Rare Place Names for Babies

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.

This Old English name feels as if it could have stepped out of a fantasy novel, but it may be just similar enough to Everett and Elliot that it could work in the real world. Derived from the elements elfitu meaning "swan" and either ēa meaning "stream, river" or ēg meaning "island", it is a nature related option name, given to an area in the city of Durham in England.

Also spelled as Aeaea or Ææa, this is the name of a mythological Greek island, home to the goddess and sorceress Circe. It appears in Homer's The Odyssey, with Odysseus staying there for a year on his way back to Ithaca, after Circe turned his crew into swine.

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris both hail from Galway.

Lomond is one of those names that exists mainly in one place in the world, Scotland, thanks to its famous Loch Lomond (with its bonnie bonnie banks).

The name of the 20th-century-created capital of Brazil has a good measure of Latin rhythm and could make a possible female choice, while Brazil might work for a boy.

If you're looking for a really untouristed place name, Aquitaine could be it. Aquitaine is a region of France that includes both Bordeaux and Biarritz and is famous for such food and drink as its pates and cassoulets, Armagnac brandy and Bordeaux wines.

Corsica, the picturesque Mediterrean island birthplace of Napoleon, makes an easy switch from atlas to baby name book, with its delicate, feminine ending. Just don't consider neighboring island Sardinia.

A geographical name that does the samba...and was also borne by a Celtic saint: a winning combination. Well used in the Creole community.

Alabama is a hot southern place-name, picking up from Georgia and Savannah. This is not a geographical name come lately, though--there have been girls named Alabama dating back well over a century.

The name of an island in the English Channel that might make an attractive first name, but would work better for a boy.

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

Combining the sounds of familiar Ellie with the spark of contemporary Clover, Clovelly has a hint of Everly, Chloe, and Romilly about it too. Currently a very rare choice, and likely to remain so for now.

A name with something for everyone: for romantics, it's a beautiful Indonesian island; for teckies, it's a computer programming language.

An unexplored choice, evocative of the snowcapped Andes, with a pleasant, catchy sound.

In Greek mythology, Zakynthos was a legendary figure who founded a colony on an island in the Ionian sea. The island, still known as Zakynthos today, is now a popular tourist destination thanks to its warm weather, white cliffs, and stunning beaches. To the Venetians who ruled the island between the 15th and 18th century, it was known as the "Flower of Levant". Zakynthos may also be written as Zacynthus, and the island is also called Zante.

One of the more subtle place names, Deimena is the Lithuanian word for the river Deyma, located in the Kaliningrad Oblast. It has seen small but steady use in Lithuania since the 1960s, peaking in 2005 with 12 births.

An unusual place, Lausanne is a hilly city on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Its name comes from the Latin Lausanna, ultimately from a Proto Celtic word meaning "slab" though other sources suggest it could mean "place where one dines".

Sonoma, the name of a beautiful northern California wine-growing region, might inspire some parents. Other California place names beyond Sonoma: Marin, Berkeley, Sierra.

A globetrotting placename — Diani Beach is a popular tourist destination on the Indian Ocean in Kenya. It's similar enough to Dion and Diana to feel namelike, although it is actually very rare in the US.