Bristol Palin? Where did she get that name?

The oldest of the five children belonging to the US Republican leader's running mate, Sarah Palin, is 17-year-old Bristol Palin who has just hit the headlines for being pregnant out of wedlock. All the children of the governor of Alaska have unusual names, except Bristol is pretty well known in the state, where Bristol Bay is a prominaent geographical feature. This speculation comes from the National Enquirer:
"Bristol, Palin's oldest daughter, 17, means "meeting place by the bridge," according to thinkbabynames.com. Bristol is Old English and is the name of an important town in England, which many US cities were named after as well. It has not ranked in the top 1000 baby names in the US in the last 100 years. Bristol is also the name of a bay in Alaska where Palin's brother-in-law is a fisherman."

Wikipedia says that Palin's husband Todd is a BP employee with a commercial fishing business and is a salmon netter in Bristol Bay (pictured).
There is a Bristol Inn in Dillingham, the Bay's main town. "In the heart of the salmon run," say the blurb. "Our fine hotel is two blocks from the Samuel K. Fox Museum with easy access to banking, restaurants, grocery stores, gift shops and more. Our beautifully appointed rooms, friendly service and warm atmosphere will make your stay a pleasure you'll want to repeat many times."
They're certainly on the map now, and may expect more customers.

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