American Place Names

  1. Ellerbe
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "Aelfweard's land or farmstead; settlement of the elf guardian"
    • Description:

      The name of a town in North Carolina, Ellerbe is derived from the Old English surname Elwordebi, meaning "Aelfweard's farmstead". Contracted and altered overtime, it appears in various forms, including Elleby, Ellerby, Elerbie, and more.
  2. Ellerbe
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "Aelfweard's land or farmstead; settlement of the elf guardian"
    • Description:

      The name of a town in North Carolina, Ellerbe is derived from the Old English surname Elwordebi, meaning "Aelfweard's farmstead". Contracted and altered overtime, it appears in various forms, including Elleby, Ellerby, Elerbie, and more.
  3. Williamsburg
    • Origin:

      English place name
    • Meaning:

      "William's town"
    • Description:

      An unlikely place name today, but one that was found among enslaved people in the 1800s.
  4. Zuma
    • Origin:

      American place-name and Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "peace"
    • Description:

      Zuma is a name that can appeal to almost anyone — just pick your association! There's former South African president Jacob Zuma, the Malibu beach, video game, and more. Children will associate it with the male Paw Patrol character — which may explain why Zuma is becoming more popular among dogs.
  5. Lancaster
    • Origin:

      English place-name
    • Description:

      British place-name unlikely to evoke much passion in any baby namer.
  6. Maui
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian, Polynesian mythology
    • Description:

      The name of the second-biggest (and third-most populous) island in Hawaii was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017. A major factor was surely Dwayne Johnson's character in Moana, the Polynesian demigod named Maui, a mythological trickster who slowed the sun to create the days. (It fell back to normal levels in the following years.)
  7. Orleans
    • Origin:

      English, French, place name
    • Meaning:

      "gold"
    • Description:

      An interesting and as yet undiscovered place name, Orleans feels similar to the likes of Harlem, Memphis, and Oslo. The English form of the French Orléans, it ultimately derives from the Latin Aurelianum, meaning "gold".
  8. Detroit
    • Origin:

      Place name
    • Description:

      Detroit, the name of the down-on-its-heels Michigan city, has a so-far-out-it's-gotta-be-cool quality. A handful of boys were named Detroit last year, and if you have ties to the Motor City -- familial or musical -- you may want to consider it, especially as a middle name.
  9. Miami
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

      Miami -- or Florida, for that matter -- hasn't achieved the place-name stardom of southern sisters like Savannah and Georgia. Quincy Jones used it as his daughter KENYA's middle name.
  10. Chicago
    • Origin:

      American place name, Algonquin
    • Meaning:

      "wild garlic"
    • Description:

      When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West named their daughter Chicago — after West's hometown — we expected it to rise for baby girls. But American parents have taken to Chicago as a boy name. It's been given to more boys than girls every year since 2018.
  11. Maryland
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "Mary's land"
    • Description:

      A fun, unexpected way to honor your home state or a Mary in your life. As geographical girl names such as Ireland, Scotland, and Oakland slowly rise up the charts, Maryland could be a future favorite.
  12. Graceland
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "land of grace"
    • Description:

      More distinctive than Grace and more creative than Presley, Graceland is a contemporary name that could catch on with parents searching for a unique honorific.
  13. Nashville
    • Origin:

      Place name
    • Description:

      The state capital of Tennessee — and the capital of country music — has seen some use for boys in recent years, now that more parents are daring to use meaningful place names. While not as popular as Memphis, Nashville has a cool, laid-back charm... and has the option of Nash as a nickname.
  14. Topeka
    • Origin:

      Place name from Kansa
    • Meaning:

      "place of potatoes"
    • Description:

      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".
  15. Hartford
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "deer ford"
    • Description:

      Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder put this place name on the map when she used it for her daughter Hartford Charlie Rose.
  16. Fargo
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

      This name of the North Dakota city has been used for at least one female (we know, because she wrote to us) but it doesn't meet the Social Security's five-baby threshold to ever make it onto the official records for either sex. But it certainly can work as a first name as well as or even better than many place-names. After all, it rhymes with Margo!
  17. Joplin
    • Origin:

      English surname
    • Meaning:

      "son of Job"
    • Description:

      Used as a first name for a handful of girls every year, Joplin could be seen as a distant cousin of other -lin names, like Caitlin, Brooklyn and Braelynn. We think it works even better as a musical middle name possibility for fans of Janis... or Scott. Both great connections — albeit very different from one another.

  18. Daytona
    • Origin:

      English place name
    • Meaning:

      "Day's town"
    • Description:

      Daytona Beach is a city in Florida named after founder Matthias Day in 1870. It is well-known as the home of NASCAR's Daytona International Speedway, the racetrack which hosts the Daytona 500.
  19. Wyoming
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

      A possibility for your li'l cowgirl.
  20. Missouri
    • Origin:

      Native American
    • Meaning:

      "Dugout canoe"
    • Description:

      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.

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