Unique Place Names for Babies
Updated Wed May 21 2025
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Unique place names are a hot category right now, following up on more popular place names for babies such as Savannah, Brooklyn, and Austin, all making the Top 100. But if you look a bit further down the map, you’ll find plenty of unique place names being used as baby names.
Certain unique place names — including Chicago, Essex, and Morocco — have been familiarized by their use on celebrity babies but haven’t caught on with the general public. You may be interested in a unique place name that bears resemblance to a currently fashionable name, such as Bolivia, Salish, Gwenonwy, or Kitts.
Or you could choose a place name for your baby that is virtually unused, including Amalfi, Madrid, Ravello, and Ottowa. These unique place names were given to 25 or fewer babies last year, meaning your child is practically guaranteed to be the only Quebec or Clovelly in their Kindergarten class.
Consult our complete collection of rare and uncommon place names for babies below, ranked according to their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Delphi
Origin:
Greek place nameMeaning:
"of Delphi; womb"Description:
An interesting unisex possibility, with an air of mystery connected to the Delphic Oracle, the most important oracle in ancient Greece; it was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo.
- Deia
Origin:
Place name; LatinMeaning:
"joy; goddess"Description:
Sam Branson (son of businessman Sir Richard Branson) and his wife put this pretty place name on the baby name map when they called their daughter Eva-Deia in 2015. Their inspiration was the beautiful bohemian village of Deià in Mallorca, where the Branson family has a luxury residence.
- Salish
Origin:
Place name, English form of Séliš, SalishanMeaning:
"Salish people"Description:
The Salishan are ingenious people from the Pacific North West, made up of four major groups who speak one of 23 Salishan languages. The name "Salish" is an anglicization of Séliš, the local name of the Salish Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana. They are known for their weaving and work with red cedar wood.
- Fraser
Origin:
Scottish from FrenchMeaning:
"strawberry"Description:
Though TV's "Frasier" made the name famous, and Frazier is a well-used variation, Fraser is the original, used mostly in Scotland.
- Sosa
Origin:
Spanish, PortugueseMeaning:
"salty water; rocky, pebbly"Description:
Sweet, spirited, and unexpected as a given name, reality TV star Lala Kent brought Sosa into the spotlight when she chose it for her daughter in 2024. A Spanish name deriving from the Portuguese surname Sousa, Sosa is a unique choice that still fits in with the likes of Luna, Rosa, Nova, and Luz.
- Illyria
Origin:
Ancient place-name, feminine variation of Illyrius, GreekDescription:
Illyria can trace all its varied associations to the name of an ancient place in the western part of the Balkan peninsula, also called Illyricum. Its inhabitants, conquered by the Romans in 168 BC, were called the Illyrians. Its mythological ancestor was Illyrius, a demigod and son of King Cadmus and the goddess Harmonia.
- Zuma
Origin:
American place-name and ArabicMeaning:
"peace"Description:
Zuma was entered in the American name lexicon when musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale chose it for their son. Californians will recognize Zuma as the name of a beautiful beach in Malibu, and it's also the surname of a South African president. With the lovely meaning of peace and its place-name associations, Zuma is one of those American names that literally sprang from the earth.
- Inca
Origin:
German, Finnish, Serbian, Spanish, AzerbaijaniMeaning:
"ancestor; emperor; slender, thin, soft"Description:
More familiar as the name of an ancient empire from South America, when used as a given name, Inca can have a variety of different origins. While it is more likely to be spelled as Inka (or İncə) as a first name, Inca has seen usage around the world.
- Pomona
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"apple"Description:
This name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees is also associated with a suburban town in Southern California.
- Indus
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
From the name of the river which flows through Pakistan, India, and Tibet.
- Chicago
Origin:
American place name, AlgonquinMeaning:
"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.
- Gaya
Origin:
Hindu, Hebrew, GreekDescription:
A multi-cultural name that feels on trend with sister names Maya and Kaya, if you overlook that first syllable. Gaya is both a city in India and an island in Malaysia.
- Andorra
Origin:
European place-nameDescription:
Andorra is the pretty name of a pocket-sized princedom in the Pyrenees, noted for its skiing.
- Shiraz
Origin:
Place name, PersianMeaning:
"lion"Description:
The name of a populous city in Iran and a type of wine made from Syrah grapes, Shiraz is most notably used in Pakistan, Sudan, and Sri Lanka. While the exact meaning of the name is unknown, one possibility is that it comes from the Persian shir meaning "lion".
- Umbria
Origin:
Italian place name, from the Umbri, one of the chief tribes settling the Italian nationDescription:
Umbria is a lovely, virtually unused Italian name for girls, reflecting the beautiful rolling hills of the area's countryside. And since it's right next door to Tuscany, in which Siena resides, maybe Umbria could be a follow-up to the popular Siena-Sienna.
- Paros
Origin:
Greek, place-nameDescription:
A Greek island and popular summer destination, Paros received its name after Parus, a son of the Arcadian king Parrhasius.
- Zennor
Origin:
Cornish place and saint's nameDescription:
This Cornish place name is possibly named after a female saint, Senara. However, it can work just as well on a boy and would make a very interesting choice for those of Cornish descent or who love Cornwall.
- Seville
Origin:
Spanish from PhoenicianMeaning:
"plain, valley"Description:
A rare and evocative place name for a girl. Seville is the capital of Andalusia, an autonomous community in Spain. The Spanish name, Sevilla, derived from the Phoenician word sefela, meaning "plain" or "valley."
- Brisbane
Origin:
Scottish surname and Australian place nameMeaning:
"break bone"Description:
Influencer couple Rachel and Jordan Flom put Brisbane on the baby name map when they used it for one of their triplet sons, born in 2024. Australian place names — from Adelaide to Sydney to Victoria — have long been favorites among parents, but Brisbane has a more modern, gender-neutral appeal.
- Sanibel
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"Santa Isybella"Description:
An island off the coast of Florida makes an intriguing name choice. Sanibel was originally named Santa Isybella, after Queen Isabella of Castille, and was later shortened to San Ybel and eventually Sanibel. Would make a unique alternative to Annabel or Isabel.
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