American Place Names

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

The a ending gives it a feminine feel.

The Vale of Tempe is an important place in Greek mythology as well as a real place in Greece. The ancient poets wrote of it as the halcyon dwelling of Apollo and the Muses. The modern cities in Arizona and Australia are named for the Greek Tempe, which is pronounced tem-pee.

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.

Common California place-name that could work for a girl.

A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.

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 figure. And as such it's inspired a plethora of place and company names, from the District of Columbia to Columbia University to Columbia Records, and songs like "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." A character called Columbia appears in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Disney surname is derived from the French d'Isigny, referring to someone from the Norman town of Isigny. Isigny may be etymologically related to the Germanic name Iso.

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

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.

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.

Lacks the cachet of some newer place-names.

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.

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.

Mesa is the term for a flat-topped mountain, derived from the Spanish word for "table".

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, but is familiar to everyone. The actual meaning of the state's name, which comes from that of a local tribe, is unknown, but it has often been said to mean "people of the west wind".

Even if you're a loyal alumnus, consider something less ultraupright, like Yale or Cal.

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 masters and lived together in defiance of colonial rule. In the 1570s, they allied with Francis Drake of England to defeat the Spanish conquest.

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 12 baby boys per year in the US, but is familiar to everyone. The actual meaning of the state's name, which comes from that of a local tribe, is unknown, but it has often been said to mean "people of the west wind".