Choosing the perfect baby name can be fun, but it can also be stressful. Parents may draw on many influences, from pop culture to family history. In some cases, they choose to name their child after a place that has a special meaning to them.
24/7 Tempo reviewed newborn baby name data from the Social Security Administration for 2021 to identify some of the most popular travel-inspired baby names. We selected names that also happen to be names of famous neighborhoods, cities, or countries – usually places that are frequented by tourists, excluding those that appear fewer than 100 times in the SSA database.
Some of the most common travel-related names tend to be those of world-famous cities such as London and Sydney. Almost 1,350 girls born in America in 2021 bear the name of the U.K. capital – and more than 1,200 babies born in the U.S. last year shared a name with the Australian city.
Though the vast majority of newborns christened Sydney in this country were female in 2021, the name has traditionally been given to men, too. See, for example, “Maltese Falcon” actor Sydney Greenstreet, Tony-winning performer Sydney Chaplin (son of Charlie Chaplin), actor-director Sydney Pollack (“Out of Africa,” “Tootsie”), and astrologer-to-the-stars Sydney Omarr. (These are the 25 most popular gender-neutral names.)
Of course, sometimes it’s sheer coincidence that people’s names are the same as those of famous places. The parents who called their children Sydney, or things like Austin, Carolina, Houston, Israel, Santiago, or Skye, very likely weren’t thinking geographically at all.
Click here to see 35 of America’s most popular travel-inspired baby names
In any case, baby names corresponding to place names are nowhere near being the most popular in the U.S. The No. 1 examples on this list are Hudson for boys (with 7,584 instances) and Brooklyn for girls (with 3,508). In comparison, the most popular boys’ name in the U.S. last year overall was Liam, given to 20,272 babies, and the equivalent for girls, Olivia, was bestowed on 17,728. (These are the most popular baby names of the 21st century.)
Alexandria
> Babies named Alexandria in 2021: 878
> Babies named Alexandria in 2020: 975
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Atlas
> Babies named Atlas in 2021: 2,523
> Babies named Atlas in 2020: 2,183
Austin
> Babies named Austin in 2021: 3,752
> Babies named Austin in 2020: 3,979
Boston
> Babies named Boston in 2021: 459
> Babies named Boston in 2020: 479
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Brooklyn
> Babies named Brooklyn in 2021: 3,508
> Babies named Brooklyn in 2020: 3,989
Cairo
> Babies named Cairo in 2021: 1,015
> Babies named Cairo in 2020: 912
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Carolina
> Babies named Carolina in 2021: 606
> Babies named Carolina in 2020: 676
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Catalina
> Babies named Catalina in 2021: 1,729
> Babies named Catalina in 2020: 1,584
Dallas
> Babies named Dallas in 2021: 1,744
> Babies named Dallas in 2020: 1,706
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Denver
> Babies named Denver in 2021: 941
> Babies named Denver in 2020: 1,072
Egypt
> Babies named Egypt in 2021: 281
> Babies named Egypt in 2020: 274
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Everest
> Babies named Everest in 2021: 252
> Babies named Everest in 2020: 214
Florence
> Babies named Florence in 2021: 399
> Babies named Florence in 2020: 354
Harlem
> Babies named Harlem in 2021: 238
> Babies named Harlem in 2020: 400
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Holland
> Babies named Holland in 2021: 462
> Babies named Holland in 2020: 106
Houston
> Babies named Houston in 2021: 435
> Babies named Houston in 2020: 332
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Hudson
> Babies named Hudson in 2021: 7,584
> Babies named Hudson in 2020: 6,834
India
> Babies named India in 2021: 279
> Babies named India in 2020: 245
Israel
> Babies named Israel in 2021: 1,538
> Babies named Israel in 2020: 1,509
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Journey
> Babies named Journey in 2021: 1,157
> Babies named Journey in 2020: 1,068
Kingston
> Babies named Kingston in 2021: 3,366
> Babies named Kingston in 2020: 3,135
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London
> Babies named London in 2021: 1,342
> Babies named London in 2020: 1,734
Malaysia
> Babies named Malaysia in 2021: 478
> Babies named Malaysia in 2020: 465
Memphis
> Babies named Memphis in 2021: 761
> Babies named Memphis in 2020: 811
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Milan
> Babies named Milan in 2021: 1,278
> Babies named Milan in 2020: 1,132
Orlando
> Babies named Orlando in 2021: 333
> Babies named Orlando in 2020: 298
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Paris
> Babies named Paris in 2021: 697
> Babies named Paris in 2020: 733
Phoenix
> Babies named Phoenix in 2021: 2,454
> Babies named Phoenix in 2020: 2,607
Rome
> Babies named Rome in 2021: 312
> Babies named Rome in 2020: 221
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Salem
> Babies named Salem in 2021: 970
> Babies named Salem in 2020: 759
Santiago
> Babies named Santiago in 2021: 5,043
> Babies named Santiago in 2020: 4,638
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Savannah
> Babies named Savannah in 2021: 3,459
> Babies named Savannah in 2020: 3,515
Skye
> Babies named Skye in 2021: 729
> Babies named Skye in 2020: 654
Sydney
> Babies named Sydney in 2021: 1,229
> Babies named Sydney in 2020: 1,234
The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)
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A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.
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