International Baby Names · Nature, Place and Word Names
American Place Names
Across 12 pages
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Baltimore
Place name, English from Irish
"town of the big house"
With place names extending their range, this is an unmapped possibility, though a bit stiff. Baltimore, Maryland was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore. Baltimore is ultimately…
Bergen
Germanic, Scandinavian
"lives on a hill; mountain"
Norwegian city name, Bergen is a strong, rugged choice, that may feel stylish in that surname-or-city-inspired way of Brogan and Brooklyn, London and Bristol, Bexley and Reagan. Used originally to…
Bergen
Germanic, Scandinavian
"lives on a hill; mountain region"
A Norwegian city name, heard much more often as a last name than a first, Bergen may nevertheless appeal as an alternative to Brogan, Keegan, Summit, or Brooks. Strong and rugged, it was given to 8…
Berkeley
English
"where birches grow"
Despite the strong association with the University of California, Berkeley, the more common version of this name omits the second E, Berkley. Beware if you travel across the pond — Berkeley is…
Bethesda
Hebrew
"house of mercy"
Unlike other place names, this one might be tied too tightly to a single locale -- the Maryland suburb of D. C. -- to work as a first name.
Boise
Boise as a masculine name takes inspiration from the city of Boise, Idaho, which itself derives from the French word "boisé" meaning "wooded." This place name has occasionally been adopted as a…
Bronx
Place name
Rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz put a new baby name on the map when they chose this downscale New York borough name for their son. The Bronx, the place, was named for early Dutch settler Jonas…
Burbank
English
"riverbank where burrs grow"
Beautiful downtown Burbank -- about as glamorous a place-name as Akron...or Detroit.
California
Place name, Spanish from Arabic
"land of Califia, land of the caliph"
Has not caught on as much as other Golden State place-names — Sierra, Marin, West, or even Francisco — probably because of its length. The state of California got its name from the 16th-century…
Carmel
Hebrew
"garden"
Carmel is a biblical place-name that is often used by Catholic parents around the world. It is given in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is the name of a mountain ridge on the Mediterranean near…
Charleston
American place-name
"Charles' town"
Charleston is one of those baby names that may become more popular thanks to its nickname Charlie, now used about equally for boys and girls. If you want to call your daughter Charlie but believe she…
Charleston
American place-name
"Charles' town"
Lovers of the languid South Carolina city might be attracted to this rich-sounding name. Could make an interesting update on Charles -- and can certainly work for a girl too. Actor Joey Lawrence used…
Cheyenne
Sioux
"people of a different language"
This is a great American name that deserves more attention from parents looking for a name that balances a soft sound with a more traditionally masculine cowboy image.
Chicago
American place name, Algonquin
"wild garlic"
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have done it again for their third child: Chosen a name that feels iconic yet strangely inevitable. They named North and Saint's younger sister Chicago, after Kanye's…
Chicago
American place name, Algonquin
"wild garlic"
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…
Cimarron
Spanish, English
"wild, untamed"
Cimarron is a Great Plains city and river name used by Edna Ferber as the title of a popular novel. The Cimarron people of Panama were previously enslaved Africans who had escaped from their Spanish…
Cleveland
English
"hilly land, from the cliff"
A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.
Colorado
Spanish place name
"colored red"
One of the unisex western names that rode in with Dakota and Montana.
Colorado
Spanish place-name
"colored red"
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.
Columbia
Latin
"land of Columbus"
Columbia is a rarely used name with many associations. From the eighteenth century it has been used as a female personification of the United States, often appearing as a flag-draped patriotic…