# Help with place name origins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2017, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376 "2017-01-17T09:24:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/61 "2017-01-25T14:03:28Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > [li]Montevideo MN – Gannett says it’s “I see the mountain” (that’s Latin, more or less) refering to the Coteau (a plateau – there are no real mountains in MN). Wikipedia doesn’t say anything. Lots of people seem to think it’s named for the capital of Uruguay.[/li] Portuguese. I don’t know what the one in the US was named for, but according to legend the one in Uruguay is supposed to take its name from a sailor in Magalhaes’ expedition exclaiming “I see a mountain!” The earliest verifiable mention of the spot, in one of their expedition’s logbooks, describes the area recognizably and says that they named the mountain there Montevidi; the town was founded later and would take its name from the mountain. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/62 "2017-01-25T14:06:54Z")
I was thinking Solvang, CA would have a Danish place name history, but it does not. Turns out that [Nysted, NE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nysted,_Nebraska), does, though. There is also [Manchester, CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_California), and [Inverness, CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverness,_California). Not sure if you already have those. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/63 "2017-01-25T16:52:13Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Selkirk NY – Scotland? Named for James Selkirk, one of the earliest residents and a Revolutionary War veteran. He was an uncle by marriage of Joseph Henry, for whom the unit of electrical inductance is named. [http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/selkirk.html](http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/selkirk.html) [from a book about the history of the town of Bethlehem](https://books.google.com/books?id=DMQ4CwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA183&dq=history%20of%20bethlehem%20ny&pg=PA120#v=onepage&q=settled%20in%20what%20is%20now%20the%20hamlet%20of%20Selkirk&f=false), of which Selkirk is a hamlet. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/64 "2017-01-26T01:03:13Z")
In Massachusetts, from England probably: Andover Barnstable (nee’ Barnstaple) Bedford Boston Chelmsford Dover Dunstable Essex Ipswich Harwich Hull Leicester Newbury Norwich Northampton Oxford Plymouth Salisbury Sheffield Swansea (from Wales?) Waltham Weymouth Worcester Yarmouth ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/65 "2017-01-26T04:06:20Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Not hard evidence, but the link to Ockelbo seems solid: [http://www.ockelbo.se/Documents/Stromsburg.pdf](http://www.ockelbo.se/Documents/Stromsburg.pdf) (In Swedish, of course.) Does it say exactly what Stromsburg in Sweden is? A section of a town could mean a rural area, a village, a neighborhood, or perhaps something else. > [@naita](#): > > Would be incredible if it wasn’t named after the Swedish town of Falun, since it’s apparently an area full of Swedes. Nearby there’s New Gottland, obviously named for the Swedish island of Gotland, and Smolan, which I wouldn’t be surprised is just a mangled form of the Swedish region Småland, which would be pronounced similarly. Yes, but there’s a chance it may be named after someone named Falun. Perhaps not as great a chance for, say, an English name, since Scandinavians didn’t tend to take their hometown as a last name as was fairly common elsewhere in Europe. > [@snowthx](#): > > I was thinking Solvang, CA would have a Danish place name history, but it does not. Turns out that [Nysted, NE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nysted,_Nebraska), does, though. > > There is also [Manchester, CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_California), and [Inverness, CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverness,_California). Not sure if you already have those. Yes, got those. For those interested, I only have 5 Danish cities: Copenhagen, Helsingør, Nysted, Odense, and Viborg. Not very many, but it’s a lot more than for Portugal where I only have Lisbon. Any additions from those countries will be welcome. > [@bibliophage](#): > > Named for James Selkirk, one of the earliest residents and a Revolutionary War veteran. He was an uncle by marriage of Joseph Henry, for whom the unit of electrical inductance is named. Thanks. **Ignatz** , yes I have all those or have eliminated them (Essex is a county and Leicester is named after a person). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/66 "2017-01-26T04:28:43Z")
Got [Delhi, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi,_New_York)? (Pronounced “Dell-high”, unlike its Indian namesake.) Apparently it’s unclear whether [Madras, OR](madras us city) was named after the city (now Chennai) in India or after the plaid madras cloth that the city was known for. There’s a [Calcutta, OH](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta,_Ohio) (the Indian city now uses the modern spelling Kolkata), a [Bombay, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay,_New_York) (in India now mostly spelled Mumbai), and a [Simla, CO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simla,_Colorado), not to mention a [Lahore, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore,_Virginia). [Singapore, MI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore,_Michigan) is, alas, defunct, but [Lucknow, PA](lucknow us city) is hanging in there. Upstate NY of course has tons of places named after classical cities: Athens, Rome, Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica. Also Dutch names including Amsterdam and Rotterdam. