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American Place Names

  1. Mojave

    • Origin:

      Native American tribal and place-name

    • Description:

      Resonant place-name of the beautiful Southern California desert.
  2. Abilene

    • Origin:

      English from Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "grass"

    • Description:

      New Testament, Texas, and Kansas place-name more fitting for a girl.
  3. Tulsa

    • Origin:

      Creek

    • Meaning:

      "old town"

    • Description:

      Unlike many other western city names, Tulsa has not proved attractive to parents. The name derives from Tallasi, meaning "old town" in the Creek language.
  4. Reno

    • Origin:

      Place-name

    • Description:

      Has a lively and swaggering sound, and also some unfortunate associations with Reno, city of gambling and failed marriages.
  5. Sequoia

    • Description:

      Sequoia is a masculine name derived from the name of the massive redwood trees native to California, which were themselves named after Sequoyah (c.1770-1843), the Cherokee silversmith who created a syllabary for the Cherokee language. As a given name, Sequoia evokes qualities of strength, longevity, and natural majesty—sequoia trees are among the largest and longest-living organisms on Earth. This name has gained modest popularity in the United States since the late 20th century as part of the trend toward nature-inspired names. While still uncommon, Sequoia appeals to parents seeking a distinctive name with Native American connections and powerful natural symbolism. Though listed here as masculine, it's worth noting that Sequoia is used for children of all genders.

  6. Dover

    • Origin:

      British place-name

    • Description:

      Two-syllable place-names are stylish, and this one is attached to a British city noted for its white chalk cliffs, but there are a couple of minuses: associated with the fish, Dover sole, and also rhymes with the doggy Rover.
  7. Berkeley

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "where birches grow"

    • Description:

      Despite the strong association with the University of California, Berkeley, the more common version of this name omits the second E, Berkley.
  8. Aberdeen

    • Origin:

      Scottish place-name

    • Description:

      This undiscovered Scottish port city name has a nice, upbeat feel and lots of good nickname possibilities.
  9. Alabama

    • Origin:

      Place-name; Choctaw

    • Meaning:

      "vegetation gatherers"

    • Description:

      Alabama is a hot southern place-name, picking up from Georgia and Savannah. This is not a geographical name come lately, though--there have been girls named Alabama dating back well over a century.
  10. Athens

    • Origin:

      Greek place name

    • Description:

      Athens is one of the newer place names, used for both baby boys and girls. The Greek city got its name from Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage.
  11. 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.)
  12. Lansing

    • Origin:

      Dutch and English surname

    • Meaning:

      "son of Lans; family of Wlanc"

    • Description:

      Lansing is perhaps best known as the state capital of Michigan, which was named after the town of Lansing, New York. The original Lansing was named in honor of John Lansing Jr., a Chancellor of New York and mayor of Albany. He was of Dutch parentage.
  13. Shenandoah

    • Origin:

      Native American place-name

    • Description:

      While some sources assign the place-name the romantic meaning "beautiful daughter of the stars," the Virginia region itself says the name is of uncertain Native American origin with many possible but no definitive meaning. No matter: Shenandoah is a lovely name that's rare but usable.
  14. Texas

    • Origin:

      Place-name

    • Description:

      After Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the new cowboy on the block. Old-school Western nickname: Tex.
  15. Tahoe

    • Origin:

      Native American

    • Meaning:

      "edge of the lake"

    • Description:

      A unique natural-wonder option, conjuring up the beauty of the lake between California and Nevada that has become a popular tourist destination.
  16. Prescott

    • Origin:

      English surname

    • Meaning:

      "priest's cottage"

    • Description:

      Preppy P surname, and a potential way to honor a Scott.
  17. 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.
  18. Venice

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby girl's birth certificate.
  19. Chicago

    • Origin:

      American place name, Algonquin

    • Meaning:

      "wild garlic"

    • Description:

      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 hometown. The name Chicago derives from a Native American word for "wild garlic," which once grew plentifully in the Illinois city, the third most populous in the US.
  20. Nolita

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "unwilling"

    • Description:

      A saucy Latin name that also defines a trendy New York area north of Little Italy.