less-used cross between Clifford and Clinton.
Endellion
Cornish place and saint's name
"fire soul"
Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient…
Kipling
English surname and place name
Kipling calls to mind writer Rudyard (b. Joseph) Kipling, author of the stories familiar to schoolchildren Gunga Din and The Jungle Story. Certainly, Kipling is a friendlier name than Rudyard these…
Tempe
Greek place name
The Vale of Tempe is an important place in Greek mythology as well as a real place in Greece. The ancient poets wrote of it as the halcyon dwelling of Apollo and the Muses. The modern cities in…
Brighton
English, place name meaning "bright town"
"bright town"
Brighton has long been known as a holiday resort town on the south coast of England. A cheery unisex name, it was used for his daughter by Jon Favreau, but was a boy on the TV show The Nanny .
Finnick
Literary invention
Finnick has risen to prominence as a first name via The Hunger Games , in which Finnick Odair was a winner of the games. A wearable literary creation, Finnick was given to 136 boys in the US in a…
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Elouera
Australian Aboriginal
"a pleasant place"
Elouera has potential for people looking for unusual versions of popular "Elle" names like Ellen, Eleanor and Ella. This Aboriginal Australian place name is filled with the mellifluous sounds that…
Umbria
Italian place name, from the Umbri, one of the chief tribes settling the Italian nation
Umbria is a lovely, virtually unused Italian name for girls , reflecting the beautiful rolling hills of the area's countryside. And since it's right next door to Tuscany, in which Siena resides,…
Hemingway
English place name
No matter how much you love the novels of Papa H., don't saddle your son with this unwieldy appellation.