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Swannanoa: I heard it in a folk song today, and I associate roots music. I lived there for a bit; it's outside of Asheville in NC, so an artsy craftsy Appalachian town near farms and colleges...that got flooded by hurricane Helene.

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The etymology is ambiguous (beyond being anglicized from an indigenous language, possibly Cherokee), but it's another river associated one - potentially comes from a word meaning "beautiful river" and is literally a river. I imagine I would have liked having it as a name especially as a kid; I like Noa, and the Swan part is fun.

This message was edited 11/9/2024, 4:05 PM

I like Shenandoah, although that was a name originally (and unique but I think famous?), so I don't know if it counts. I think most places in Virginia that sound namey originated from names. One that doesn't is Belle Haven, which I could see as a double name. It's named after Belhaven in Scotland which was named after Biel Water, a river. And there's Annandale, again vaguely named after a Scottish river. I don't love Belle Haven or Annandale as places, though.

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Bluefield? It's named after chicory plants.

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I didn't realize Michaux was a place in Virginia until I met someone named it.

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A place that I like and that seems potentially namey in an unusual way is Kennebec (the river in Maine).

This message was edited 11/8/2024, 10:42 PM

This is tough to do in my area because I'm pretty sure 99% of our place names have just been cut and pasted from other places, but some might be:

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Kirkella
Tyndall
Corydon
Rennie
Carrick
Hartney
Kaleida
Fallison
Ninette
Ameer
Tenby

This message was edited 11/4/2024, 4:01 PM

I am Israeli and I wanted to share they're Israeli for the most part

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fem:

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Haifa
Massada
Herzelia
Caesarea
Ramallah
Dalya
Hadera
Dimonah

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Hebrew place names are typically feminine it is hard to find male ones that sound nicely

The closest city I live near is actually used in other states...so, I guess that's not unique 😅.

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Anyway:
Loris
Yauhannah
Carris
Utica
Dalzell
Bethune
Latta
Pomaria

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There's also Marion (which is actually somewhat close to me) and Florence, which I think are beautiful names for girls.

Small towns in rural Illinois

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Chenoa
Wenona
Lacon - named after the Laconia region of Greece
Towanda - means burial ground in some Native American languages
Ancona
Kernan
Mazon - Potawatomi Native American word for nettles
Verona
Tonica - named for the Tunica Native Americans
Ticona
Varna
Cornell - last name of the founder
Toluca
Kangley
Cayuga
Dalzell - last name of early developer

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We also have some that are just pretty regular names: Henry, Morris, Leonore, Garfield, Dana, Cherry
Edit: added meanings I could find

This message was edited 11/3/2024, 6:51 PM

I used to live in West Sussex:

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Amberley
Arundel
Bramber
Brighton
East Dean
Elmer
Hammer
Henley
Hoyle
Lancing
Langley
Lavant
Loxwood
Marden
Maudlin
Norton
Oving
Rake
Redford
Selsey
Somerley
Sutton
Washington
Westbourne
West Dean
West Preston
Wick
Worth

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Fun ones (not related to names)

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Dragon’s Green
Titty Hill
World's End

I would've said Elsinore but evidently I haven't read Hamlet 😅

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Cities in Southern California, USA:
Glendora (founder combined location of his house (a glen) and his wife's name, Leadora)
Monrovia (after president James Monroe)
Solvang (Danish for "sunny fields")
Altadena ('alta'-"upper" and 'dena' from the city of Pasadena)

Place names in use as given names in the Canary Islands (those coming from a place name with San/Santa ("Saint") are marked with an asterisk):

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Feminine:

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Acerina (from Aceró)
Amanay
Brígida*
Candelaria
Famara
Gara
Gazmira
Isora
Lucía*
Magüi (MAH-wee)
María*
Nivaria
Palma (from La Palma)
Tara
Taydía (tie-DEE-a)
Tindaya
Úrsula*
Yaiza

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Masculine:

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Aday
Adexe
Andrés*
Aray (from Araya)
Bartolomé*
Cristóbal*
Imobach
Jonay
Juan*
Lorenzo*
Miguel*
Nicolás*
Santiago
Sebastián*
Tinerfe (from Tenerife)

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Unisex:

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Aridane
Cruz*
Himar
Rosario (from Puerto del Rosario)

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Place names that would make decent given names:

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Alegranza
Arona
Artenara
Arucas
Betancuria
Fasnia
Firgas
Garafía
Hermigua
Mogán
Moya
Tejeda
Teror
Valverde

I haven't lived in these places but here are some-

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Nairi Zaryan – a street in Yerevan, Armenia
Ruisi – a city in Georgia (the country)
Kyzylkiya – a city in Kazakhstan
Reyneke – and island somewhere by Vladivostok
Demnya – a village in the L'viv Oblast in Ukraine
Artakis – a street in Nea Smyrni, Greece
Nizki – a village in the Mogilev Oblast in Belarus
Reval – the former name of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia

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Bucha would have also been a good one, but sadly tragedies happened there so it's best not to use.

This message was edited 11/2/2024, 3:06 PM

Lake Winola in Pennsylvania. Winola makes a good name.

This message was edited 11/2/2024, 2:45 PM

Not too interesting around here. Lurel, Bethany Beach, Delmar, maybe Rehoboth Beach.
The wider area is the Delmarva Peninsula, named for the three states that make it up.