# 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:** 5
**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, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/81 "2017-01-27T18:16:21Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > 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. Have all of those except Mogadore. Good to get more that are not in Europe, so thank you. I wasn’t sure about Almaden, although I considered it. The mines (one in each place) kind of confused things. > [@Sangahyando](#): > > 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? Doesn’t sound likely, but if there were people from both areas, it’s possible. > [@](#): > > 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). Have Billerica. I have no problem with places named “New …”, but there’s also a plain old Braintree in Massachusetts that I already have. ---
**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, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/82 "2017-01-27T19:36:45Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > . I wasn’t sure about Almaden, although I considered it. The mines (one in each place) kind of confused things. On reconsideration, I’ve decided to accept Almaden. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/83 "2017-01-28T05:39:33Z")
You probably have these, but Upstate New York had a whole series of names with (then) British origins with a smattering of Greek or classical names that were thrown down around the Finger Lakes and often then carried west across Northern Ohio and then scattered across southern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota: Utica Syracuse Avon Bath Bloomfield Brighton Chelsea Dundee Farmington? Hudson (although that may have come from the explorer rather than the UK cities) [_Lansing, MI, named for Lansing, NY was named for a New York settler_] Manchester Oxford Plymouth [_Rochester, MI, and Rochester, MN, named for Rochester, NY was named for a New York settler_] Waterford ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/84 "2017-01-28T07:53:59Z")
**tomndebb** , I either have those or have ruled them out for various reasons. Thank you anyway. There’s one name I’m having trouble with. If anyone has any of the relevant state-specific books, I’d appreciate if you could look this one up: Colmar. It’s a [city in the Alsace region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmar) and there’s places with that name in Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. But Wikipedia doesn’t have etymologies in any of their pages. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/85 "2017-01-28T09:21:01Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > 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? My above post yesterday – I’m stupid ! (or was indulging alcoholically). The town in Devon is spelt _Okehampton_, and that’s what I meant to put. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/86 "2017-01-28T09:41:05Z")
I think it more likely that the original Oakhampton was a reference to Oakham, which is the county town in Rutland, England. Devon and Rutland are not close at all; one’s in the southwest and one’s in the north central. While it’s not impossible that there were people from both areas settling that part of Mass., it’s not especially likely. Anyway, I included it on the off chance someone would have a placename etymology book that included it. I’m not too surprised no one does. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/87 "2017-01-28T20:43:43Z")
New Almaden, CA was named after top mercury mine town in Spain. As said. Second location not far away is New Idria. A mercury mining ghost town named after second top mercury mining place in Europe, Idrija, now in Slovenia. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/88 "2017-01-28T22:00:02Z")
Fantastic, **yo han** , that’s the first entry for Slovenia. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/89 "2017-01-29T01:42:53Z")
> [@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. > > 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. > > 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. > > Thanks. > > **Ignatz** , yes I have all those or have eliminated them (Essex is a county and Leicester is named after a person). Wikipedia entry for the Town of Essex, Massachusetts, population 3504, where the fried clam was invented: > **[Essex, Massachusetts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex,_Massachusetts)** > > Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 census. > The central village areas of Essex and South Essex make up the census-designated place of Essex. > Essex was incorporated as a town in 1819. It was previously a part of the town of Ipswich and was then called Chebacco Parish. The first Europea... ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/90 "2017-01-29T06:09:35Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > Wikipedia entry for the Town of Essex, Massachusetts, population 3504, where the fried clam was invented: > > [Essex, Massachusetts - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex,_Massachusetts) Yes, Essex, Massachusetts is a city. But Essex, England is a county. It contains many cities that are in the list. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/91 "2017-01-29T07:52:01Z")
How about [Cathay, ND](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay,_North_Dakota) (pop. 43)? Again, the original is not quite so much a city, but… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/92 "2017-01-29T07:53:25Z")
