I got really interested in names in my childhood since my own name is boring and I have always wanted to change it. The “second wave” of interest began in [name]December[/name] when I started looking for a name for my baby due this spring. And I became such a nerd - yesterday while looking at map hanged on the wall I was like: “Wow, Australia - its such a beautiful name”
I will never be brave enough to use it but I consider place names awesome in general. [name]London[/name], [name]Austin[/name], [name]Bristol[/name], [name]Vienna[/name], [name]Kingston[/name], [name]Holland[/name], [name]Arizona[/name] … But I actually knew a girl named [name]Philadelphia[/name]. She went by [name]Delphia[/name], but I was surprised to knew her full name.(I’ve never been to [name]Philadelphia[/name] and her name reminded me of cheese first:) I like the sounding, but it was so clunky with her last name…Anyway, this happened to be the place where her parents met(and also mentioned in [name]New[/name] Testament).
So, ladies: do you like place names? If yes, would/will you ever use one? [name]How[/name] unusual is too much for you? [name]Do[/name] you think it’s strange to use the name of a place you have never been to?(or which doesn’t have special connections?)
I dunno…my last name is a place name so I guess I don’t really like place names as first names…
I think it kind of depends, for me. I like [name]London[/name], [name]Paris[/name], and [name]Arizona[/name], but [name]Boston[/name] would be too much for me.
I prefer place names that have a legitimate history of use as first names separate from the place. For example, [name]Virginia[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], and [name]Geneva[/name] were all names before they were places. There are a few place names I like that break this rule- namely [name]Indio[/name], [name]Nashua[/name], and [name]Cairo[/name] for boys- but I doubt I’d ever seriously consider using them.
There are also some place names that are just downright inappropriate to use- [name]India[/name] is the one I’m thinking of, but there are others. And a lot of place names (maybe even most) would get funny looks if the person traveled to the place.
I think it is weird when people name their children after places they currently live. Like meeting a [name]Savannah[/name] living in [name]Savannah[/name], GA. That is just too much.
I personally hate place names, but what I would consider too much is anything that isn’t mainstream. So names like Georiga, [name]Savannah[/name], Alaska, seem alright, but [name]Florida[/name] and Mongolia would be weird.
Most places are named after people.
My favorite place names: [name]London[/name], [name]Austin[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Aspen[/name], [name]Holland[/name], [name]Brooklyn[/name]
Places names that are “too much” for me: [name]Florida[/name], [name]England[/name], [name]Paris[/name] (because of [name]Hilton[/name]),
I actually have a strong dislike for place names. What if your daughter [name]Paris[/name] wanted to move to [name]Paris[/name]? [name]How[/name] embarrassing would that be for her? And ditto that for basically every place name. Some of them [name]DO[/name] have a pretty sound…so make it the middle name, if you like. As a first name, I’ll always think it’s tacky, sorry.
Of course, a place name that is really a name (like [name]Virginia[/name] or [name]Georgia[/name] – names after people) are somehow just fine for me.
I seriously dislike place names with -land in them. [name]England[/name], [name]Ireland[/name], [name]Holland[/name] and so on. [name]How[/name] weird is that? And most city names are odd too. I just don’t get it. Mountains and rivers and lakes and things like that are completely ok. Lots of places have taken their names from actual names, so those don’t count ([name]Virginia[/name], [name]Victoria[/name], [name]Paris[/name] and the list goes on and on…). The name [name]Milan[/name] has nothing to do with the city, so that’s fine. I can see why a lot of Italian place names can work as names, they’re so beautiful. [name]Sierra[/name] [name]Leone[/name] would be very pretty… There are lots of beautiful middle eastern place names as well.
I think I’d draw an actual red line with alarm going off on Czech Republic, Papua [name]New[/name] Guinea… United Arab Emirates?
It depends on the name for me. I like [name]Geneva[/name] a lot, but most place names I’m not fond of.
