Country And Capital Names

Despite all the "hanging," "dangling," and "pregnant" chad jokes of the 2000 election, this saint's name and remnant of the Brad-Tad era didn't get a boost in popularity. But Chad still holds some surfer-boy appeal for a number of modern parents.

Though it was used by the Puritans in the sixteenth century, the founding of the modern Jewish state in 1948 transformed Israel from a traditional favorite into an icon of Judaism.

Chosen for their first son by musical couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, this Jamaican place and elegant British surname also boasts the more regal yet user-friendly short form, King.

In the US, London is popular for both sexes, though as the name has risen for girls, it's levelled off for boys. Currently given to around 200 boys each year, it is nearly five times more popular for girls, however, it been on decline across the board since its peak in 2013. Conjuring up images of Big Ben, red phone boxes, and the London Eye for some, but perhaps the rush hour commute and grey skies for others, London is far less popular in the UK and other English-speaking countries.

An Italian spin on the current European darling Leon, though the final e makes it a tad feminine to the American sensibility.

Paris, a one-time mythical and Shakespearean boys' name, peaked in 2004 at Number 157 at least in part due to the highly publicized Paris Hilton. Michael Jackson used it for his daughter.

This Mediterranean island name would be a plausible choice for parents with a Greek or Turkish heritage.

A brisk and beachy word name, conjuring up rugged shorelines and sandy, summery holidays. While Cove seems to have bounced back from its negative (Covid) associations, Coast might be an obvious alternative. In fact, the two names saw a similar amount of use in a recent year, when 184 boys were called Coast and 167 were called Cove.

Seems unfamiliar, till you realize everyone will just hear it as Molly. In Wales, Mali is a Top 100 name.

Marino is an Italian first and surname with distinct crossover possibilities, having pleasant seaside undertones, and is far more unusual in the U.S. than sister Marina.

Sunny and energetic, but with a hint of cool cowboy, Zealand has been sparingly used since the 2000s, Zealand but shot up the charts in 2021 after YouTube family The Labrants gave it to their son the previous year. By 2022, it had quadrupled in popularity, revealing the influence celebs can make on baby name choices.

Politics aside, the Cuban capital is one of the most rhythmic of place-names. The question is: can politics be put aside?

Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.

The capital of England makes a solid and attractive twenty-first-century choice in the US where it is currently in the Top 1000. Given to nearly 1000 girls and 200 boys each year, it is a unisex option that has been in slow decline since its peak in 2013. Conjuring up images of Big Ben, red phone boxes, and the London Eye for some, but perhaps the rush hour commute and grey skies for others, London is far less popular in the UK and other English-speaking countries.

Religious name long common in Italy, as is the diminutive Santino. In the Cornwall region of England, it's a traditional diminutive for Alexander.

Ivory was last popular a hundred years ago. In 2013, it finally began to regain some momentum in the female rankings, reentering the Top 1000, while 2024 saw it jump up the charts again by over 100 places, making it a To 500 name.

A common epithet of Christ, frequently heard in the Hispanic community, Salvador could also be a great choice for artistic parents, given the continuing popularity of Dada and Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. (If Monet and Raphael get a look in, why not Salvador?)

Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water." Nairobi is popularly known as the Green City.

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 girls since 1421. The church of the Virgin "Nuestra Senora de Africa" is in Ceuta, the Spanish city she is Patron of, in North Africa.

The name of this historic European city is more distinct than Paris and London but sounds similar enough to the rising Romy and well-established Ramona and Rosemary that it doesn't feel totally out there. Currently in the US Top 1000 for boys, Rome has been quietly used as a girl name since the 2000s and in 2024, it was given to more than 60 girls. While it is therefore nine times more popular as a masculine name, it has plenty of unisex potential.