Place names?

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

Inspired by a recent post... what do you think of place named when you're not from the place or have no heritage there... like for example Ireland. I am not Irish, directly or have any past heritage from there... but I may love the name and the place, the culture, the people. Same with people naming their children Asia and having no heritage there. Yay, Nay? what say you?

Comments

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

I think that a place that was named after a person originally is fair game for anyone, it is just re-appropriation of the name. A place that is named as a place, not after a person, like America, or Asia, or India, is out of the question unless the person has ties to the location.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

America is named after a person...

[pianokitten.livejournal.com]

^^

[holidaylights.livejournal.com]

+1

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

Whom?

(Not being American, I don't do American History)

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

That applies to South and North America too...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerigo_Vespucci

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

and Canada is also part of the continent last I checked... (think morningapproach is from Canada?)

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

hmm, interesting! Never knew that, thanks for sharing.

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but the person's name wasn't America; it was Amerigo. So I don't think that counts.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

it is pronounced as Americo...

[ifancylust.livejournal.com]

..which still isn't the same as "america"