Really, any of the US State names I don’t like at all as names–guess it’s too close to home.
Cities I can deal with a little better, but I’m still hesitant about most.
I prefer it to be a tad more subtle–[name]Lucia[/name], [name]Helena[/name], [name]Solomon[/name]–all names of islands but also very legitimate names.
I also like [name]Andorra[/name] and [name]Moriah[/name] and am not completely against [name]Gilead[/name].
I don’t like them and wouldn’t ever use one. There are names I like that are coincidentally place names (e.g. [name]Charlotte[/name]) and I don’t mind seeing some place names ([name]Austin[/name], [name]Georgia[/name]) which have a history of use as first names, even if they’re not my style. But some place names just sound ridiculous to me: [name]London[/name], [name]Bristol[/name], [name]England[/name], [name]Carlisle[/name], [name]Dublin[/name], [name]Ireland[/name], [name]Scotland[/name], [name]Glasgow[/name] 
[name]One[/name] of the only place names I actually like is [name]India[/name] but it gets so much flak on here, I’ll just keep schtum…
Hehe… “I’d like you to meet my children, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Democratic Republic of the [name]Congo[/name]” 
I agree with [name]Ottilie[/name].
I love a lot of place names. For me, “too much” would be naming a kid something like United States [name]Smith[/name], which doesn’t remotely sound like a name. Or something in steeped in controversy, like [name]India[/name]. With names like [name]England[/name] and [name]Ireland[/name], they aren’t necessarily my taste, but I wouldn’t be put off by someone else choosing something like that.
But overall, I love place names and find some of them quite nice.
I think place names need to either be A. A name that has been used as a name enough to feel established or even better, a place that originated from a name anyway. Or B. A place with some sort of personal significance. The more obscure the place, the more important it feels to me for there to be a story behind it.
I have a surname that’s a place name, and while it’s only rarely used as a first name (there were more than 10, but less than 20 baby boys named it in 2011), it’s still weird to think of anyone walking around with “my” surname as their first name.
Away from that, one thing I always find bizarre, is when parents use the names of places they’ve never been to.
I know a couple who named their daughter [name]London[/name], as they “love [name]London[/name],” but they’ve never been. So no, they don’t love [name]London[/name], they love the romantic ideal they have of [name]London[/name]. I’m sure the real [name]London[/name] is nothing like they imagine.
Furthermore, I don’t know why, but I find that kind of thing pretentious as well.
So no, I’m not a huge fan of place names being used as first names.
A lot of places were named actual names, so I would think that those would be fine.
I agree with Lineska-and that it is actually a place you have been to, and that it isn’t controversial for e.g [name]India[/name].
That said if it is too close to home like [name]Sydney[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name] or [name]Darwin[/name] (Australian cities) even though they are established names I wouldn’t use them (it would feel weird).
[name]Even[/name] [name]Alice[/name] (a name that I really like) I wouldn’t use myself because I lived in a town called [name]Alice[/name] ____.
I love [name]Holland[/name] and [name]Ireland[/name]
I wouldn’t use anything too well known, or likely to cause ridicule or seems silly. I also wouldn’t use a place I have no ties to.
I love the name [name]London[/name], but I have no connection to the place (yet), and it’d be laughable for a person name [name]London[/name] to ever visit [name]London[/name], [name]England[/name]. (So I’ve heard)
It irks me when I see children who have no ties to country with it as a name, like a blonde girl named [name]India[/name] with NO connection to the country, nor do her parents have any.
However names like [name]Austin[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], and [name]Alexandria[/name], are fine to me.
Funfact: I know someone with the last name of [name]Philadelphia[/name]. 
I have to admit, I have a soft spot for place names. I like [name]Holland[/name], [name]Geneva[/name], [name]Virginia[/name], [name]Savannah[/name], [name]Odessa[/name], [name]Dresden[/name], and [name]Paris[/name] (on a boy). I doubt I’d ever use one of these names, though.