Random832 said:
"The request by the Ukrainian government for Kyiv to become the standard English spelling has been successful to an extent, with the US Board on Geographic Names approving the spelling and the White House and UK Foreign Office, among others, using it."
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine uses Kyiv, though the map also has Kiev on it.
I think (if this is indeed the case), this is a strong argument for making the change.
It's evidence, though if common usage disagrees then it's not enough. For example, the BBC's web site uses both forms, but Kiev appears to be more common.
Incidentally, this is not without precedent. The following links all appear to be the result of similar "transliteration" changes. Link Asia/Ashgabat Asia/Ashkhabad Link Asia/Kolkata Asia/Calcutta Link Asia/Dhaka Asia/Dacca Link Asia/Kathmandu Asia/Katmandu Link Asia/Macau Asia/Macao Link Asia/Yangon Asia/Rangoon Link Asia/Thimphu Asia/Thimbu Link Asia/Ulaanbaatar Asia/Ulan_Bator Link Pacific/Pohnpei Pacific/Ponape Link Pacific/Chuuk Pacific/Truk
I don't recognize all of those, but I do recognize many and they're the forms used generally nowadays. Just as the city formerly known as Bangalore is now usually Bengaluru. By contrast, Moskva is still called Moscow by most English speakers. -- Clive D.W. Feather | If you lie to the compiler, Email: clive@davros.org | it will get its revenge. Web: http://www.davros.org | - Henry Spencer Mobile: +44 7973 377646