Nature, Place and Word Names · Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
Unique Place Names for Babies
Across 9 pages
of 9
Sosa
Spanish, Portuguese
"salty water; rocky, pebbly"
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…
Verlaine
French and Belgium place and surname
Originally used as a surname for someone from Verlaine in the Liege province of Belgium, its use as a given name was inspired by the 19th century French poet, Paul Verlaine. Predominantly used as a…
Gwynedd
Welsh, place name
"Irish people, band of warriors; white, fair, blessed"
Back in the 5th century, Gwynedd was a kingdom in northern Wales, though in modern times, it is both an unusual, unisex name and a Welsh county. For girls, it is more familiar in its modern form,…
Olallie
Place name, Chinook
"berry"
The name of a state park in Washington known for its waterfalls, and the name of a lake in Oregon too, Olallie is a Chinook word meaning "berry". There is also a berry that was released in the 1950s…
Kilby
English Place name and surname
"children's settlement"
A quirky habitational surname, Kilby is a town in Leicestershire in England. Derived from Old English and Old Norse, it could mean "child's settlement" from the elements cilda and by . Though it is…
Lausanne
Place name, Latin
"slab"
An unusual place, Lausanne is a hilly city on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Its name comes from the Latin Lausanna, ultimately from a Proto Celtic word meaning "slab" though other sources…
Nebra
German place name, Spanish short form or surname
"from Nebra; white shadow; fog"
Nebra is the name of a town in Germany, notable for the Nebra Sky Disc, a Bronze Aged disc inlaid with gold symbols of the sun, the moon and stars, significant in revealing the astronomical knowledge…
Amol
Indian, Sanskrit, Marathi, Arabic
"priceless, invaluable; unfading, everlasting; hope"
Amol is a succinct and versatile name used by Indian parents, which can mean "priceless and invaluable" from its Sanskrit origins and "everlasting" in the Marathi language. Some sources additionally…
Gwenonwy
Welsh
"lily-of-the-valley"
Gwenonwy is a poetic and intriguing member of the Gwen- family, taken from a Welsh word for the flower, lily-of-the-valley. According to legend, King Arthur had a sister named Gwenonwy and there is a…
Inca
German, Finnish, Serbian, Spanish, Azerbaijani
"ancestor; emperor; slender, thin, soft"
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…
Giverny
French
"from Giverny"
Arty and unexpected, Giverny is a French place name, associated with Claude Monet and Impressionist art more generally. Located in the north of France, Monet put Giverny on the map when he moved to…
Ptolemaida
Spanish form of Ptolemais, Greek
"aggressive, warlike"
Ptolemaida is a distinctive feminine form of Ptolemy, with charming nickname options such as Tolly, Maia, and Aida. It is also the name of a town in Western Macedonia, Greece.
Elvet
Old English, place name
"swan stream, swan river, swan island"
This Old English name feels as if it could have stepped out of a fantasy novel, but it may be just similar enough to Everett and Elliot that it could work in the real world. Derived from the elements…
Onamia
Ojibwe, place name
"red ochre lake"
The name of a lake and city in Minnesota, US, Onamia has its roots in the Indigenous Ojibwe language. Originally called Onamanii-zaaga'iganiing , the name means "red ochre lake" or "vermillion lake".…
Orleans
English, French, place name
"gold"
An interesting, off-beat place name that feels similar to the likes of Harlem, Memphis, and Bristol, Orleans is currently undiscovered as a given name. The English form of the French Orléans, it…
Embrun
French, place name
"sea spray"
An unusual place name with a sea-inspired meaning, Embrun is a commune in the southeast of France, as well as a town in Ontario, Canada. Sometimes known as the "Nice of the Alpes", Embrun could get…
Salish
Place name, English form of Séliš, Salishan
"Salish people"
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…
Ottawa
Place name, Algonquin
"to trade"
The capital city of Canada makes an unusual name for a baby, though it was recently used by nutrition and fitness Instagrammer, Kaleigh Kellner. The Canadian city ultimately gets it name from adawe…
Madrid
Place name, Spanish, Arabic, Latin
"watercourse, channel; source of the river"
An underused place name with a sunny, stylish air, the capital city of Spain could provide a totally unexpected route to favorite nickname Maddie. While the exact origins of the name are unknown,…
Fife
Scottish place name, German, French
"path; small shrill flute"
Also spelled Fyfe, this zippy sounding name would make a great middle name choice for music lovers or those with Scottish roots. The name has a double meaning: it is both a Scottish place name,…