# Rarest last letters of place names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517 "2020-09-01T12:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/1 "2020-09-01T12:25:12Z")
A [recent blog](https://panethos.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/largest-cities-whose-name-ends-with-the-letter-i/) by someone who goes by the handle problogic was about cities whose name ends with I. Looking at only medium and large cities (min size 150K), he found some 200 of them. That got me to thinking about the rarest last letters of city names. The rarest last letters for English words are Q and J in that order. There’s less than 50 of each, even if you scour the OED and other unabridged dictionaries. So it’s not too surprising that I couldn’t come up with very many with those two letters. The only Q-ender I know of is a very small place in Greenland (Qaanaaq) and I only know of that one because it’s a rare Q-palindrome. No doubt there’s others in Inuit lands or Arabic-speaking countries. But not Iraq. That’s a country, not a city. For J, the only one I could think of is Cluj, Romania. Again, there are likely others in various other countries, India, perhaps. Other rare letters in English are X and Z. For Z I thought of Fez, Morocco and Valdez, Alaska. For X, there’s Phoenix, Halifax, and Bordeaux. Probably with more thought I could think of more. The next four rarest letters in English are K, V, B, and P. Compared with the other letters discussed here, K is quite common. New York, York, Innsbruck, Dunkirk, Selkirk, Norfolk, Kennewick WA, Kennebunk ME, and many more. So I’m not that interested in K. V, though, seems to be only represented by Kiev. Perhaps there’s others in Russia or somewhere. B. McComb MS, Macomb IL, and Babb MT. P. Islip NY and Puyallup WA. Places that end in -thorp in England. Thorp is an old word meaning “village”. C seems to be somewhat rare: Passaic NJ, Cadillac MI, and Fond du Lac WI. Shediac, New Brunswick. Maybe Quebec, but that usually goes by Quebec City, I think. F: Flagstaff AZ and Red Bluff CA. Düsseldorf. But that brings up that Dorf is a German word for village, cognate with thorp. So there’s probably plenty of dorfs in Germany. Also other Bluff’s and Cliff’s. Any additions? Except for K. Don’t tell me about any Ks. Way too common. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/2 "2020-09-01T13:20:50Z")
Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Also, can’t throw a rock without hitting a -v town in Russia ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/3 "2020-09-01T15:27:11Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The only Q-ender I know of is a very small place in Greenland (Qaanaaq) Greenland’s full of 'em (well, relatively). Here are some: - Kangerlussuaq - Narsarsuaq - Sermersooq - Maniitsoq ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/4 "2020-09-01T15:38:56Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Plovdiv, Bulgaria. I thought of that one about 10 minutes after posting. But I was in bed trying to sleep and it wasn’t worth it to get up. > [@](#): > > Also, can’t throw a rock without hitting a -v town in Russia I supected as much. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/5 "2020-09-01T15:48:17Z")
Thought of another Z: Veracruz. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/6 "2020-09-01T15:51:51Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@Aspidistra](#): > > > > Plovdiv, Bulgaria. > > I thought of that one about 10 minutes after posting. But I was in bed trying to sleep and it wasn’t worth it to get up. > > > [@](#): > > > > Also, can’t throw a rock without hitting a -v town in Russia > > I supected as much. I mean there’s Rostov. Not quite as big as Kiev, but definitely bigger than Plovdiv. ETA the OP mentions English words, but English letter frequencies have little to do with international place names ---
