Place Names for Babies

The name of the capital city of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, which is thought to come from a Kansa word meaning "good place to grow potatoes".

More unusual than Dakota or Austin, Colorado conjures images of majestic mountains and windswept wilderness. Some will prefer the more preppy Aspen, but Colorado feels like the true explorer.

Unlikely to take over Kenya's spot as the dominant African place-name.

Austria is an nteresting, appealing, unexplored geographic destination, much fresher than American cousin Austin.

Written as Genève, it's the authentic name of Switzerland's capital. The English version, Geneva, is more common as a baby name in the US.

Lacks the cachet of some newer place-names.

A pleasant and adaptable place name for a part of Tel Aviv.

There are more charming places -- and place-names -- for your child.

Closely tied to the widow of John Lennon.

A new crop of gender-neutral English place names have suddenly become trendy — those ending in -ton. Multi-syllabic but not dramatic, these names are rising quickly for girls and boys. Think Charleston, Lexington, and Kensington. Livingston isn't as hot as some of the others, but its time will soon come. For a girl, Livingston boasts the nickname Liv.

A phonetically attractive place-name that can be used for babies but rarely is.

Similar in sound to Meredith, this could be an interesting choice for parents looking for a unique name. Merri is an obvious and appealing nickname.

Nebra is the name of a town in Germany, notable for the Nebra Sky Disc, a Bronze Aged disc inlaid with gold symbols of the sun, the moon and stars, significant in revealing the astronomical knowledge of the period.

The familiar Irish city and bay is one place-name that seems distinctly masculine.

Jena is a succinct name with a number of different roots, making it a versatile choice. On one hand, it might be used as a diminutive for the 70s favorite Jennifer, a name of Cornish origin that was hugely popular in a number of countries in the latter half of the 20th century. Jena might feel sleeker and more contemporary to some than the long form.

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

A German surname, Tessin is drawn from several places in or near the Mecklenburg region of northeastern Germany. This rare first name can work for either sex.

Missouri, the name of a tribe, a state and a river, derives from the Illinois word mihsoori meaning "dugout canoe". It became a somewhat popular American girls' name in the mid-19th century.

Valletta is the capital city of Malta. It takes on an air of attractiveness via model Amber Valletta and could make an appealing alternative to the somewhat dated Valerie.