Astoria

Meaning of Astoria

Astoria—Italian ah-STAW-ree-ah, English as-TOR-ee-uh—traces its lineage to the Astor dynasty and, further back, to Latin astur, “hawk.” First attached to the trading post that became Astoria, Oregon, and later to the New York neighborhood and the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, the word has long moved through American headlines and transatlantic travel guides. Literary and cinematic nods—most notably Astoria Greengrass in the Harry Potter universe and the coastal backdrop of The Goonies—extend its reach into popular culture. In U.S. birth records it has hovered in the lower half of the Top 1,000 since the mid-1990s, climbing to 98 registrations in 2024, a pattern that signals distinctiveness without obscurity. With its brisk Latinate rhythm, subtle “hawk” imagery, and cosmopolitan place-name aura, Astoria offers parents a modern yet historically rooted choice for a daughter.