Rare Place Names for Babies

An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.

Miami -- or Florida, for that matter -- hasn't achieved the place-name stardom of southern sisters like Savannah and Georgia. Quincy Jones used it as his daughter KENYA's middle name.

With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.

An interesting Canadian province and city name that has some literary history as the name of a character in Dickens's Bleak House; could make a distinctive choice for parents with northern roots.

A quirky habitational surname, Kilby is a town in Leicestershire in England. Derived from Old English and Old Norse, it could mean "child's settlement" from the elements cilda and by. Though it is rare as a given name, it has been borne by ice hockey player Kilby MacDonald and by folk musician Kilby Snow.

The Faroese and Icelandic form of the Old Norse Brandr, as well as the name of a small island in Iceland. Namesakes include Faroese footballer Brandur Olsen and singer Brandur Enni.

An interesting and as yet undiscovered place name, Orleans feels similar to the likes of Harlem, Memphis, and Oslo. The English form of the French Orléans, it ultimately derives from the Latin Aurelianum, meaning "gold".

This name's connection to the Caribbean Cayman Islands gives it a nice resortish feel, while still feeling like an in-tune-with-style boy's name.

Colombia is a South American country name, with a rhythmic sound and peaceful connotations. The Irish Colm, Scottish Callum, and Columba are all attractive relatives of Colombia (or Columbia, if you're thinking of the college).

Highly unusual name of a small, tranquil island in the Caribbean; chosen for her daughter by singer Nelly Furtado.

The place name Ethiopia was derived from the Greek word for an Ethiopian, Aithiops, from the components aithō, "I burn" and ōps "face." As a noun, it takes on the meaning of "Burnt-face," which the Greeks used to distinguish between those in Africa and those from the Middle East, who had lighter skin. In adjective form, Aithiops means "red-brown."

Sharing her name with a country, a city, an isthmus, a gulf, a canal, and a hat might be a bit much for a child to handle.

An unusual place name with a sea-inspired meaning, Embrun is a commune in the southeast of France, as well as a town in Ontario, Canada. Sometimes known as the "Nice of the Alpes", Embrun could get its name from an Occitan and French word meaning "seaspray".

South America provides a continent of interesting, undiscovered names -- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and the tango-rhythmed Argentina.

Name of a tiny Bahamian island that's better suited to a girl.

If you're tired of Olivia, you could be the first on your block to introduce this unique sound-related place-name with Latin flair.

Philippine might be taken as an ethnic identification rather than a name in the U.S. Philippa would be more easily understood, though if you don't mind eternally correcting people, Philippine can make an interesting alternative. Pippa can be a short form of Philippine as well as Philippa.

There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.

You may be surprised to learn 73 girls have been named Sweden since the 2000s. Appearing sporadically in the US name stats over the last twenty years, the name derives from the Old Norse Svíar which may come from an even older word meaning "one's own tribe".

Pronounced my-ORK-a, the name of this lovely Balearic Island, located in the Mediterranean, is one of the prettiest and most feminine of place names. The Spanish spelling is MALLORCA.