Fantasy nation & city names

Place names start as:

1. Natural feature ( ... hill)
2. Function ( ... farm)
3. Person or character (Jeb's ... )
4. Existing name (River Exe ... )
5. Additional modifiers (Red ... )
6. Mix and match (Jeb's Red Hill Farm on the Exe)

Name evolution:

1. People say it in an easier way
2. Accidentally change parts into other place name sounds
3. Language evolves but place name doesn't
4. Another language comes in (sound changes, translation, replacement)
5. Extra modifiers to distinguish similar names
6. Backformation. Something gets renamed after something that was named after it

Natural Toponymy:

1. Start based on description of land
2. Originally based on language of the region
3. Change over time
4. Significant places often have endo & exonyms
5. Non-natural names can be whatever (often follow natural rules though)

Making Up Place Names:

1. Connotations are powerful af
2. Certain names fit certain places based on words that they sound like
3. Direct words as place names should convey important information
4. Bruh I love J.H.R. Tolkien (he's the granddaddy of world building), but "Mt. Doom" sucks.