# Place names as first names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562 "2026-10-03T15:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/1 "2026-10-03T15:07:40Z")
I just learned there is a violinist called Geneva Lewis. This spurred the idle thought that there are other place names have been used as first names. Sienna, Florence, Paris spring to mind. Do you know others? Are they mostly female names? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/2 "2026-10-03T15:23:03Z")
“Paris” (as in the guy) is not actually a place name; Wikipedia says it is of Luwian origin and means “foremost, primary man”. Now, we have people like Montana Taylor; his name was Arthur, but he was from Montana, so… (cf. Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander of Macedon…) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/3 "2026-10-03T15:24:05Z")
I thought Geneva was a pretty old name. I worked with a Geneva in the 90s. Apparently as a name it peaked in the 1920s. The name is tied to the either the Juniper Tree or Gaulish for estuary. So may not really be tied to the city. * * * * * * There are several **Dakotas** around. **Madison** was made popular by Splash as a girls name and was based on a NYC Street. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/4 "2026-10-03T15:28:22Z")
**Olympia** comes from Mount Olympus, though I imagine some modern-day Olympias may have been named after the capital of Washington State. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/5 "2026-10-03T15:30:56Z")
Silly of me, I hadn’t thought of he original use of Paris, was thinking of Paris Hilton. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/6 "2026-10-03T15:47:41Z")
OTTOMH IVE come across women named Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Augusta, Madison, Kennedy, Florence. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/7 "2026-10-03T15:57:37Z")
The first one to come to mind that wasn’t already mentioned is Austin (I have a cousin with that name). Also, Isreal. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/8 "2026-10-03T16:00:31Z")
At least some of those are places named after people, though, not people named after places. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Also, Isreal. That’s also a place named after a person. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/9 "2026-10-03T16:04:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > At least some of those are places named after people, though, not people named after places. The OP didn’t say you can’t list people named after places that were named after people. Not unrelated, [America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_Ferrera). ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/10 "2026-10-03T16:22:30Z")
Cleveland Amory ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/11 "2026-10-03T16:25:58Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > we have people like Montana Taylor and Holland Taylor ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/12 "2026-10-03T16:56:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > > Also, Isreal. > > That’s also a place named after a person. Trivia time: besides Israel, what are the only two countries named after Jews? Solomon Islands and El Salvador. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/13 "2026-10-03T17:00:31Z")
I’ve seen a few women called London.One example: > **[London Hughes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hughes)** > > London Hughes (born 7 June 1989) is a British comedian, television writer and presenter. She wrote and starred in Laughter Shock, a comedy for the BBC which piloted in 2010. London Dionne Micha Stacey Stephanie Estina Knibbs-Hughes was born in Thornton Heath, South London in England. Her mother is of Jamaican and Cuban ancestry, while her father is of Puerto Rican, Spanish and Nigerian ancestry. Her great grandfather was Enos Knibbs, a cricket umpire. When she was younger, she spent most of her s... ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/14 "2026-10-03T17:06:42Z")
The list is long. Adelaide, Chelsea , Brooklyn, Ireland, Bronx, Phoenix, Jordan, Sydney, Darwin. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/15 "2026-10-03T17:44:05Z")
Come to think of it, Erin and Shannon, used as names, both come from the places. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/16 "2026-10-03T17:50:41Z")
I know a girl named Montana. [Vienna Teng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Teng) is a musician. [London Breed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Breed) was mayor of San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/17 "2026-10-03T18:14:16Z")
I know a Santiago. And he’s from Chile. Another Vienna is the actor named [Vienna Leacock](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9214423/bio/). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/18 "2026-10-03T19:17:35Z")
I knew someone named Arizona. Most people called him Zone. I know someone named after the famous building where she was allegedly conceived. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/19 "2026-10-03T20:06:23Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Adelaide Originally not a place name. Adelaide, Australia was named after Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV of the UK (born Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess in Saxony). In German, the name is Adelheid, from which we get Heidi. Another example of a feminine personal name that is perhaps better known as a toponym is Alberta. Today, this is one of Canada’s provinces, and it was named after Princess Louise, wife of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, once Governor General of Canada. They were a popular viceregal couple and the name Louise was originally proposed. However, the Princess requested that the name Alberta be used. Her full given names were Louise Caroline Alberta, the last one after her father Albert the Prince Consort (Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and she wanted to honor her father. Lake Louise and Mount Alberta were also named after her. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562/20 "2026-10-03T21:07:09Z")
The given name **Graham** traces back to the surname Graham which traces back to Grantham, England. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-as-first-names/1033562.md?page=2)