Baby Names Inspired by Southern Cities

I was born in Opelika, AL when my dad was in Vet School at Auburn University. As a joke, my father had his classmates convinced that they were going to name me Mississippi Magnolia and call me Miss Mag for short (we’re from Mississippi). However, they still managed to name me another unusual name. I was named for the wife of a Mississippi Governor, related on my father’s side. To this day, if you run across someone named “Nellah Bailey,” they’re more than likely kin to me.

We ponder and stew over the perfect baby name to add to that all-important family tree which will be eternally documented in the annals of history. There’s no crystal ball to determine the personality of a newborn, therefore, making it a daunting task to bestow a name on a child that will follow (or haunt) them for life. Did Augustine and Mary Washington know that their son, George, would one day have a name that is forever tied to American History? How about Scott and Andrea who named their baby daughter after singer/songwriter James Taylor? Did they have any inkling that their daughter, Taylor Swift, would become an international sensation? If you're on the hunt for the perfect Southern name, take a look at a map of the South for some inspiration. Seriously, if you’re in the “what do we name this baby” dilemma, we’ve found some awesome baby names inspired by Southern cities from each state that would be great choices.

Start Slideshow

1 of 35

Stella

Daniela Solomon/Getty Images

Stella, TN

2 of 35

Camden

Julie Fairman/Getty Images

Camden, FL

3 of 35

Franklin

Sarah Wolfe Photography/Getty Images

Franklin, TN

4 of 35

Hope

JBI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

Hope, AR

5 of 35

Harrison

Blend Images - KidStock/Getty Images

Harrison, AR

6 of 35

Savannah

Daniela Solomon/Getty Images

Savannah, GA

7 of 35

Raleigh

Praveenkumar Palanichamy/Getty Images

Raleigh, NC

8 of 35

Manning

Elysee Shen/Getty Images

Manning, SC

9 of 35

Alexandria

Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images

Alexandria, LA

10 of 35

Adair

LucidSurf/Getty Images

Adair, OK

11 of 35

McLean

Morsa Images/Abel Mitja Varela/Getty Images

McLean, VA

12 of 35

Butler

Lucy von Held/Blend Images/Getty Images

Butler, AL

13 of 35

Ava

Bodler/Getty Images

Ava, MO

14 of 35

Nash

Marc Romanelli/Blend Images/Getty Images

Nash, OK

15 of 35

Macon

David A Land/Blend Images/Getty Images

Macon, GA

16 of 35

Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

17 of 35

Dallas

Lesley Magno/Getty Images

Dallas, TX

18 of 35

Barclay

Sarah Salmela/Getty Images

Barclay, MD

19 of 35

Marianna

Daniela Solomon/Getty Images

Marianna, FL

20 of 35

Kenner

Allen Donikowski/Getty Images

Kenner, LA

21 of 35

Sellers

Jessie Cowan/Getty Images

Sellers, SC

22 of 35

Hastings

Annie Morris/Getty Images

Hastings, FL

23 of 35

Daphne

Bradley Hebdon/Getty Images

Daphne, AL

24 of 35

Abbott

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc./Getty Images

Abbott, WV

25 of 35

Addison

Sarah8000/Getty Images

Addison, WV

26 of 35

Jackson

Mike Kemp/Getty Images

Jackson, MS

27 of 35

Ellington

Tara Moore/Getty Images

Ellington, MO

28 of 35

Burke

Suzme/Getty Images

Burke, VA

29 of 35

Campton

Catherine Delahaye/Getty Images

Campton, KY

30 of 35

Laurel

Elena Sigtryggsson/Getty Images

Laurel, DE

31 of 35

Abilene

Saenco Oleg/Getty Images

Abilene, TX

32 of 35

Carlisle

Ruslan Dashinsky/Getty Images

Carlisle, KY

33 of 35

Etta

lrina Lapeto

Etta, MS

34 of 35

Easton

Yuri Arcurs/People Images/Getty Images

Easton, MD

Replay gallery

Account

More

Baby Names Inspired by Southern Cities

1 of 35

Stella

2 of 35

Camden

3 of 35

Franklin

4 of 35

Hope

5 of 35

Harrison

6 of 35

Savannah

7 of 35

Raleigh

8 of 35

Manning

9 of 35

Alexandria

10 of 35

Adair

11 of 35

McLean

12 of 35

Butler

13 of 35

Ava

14 of 35

Nash

15 of 35

Macon

16 of 35

Charlotte

17 of 35

Dallas

18 of 35

Barclay

19 of 35

Marianna

20 of 35

Kenner

21 of 35

Sellers

22 of 35

Hastings

23 of 35

Daphne

24 of 35

Abbott

25 of 35

Addison

26 of 35

Jackson

27 of 35

Ellington

28 of 35

Burke

29 of 35

Campton

30 of 35

Laurel

31 of 35

Abilene

32 of 35

Carlisle

33 of 35

Etta

34 of 35

Easton

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Popular in travel

All Topics in travel