City Names - Scotland and Ireland

This undiscovered Scottish port city name has a nice, upbeat feel and lots of good nickname possibilities.

Can't help thinking of a donkey.

Cashel is one of the many appealing Irish names that have not yet emigrated to the US. Cashel was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller for their son.

Buoyant but lightweight.

With the fashions for tree names, place names, and nickname names, Derry is a three-way winner.

With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.

A city and river in Scotland; this is upbeat and cheery, but doesn't seem that appropriate as a name.

An appealing Irish placename with a unisex feel, Ennis would be a fresh alternative to Dennis and Ellis. It's little-used for boys and even rarer for girls, but since Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons used it for their son, it could be one to watch.

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris both hail from Galway.

An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.

This is an unusual surname and geographical name of medieval Scottish origin that might serve as a possible alternative to the aging Keith, though it's a bit tough on the tongue. More popularly spelt Laith in Scotland itself, which happens to correspond to an Arabic name meaning 'lion'.

A limerick is an often humorous form of poetry with five lines (the last of which is the punchline). Limerick could be a fun choice for families with Irish heritage or a good sense of humor.

When Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves chose the old English surname and place name Livingston for their third child, they elevated it from half of a Stanley & Livingston joke to a modern possibility. Kind of. The only other well-known bearer of the name in the contemporary world is singer Livingston Taylor, brother of James, who is called Liv. Given that little Livingston McConaughey's older brother is named Levi, that uplifting nickname may be too close, though his parents apparently like its sound. An original choice.

Well-established Irish and Scottish name that has never really caught on across the pond. Remembered by an older generation as the beautiful red-haired ballerina in the film The Red Shoes, Moira Shearer.

Scottish nature name that could prove a tongue- twister for the younger set.

For a name related to a Scottish town, a patterned Indian fabric, and a country singer named Brad, Paisley has seen remarkable success. After appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, it is now an American favorite.

There's a Perth in Scotland and a bigger one in Australia; this name could make a statement similar to Heath.

Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.