Naming children after geographical locations has been a long-standing practice, be it for reasons connected to heritage or simply for the pleasant memories linked with particular places that marked someone’s life. If in the past most of these well-travelled baby names were inspired by natural spots, such as lakes or mountains, urban-themed names are becoming increasingly popular nowadays.

When noticing this trend, a question inevitably arises: what does it happen when parents in search of a name choose to consult an atlas and not a baby book? They discover outstanding names concealed across the continents – from the lively American cities, to the eclectic European towns, and the exotic Australian lands. As more and more parents transform these places into distinctive, sophisticated, or foreign-sounding personal names, it becomes less unusual to hear children being called Sydney, Brooklyn, or Berlin on the playground.

We advise you to fasten your seatbelt, as we are about to embark on a journey around the globe, rounding up a list of some of the coolest cities which inspire baby names.

1. America

The American territory is packed full of noteworthy city names, all of which prove to be the perfect fit for a distinctive baby boy or girl. In the recent years, data released by the Social Security Administration describe a tendency towards naming children after American capitals, and the great news is that most of them are gender neutral. In 2019, the most popular capital-inspired names were: Jackson (Mississippi; 10102 boys, 26 girls), Lincoln(Nebraska; 7432 boys, 182 girls), and Madison (Wisconsin; 6269 girls, 31 boys). The annual name statistics also include some capital city names which did not make it to the top of the charts, but are equally as fascinating as the ones that did. These include:

  • Austin (gender neutral, capital of Texas);
  • Phoenix (gender neutral, capital of Arizona);
  • Denver (gender neutral, capital of Colorado);
  • Helena (female, capital of Montana);
  • Cheyenne (gender neutral, although commonly used by females, rather than males; capital of Wyoming);
  • Trenton (gender neutral, capital of New Jersey);
  • Boston (gender neutral, capital of Massachusetts).

Adventurous parents who choose geographical names for their newborns and desire to add some extra meaning to them, have the option of getting really creative – they can design novel names by changing, adding, or cutting some of the letters found in the original terms. Such an example is Brooklyn, which might be transformed into Brooklynne, Brooklyne, Brooke, or Brook. In this manner, an already distinctive name receives additional meaning, becoming more special and personal.

Here is a list of additional given names inspired by the American cityscape:

  • Chandler (gender neutral, initially a surname which meant “candle seller”, city in Arizona);
  • Brooklyn (gender neutral, although more popular as a feminine name, ranks in the top 50 newborn girl names in the US, city in New York);
  • Charlotte (female, present in the top 50 most popular names both in the US and the UK, city in North Carolina);
  • Camden (gender neutral, originated from a surname which meant “enclosed valley”, city in New Jersey);
  • Aspen (gender neutral, type of tree, city in Colorado);
  • Dallas (gender neutral, equally popular among boys and girls, city in Texas);
  • Aurora (female, ranks in the top 50 most popular names in the US, mythological foundation: Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn, city in Illinois);
  • Dayton (male, means “dairy town”, city in Ohio);
  • Easton (male, means “East-facing place”, city in Pennsylvania);
  • Carson (gender neutral, English origin, means “son of Carr”, also a Scottish surname, city in multiple states such as Nevada, California, and Iowa).

 

2. Europe

As a melting pot of countries and cultures, Europe is the land of linguistic variety, which generates a kaleidoscope of geographical names. This is great news for those searching for uncommon and outstanding names, since they have a wide range of options – from rustic Irish names to sophisticated French ones, or from idyllic-sounding Italian names to distinguishing Ukrainian ones.

European city-inspired names stand as proof for this new trend of naming children after real-life places. An example is London (England), which started as a surname and continued as a given name later on. Even though it did not use to be a popular name (in 2007, it was not ranked in the top 1000 baby names in the US, for example), it became a favourite among American parents overnight (only one year later, it was ranked 156 in the same top). The name Paris (France) went through the same increase in popularity.

Other European cities which inspire charming baby names include:

    • Bristol (gender neutral, means “the site of the bridge”, city in England);
    • Milan (gender neutral – in many European countries it is considered a masculine name, while in America it is mainly feminine, Slavic origin, means “gracious”, city in Italy);
    • Geneva (female, Germanic origin, used since the 19th century, city in Switzerland);
    • Florence (female, means “to flourish, prosper”, unpopular before the 20th century, city in Italy);
    • Odessa (female, city in Ukraine);

  • Sofia (female, means “wisdom”, of Greek origin, capital of Bulgaria); to discover more about this name, check out our article.
  • Palma (female, of Latin origin, city on the island of Mallorca);
  • Siena (female, from “sienna” which means “red-orange”, used especially in the US and UK, city in Italy);
  • Shannon (gender neutral – mainly in the US, although even in Europe it has begun to be used as a masculine name in the recent years, city in Ireland);
  • Savannah (feminine, a very unpopular name which was revived in the ‘80s due to the success of the film “Savannah Smiles”, city in Georgia).

 

3. Africa

During the journey of finding intriguing names on the world map, one might want to stop a moment in the sun-soaked Egyptian lands, namely in the city of Alexandria. The feminine form of Alexander evokes both strength and fineness, both present relevance and historical echoes. As this resonant name travels back to the years of the pre-Julian Roman calendar, it may come as a surprise that its popularity peaked only in the ’90. Within the same territory, a more exotic-sounding name option for a newborn girl reveals itself.

The Egyptian capital city, Cairo, became a rather popular baby name choice between 2016 and 2017. While its popularity has been steadily decreasing in the years to follow, this name continues to evoke foreign-fascination and a certain amount of vigour, due to its meaning in Arabic language (“the victorious”).

Another colourful, yet mysterious city-inspired name is given by Tangier (Morocco). Being an exquisite feminine name which makes the mind travel to eye-catching bazaars and vibrant oriental patterns, there is no doubt that anybody who carries this name will stand out from the crowd.

The increased usage of some of the names mentioned in this article has also been linked with current trends in popular culture, especially the increased number of TV series characters bearing city-inspired names. Some examples include: Chandler (from “Friends”), Paris (from “Gilmore Girls”), Berlin, Tokyo, Nairobi, Rio, Denver, Helsinki (from “Money Heist”), Savannah (from “Savannah Smiles”), and Trenton (from “Mr. Robot”).

When gifted with a good eye, one may find name inspiration everywhere they look, and maps seem to be making a comeback nowadays. Hip or exotic, fresh-sounding or sophisticated, geographical names are becoming more popular than ever. It might be the best time, if searching for a dreamy, one-of-a-kind name, to look no further than the globe.

Photo Sources:

  • The characters’ images were taken from Friends or from websites created and owned by NBC, the copyright of which is held by NBC.

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