Dallas

Dallas is a Scottish place name — a village in Moray whose etymology is debated, with scholars leaning toward dol-ghas, meadow dwelling — that crossed the Atlantic, attached itself to a Texas city in 1841, and eventually came back around as a first name with unmistakable swagger. The prime-time soap made it synonymous with oil money and shoulder pads; the Cowboys gave it a silver star. It entered the American top 1,000 for both boys and girls in the 1990s and now reads comfortably unisex. Two syllables with a slow drawl at the end. Big hat, big vowels, no apology.