Forum:Request help/Questions about naming

Forums → Request help or feedback → Request help/Questions about naming

Good evening, upon editing and creating villages I ended up having some questions, mostly about place naming but also about other topics.

I understand that naming objects after real-life people is not allowed. I was wondering if it using names of saints is allowed? Primarily because since you can create Christian churches, they normally are named after a saint or an important Christian event, and since some saints actually existed, I don't know if it's okay to name them like that.
Is it allowed to reference a real-life person or place by choosing a name that sounds similar to it? Like, what is usually done to avoid copyright sometimes, use a similar name.
Is there any list of widely-used brands I can use instead of the real ones?
Now referring specifically to the area of Tierra Nueva, is there any way it can get connected to the neighboring areas by roads? Since the people who edit in that area cannot edit into other areas to link roads together, how would that be done?
Are there any rules set for the creation of lakes or islands inside lakes?
This could be wrong because I read it in a really old post, but I read that you could ask for permission to the owner of an area to edit said area alongside them. Just wanted to know if that is true.

Apologies if any of the questions is difficult to understand, because English is not my first language, and thanks in advance. Signal (talk) 21:51, 18 October 2025 (UTC)

Hello. I am happy to answer a few of these questions for you to help you get started.

It is common practice to use saint names for naming of churches as a way of keeping with verisimilitude. More modern saint names with surnames would probably be frowned upon, however. If you stuck to more general names like Peter, Maria, Thomas, George, etc. you are probably safer. Many of us go this route. That said, try to avoid a direct saint–to–nation connotation that exists in real life. For example, if you are going to base a territory on Naples, Italy, you would probably be best to avoid having St. Gennaro as its patron saint. I'm sure there are varying opinions on this, but realism does not mean copying everything directly.
It depends on the real-life person. If you are talking about someone famous like Charles de Gaulle or Nelson Mandela, then you would be advised to not have something close sounding. Changing Nelson Mandela to Mel Nandelason is an unacceptable usage. At the same time, there are quite a few references to real-life people as tributes on the site but in more vague ways. If you had a town that was simply named "Nelson" and you knew it was named after Nelson Mandela, it is vague and generic enough that it would not be an issue. If the person is not famous, like a close friend, then we still suggest keeping it vague to protect their identity. Many people have persons or places in their territory named after family members or friends, but no one would ever know who is who.
I would check with the user of each company, but there is an international business listing. Not every company there may reach to where you are working.
This is a question best answered by the regional admin (TheMayor or wangi), so I'll defer to them.
Keep it realistic. If you are putting a fifth-order island in a lake, then that might raise questions. If this is territory specific, then it is up to whoever is overseeing the territory.
Generally, yes, this is part of being a good neighbor. At a minimum, let someone know you want to work next to them and coordinate with them to link things up. If you are going to be 50km away, then you do not really have to worry about it. The closer you are, the better it is just to send a quick note anyway.

I hope this helps. Happy mapping! — Alessa _(talk) 12:49, 20 October 2025 (UTC)

For Q4, you can coordinate cross-border mapping with the three owned neighbouring territories by reaching out to their owners, per OpenGeofiction:Territories#Overview Map. For the vacant territories, no. /wangi (talk) 21:18, 20 October 2025 (UTC)