Names That Mean Place

A spiritually significant choice, Shekinah is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling", and has been by Jewish scholars to refer to place of divine presence. While it isn't a direct Biblical name, its Hebrew roots do appear, and it may be related to the masculine name Shechaniah.
 
Pronounced as shuh-KIE-nuh or shuh-KEE-nuh, it is a concept explored in rabbinic literature such as the Mishnah, the Talmud, and Midrash. It is usually used to describe physical places where God is said to manifest, notable examples being the Temple in Jerusalem and the Tabernacle.

Shekinah

As Huxley and Huck become more popular and accepted, so does Hux, either as a full name or a diminutive.

Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another well-known city with the name. Short form Lex is user friendly.

Lexington

Kimberley is a town in South Africa associated with diamonds and with wealth and luxury in general. It was name for Lord Kimberley, whose surname derived from an English place name. Used for boys in the early twentieth century, it re-emerged as a girls' name in the 1940s, usually spelled Kimberly.

Kimberley

Deriving from the Catalan title for the Virgin Mary, Nostra Senyora de Núria , meaning "Our Lady of Nuria", this distinctive name is a popular choice in Spain and Portugal.
 
Nuria is a Spanish sanctuary which houses a shrine and statue of the Virgin Mary, and in this instance, the name is derived from Basque, likely meaning "place between the valleys", via the word Norra.
 
The name has a more layered history however, as it is also used as an Arabic name as an elaboration of Nur, meaning "light", and might have some Hebrew origins too as a feminization of Nuri or Nuriel, meaning "my fire" and "fire/light of God".

Nuria

Easton is a stylish Waspy-sounding surname that's climbing up the popularity charts. TV actress Elisabeth Rohm named her daughter Easton August Anthony, which seemed like a real gender bender, and now Rachel Leigh Cook has made it the middle name of her baby Charlotte.
Note that Easton is now in the Top 100 for boys--for whom directional names are a real trend-- but we won't be surprised to see more and more little lady Eastons arriving.

Easton

Wilton

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 seventy date palm trees to provide food and shade.

As a name, Elim didn't appear on the US list until 1997 (for girls) and 2000 (for boys). It's now given to a dozen or so babies per year of each sex, making it a great underused, gender neutral choice which fits in well with current baby name trends.

Elim

English place name derived from the Anglo-Norman personal name Hasten or Haesta, made famous by the battle of 1066.

Hastings

This name of a town in Scotland, one of the earliest recorded surnames in the whole British Isles, has more vitality than Kelsey. Distinctive in sound with a cool -o ending and a stylish K initial, it feels part Kayce, Kairo, and Kolson, part Carlisle, Cosmo, and Jago, with just a touch of Marlowe and Casper about it too.
 
Originally known as Calkou, Chalkeugh, or possibly Calchfynydd, the place name likely means "chalk ridge", "chalk spur" or "lime mountain". It is also found on the map in California as the name of a ghost town and appears as a place name in Australia and New Zealand too. 
 
Some will surely associate it with the character of Michael Kelso (usually referred to simply as Kelso), portrayed by Ashton Kutcher on That '70s Show. Others may be reminded however of the tragic and unsolved murder of Kelso Cochrane in the 1950s, whose death both emphasized the racial tensions in London and revealed a desire to unite a community. 
 
Given to around 24 boys in the US and 3 boys in the UK in a recent year, it remains a rare option.

Kelso

Chelsea was last fashionable around the time First Daughter Chelsea Clinton was born, ranking in the Top 25 in the early 1990s.

Chelsey never hit the heights of the original. About 40 baby girls were named Chelsey in the US last year, and about ten times that many called Chelsea.

Chelsey

A lesser-used presidential choice, with a charming, buccaneering sound. Fictional bearers include the Marvel Comics character James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, as well as the heroine of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Daisy Buchanan.

Buchanan

A simple, contemporary looking choice with a variety of origins, Airah may be considered: an elaboration of the word "Air"; a variant of Sanskrit Ayra ( "noble"); a spin on Finnish Airi ("messanger"); a way to spell Welsh Eira ("snow"): and as inspired by the Lithuanian river, the Airė river. 
 
It may feel fresh and on trendy, thanks to Kylie Jenner choosing Aire for her son.

Airah

A city name that sounds more legit than most because of its similarity to Peyton and other such names in circulation. 

Dayton

Journeii is an adventurous spelling of this modern word name, one which does stand out visually thanks to the unusual double -i ending. It saw a spike in popularity in 2023 and 2024 when it was given to 28 and 27 girls respectively, having only been used in very small numbers prior to that. 
 
It could be pronounced as JUR-nee, JUR-nay, or JUR-nay-ee.

Journeii

Mythical wonderland makes strong, evocative first name. 

Atlantis

With a similar cadence to Everly, Delaney, and Avery, Devory is a contemporary choice with several possible origins. On one hand, it could be a twist on the Hebrew name Devorah, giving it the meaning "bee", linking it to the Bible, and making it a possible honor name for a Deborah.
 Alternatively, it could originate from the place name Devore in California, itself derived from the surname of one of its PREVIOUS landowners, John Devore. The surname Devore is a variation of the French De Var or DeVors, meaning "person from Var" or "person from Vors". However, there is also a fabric technique known as Devoré, in which chemicals are used to burn out patterns onto material. The technique takes its name from the French word for "devour" and Devory sounds fairly like an anglicization of such.
 
That still doesn't pin it down, however, because it could also relate to the surnames Devery or Deveraux, which both mean "from the riverbank". 
 
Given to just 19 girls in 2023, Devory makes a rare and unexpected choice - though it may just be a little too close to devouring for some.

Devory

In the Bible, Calvary is the hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. This religious significance, along with a pleasant sound, have led some parents to begin using it as a name for their daughters.

Calvary

The Swiss city of Basel was first Basilia, thought to have been dubbed in honor of the Roman castle of the same name. The castle's name would have derived from Basilius, a Roman personal name from which the name Basil also originated.
 
Basel may be a good choice if you're looking to honor your Swiss heritage. It also has creative cred via the international art fair Art Basel.

Basel

When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West named their daughter Chicago — after West's hometown — we expected it to rise for baby girls. But American parents have taken to Chicago as a boy name. It's been given to more boys than girls every year since 2018.
 
The city's name was derived from the Algonquin word shikaakwa, meaning "wild garlic". Onions, ramps, and garlic once grew in the area. The French transliterated shikaakwa to "Checagou" or "Chicagou", from which we get Chicago today.