Place Names for Babies

  1. Marin
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "of the sea"
    • Description:

      Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, and a lovely baby name on the rise, one which sounds more refreshing than the more familiar Marina.
  2. Jackson
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "son of Jack"
    • Description:

      Jackson is one of those names that's much more popular than you think, coming in near the top of our annual Playground Analysis, which ranks names by grouping all their spellings together. Last year, more than 13,000 baby boys were named Jackson -- along Jaxon, Jaxson, Jaxxon, Jaxen, Jaxyn, Jaxsen, and Jaxsyn -- which counted together makes it the Number 5 boys' name.
  3. Sydney
    • Origin:

      Variation of Sidney, English from French
    • Meaning:

      "Saint Denis"
    • Description:

      Sydney was a hot girls' name in the 1990s, but she's arguably still cool. One of the original old man names adopted for baby girls, Sydney's popularity may be down but she's not out.
  4. Solomon
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "peace"
    • Description:

      Solomon, a name that evokes wisdom and peace, is an Old Testament name that, along with other patriarchal classics, is finally beginning to shed its long white beard and step from the pages of the Old Testament into modern nurseries.
  5. Lorraine
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "from the province of Lorraine"
    • Description:

      Sweet Lorraine might just be old enough to be ripe for reconsideration. This French place name has moved in and out of fashion in the few hundred years it's been used as a girls' first name, somewhat influenced by the alternative name of Joan of Arc--Saint Joan of Lorraine. It was quite popular from the 1920s to the fifties, but has pretty much been in limbo since then.
  6. Lincoln
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "town by the pool"
    • Description:

      Lincoln cracked the Top 50 for boys' names for the first time in 2016, more than 150 years after the death of its most famous bearer. This is especially remarkable because, as crazy as it seems now, Lincoln was deeply out of fashion as recently as the late 90s, consistently hovering near the bottom of the Top 1000.
  7. Skye
    • Origin:

      Scottish place-name
    • Description:

      The e-addition takes the name from slightly hippie-ish nature name to the place name of a picturesque island off the coast of Scotland, and for baby namers it's by far the more popular spelling.
  8. Aspen
    • Origin:

      Nature and place-name
    • Meaning:

      "a poplar tree that quakes in the breeze"
    • Description:

      Aspen is part of two groups of stylish and unique baby names: nature names and place-names. The name of a graceful tree in the poplar family with heart-shaped leaves so delicate they quiver in the gentlest breeze, Aspen is also the name of a trendy Colorado ski resort. Aspen started as a unisex name possibility but now is much more frequently worn by girls.
  9. Eugene
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "wellborn, noble"
    • Description:

      Eugene is a classic that has rather lost its way. On the one hand, it's a grandpa, even great-grandpa name that hasn't been one of the cool kids recently—or to quote Jim Carrey, who bears this name in the middle spot, "You can never get too cool with a name like Eugene." The hero of Disney's Tangled felt the same way, when he changed his birth name of Eugene to the more romantic Flynn.
  10. Chelsea
    • Origin:

      Place name, English
    • Meaning:

      "landing place for chalk or limestone"
    • Description:

      Chelsea is still being used, with about 400 baby girls named Chelsea in the US last year. But it was much more popular a few decades ago, peaking at Number 15 in 1992.
  11. Montgomery
    • Origin:

      Norman
    • Meaning:

      "man power"
    • Description:

      This image of this distinguished Anglo-Scottish surname, drawn from the French place name of the ancient castle of Saint Foi de Montgomery, is rapidly shifting from fusty and formal to cool. And dashing short form Monty (or Monte) nudges it to cute.
  12. Victoria
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "victory"
    • Description:

      Victoria is the Latin word for "victory" and a feminine form of Victor. It is the name of the ancient Roman goddess of victory, the equivalent of the Greek Nike, and also a popular third century saint.
  13. Phoenix
    • Origin:

      Arizona place name and Greek
    • Meaning:

      "dark red"
    • Description:

      Phoenix is a New Age name symbolizing rebirth and immortality. It's also a place name, a color name, a mythological name, AND an animal name, combining several of today's hottest trends in one appealing package.
  14. Orlando
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Roland
    • Meaning:

      "famous throughout the land"
    • Description:

      Orlando, the ornate Italianate twist on the dated Roland, with a literary heritage stretching back to Shakespeare and before, has appealing book-ended o's, and is open to combination with almost any last name, a la British actor, Orlando Bloom.
  15. Jordan
    • Origin:

      English from Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "flowing down"
    • Description:

      Jordan became one of the top unisex baby names in the heyday of basketball's Michael Jordan, and is still among the most popular unisex names starting with J. The name was originally given to those baptized in holy water brought back by Crusaders from the River Jordan, the only river in Palestine, and the one in which Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.
  16. Catalina
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Catherine
    • Meaning:

      "pure"
    • Description:

      This name of a touristed island in sight of Los Angeles makes an attractive and newly stylish variation on the classic Catherine or overused Caitlin.
  17. Holland
    • Origin:

      Dutch place name
    • Meaning:

      "wooded land"
    • Description:

      Holland is one of the coolest geographical names, unadorned and elegant, evocative of fine Rembrandt portraits and fields of pink and yellow tulips. It first entered the US Top 1000 for girls in 2014, but fell out of the Top 1000 for boys a century earlier.
  18. Alba
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "white"
    • Description:

      Alba is quietly making a behind-the-scenes comeback, perhaps thanks to actress turned baby-product mogul Jessica Alba. Last on the Top 1000 a century ago, the name was given to nearly 200 baby girls in the US last year. Alba might be tomorrow's successor to Ava and Ella. In Spain, Alba ranks among the Top 20 girls' names. Alba is the name of a character in The Time Traveler's Wife.
  19. Petra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "rock, stone"
    • Description:

      A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century.
  20. Nola
    • Origin:

      Gaelic
    • Meaning:

      "white shoulder"
    • Description:

      Nola, a name with a sleek, enigmatic quality, was used for the much-pursued heroine of Spike Lee's 1986 breakout film, She's Gotta Have It, and again by Woody Allen in Match Point. It's a short form of the traditional Irish name Fionnuala. Nola reentered the US Top 1000 in 2008, for the first time in 50 years.

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