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/67 "2017-01-26T05:14:50Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Got [Delhi, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi,_New_York)? (Pronounced “Dell-high”, unlike its Indian namesake.) Apparently it’s unclear whether [Madras, OR](madras us city) was named after the city (now Chennai) in India or after the plaid madras cloth that the city was known for. There’s a [Calcutta, OH](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta,_Ohio) (the Indian city now uses the modern spelling Kolkata), a [Bombay, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay,_New_York) (in India now mostly spelled Mumbai), and a [Simla, CO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simla,_Colorado), not to mention a [Lahore, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore,_Virginia). > > [Singapore, MI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore,_Michigan) is, alas, defunct, but [Lucknow, PA](lucknow us city) is hanging in there. Had all those except Simla and Lahore. Thank you very much for those. Lahore is the first on the list from Pakistan. I accepted Singapore MI, despite it being defunct. This is mainly because I have very few from SE Asia. The only other one is Manila, of which there are several in the US (mostly named in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War). Madras was almost certainly named after the cloth. Lots of small towns were named in meetings of locals, which were sometimes held the General Store, for lack of a better place to meet. When they were stumped for a name, sometimes someone would suggest a name from some product he could see in the store. I expect Madras was named in this way. Anyway, since the cloth is closely associated with the city, I accept it. > [@](#): > > Upstate NY of course has tons of places named after classical cities: Athens, Rome, Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica. Also Dutch names including Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Yep, got lots of places from there. Downstate too, like Brooklyn, Harlem, and Flushing. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/68 "2017-01-26T07:59:35Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Had all those except Simla and Lahore. Thank you very much for those. No problem! How are you fixed for [Manila, AK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila,_Arkansas), [Valparaiso, IN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valparaiso,_Indiana#History), [Bagdad, AZ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagdad,_Arizona), or [Damascus, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus,_Virginia)? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/69 "2017-01-26T08:40:16Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Does it say exactly what Stromsburg in Sweden is? A section of a town could mean a rural area, a village, a neighborhood, or perhaps something else. Ocklebo is a municipality, and also the the largest village/town. Strömsborg is what in Swedish is called a “by”, which could be a village or just a cluster of farms. Judging from map searches on it today it was the latter. People along a 200 m road have it as their address. > [@](#): > > Yes, but there’s a chance it may be named after someone named Falun. Perhaps not as great a chance for, say, an English name, since Scandinavians didn’t tend to take their hometown as a last name as was fairly common elsewhere in Europe. Well there are no one in the 1890 US census with a registered last name of Falun, no Swedish born with a last name likely to be an alternative spelling, and limited to Kansas no Swedes at all with anything [familysearch.org](http://familysearch.org) show as possible spellings. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/70 "2017-01-26T10:25:53Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > No problem! How are you fixed for [Manila, AK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila,_Arkansas), [Valparaiso, IN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valparaiso,_Indiana#History), [Bagdad, AZ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagdad,_Arizona), or [Damascus, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus,_Virginia)? Got them all already. > [@naita](#): > > Ocklebo is a municipality, and also the the largest village/town. Strömsborg is what in Swedish is called a “by”, which could be a village or just a cluster of farms. Judging from map searches on it today it was the latter. People along a 200 m road have it as their address. > Well there are no one in the 1890 US census with a registered last name of Falun, no Swedish born with a last name likely to be an alternative spelling, and limited to Kansas no Swedes at all with anything [familysearch.org](http://familysearch.org) show as possible spellings. Thanks for the info. I couldn’t find it on GoogleMaps. It certainly looks like Falun is good. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/71 "2017-01-26T11:22:15Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Thanks for the info. I couldn’t find it on GoogleMaps. It certainly looks like Falun is good. It appears to not be a road name, but it shows up on Swedish address based map searches: [http://kartor.eniro.se/sök/ockelbo-strömsborg](http://kartor.eniro.se/s%C3%B6k/ockelbo-str%C3%B6msborg). ---
**Author:** ![opossum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2bfe46/32.png) [@opossum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/opossum)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/72 "2017-01-27T00:38:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Remember I only need one place per foreign city and I’m not doing places named after other American cities. So Boston MA is all I need, Boston-wise. Since the University of Cambridge is closely associated with the city it’s in, Cambridge MA is OK. In fact, it’s on the list, but none of the other Cambridges are. > > bibliophage, thanks for the African places. > > Other people, remember that I already have all the big cities like Zurich and all the capitals like Bern. Or have established there are none (e.g. Helsinki, Minsk, Istambul). I’m looking for smaller places. Note that the spelling does not have be exact. For instance, the place named after Vilnius is Wilno, MN. AIUI, that’s the Polish spelling of that name. Do you have Vienna, Virginia? Because it’s named after Vienna, New York not the one in Austria. New York’s Vienna is named after Vienna, Austria. