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Place names are packed with meaning – whether it's where you grew up, a city you fell in love with, or that dreamy vacation spot you and your partner still talk about. It's no surprise that so many families look to places for baby name inspiration.
If you're hoping to honor a location that's shaped your family's story (or maybe just want a name with cool vibes), these names inspired by cities have you covered.
5 city names for girls
Alexandria
Alexandria is a historic Egyptian city best known for having one of the largest libraries in the ancient world, which was burned by Julius Caesar in 48 BC. But the influential city has also been home to other wonders of the world, including the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa.
Alexander the Great named the city after himself after he founded a new settlement on the ruins of the Egyptian city Rhacotis. So the name Alexandria shares the same roots as Alexander – from Greek, it means "defender of man."
Adelaide
Adelaide is a Germanic-rooted name meaning "noble-natured." It's best known as the name of a coastal city in south Australia, named after Queen Adelaide, the wife of the British King William IV. This regal name also belonged to a 10th-century Italian saint, as well as plenty of other European noblewomen.
Bonus: Adelaide has adorable nicknames galore – like Addy, Adele, and Della.
Florence
Formerly a medieval trade and finance hub, then a center for arts and culture during the Renaissance, Florence's beauty, history, and influence in Europe can't be overstated. It's the city that gave us Michelangelo, gelato, and the blueprint for modern museums. Timeless and effortlessly cool, Florence feels like a name built to stand out.
As a name, Florence is rooted in a Latin word meaning "blossoming" or "flourishing" – fitting for both the birthplace of the Renaissance and your future bestie.
Geneva
Geneva is a sophisticated and handsome European-flavored name. It's Switzerland's capital and the home of the European headquarters of the United Nations.
The city's name comes from Latin and is thought to mean "estuary" or "bend," referring to its location near the Rhône River and Lac Léman (aka Lake Geneva).
"I find Geneva really interesting and unexpected," says BabyCenter Community member ChicagoShells. "I've only ever known one."
Selma
Selma, Alabama, holds a powerful place in American history. During the Civil War, it was the site of the 1865 Battle of Selma, where Union forces overran the city in one of the war's final blows. Then, a century later, thousands marched in Selma to demand voting rights at a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement in 1965.
The city's name was inspired by Scottish poet James Macpherson's Poems of Ossian, where the narrator Ossian has a castle called Selma – but it's uncertain where the name Selma originally comes from.
5 city names for boys
Austin
Austin is an old name with a modern feel. It's a medieval version of the Latin name Augustinus, which comes from a title that was given to Roman emperors and means "great" or "magnificent."
There are dozens of prominent Austins throughout history, from professional athletes to actors to politicians – including the namesake of Texas' capital. If you're looking for a unique twist on the name, spell it Austen, as a nod to Pride and Prejudice author Jane Austen.
Cairo
Cairo, Egypt, is one of the world's oldest and most influential cities – where ancient history and modern life collide. It rose to prominence as a center of Islamic learning and culture, with its universities shaping religious scholarship for centuries.
Today, Cairo still pulses with that same energy – layered, complex, and full of stories that stretch back millennia. The city's name is rooted in Arabic, and translations include "the strong," "the victorious," and "the conqueror."
Francisco
Francisco is most often associated with San Francisco, California, so named by Spanish colonists who founded a mission in honor of St. Francis of Assisi there in 1776. This Christian name was borne by dozens of saints, and it also shows up in a few Shakespeare plays. And let's not forget Francisco Goya, the Spanish romantic artist considered to be one of the Old Masters.
Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese version of Francis, a Latin-rooted name that means "from France."
Kingston
Kingston fits right in with the trend for baby names ending in "-on," like Grayson and Jameson. It's a place name, most prominently the capital city of Jamaica, as well as the name of a town in upstate New York.
Its origin is English, and it means "king's town." Celebrities seem to like this name – for example, Gwen Stefani has a son with this name.
Santiago
Santiago is Spanish for Saint James, and it's Chile's capital city. But it's also the name of dozens of past and present professional soccer players, including Santiago Bernabeu, who is thought of as one of the most important figures in the history of Real Madrid, a Spanish professional soccer team.
