American Place Names
- Taos
Origin:
American place-nameDescription:
This beautiful New Mexican pueblo locale has long attracted artists and skiers, and now may attract some baby namers as well.
- Tahoe
Origin:
Native AmericanMeaning:
"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.
- Bethesda
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"house of mercy"Description:
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.
- Lansing
Origin:
Dutch and English surnameMeaning:
"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.
- Lexington
Origin:
English place nameDescription:
Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another well-known city with the name. Short form Lex is user friendly.
- Rochester
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"stone camp or fortress"Description:
Rochester was Jack Benny's famous valet and sidekick, played by early African-American comic Eddie Anderson.
- Aberdeen
Origin:
Scottish place-nameDescription:
Amiable, undiscovered geographic option.
- Yosemite
Origin:
Native American tribal nameMeaning:
"those who kill"Description:
The evocative name of one of our most beautiful national parks -- yes, but also the bombastic cartoon character, Yosemite Sam.
- Malibu
Origin:
Ventureño Chumash, Native AmericanMeaning:
"the surf sounds loudly"Description:
Malibu, the name of a California beach city, evokes sunshine, surfing, and glamour. With its fashionable "oo" sound — as seen in names like Luna and Ruby — Malibu is an unexplored place name worth considering.
- Vermont
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"green mountain"Description:
Place-name waiting to be discovered.
- Durango
Origin:
Spanish place-nameDescription:
The name of cities in Mexico and Colorado, Durango is a pleasant, fresh option from the atlas.
- Nevada
Origin:
Spanish place-nameMeaning:
"covered in snow"Description:
Named for its snowcapped mountains, Nevada is a state name which, unlike Carolina, Montana, and Dakota, has been relatively undiscovered. Warning: today's unvisited place-name could become tomorrow's trampled tourist attraction.
- Roswell
- Vegas
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"meadows"Description:
One of the major American city names that's very unlikely to catch on as a baby name, although a small number of children are given the name each year.
- Atlanta
Origin:
Place nameMeaning:
"Atlantic Ocean"Description:
The capital of Georgia is far from the ocean, but got its name from the Western and Atlantic Railroad which ran through the city. Best known as a hub of industry and transport, and for its roles in the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it has never been popular as a baby name despite sounding like one. Its peak popularity was in 1995, the year before Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.
- Mojave
Origin:
Native American tribal and place-nameDescription:
Resonant place-name of the beautiful Southern California desert.
- Nolita
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"unwilling"Description:
A saucy Latin name that also defines a trendy New York area north of Little Italy.
- Utah
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
This would make a startling but likable choice; poet Dylan Thomas used it for a character in his play "Under Milk Wood."
- Alameda
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"cottonwood grove"Description:
Common California place-name that could work for a girl.
- Charleston
Description:
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 needs a more formal name, you might try Charleston instead of Charlotte. And Charleston is a lovely city in South Carolina.