Nature, Place and Word Names · Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
Unique Place Names for Babies
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About this list
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.
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The names
Tessin
German place name
Tessin is a German surname drawn from several places in or near the Mecklenburg region of northeastern Germany. Rare as a first name, it can work for boys or girls.
Africa
Place name, various meanings
Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for…
Alabama
Place-name; Choctaw
"vegetation gatherers"
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.…
Albany
Scottish place name
A capital place-name possibility.
Amalfi
Italian place-name
This name, from the picturesque town on the Italian Riviera, borrows a bit from Amelia and a bit from Emily.
Amsterdam
Place-name
City name less mellifluous than Paris, London, or even Trenton. It was the name of the character portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio in "Gangs of New York."
Missouri
Native American
"dugout canoe"
Missouri, the name of a tribe, a state and a river, derives from the Illinois word mihsoori meaning "dugout canoe". It became a somewhat popular American girls' name in the mid-19th century. Missouri…
Andorra
European place-name
Andorra is the pretty name of a pocket-sized princedom in the Pyrenees, noted for its skiing.
Atlanta
American place name from Greek
"Atlantic Ocean"
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…
Antarctica
Latin from Greek
"opposite the north"
Ed Sheeran put this continental place name on the map when he used it as the middle name for his daughter Lyra, born in 2020.
Aruba
Caiquetio
"well-situated island"
This Caribbean island and popular travel destination is known for its stunning white sand beaches and bright blue waters. The name Aruba is thought to stem from the word Oruba, meaning "well-situated…
Bali
Place-name and Sanskrit
"strength"
Evokes picture-postcard image of colorful Indonesia. Bali Barret is a Paris fashion insider who oversees women's style for Hermes. Bali rhymes with tally or galley.
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…
Barcelona
Catalan place name
Attractive but somewhat unwieldy place-name name.
Bardou
French place name; Old English name
"ax-wolf"
Bardou is a holiday destination in France, known for its pictureque village nestled in mountains. It is also a region of Guinea. As a name, it is more commonly known from its English derivation,…
Barra
Irish
"fair-headed"
Barra is a Gaelic-speaking island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, that's been inhabited since the Neolithic era. A male nickname for Finbarr in Ireland, as well as a stand-alone name, Barra was used…
Basel
Swiss place name
"king"
The Swiss city of Basel was first Basilia, thought to have been dubbed in honor of the Roman castle of the same name. The castle's name would have derived from Basilius, a Roman personal name from…
Bermuda
Place name
Maybe if you spent your honeymoon there. We did say maybe. Bermuda was used in the 17th century, such as Bermuda Rolfe.
Brandur
Faroese, Icelandic, from Old Norse, "fire, torch, sword"
"fire, torch, sword"
The Faroese and Icelandic form of the Old Norse Brandr, as well as the name of a small island in Iceland. Namesakes include Faroese footballer Brandur Olsen and singer Brandur Enni.
Tessin
German place name
A German surname, Tessin is drawn from several places in or near the Mecklenburg region of northeastern Germany. This rare first name can work for either sex.