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Place Names for Boys USA Edition part 1

GhibliJess
By GhibliJess
Updated Mon Jan 18 2016
A list of places names based in the US, that I think would makes great names for a baby boy. Some are more well know and others a little more out there, but there is something for everyone. Part 1 comprises of places from Alabama to Iowa.
  1. Alden

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "old, wise friend"

    • Description:

      Hot young actor Alden Ehrenreich, the new Han Solo, gives this formerly-stodgy surname name an attractive new image, making it a fresh successor to Aiden or Holden. Before it got this fresh shine, Alden was among the classic Thanksgiving baby names.
  2. Anderson

    • Origin:

      English from Scandinavian

    • Meaning:

      "son of Anders"

    • Description:

      Anderson shot up quite a bit on the popular names list in the 2000's, no doubt in large part due to the prominence of white-haired cable newsman Anderson Cooper. Perhaps surprisingly though, Anderson was even higher on the list in 1880. Actress Edie Falco named her son Anderson in 2005. Though there haven't been many first-named Anderson namesakes, there have been countless notables bearing the surname, including Hans Christian, Marian, Maxwell, Sherwood, Gillian, Laurie, and Pamela.
  3. Archer

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "bowman"

    • Description:

      Archer is an Anglo-Saxon surname that feels more modern than most because of its on-target occupational and Hunger Games associations. And it's a nice way to bypass the clunky Archibald to get to the cool nickname Archie.
  4. Arley

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "from the rabbit meadow"

    • Description:

      Similar in sound to Harley, Marley, Arlo, and Ari, this surname-style name was a fast rising choice in the UK in 2023.
  5. Arion
    • Benson

      • Origin:

        English

      • Meaning:

        "son of Ben"

      • Description:

        Benson has outgrown its long association with a wisecracking TV butler with a fresh new association: singer songwriter Benson Boone. Parents may see it as an alternate route to nickname Ben, very different in image than the biblical Benjamin.
    • Brent

      • Origin:

        English

      • Meaning:

        "dweller near the burnt land"

      • Description:

        One of several blunt B names just this side of the gender divide. While its short and to-the-point sound may feel modern, it has been declining steadily since the 1980s.
    • Bryant

      • Origin:

        Variation of Brian, Irish

      • Meaning:

        "strong, virtuous, and honorable"

      • Description:

        Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.
    • Byron

      • Origin:

        English

      • Meaning:

        "barn for cows"

      • Description:

        For centuries, this name had a romantic, windswept image due to its strong connection to the poet Lord Byron, who inspired its use as a first name. It is one of those surprise names that's appeared on the Top 1000 every year since 1880.
    • Beaumont
      • Callahan

        • Origin:

          Irish

        • Meaning:

          "bright-headed"

        • Description:

          Callahan, the simpler spelling of Callaghan, is a rhythmic jig of a name whose history harks back to the ancient King of Munster. In the Dirty Harry movies, the Clint Eastwood character is Harry Callahan.
      • Carson

        • Origin:

          English and Scottish surname

        • Meaning:

          "son of the marsh dwellers"

        • Description:

          Carson is one of the most long-running popular androgynous baby names, with a dash of the Wild West via the legendary Missouri frontiersman Kit Carson. Dating back to when it was the name of Nancy Drew's Dad, Carson is still steadily in the Top 200 baby names.
      • Crawford

        • Origin:

          English

        • Meaning:

          "ford where crows gather"

        • Description:

          A common surname in Scotland, but a starchy first name choice.
      • Dixon

        • Origin:

          Scottish

        • Meaning:

          "son of Dick"

        • Description:

          A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than Dick; it would be right at home alongside Dax and Jax.
      • Fisher

        • Origin:

          Occupational name

        • Meaning:

          "fisherman"

        • Description:

          As a member of two trendy name categories, animal and occupational, this name broke into the Top 1000 in 2004 and would make a nice tribute to an angler Grandpa.
      • Griffin

        • Origin:

          Welsh, variation of Griffith

        • Meaning:

          "strong lord"

        • Description:

          Griffin is one of the newer and most appealing of the two-syllable Celtic surnames. In English, griffin is the name of a mythological creature, half eagle, half lion. It re-entered the list in 1983 after an absence of 75+ years.
      • Hartly

        • Description:

          Hartly is a masculine name of English origin, derived from the Old English elements 'heorot' meaning 'hart' (male deer) and 'leah' meaning 'wood' or 'clearing.' It began as a surname indicating someone who lived near a deer clearing or forest inhabited by deer. As a first name, Hartly evokes images of nature and woodland settings, carrying associations of strength and grace like its deer namesake. The name has a friendly, approachable quality with its soft ending sound while maintaining masculine overtones. Though not among the most common names, Hartly appeals to parents seeking a name with natural imagery and English heritage. It fits well with contemporary trends toward nature-inspired names and surnames used as first names.

      • Hudson

        • Origin:

          English place-name and surname

        • Meaning:

          "Hugh's son"

        • Description:

          Hudson has risen quickly up the charts over the past 30 years, getting a lot of its style value from New York's Hudson River. That makes it a nature name and a place name that's also got the fashion gloss of New York City.
      • Indio

        • Origin:

          Spanish

        • Meaning:

          "Indian"

        • Description:

          This name of a California desert town, used by Deborah Falconer and Robert Downey, Jr. for their son, makes a much livelier and more individual – not to mention more masculine – improvisation on the themes of India and Indiana.
      • Palmer

        • Origin:

          English

        • Meaning:

          "pilgrim; one who holds a palm"

        • Description:

          Palmer is a name that derives from the fact that pilgrims often carried palms, thus the double meaning. It's a fresher sounding twist other surname style names, such as Spencer, Carter, Porter and Parker.