I recognize that you are asking about European place named but how humans named things in North America might give some insight. A really great book on how places got their names in the US is Names on the Land: a historical account of place-naming in the United States by George R. Stewart (ISBN 978-1-59017-273-5).
I recognize that you are asking about European place named but how humans named things in North America might give some insight. A really great book on how places got their names in the US is Names on the Land: a historical account of place-naming in the United States by George R. Stewart (ISBN 978-1-59017-273-5).