But it's not just the name of a place – it's also a literary name. Santiago is the main character in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, as well as in Paul Coelho's novel The Alchemist.
10 gender-neutral city names
Berlin
Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany, as well as an increasingly popular place-inspired baby name. (It's also the name of an '80s band responsible for the global chart-topper "Take my Breath Away," made famous by Top Gun.)
The etymology of this place name is unclear, but it's thought to come from an old Slavic word meaning "swamp," since Berlin is located in a lowland, on the banks of the River Spree.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a trendy name that's equally popular for both boys and girls. Before Brooklyn was the name of a New York City borough, it was a Dutch town called Breukelen.
While the name is often used as an homage to the location, many parents like Brooklyn because it's a combination of the names Brooke (derived from an English surname that means "one who lives near a brook") and Lyn, a popular suffix for many names.
Chicago
Chicago is the name of one of Kim Kardashian's daughters – and it's the third-largest city in the United States. The name of this city on the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois is derived from an Algonquin word meaning "place of the wild onion," since ramps (a type of wild onion) were plentiful in the area.
Kim K's daughter has cornered the market on this place name for now – it hasn't appeared in the most popular 1,000 names in the U.S. yet.
Cody
Cody is more popular with boys, but it works just as well for girls. There's a town of the same name in Wyoming, which is named after William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, a Wild West showman who co-founded the city.
When it comes to professional rodeo, the name Cody is wildly popular. There are too many bull-riding Codys to list here, but one, Cody Lambert, a former rodeo cowboy, co-founded the Professional Bull Riders.
Cody as a given name is thought to have derived from an Irish surname that means "helpful one."
Dallas
Dallas was, surprisingly, a Scottish and English surname meaning "meadow dwelling" long before it became a place name; it's best known as the name of a large city in Texas.
It's been used as a given name for boys since 1880, when the Social Security Administration started tracking baby name data in the United States. But this name has also been given to girls as far back as 1910, when it first ranked in the SSA's top 1,000 girl names.
London
London is the capital of England – and an equally weighty name, conjuring up the wealth, imagery, and history of this influential city.
The origin of the name is contested, though, with many theories drawing on mythology. The most popular theory is that it comes from a Celtic word that was then adapted into Latin during the Roman reign in Great Britain, and was eventually anglicized as London.
Paris
Paris is a name that evokes the stunning French capital, affectionately known as the City of Light. Named after the indigenous tribe of people to first inhabit the region, the Parisii, this name was made famous as a given name by Paris Hilton, an American socialite.
Separately, it's also a Greek name – in Greek mythology, Paris was a prince who helped start the Trojan War. When it comes to places rich with history, culture, and romance, Paris is a winner.
Phoenix
Phoenix is far more than just the capital of Arizona. It also refers to the mythological bird that, according to ancient Greek folklore, sets itself on fire only to rise from its own ashes and live on forever – symbolizing eternal renewal. Pure magic.
The city itself is so named because it's built atop the settlements of Native American tribes that previously lived in the area, including the Hohokam and the Akimel O'odham.
Rio
Rio conjures up enticing locales and beautiful rivers for a reason: It's the Portuguese and the Spanish word for "river." The Rio Grande is a major river in the United States that begins in Colorado and flows through New Mexico en route to the Gulf of Mexico.
"I always like when families have a deep ethnic or personal connection to a place and name their child that," says BabyCenter Community member AFA161MAMA. "My old friends named their son Rio because he was conceived on the banks of the Rio Grande."
Rio de Janeiro is the second-biggest city in Brazil. This could be the perfect name for your future traveler, white-water rafter, or sand dancer, a la the '80s hit song "Rio" by Duran Duran.
Sydney
Sydney is the largest city in Australia. As a given name, Sydney is derived from an English surname that itself may have derived from an Old English word meaning "wide water meadow" – though another common explanation is that it's derived from the French St. Denis, a 3rd-century Christian martyr.
Sydney has long been a popular name in the U.S., first appearing in the top 1,000 baby names in the early 1900s. Its alternate spelling, Sidney, used to be just as popular, though it's fallen to the wayside in recent years.
Want even more place-inspired picks? Search thousands of names (by vibe, meaning, origin, and more) in the BabyCenter app. It's like a baby name world tour.