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/73 "2017-01-27T03:17:52Z")
> [@opossum](#): > > Do you have Vienna, Virginia? Because it’s named after Vienna, New York not the one in Austria. New York’s Vienna is named after Vienna, Austria. Yes, I have Vienna NY. Here’s a couple places I’m having trouble with: [Aldie VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldie,_Virginia) Gannett says it’s from a town in Italy. There doesn’t seem to be an Aldie in Italy. Perhaps a different spelling, but what? [Lisle NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisle,_New_York). Several sites say it’s from a Lisle in France. There are [several Lisle’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisle) there, so I don’t know which one. All are rather small, but I notice that Lisle is also listed as an old spelling of Lille, which is a much bigger city. Any ideas here? [Rivoli Township, IL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivoli_Township,_Mercer_County,_Illinois). Gannett says there’s a Rivoli IL named for the town of Rivoli in Italy. The township is the only Rivoli I can find in Illinois. There’s a good-sized town in the Piedmont region of Italy and a smaller one in Verona, which is perhaps more famous because of an 1848 battle there. Which is it? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/74 "2017-01-27T03:42:50Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Yes, I have Vienna NY. Here’s a couple places I’m having trouble with: > > [Aldie VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldie,_Virginia) Gannett says it’s from a town in Italy. There doesn’t seem to be an Aldie in Italy. Perhaps a different spelling, but what? Never mind about this one. Just noticed on the wikipage that it’s named for a castle in Scotland. And here I was afraid it was named for the grocery store… ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/75 "2017-01-27T03:53:42Z")
Lodi, New Jersey, Lodi, Illinois, and Lodi, California. The place in California is named for the place in Illinois. The place in New Jersey is named for the place in Italy. No information as to where the place in Illinois got its name. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/76 "2017-01-27T04:43:00Z")
Callary says in _Place Names of Illinois_ that Lodi “may have been transferred” from the one in Indiana or in New York; ultimately from Lodi in northern Italy. GNIS lists 54 Lodis in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/77 "2017-01-27T05:02:06Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > [Lisle NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisle,_New_York). Several sites say it’s from a Lisle in France. There are [several Lisle’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisle) there, so I don’t know which one. All are rather small, but I notice that Lisle is also listed as an old spelling of Lille, which is a much bigger city. Any ideas here? IMO, almost certain to be the Northern French/Flemish city of Lisle/Lille, which as you note is a far more important metropolis. Lisle/Lille was a major textile manufacturing hub, and the NY Lisle seems to have started up a woolen/carding mill quite early on, so the name might have been somewhat aspirational. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/78 "2017-01-27T08:26:05Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > IMO, almost certain to be the Northern French/Flemish city of Lisle/Lille, which as you note is a far more important metropolis. Lisle/Lille was a major textile manufacturing hub, and the NY Lisle seems to have started up a woolen/carding mill quite early on, so the name might have been somewhat aspirational. GNIS shows a Lille in Maine, which I don’t have. Nor does Wikipedia. One or both have probably been named for the city in France. As far as Lodi goes, the one in NJ is all I need. As I said earlier, I’m only looking for one US place named for each foreign city. If someone want to make a list of _all_ US places named for other cities, have fun. Your list will be many times longer than mine. At least 10,000, probably many more. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/79 "2017-01-27T10:13:04Z")
Ohio has both Mecca and Medina. It is confirmed that both were named after the cities in Arabia. Ohio also has Mogadore, known to be named after the city in Morocco formerly named Mogadore, now called Essaouira. These are all in Northeast Ohio. Speaking of northeast Ohio, did you get Ravenna? (My daughter was born there. The Ohio one, not the Italian one.) Pennsylvania has Loretto, named after Loreto in Italy. (The PA one was founded by an ancestor of mine.) Did you get Golconda, Nevada? It was named after the fortified city in India, because both places were connected with mining. Speaking of mining, Almaden, California, is named after Almadén, Spain, for that reason. The name is from Arabic _al-ma‘din_ ‘the mine’, site of a Roman mercury ore mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/80 "2017-01-27T11:48:19Z")
A couple of things come to mind: maybe useful, maybe not. > [@dtilque](#): > > Oakham MA – Rutland, England? Oakham MA was originally called Oakhampton, which makes me question whether it was named for the English town There’s a town of Rutland, MA., next door to the above Oakham. Wiki says “Oakham was first settled as part of Rutland…originally named Oakhampton, but name changed for an unknown reason”. For what it’s worth: I don’t know of any Oakhampton in England; but there is in Devonshire, the town of Oakhampton (“spelt differently, pronounced the same”). Might the Massachusetts place have originally been called after the Devon place, but mis-spelt; later changed to Oakham so as to chime in with the “Rutland” connection? > [@Ignatz](#): > > In Massachusetts, from England probably… And in addition to those listed; two more towns in Massachusetts: Billerica – Wiki says, “name borrowed from Billericay, Essex, England” [dropping the final “y”] New Braintree – this not specifically mentioned by Wiki: but there is a town of Braintree, Essex, England – ( **dtilque** , if I have things rightly, you are interested in "New \*\*\*\* " places in certain circumstances). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376.md?page=5)