**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:** [September 1, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/7 "2020-09-01T17:29:06Z")
It’s not the same question you’re asking, but some time ago I tried to find the most populous city or town in the US ending in each letter. I never did find any places in the U.S. ending with J or Q. By far the smallest town on my list is the entry for V: Askov, Minnesota. | letter | city | population | | --- | --- | --- | | A | Philadelphia | 1,584,000 | | B | DeKalb, IL | 43,000 | | C | Passaic, NJ | 70,000 | | D | Portland, OR | 653,000 | | E | San Jose | 1,030,000 | | F | Flagstaff, AZ | 74,000 | | G | St. Petersburg | 265,000 | | H | Fort Worth | 895,000 | | I | Miami | 471,000 | | J | ? | ? | | K | New York | 8,399,000 | | L | St. Paul | 308,000 | | M | Anaheim | 352,000 | | N | Houston | 2,326,000 | | O | Chicago | 2,706,000 | | P | Puyallup, WA | 42,000 | | Q | ? | ? | | R | Denver | 716,000 | | S | Los Angeles | 3,990,000 | | T | Detroit | 673,000 | | U | Honolulu | 347,000 | | V | Askov, MN | 353 | | W | Broken Arrow OK | 109,000 | | X | Phoenix | 1,660,000 | | Y | Oklahoma City | 649,000 | | Z | Santa Cruz, CA | 64,000 | ---
**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:** [September 1, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/8 "2020-09-01T17:46:11Z")
Other x-ending places in the US: Apex, NC; New Lenox, Illinois; Fairfax, VA; Thibodaux, LA; Middlesex, NJ; Sussex, WI; Lenox, MA other z-ending places in the US: Schertz, TX; New Paltz, NY; Martinez, CA; Natchez, MI; Allouez, WI; Lititz, PA; Cortez, CO ---
**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:** [September 1, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/9 "2020-09-01T17:56:01Z")
Other b-ending places in the US: in various states, several named Macomb, McComb, or similar Other c-ending places in the US: Pontiac, MI; Fond du Lac, WI; Lompoc, CA; Tamarac, FL; Manitowoc, WI; SeaTac, WA Other p-ending places in the US: Lathrop, CA; Gallup, NM; Alsip, IL C-ending in Canada: Lac-Mégantic, QC ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/10 "2020-09-01T18:00:13Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > For Z I thought of Fez, Morocco and Valdez, Alaska. La Paz (there are several of those around, but the one in Bolivia is probably the largest). Badajoz, Spain Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Graz, Austria Shiraz, Iran Chemnitz, Germany Bydgoszcz, Poland Metz, France Meaux, Périgueux, Bayeux, Dreux, Clairvaux, and Foix are all in France. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/11 "2020-09-01T18:09:26Z")
How about Å ---
**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:** [September 1, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/12 "2020-09-01T18:22:47Z")
Nunavut has two hamlets that end in -q: Qikiqtarjuaq and Sanikiluaq ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/13 "2020-09-01T18:35:45Z")
Mastic, NY Peconic, NY both on Long Island Moosic, PA ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/14 "2020-09-01T18:44:26Z")
Shishmaref, AK ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/15 "2020-09-01T20:04:12Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > How about Å What about it? It’s a letter in Scandinavian alphabets, but I’m talking English here. Anyway, I thought of a few more: B: I think there’s a McNab somewhere (checking Wikipedia) yes, about three of them, plus McNabb IL C: Oconomowoc WI, Frontenac (several places) I expect there’s more in various French speaking lands. J: Miraj, India I expect there’s plenty more Z’s, especially in Spanish speaking areas. Right now it looks like J and B are the frontrunners for rarest final letter. I would not have expected B to be so rare. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/16 "2020-09-01T20:11:59Z")
There’s Bene Beraq, Israel. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/17 "2020-09-01T21:24:42Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > F: Flagstaff AZ and Red Bluff CA. Düsseldorf. Cardiff is capital of Wales and home to a few hundred thousand people. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/18 "2020-09-01T21:43:44Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I mean there’s Rostov. Not quite as big as Kiev, but definitely bigger than Plovdiv. I was in Bulgaria for a holiday job one year in college. Hence - more personal salience (though I do want to get to Russia some time. Not this year!) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/19 "2020-09-01T22:40:13Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > There’s Bene Beraq, Israel. It’s much more commonly spelled “Bnei Brak”. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517/20 "2020-09-01T23:09:00Z")
Piqqi, piqqi, piqqi. 😄 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-last-letters-of-place-names/919517.md?page=2)