Denver

Denver smells like high-altitude air and old leather. Originally an English surname and place name meaning "Danes' crossing," the name was carried to the American West and eventually attached to the Colorado capital, named for territorial governor James W. Denver. The singer John Denver helped soften its image into something warmer and more lyrical. It now sits at 486, used comfortably for all genders. Two syllables arrive casual and evocative, with the rolling middle V lending it motion. Denver reads as Western and wide-open, a name with pine trees in its backstory and mountain roads ahead. Comfortable, place-rooted, and lightly adventurous.