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".

Brittany is firmly a mom name today, but Britain could easily be her daughter. The Britton spelling variation is more common for both genders.

Idalah is a town in Zebulon that makes a distinctive first name for a modern girl. Where the boys get most of the ancient yet unusual Biblical names, Idalah is one for the girls' side.

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.

Bardou is a holiday destination in France, known for its pictureque village nestled in mountains. It is also a region of Guinea. As a name, it is more commonly known from its English derivation, meaning axe-wielding wolf.

Visitors to Hawaii's Garden Isle may want to commemorate the island's beauty with this place-name.

Less-traveled member of this fashionable group, with less than attractive sound.

A city name that sounds more legit than most because of its similarity to Peyton and other such names in circulation.

Tiree is the anglicised name of the Scottish island of Tiriodh in the Inner Hebrides. It’s known as Scotland’s "sunshine isle", benefiting from an uncharacteristically warm and sunny climate and beautiful beaches which are popular with surfers and windsurfers. As a given name, Tiree is in rare but regular use in Scotland, England and Wales.

Juliet sound-alike Joliet actually derives from the name Jolie, and was historically a term of endearment, later a surname. It's an attractive alternative to Juliet names and could work to honor a Joe or Joseph in your life.

American place and tribe name, derived via French from the Dakota word ayúxba "sleepy ones".

Itziar is the name of a Basque village, notable for its shrine to the Virgin Mary, inside its 8th century temple, The sanctuary of Santa María de Itziar. The name possibly translates to "ancient rock" or "old stone" and is fairly well-used in Spain, ranking in the Top 200 names for girls in the 2010s.

Pronounced Bah-hah, this name of the Mexican peninsula attached to California makes for an out-of-the-ordinary possibility.

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".

Iceland is a futuristic place name that works as well for babies as Ireland. We predict it's going to be one of the top baby names of 2050, along with other girl names that end in land, such as Scotland, Graceland, and Zealand.

Adana is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. In Turkish, it refers to a major city in southern Turkey, giving the name geographical significance. In Hebrew, it can mean 'earth' or 'soil,' connecting it to themes of groundedness and nature. The name also appears in African naming traditions, where it may mean 'her father' in Igbo or have connections to other regional meanings. Adana has a melodic quality with its alternating vowels and soft consonants. While not among the most common girls' names in Western countries, it appeals to parents seeking a name that's distinctive yet easy to pronounce, with rich cultural connections and a feminine sound without being frilly.

Attractive but somewhat unwieldy place-name name.

Ravello is an Italian town on the Amalfi Coast. It's a popular travel destination and was a favorite spot for many notable creatives, including Virginia Woolf, Greta Garbo, and Tennessee Williams.

If you live in the city, you might call your urban baby Urbana; if you live in the suburbs--don't even think of Surbana.

With so many other places translating to first names, why not this major Japanese city -- especially if it holds some personal significance.