Language learning platform Preply analysed data to reveal which city-based names have inspired baby naming trends the most in the last 20 years, and an Irish girl’s name comes out on top.
Whether people name their children after places with sentimental value or simply like the sound of them, the trend of naming your kids after places has been a popular naming phenomenon for several decades.
Language learning platform Preply discovered that travel-inspired baby names have remained as popular as ever over the last two decades.
They analysed ONS data to reveal which city-related names have seen the biggest increase in popularity among baby girls and boys between 2001 and 2021, and one Irish name came out in first place.
Shannon – the most popular travel-inspired baby name of 2024
Between 2001 and 2001, Preply discovered that the Irish girl name Shannon has seen a 9,640% increase in popularity. As such, Shannon is the most popular travel-inspired baby name of 2024.
Shannon is the anglicisation of the Irish name Sionainn and has been popular in Ireland and elsewhere for many years.
The Irish given name, which is also a common Irish surname, comes from the River Shannon, Abha na tSionainn in the Irish language, that flows through eleven counties in Ireland, including Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Kerry and Galway.
The name has many modern variations, including Shannen, Shanon, Shannan, and Siannon.
The most popular city and town-inspired names – both male and female
Preply analysed ONS data to reveal the most popular names inspired by places around the world. The Irish name Shannon came out on top with a huge 9,640% increase in popularity between 2001 and 2021.
In second place is Cheyenne, a city in the United States. The name has witnessed a 2,150% increase in popularity in the same two-decade period.
In third place is Chelsea, the affluent West London borough, perhaps most famously known in recent years as the setting for the reality TV series Made in Chelsea. The name Chelsea saw a 1,553% increase in popularity between 2001 and 2021.
The remainder of the top ten most popular girls’ names inspired by places around the world is made up of cities in various countries. Alexandria, Egypt, Paris, France, Atlanta, USA, Rio, Brazil, Victoria, Canada, Sydney, Australia, and Madison, United States.
The most popular place-inspired names for males are Chester, UK, Lincoln, UK, Santiago, Chile, Carson, USA, Phoenix, USA, Cairo, Egypt, Indiana, USA, Diego, USA, Stirling, Scotland, and Milan, Italy.
Location names that have decreased in popularity – which names are falling off the trend
Interestingly, the same study was able to find out which location-inspired names have decreased in popularity between 2001 and 2021.
For starters, Alba, a town in Spain and the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland, is the least loved location-based girl’s name, seeing a -98% decrease in popularity since 2001.
This is followed by Vienna, the Austrian capital, which saw a -96% decrease in popularity since 2021.
Next is Cali, a city in Colombia and the nickname for the US state of California. The name saw a -93% decrease, followed by Dakota, USA, and Florence, Italy.
Finally, the four male names that saw the biggest decrease in popularity between 2001 and 2021 are Paris, Troy, Brooklyn, and Leon.
