Names That Mean Place

Bryher, a homophone of Briar, is the name of an Isle of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. It was the penname of novelist Annie Winifred Ellerman, who chose the name in honor of the island. Today, Bryher is seen as a girl name in Cornwall, where it is used as a variation of up-and-coming Briar.

The name of a beautiful village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, Veryan actually derives from a series of misunderstandings: Sen Veryan ("Saint Veryan") is a Cornish corruption of Severian, which is itself a corrupted form of the saint’s name Symphorian, to whom the village church at Veryan is dedicated.

Star name that could also be another spelling of Asia or Aja.

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.

A pretty town in Scotland, named for its perfect horseshoe-shaped bay.

This geographical name, which belongs to an English Premier League football club, is popular in soccer-mad Brazil.

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.

This Scottish surname and Scottish and Australian place name has a pleasant airy and breezy sound to it. Camden mayor Lara Symkowiak chose the name for her daughter born in 2016.

This was the old name for ancient Armenia, land of canyons.

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

Most frequently seen as a surname of those with Italian or Spanish heritage. The Italian variation is a habitational surname denoting ancestors from the town of Revello, while the Catalan (sometimes spelled Revelló) derives from revell, meaning "wild olive tree."

A distinguished-sounding place name with a cool, positive "win" sound. The original Winchester was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.

Trivia is considered the first epithet of Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting, fertility, and the moon. The name is derived from the Latin word trivium, meaning "triple way," which refers to the goddess's protection of crossroads. Today, of course, Trivia would likely be interpreted as an English word name referencing obscure facts.

Why has it taken so long for us to discover Italy? The name, that is.

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

We're not too surprised that Shelton Lee changed his name to Spike.

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 Arizona and Australia are named for the Greek Tempe, which is pronounced tem-pee.

Originally the name of a town in northern England, Airton and common variant Ayrton have taken on lives of their own as first names in Portugal and Brazil. This version is closely associated with Brazilian soccer player Airton Ribeiro Santos.

Nazareth, an important place in the New Testament as the hometown of Jesus, is on the rise as a name for both girls and boys. It's one of a handful of Biblical place names, along with Galilee and Jericho, stylish among contemporary Christians.

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 middle.