I’m kind of particular about place name names, though. Because I don’t think it’s cool to name a kid after where you are currently living…BUT, I also really don’t like people using names of places that they’ve never been to. I think the place has to have a personal significance to you to justify using it. Either you previously lived there, have visited, have a family member who lived there, etc. I think it’s rather dull to use a place name just because you like the sound of it. (The exception, of course, is place names that were originally people names first, like [name]Virginia[/name], [name]Georgia[/name]. I’d still hesitate to use them if the place wasn’t at least a positive association for you.)
My DH and I have tossed around using [name]Charleston[/name], Chattanooga (yeah, that’s a bit out there!), [name]Tennessee[/name] as funky middle names, since they have personal significance. But I would never use [name]Brooklyn[/name] or [name]Savannah[/name] (never been there, though it’s close to places I’ve lived!), even if I liked them (which I don’t particularly…).
Does this thread remind anyone else of [name]Forrest[/name] Gump? Lol.
“There was [name]Dallas[/name], from [name]Phoenix[/name]. [name]Cleveland[/name], he was from Detroit. And [name]Tex[/name]… Well I don’t remember where [name]Tex[/name] come from.”
I can’t see [name]Sheffield[/name] working that well as a name, the little towns closer to where I live would be even worse names. However, I used to live near a place called [name]Blythe[/name] and quite a lot of people seem to like that as a name.
I do like [name]Dallas[/name], but I didn’t enjoy living there. I’d feel weird using it as a name because of that.
Besides [name]Dallas[/name], there are a number of [name]Texas[/name] cities that are well used as names by Texans, like [name]Austin[/name], [name]Houston[/name], and [name]Tyler[/name]. Funny, though, there are some town names that just don’t seem to be catching on, like Frognot, Kickapoo, [name]Ding[/name] Dong, Muleshoe, and Cut and Shoot. I wonder why…
While there are some names of places where I have lived that I would absolutely consider ([name]Mercer[/name], [name]Fife[/name], [name]Richmond[/name]), I would not use them if I was still living in that place. I lived in [name]Virginia[/name] for a few years and met 3 Virginias while I was there and it always seemed kind of strange!
I also would be hesitant to use the name of a place on purpose if I had never been there even if I loved the name (i.e. [name]Phoenix[/name] or [name]India[/name])
Additionally, I would be deterred by a nice name if it was also the name of a not nice place. Having grown up in central [name]New[/name] [name]Jersey[/name] I am always surprised when people, even if they’re not from NJ, name their children [name]Trenton[/name], [name]Camden[/name], etc.
I really enjoy place names but the more I look at them the trickier they become!
I live in [name]Maine[/name], which I actually have considered as a girl’s middle name… the town is an obnoxious hyphenated name and neither parts would work as a name in my opinion. I think I would only use a place name if it had meaning to me but I DIDN’T live there, or at least not currently live there. For example, if I ever did use [name]Maine[/name] as a middle name, it would only be after I had moved out of [name]Maine[/name]. But I’m not in love with most place names anyway…
My daughter’s middle name is [name]Arizona[/name] after the place, as it has meaning to us, but we didn’t even consider it as a first name. I think it’s a pretty cool middle name but it would be too much as a first [name]IMO[/name]. Some place names are ok, like [name]India[/name] (even though I wouldnt use it), [name]Cairo[/name], [name]London[/name] (NMS though), [name]Indiana[/name] ect.
My sister has already done so with my two nieces. Not from states, but other countries.
I am from [name]Texas[/name]. Although, my be cool for a cowboy, nn [name]Tex[/name], not my style.
My city name, well, cannot picture it. Have seen it though.
My current city name, I have seen it bounced around on nameberry, which I originally thought was a bit strange. I can see it as a name, but it is a small town, so I cannot do that to my child. [name]Hi[/name], this is ‘T’, she is from 'T, and she attends ‘T’ school district. No thanks.
My last name is a state name. I think that itself makes it overkill.
I would never name my child Nebraska. Besides, anyone who’s ever been to Nebraska long enough ends up wanting to leave. So…
I have at one point thought the name Neligh was adorable and considered it. Its a town in Nebraska I would always drive through to visit my old farmhouse. Its pronounced like “[name]Neely[/name]”. If I could, I’d suggest [name]Nephele[/name] to my old self and that probably would have replaced it.
