Place-name names

Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.

Lawrence Latin · means 'from Laurentum', an ancient Italian city; associated with the laurel tree

Wesley English · "western meadow," an Old English place name; it became a given name in tribute to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and spread wherever Methodist circuit riders preached. Softly scholarly, with Wes as the easy short form

Lydia Greek · "woman of Lydia," the kingdom in Asia Minor famed for its gold; in the New Testament a seller of purple cloth, the first European convert. A place name that became a steady Anglo classic with a fresh modern following

Florence Latin · flourishing

Beverly English · from an English place name meaning 'beaver stream' or 'beaver meadow'

Troy Greek · from the ancient city of Troy

Lorraine French · from the region of Lorraine, 'realm of Lothar'

Vernon French · place name, possibly 'alder grove' or 'place of the spring'

Dallas Scottish · place name/surname; meaning uncertain, possibly "meadow of the waterfall"

Guadalupe Spanish · from the valley of the wolf; honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most revered names across generations of Mexican-American Catholic families

Lester English · from Leicester, England

Shelby English · English surname of Old Norse origin, 'willow farm'

Chester English · fortified town (from Latin castra)

Shannon Irish · traditionally old, wise river

Clinton English · settlement on a hill

Geneva French · from the city of Geneva; also a form of Genevieve

Landon English · "long hill," a place name turned surname turned first name; it rode the 2000s wave of two-syllable boys' names ending in -n and outlasted many of them. Newer than it sounds, easygoing as they come

Clifton English · settlement by the cliff

Lyle French · from Old French 'de l'isle', meaning 'from the island'

Ross Scottish · headland, promontory

Lindsey English · variant of Lindsay, from the Lindsey region in Lincolnshire; Celtic 'lake' + Old English 'island'

Trevor Welsh · from a Welsh place name meaning 'large settlement'

Brent English · from the place name meaning steep hill

Alexandria Greek · feminine form of Alexander, also the Egyptian city

Delia Greek · traditionally from the island of Delos (epithet of Artemis)

Alton English · old town

Bethany Hebrew · biblical place name, traditionally 'house of figs'

Dixie English · traditionally associated with the American South

Kelsey English · traditionally 'island of ships', from an Old English place name

Lindsay English · from the Lindsey region in Lincolnshire; Celtic 'lake' + Old English 'island'

Beulah Hebrew · a biblical land name meaning 'married' (Isaiah 62:4)

Devon English · from Devon, an English county, root possibly Celtic

Whitney English · traditionally 'white island', from an English place name/surname

Brittany French · from the region of Brittany in France

Carlton English · farmers' settlement

Irving Scottish · from the River Irvine, green water

Rhonda Welsh · from the River Rhondda, a Welsh place name

Carmen Spanish · garden, orchard (from Mount Carmel); a graceful classic carried across generations

Colby Scandinavian · English surname from Old Norse, 'Koli's farm/settlement'

Kent English · meaning uncertain, from the English county (possibly 'border land')

Kerry Irish · descendants of Ciar, the dark one

Paris French · from the French capital, named for the Parisii, a Gaulish tribe

Sheldon English · steep valley

Tyrone Irish · land of Owen

Chelsea English · Old English place name meaning 'chalk landing place'

Kelvin Scottish · from the River Kelvin in Scotland, of uncertain Celtic origin; Brazil's 2000s wave pick, a Kevin with an L of its own

Lacey French · English surname from Lassy, a Norman place name

Trenton English · place name meaning 'Trent's town', after the founder of Trenton, NJ

Denver English · place name, "green valley"

Desmond Irish · "from South Munster"

Elton English · from an English place name, "Ella's town"; Elton John's worldwide fame pushed it up Brazil's 1980s charts

Houston Scottish · surname/place name meaning 'Hugh's town'

London English · from the city name; meaning uncertain

Lorna Scottish · literary invention, from the Scottish place name Lorne

Rochelle French · 'little rock,' from the city of La Rochelle

Sharon Hebrew · the plain

Cheyenne Native-American · from the name of the Cheyenne people, from Sioux 'Sahiyena'

India English · from the country name India, itself from the Indus River

Mckinley Scottish · surname from Gaelic 'Mac Fhionnlaigh', son of Fionnlagh ('white warrior')

Bradford English · broad river crossing (place name)

Cleveland English · English place name/surname, 'cliff land'

Georgia Greek · farmer

Melba English · modern coinage from the stage name of opera singer Nellie Melba, after Melbourne

Milan Slavic · traditionally "dear, gracious"

