State Names New Jersey Edition

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

Brooke variation – or is the other way around? – that makes it more a nature name, less an eighties-style androgynous name.

Camden is a surprise hit, probably as a result of some star baby cred: it has been chosen by no less than four celebrity parents since 2012. Camden is a Jersey Boy name, along with equally popular Trenton -- these are two cases where the names are more attractive than the places that inspired them.

With West one of the hottest names for boys, and North the name of a high-profile celebrity baby, can East be far behind? While Easton seems to be the version of choice for this directional name -- there were 5500 boys named Easton last year, versus, um, zero named East -- we like the simplicity of the gender-neutral East, especially for a middle name.

North and West are easier on the ear, but this works fine if it has some significance for your family. Could be lengthened to Easton.

A rarely-used place name (probably because of the last three letters), Essex was the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons and is now a county in England. The singer David Essex used it as his stage surname, and reality TV couple JP and Ashley Rosenbaum used it for their daughter's name, though few have followed suit.

Sex doesn't belong in a baby name.

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.

An established place name that sounds more appealing when you attach it to the British Isles than to the Garden State. Its etymology is not certain, but it may derive from the Norse name Geirr.