I live in South [name]Carolina[/name] and [name]Caroline[/name] is one of my favorite names, so sure. I like [name]Carolina[/name] too but I wouldn’t choose that, though I do know a [name]Carolina[/name]. I like [name]Karolina[/name] as well.
I’m not generally fond of most place names as given names.
My great-grandma [name]Catherine[/name] (who I am named for) had [name]Missouri[/name] as her middle name. I was so shocked when I found that out! We live in Kansas now, right next door, but we didn’t come here until I was a kid. My whole family is originally from Ohio. I don’t think great-grandma had ever even been to [name]Missouri[/name]. I’ve asked a couple family members, but so far I have no idea why she might have been given that name. It’s possible her parent’s just like the sound of it…I guess…
After finding this on the family tree, though, I did jokingly tell me husband that we would have to name our daughter [name]Mary[/name] Kansas because it’s a tradition in my family. [name]Mary[/name] for Maryland where he was born/grew up and Kansas for the state I grew up in. LOL!
[name]Don[/name]'t worry, we didn’t really name her that.
We strongly considered using [name]Diego[/name] as a mn for a boy. It was the front-runner for most of the first half of the pregnancy. We’ve decided on something else, but I’m keeping it mind if I ever have more babies.
I actually have thought about it. There are several states and city names I love. [name]Virginia[/name] is a family name which I may bring back. Actually no one from that side of the family as far as I know is from [name]Virginia[/name]. But I may update it with [name]Ginevra[/name].
There are also some cities names for boys, although most of them not nearby.
I looked it up once there are fourteen states names including [name]Dakota[/name] and [name]Carolina[/name] that appear or appeared in the top 1000. They are [name]Arizona[/name], [name]Carolina[/name], [name]Dakota[/name], [name]Florida[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], [name]Indiana[/name], [name]Louisiana[/name], [name]Missouri[/name],(this seemed the hardest to believe for me), [name]Montana[/name], [name]Nevada[/name], [name]Tennessee[/name], [name]Texas[/name], and [name]Washington[/name]. [name]Washington[/name] I think has more to do with president.
Anyway I also like to look up random names on our digital map and see if there are cities with those names. For example there’s am [name]Emilee[/name], [name]Texas[/name] and [name]Emily[/name], MN. [name]Just[/name] goes to show any name can be town.
I like this post.
Good [name]Luck[/name]!
My hometown is near [name]Charlotte[/name], NC, and I would use [name]Charlotte[/name] for a girl as a fn or mn. I knew a [name]Charlotte[/name] in high school, but for the record our addresses are not [name]Charlotte[/name]. We were a short drive from the city, though.
My only avaliable names would be [[name]New[/name]] [name]Jersey[/name] & Hoboken. Hoboken isn’t even a name, but I like how it sounds and a while back I actually thought it would make a cute name… so I guess it’s on the super guilty pleasure list. Plus [name]Jersey[/name] sounds like an ugly name. I could always name them after my heritage, but to me [name]Cuba[/name] sounds like a girls name even though it’s probably in the boys camp. So no.
[name]Georgia[/name], not since I live in the state. If we moved across the country, maybe.
[name]Tennessee[/name] is a guilty pleasure middle for either a boy or a girl, but not sure if I’d use it in reality. It’d be for [name]Tennessee[/name] [name]Williams[/name], but with the state university rivalries between [name]Georgia[/name] and [name]Tennessee[/name], it might be a little odd. Similarly with [name]Carolina[/name], which is a name i really like, but might be (hopefully) moving to South [name]Carolina[/name], so maybe only as a middle. This also stands for [name]Charles[/name] ([name]Charleston[/name]), but it’s not a favorite name anyway .
It’s been ten years since I’ve lived in alexandria, and with more time passing the odds of ever using it are rising. However, I have so many other girl names on my list that I’d probably not get around to picking it.
There are a zillion counties in [name]Georgia[/name], and some of them are kinda neat names. I don’t know half of them by heart, but i wouldn’t not use a name i liked because it was also a county name. (states are a little move obviously place names, which would give me pause.)
