Rare Place Names for Babies

Rio

Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

"river; place of the cherry blossoms"

Rio is a reductive ranchero place-name with an attractive Tex-Mex lilt. No Doubt's Tom Dumont has a son named Rio Atticus. Also a South American place name, and associated with the Rio Grande, it's…

Kenai

Native American place name

"flat lands"

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. With boy names like Kai and Levi at the top of…

Everest

Place-name, world's tallest mountain

"from Évreux"

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…

Aragon

Spanish place name

Equally strong, dramatic and romantic, this name of an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and a modern Spanish community as well, would give a boy an instant pedigree.

Brandur

Faroese, Icelandic, from Old Norse,  "fire, torch, sword"

"fire, torch, sword"

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.

Lomond

Scottish place name

"elm or blaze"

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). Lomond ranks among the Top 1000 baby names for…

Kodiak

Alutiiq, Native American

"island"

It's a bear, it's an island, it's (almost) a camera. It's starting to catch some parents' eyes as a wild, adventurous name. The largest proportion of boys named Kodiak is in Washington State.

Basel

Swiss place name

"king"

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…

Alamo

Place-name, Spanish

"poplar tree"

The unique O-ending makes this name memorable, especially for someone with ties to Texas.