Place names you probably haven't considered yet: Sumter, Salem, Sahara, and more.

... Or maybe you have. Regardless, this first set of names are city/country names that don't get as much recognition as their more popular cousins Brooklyn, Paris, and London, Savannah, and many more.

 

 

Girls:

 

Florence-- Remember this town in Italy? Yeah. It's a vibrant, sassy girl name with a vintage charm about it. Flora is a possible nickname, and of course, so is Flo.

 

 

Vienna-- I heard this on a Reality TV show a few years back. I think it's so beautiful.

 

 

India-- This name has gotten more recognition since Chris Hemsworth and his wife used it on their daughter.

 

 

Berlin-- This has the exact same feel as Brooklyn, so I could see it rising within the next ten years.

 

 

France-- I've mentioned this name on my blog before, a few times, I think. I adore it.

 

 

Juneau-- June and Juno are rising in popularity... Why not Juneau?

 

 

Geneva-- This city in Switzerland has such a pretty name. I mean, it doesn't get much prettier than Geneva.

 

 

 

 

Boys:

 

Rome-- Umm... Hello. Rome is quite possibly the most perfect boy name. It's place name with history, and culture, and it has that short, macho vibe that parents seem to be digging. I am really dumbfounded as to why Rome hasn't caught on. *Rome rant over.*

 

 

Portland-- It's a few letters away from Porter, and has the same feel as Ryland.

 

 

Charleston-- Looking for a fresher alternative to honor a Charles? Here it is. It's also a gorgeous city in South Carolina.

 

 

Dresden-- A city in Germany. I didn't like this name when I first heard it, but it's really grown on me.

 

 

Brighton-- This was the name of the son on The Nanny. I've always liked it for both genders.

 

 

Memphis-- A place name I talked about a few months ago. I adoreeee this on a little boy.

 

 

Salem-- A place name that means "peace."

 

 

 

 

Of course, these are all strictly cities/towns/countries. Place names expand much farther than this:

 

Caspian, Hudson, Everest, McKinley, Mariana, and Sahara are also all place names that refer to seas, bays, mountains, deserts and a place in the ocean.

 

 

 

The beautiful Caspian Sea

 

 

 

 

Since we just celebrated Veteran's day, how about some U.S. fort names:

 

Benning, Sumter, McClary, Knox, MacArthur.

 

 

 

Depiction of the famous battle at Fort Sumter

 

 

 

 

And let's not forget biblical place names:

 

Eden, Shiloh, Canaan, Galilee, Jericho, Zion, some of which I blogged about in my Hebrew names post.

 

 

 



Galilee



 

 

 

I think we can even take this a step further and talk about very broad place names.

 

River, Canyon, Ocean, Lake, Harbor, Grove, Bay (although Bay has been nearly ruined by pop-culture's new term "bae." Sigh).

 

 

 

This is what came up when I searched "Bae." Perfect.

 

 

 

If you take anything from this round-up, or this blog as a whole, take this: Think outside the box when it comes to names. A place name for you could be the street you grew up on, or the neighborhood you grew up in, or the place you got engaged, or the place you honeymooned. Place names can be the coolest, most creative, and most meaningful names, and if you pick one that's special to you, you'll love it forever. Promise.