by Tanya Glover
Around the world in baby names
Maybe you are a geography buff or maybe you are a lover of travel. Maybe you have a few favorite countries. No matter what your reason, you may be thinking of giving your child a name that is representative of a particular place in the world.
The good news is that there are lots of great names to choose from but the bad news is that there are so many that you may have a hard time picking one out.
Countries named for people
To put a twist on naming, consider these countries that were named after real people. America (can be unisex but sound better for girls) was named after Amerigo Vespucci. Amerigo can be used as an alternative for your little man. Bolivia (also more of a feminine name) was named after Simon (male) Bolivar. Colombia (male) was named for Christopher Columbus. The Falkland Islands was named for Lucius Cary. Falkland is a cool name for a boy as is Lucius. The Philippines (Philippine is a female name that is quite unique) were named for Philip II of Spain
Countries and capitals
China (or Chyna) is a lovely name for a little girl and is great for those who love the Chinese culture. Ireland and Kenya are also pretty names for little girls.
You may also want to consider Argentina (female), Nova (male) Scotia, Zambi (female), Benin (male) and Denmark (male). Also consider Andorra (female), Cameroon (male), Chad (male), Croatia (female), Cyprus (female), Dominica (female), Georgia (female), India (female), Israel (unisex), Jordan (unisex), Oman (male) and Trinidad (female).
Capitals and other foreign cities are also popular in the name game.
For your girl, you could choose Florence (Capital of Tuscany), Lisbon (Capital of Portugal), Kinshasa (the capital as well as the largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Winnipeg — or Winnie for short — (Capital of Manitoba), Paris (capital of France), Sydney (city in Australia), Lorraine (city in France), Verona (city in Italy), Sofia (capital of Bulgaria) and Delphi (in Greece).
For your boy, you can pick from Jericho (city in Palestine), Kyoto (city in Japan), Domingo (Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic), Kingston (capital of Jamaica), Oslo (capital of Norway), Wellington (capital of New Zealand), Bern (capital of Switzerland) and Salvador (after San Salvador, capital of El Salvador).
So continental
While Asia is a continent, this is also a very cool name for your little girl. Another cool continent name is Africa (more feminine but can be unisex). You may also like Australia which again, can be either feminine or masculine. With so many different countries, cities, capitals and continents to choose from, there is no way that you will not be able to find the perfect name for your future world traveler.