Odessa Greek · place name (city in Ukraine), from ancient Odessos

Savannah English · "treeless plain," from the Taino word zavana by way of Spanish sabana; the grassland word became a graceful Georgia port city, and the city became a name. Southern in flavor, tropical in root, steady since the 1990s

Trent English · from the River Trent; flooding river

Arden English · from an English surname taken from various place names, from a Celtic word meaning 'high'

Burton English · English place name/surname, 'fortified settlement'

Carey Welsh · from a Welsh river name, or an Irish surname

Easton English · "east settlement," an Old English place name; part of the 2000s compass-point wave of surname names, all open vowels and a soft -n landing. Preppy on paper, easygoing out loud

Eldon English · meaning uncertain, English place name (possibly elder-tree hill)

Loraine French · variant of Lorraine, a French region name

Tyree Scottish · place name, Isle of Tiree, Scotland

Camden English · place name/surname; meaning uncertain, possibly "winding valley"

Campbell Scottish · Scottish clan surname, from Gaelic 'cam' (crooked) and 'beul' (mouth)

Dayton English · English place name/surname, roughly meaning 'Day's town' or 'bright town'

Dudley English · English place name/surname, 'Dudda's clearing'

Iona Scottish · place name, Scottish island of the Hebrides

Lourdes Spanish · Marian name from the French pilgrimage town, a Filipino Catholic classic

Sanford English · English place name/surname, 'sandy river crossing'

Westley English · variant spelling of Wesley, meaning 'west meadow'

America English · the country name, from Amerigo Vespucci

Belen Spanish · Spanish name meaning 'Bethlehem', referencing the birthplace of Jesus

Brooklyn English · the New York borough, originally Dutch Breukelen, a village name from the old country; American parents heard Brook and the -lyn ending of Lynn inside it and made it a girls' name in the 1990s. Place name, blend, and hometown tribute at once

Cary Welsh · variant of Carey, from a Welsh river name

Layton English · English place name/surname; Old English for 'town with a leek garden'

Odell English · English place name/surname, 'woad valley'

Roma Italian · place name for Rome, meaning uncertain

Shelton English · English place name/surname, 'settlement on a ledge'

Weldon English · well hill, spring hill

Adrien French · from Hadria, a place in Italy

Benton English · moor grass settlement

Brodie Scottish · Scottish surname/place name, traditionally linked to Gaelic for 'muddy place'

Ford English · place name/surname meaning 'river crossing'

Hayley English · place name meaning 'hay meadow'

Holland Dutch · from the place name Holland or the related surname

Jordan Hebrew · to flow down

Jordon Hebrew · variant spelling of Jordan, from the River Jordan, traditionally 'to flow down'

Lyman English · English surname, 'man from the meadow'

Salina Latin · from the Latin word for 'salty'; also a place name

Ashlee English · variant spelling of Ashley, an English place name meaning 'ash tree meadow'

Berkley English · place name/surname meaning 'birch tree meadow'

Bethel Hebrew · biblical place name, 'house of God'

Brenton English · English surname/place name, traditionally 'Brant's settlement'

Buford English · An English place-name surname, most often read as 'ford by the fortification', from Old English elements.

Delmar French · An English surname from Norman French de la mare, of the pond; also linked to Spanish/Catalan del mar, of the sea.

Jordyn Hebrew · modern feminine spelling of Jordan, "to flow down"

Kimberley English · the standard British spelling of Kimberly, from Kimberley, an English place name in Norfolk of uncertain Old English origin

Lidia Greek · variant of Lydia, referring to the ancient region of Lydia in Asia Minor

Lyndon English · English place name/surname meaning 'hill of linden trees'

Maritza Spanish · Spanish variant related to Maria; also the name of a river in the Balkans

Raleigh English · English place name/surname, from Old English 'roe deer meadow'

Ramsey Scottish · surname from a place name, traditionally 'wild garlic island'

Rome Latin · the city of Rome; origin debated, traditionally linked to its legendary founder Romulus

Sienna Italian · the English word for an orange-red color, ultimately from the city of Siena and its clay

Valencia Spanish · Spanish place name, from Latin 'valentia', meaning 'strength, courage'

Adria Latin · variant of Adriana, Latin for 'from Hadria' (the Adriatic region)

Austin Latin · great, magnificent

Boston English · place name, from the English town tied to Saint Botolph (read as "Botolph's town" or "Botwulf's stone")

All 456 place names, A to Z

Place-name names

All 456 place names, A to Z

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