[Thebes, IL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes,_Illinois)? Jericho, NY? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/93 "2017-01-29T08:28:05Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > How about [Cathay, ND](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay,_North_Dakota) (pop. 43)? Again, the original is not quite so much a city, but… The list is long enough just with cities. > [@Kimstu](#): > > [Thebes, IL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes,_Illinois)? > > Jericho, NY? Have them, but thank you. I’m working on getting the list into a form I can put on the net, so that people can look at it themselves and see what I already have. It’ll take a little while, because I didn’t make the list in a form that makes that easy to do (wasn’t thinking ahead). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/94 "2017-01-29T08:50:36Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Hudson (although that may have come from the explorer rather than the UK cities) I’m not aware of anywhere in the UK called Hudson. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/95 "2017-01-29T08:51:33Z")
There are Hebrons everywhere. [Sidon, MS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidon,_Mississippi) Heck, have all the [Biblical place names in USA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biblical_place_names_in_North_America). [Patna, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patna,_Virginia) after Patna in NE India? [Cashmere, WA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashmere,_Washington) for Kashmir in India [New Rochelle, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rochelle,_New_York) from La Rochelle in France (New Orleans of course is from Orleans in France) You must have Tewksbury? (MA or NJ) Solway, MN? Malta, MT? Bantam, CT? Dungeness, WA? Malmo, MN? Preston, CT? Culloden, WV or GA? (probably for Culloden Moor) Antrim, NH? Marengo, IL? I remembered that people used to love naming towns for famous battles, which themselves are generally identified by place names. ---
**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 29, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/96 "2017-01-29T20:43:42Z")
Do you have Waterloo, Iowa? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/97 "2017-01-29T20:55:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > There are Hebrons everywhere. > > [Sidon, MS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidon,_Mississippi) > > Heck, have all the [Biblical place names in USA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biblical_place_names_in_North_America). Have Sidon; there’s also a Tyre in NY to complement it. I’m aware of the Biblical lists (there’s two in Wikipedia and they should be joined, but I’m not going to be the one to do it). > [@](#): > > [Patna, VA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patna,_Virginia) after Patna in NE India? Unaware of that one, and Wikipedia doesn’t give an etymology. I’ll add as “needs confirmation” entry. > [@](#): > > [Cashmere, WA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashmere,_Washington) for Kashmir in India > > [New Rochelle, NY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rochelle,_New_York) from La Rochelle in France > > (New Orleans of course is from Orleans in France) Kashmir is a region and I’m not doing those; have New Rochelle; New Orleans is actually named for the Duke of Orleans, who was the regent for Louis XV. Not to worry, Orleans NY fills that slot. > [@](#): > > You must have Tewksbury? (MA or NJ) > > Solway, MN? Malta, MT? Bantam, CT? Dungeness, WA? Malmo, MN? Preston, CT? Culloden, WV or GA? (probably for Culloden Moor) Antrim, NH? Marengo, IL? Tewksbury – have Solway – not a city; it’s a firth Malta – not a city; it’s a country Bantam – don’t have but it needs confirmation Dungeness – not a city; it’s a headland Malmo – have Preston – have Culloden – don’t have but needs confirmation Antrim – not a city; it’s a county (also an anagram of Martin) Marengo – have > [@](#): > > I remembered that people used to love naming towns for famous battles, which themselves are generally identified by place names. Yes, I have several already, including some from the Mexican-American war. One of which, Matamoros, was not actually a battle. The Mexicans didn’t defend it so the Americans captured it without battle. Yet, there’s a place in Ohio named for it. Thanks for all the suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/98 "2017-01-29T21:04:44Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Do you have Waterloo, Iowa? I have a Waterloo, but not that one. There’s several Waterloos in the US, and all but that one were named for the battle. From what I’ve read, the guy naming Waterloo, Iowa (it had just been platted at the time) needed inspiration for a name, looked through a listing of existing post offices, encountered the name, and decided he liked it. Or at least that’s the best explanation they can come up with. ---
**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 30, 2017, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/99 "2017-01-30T04:46:08Z")
Callary, _Placenames of Illinois,_ says Colmar was named by settlers from the European city. I don’t have Kentucky or Pennsylvania books. Stewart, _American Place-Names,_ doesn’t have an entry for any Colmar. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376/100 "2017-01-30T06:09:26Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Callary, _Placenames of Illinois,_ says Colmar was named by settlers from the European city. Sounds good to me. Thank you. I’d buy some of these books, but my budget right now will not support it. I do have a placename etymology book on my state, but Oregon is not a state with lots of examples. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-place-name-origins/777376.md?page=6)