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Rare Place Names for Babies

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Tue Oct 24 2023

Rare place names for babies are those that are undiscovered. Some place names, such as Cayman and Nile, can be used for boys, but most of the rare place names work best for baby girls.

Along with Cayman and Oslo, other rare place names for babies include Avalon, Cyprus, Delphi, Marbella, Nairobi, Quebec, Sicily, and Bronx. Rare place names inspired by American states include Alabama, Jersey, Louisiana, and Indiana.

City names for boys in the rare category include Rio, York, and Charleston. Unique city names for girls include Venice and Atlanta. Unusual gender-neutral city names are Havana and Reno.

Here are some choices on (and off) the map, including unique city names, country names, island names, and the names of mythical lands, all of which can be used for babies. The rare place names for babies here are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Place Names for Babies

Unique Names

  1. Odessa

    • Origin:

      Russian form of Odesa, Ukrainian place-name

    • Meaning:

      "voyage"

    • Description:

      Odessa, (transcribed as Odesa in Ukrainian) is a Ukrainian port city and was given its name by Catherine the Great, who was inspired by Homer's Odyssey. It would make an original and intriguing choice.
  2. Rio

    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "river; place of the cherry blossoms"

    • Description:

      Rio is a reductive ranchero place-name with an attractive Tex-Mex lilt. No Doubt's Tom Dumont has a son named Rio Atticus.
  3. Avalon

    • Origin:

      Celtic

    • Meaning:

      "island of apples"

    • Description:

      Avalon, an island paradise of Celtic myth and Arthurian legend--it was where King Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds-- and also the colorful capital of the California island of Catalina-- makes a heavenly first name. Actress Rena Sofer and British musician Julian Cope used it for their daughters.
  4. Everest

    • Origin:

      Place-name, world's tallest mountain

    • Meaning:

      "from Évreux"

    • Description:

      This twist on the popular Everett takes it to lofty heights and gives it a geographical and nature-inspired link. The snow-capped Everest could make a name that stands out without feeling too out there, and it may be seen more often in the classroom (that is, outside of the textbooks) in coming years.
  5. Kenai

    • Origin:

      Native American place name

    • Meaning:

      "flat lands"

    • Description:

      The name of the protagonist of Disney’s Brother Bear also has a geographical connection: the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.
  6. Olympia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "from Mount Olympus"

    • Description:

      With its relation to Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, and to the Olympic games, this name has an athletic, goddess-like aura, making it the perfect Olivia substitute.
  7. Oslo

    • Origin:

      Norwegian place name, Old Norse

    • Meaning:

      "meadow at the foot of a hill"

    • Description:

      Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto and leads to cool nickname Ozzie. One Berry has already used it and we predict others will follow; in fact, stats suggest it is used eight times more often than it was a decade ago.
  8. Valencia

    • Origin:

      Spanish

    • Meaning:

      "brave, strong"

    • Description:

      This lovely orange-scented Spanish place-name would make an inventive namesake for an Aunt Valerie.
  9. Delphi

    • Origin:

      Greek place name

    • Meaning:

      "of Delphi; womb"

    • Description:

      An interesting unisex possibility, with an air of mystery connected to the Delphic Oracle, the most important oracle in ancient Greece; it was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo.
  10. Nile

    • Origin:

      River name, color name, or variation of Niall, Irish

    • Meaning:

      "champion"

    • Description:

      Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue or indigo.
  11. Abilene

    • Origin:

      English from Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "grass"

    • Description:

      Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.
  12. Indiana

    • Origin:

      American place-name

    • Meaning:

      "land of the Indians"

    • Description:

      Indiana is one of those place-names (think Camden and Trenton) that sounds cooler than the place that inspired it. Its fashionable -ana ending certainly sounds eminently name-like, and Indie/Indy/Indi is one of the hottest nickname names for girls right now.
  13. Cyprus

    • Origin:

      Latin from Greek

    • Meaning:

      "cypress tree; copper"

    • Description:

      This Mediterranean island name would be a plausible choice for parents with a Greek or Turkish heritage.
  14. Lourdes

    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, from French, meaning unknown

    • Description:

      This name of the French town where a young peasant girl had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1858 vaulted into the spotlight when Madonna chose it for her daughter, but few other families except for devout Roman Catholics have followed her lead (any more than they've used Rocco for their sons).
  15. Roma

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      Never as popular as Florence; today's parents might prefer Venezia, Verona, or Romy. It is also a Hindu name meaning "one with shiny hair" and is another name for the goddess Lakshmi.

  16. Venice

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby girl's birth certificate.
  17. Jersey

    • Origin:

      English place name, Old Norse

    • Meaning:

      "Geirr's island"

    • Description:

      An established place name, associated with a sunny island in the English Channel, the Garden State in the US, knitted pullovers, reality TV, and a Broadway musical. It peaked in the late 2000s and though it is now in decline, 130 girls and nearly 50 boys received the name in 2023.

      -ey meaning "island". Alternative theories suggest it comes from jarl ,meaning "earl" or hjǫr meaning "sword".
  18. Verona

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      Verona is a scenic place-name with the added attraction of a Shakespearean connection, as in Two Gentlemen of....
  19. Palma

    • Origin:

      Latin place-name, Spanish, Italian, Croatian

    • Meaning:

      "palm"

    • Description:

      Palma is an appealing Latin name that's both geographical and botanical, referring to the sunny and culturally rich capital of Majorca and to the foliage of a palm tree. As the word for "palm" in Spanish, Italian, and Croatian, it is occasionally given to girls born on Palm Sunday, and with its similarity to the likes of Alma, Thelma, Velma, and Wilma, it appeared in the US Top 1000 in the early 20th century.
  20. Caledonia

    • Origin:

      Latin place-name for Scotland

    • Meaning:

      "hard or rocky land"

    • Description:

      Caledonia is a rhythmic and alluring place name used by singer Shawn Colvin for her daughter. It would make an interesting and apt choice for a girl with Scottish ancestry.