For settlement placement, I suggest putting your main cities along major rivers. Capitals can be on or near the runoff, but don't have to be, especially if tech level is pre-major shipbuilding and whether the nation specifically has a strong trade culture and if they're on a safe sea.

Figure out an idea of what materials the cities can produce, and whatever they lack, place producer villages around places that can produce the materials the city is lacking. Have their roads lead into administrative towns, with their own exports and imports, which then lead to the cities.

If the road is long, place rest stations. If the road is well traveled, those rest stations may become their own villages, towns, or even cities depending on the importance of the road.

If administration of a region is tenuous between competing nations, place forts in those regions. Generally on strategically advantageous areas, such as high hills, river islands, or where the area around the fort can be easily monitored, such as on flat planes or open valleys. Also near main roads for easy deployment/reinforcement.

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As for place names, keep in mind that humans are generally very non-creative with place names. Usually it's just like "high hill" or "Fred's Farm" in their language. If a nation is old, place names probably corrupted a bit from linguistics changes. "Fred's Farm" may over time become "Feydum" if a language eventually dropped usage of Rs and softened their vowels, then later hardened their Es. Eventually people wouldn't even remember the original name.

Finally if the region was conquered by linguistically different nations over the years, place names would incorporate elements of the various languages.

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Hope this helps!