Off-the-Beaten-Path Geographic Baby Names

Brooklyn, London, Madison, Jordan, Camden and Austin—the top baby names are all over the map, literally! But if you're looking for an exotic place name that isn't quite so high on the popularity list, consider taking your globe for a whirl and finding some name inspiration there.

Here are some of my favorite worldly names:

India I love this baby name—it'd be on my short name for a little girl, with its melodious sound, exotic flavor and its Gone With the Wind ties. It's pretty darned popular in the UK, but still not-so-common here.

Everest George Lucas just picked the name of the tallest mountain in the world for his daughter, but I'd love to see this on a boy instead!

Hudson The famed New York river has spawned an up-and-coming name for boys.

Cairo Consider the Egyptian capital as an exotic name choice for a boy.

Aspen The Rocky Mountain getaway (named for the elegant tree) works beautifully as a boy's name.

Eden The Biblical paradise could make a beautiful name for a little girl (I know of an adorable three-year-old bearing the name).

Montana Big Sky country gives us this beautiful name, the Spanish word for "mountain."

Olympia The mountain that served as the home of the Greek gods and goddesses serves as a majestic name for a little girl. (Plus I love the nickname Pia for a girl.)

Athena The Greek capital—named for the goddess of wisdom—gives us this up-and-coming girls' name, favored by Tina Fey.

Roman Add the "n" to the end of Italy's legendary capital for a beautiful name choice for a boy.

Sahara The world's largest desert gives us this soft and sweet girls' name.

Rio The Spanish word for "river" is part of the name of Brazil's famed city, Rio de Janeiro.

Indiana While the "ana" ending might scream girl, Indiana Jones helps bring the name over to the boys' side.

Calais A fancy French locale makes a beautiful name for a girl.

So—what names did I miss? Share your favorite place name baby names with me in the comments!

Image: Baby with globe by pzAxe/Shutterstock.com