# USA city names - origins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2016, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270 "2016-11-28T09:58:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/81 "2016-12-06T05:09:42Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > 1. Greece is in Europe. The OP asked about non-European names. But lots of names transmitted to us through classical Greek culture and civilisation are names of places not in Europe, and indeed names adopted the Greeks, but originally conferred by other, non-European cultures. Troy, already mentioned, is in Asia minor, and was probably named by the Hittites. Utica is in North Africa (and was named by the Phoenicians). There are several Smyrnas in the US; they are all named after the original in what is now Turkey. And so forth. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/82 "2016-12-06T06:27:53Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Troy, already mentioned, is in Asia minor, and was probably named by the Hittites. Utica is in North Africa (and was named by the Phoenicians). There are several Smyrnas in the US; they are all named after the original in what is now Turkey. And so forth. I wasn’t objecting to Utica and Troy, but rather to Attica, Syracuse, and Rome (not Greek, but European). As far as Smyrna, I contributed that name about 3 posts before yours, even though it’s actually a Greek name. At least as Greek as Athens, if not more so. Is it European or not? Because of such potential rabbit holes, I’m going to consider only the immediate antecedent and where those antecedents are located, rather than try to follow names back to their ultimate origin. So I’m accepting the Australian names; you can do different if you want. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/83 "2016-12-06T06:33:25Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Isn’t it MOSS-Ko? no, that’s a city in Russia. MOSS-cow is a town in Idaho ---
**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:** [December 6, 2016, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/84 "2016-12-06T10:08:28Z")
Ohio has both [Mecca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Township,_Trumbull_County,_Ohio) and [Medina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medina,_Ohio). Fun fact: Medina was originally going to be named Mecca, but when they found out there already was a Mecca, Ohio, they picked the other holy city of Islam as its namesake. American culture had a little love affair with Islam in the first half of the 19th century when these places were founded, now completely forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/85 "2016-12-07T05:58:45Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > no, that’s a city in Russia. MOSS-cow is a town in Idaho dammit, I’m getting old. Rick was correct, I had it backwards:smack: the cows are in Russia and the coes are in Idaho. if you look it up you will find at least one website that claims its moss-go…do not be fooled by this. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/86 "2016-12-07T11:15:50Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Isn’t it MOSS-Ko? > [@TriPolar](#): > > There’s a Moscow Md. that the locals used to insist was pronounced MOSS-Ko just because of the association of the name with the USSR. > [@guestchaz](#): > > no, that’s a city in Russia. MOSS-cow is a town in Idaho > [@guestchaz](#): > > dammit, I’m getting old. Rick was correct, I had it backwards:smack: the cows are in Russia and the coes are in Idaho. > if you look it up you will find at least one website that claims its moss-go…do not be fooled by this. Being British, not American – could I request a bit of clarification on the “Moscow” issue? Would I be right in inferring that the standard US pronunciation of Russia’s capital, is “MOSS-cow”; and that US towns of that name, not wishing for association with Communism or other nasty stuff, choose to be pronounced “MOSS-ko”? In the UK, we always pronounce the Russian capital “MOSS-ko”; over here, sounding the second syllable like the name of the bovine animal is AFAIK unheard-of. (Of course, the Russians pronounce their capital “MOSK-va”…) A bit of admittedly irrelevant trivia: in Scotland, a little way south of Glasgow, there’s a small hamlet called Moscow (how people pronounce it, I don’t know). It’s situated on a stream called the Volga Burn – the real Moscow is of course not on the River Volga, but, poetic license? ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/87 "2016-12-08T03:06:04Z")
Well, I don’t know about other Moscows in the US, but for Moscow Idaho, if I have my historical folklore correct, no, it wasn’t to distance themselves from communist taint. Moscow ID was incorporated in 1887 so Russia was still a tsarist monarchy. Actually, here is a [link](http://https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/about-moscow/history) to the official website of Moscow Idaho. It’s sparse, but pronunciation probably has nothing at all to do with Moscow Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/88 "2016-12-08T03:29:08Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > dammit, I’m getting old. Rick was correct, I had it backwards:smack: the cows are in Russia and the coes are in Idaho. > if you look it up you will find at least one website that claims its moss-go…do not be fooled by this. This is correct. Cite: spent a lot of time in Moscow, Idaho. And definitely no-go. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/89 "2016-12-08T03:32:14Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > dammit, I’m getting old. Rick was correct, I had it backwards:smack: the cows are in Russia and the coes are in Idaho. > if you look it up you will find at least one website that claims its moss-go…do not be fooled by this. The city in Russia is pronounced “Mos-cow”, but “Mos-co” is closer to the native pronuciation. I don’t know about the city in Idaho. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/90 "2016-12-08T03:36:03Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > The city in Russia is pronounced “Mos-cow”, but “Mos-co” is closer to the native pronuciation. I don’t know about the city in Idaho. The city in Russia is pronounced Musk-VAH ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/91 "2016-12-08T03:39:40Z")
> [@kurtisokc](#): > > The city in Russia is pronounced “Mos-cow”, but “Mos-co” is closer to the native pronuciation. I don’t know about the city in Idaho. Damn! I missed the edit window. What I meant to say is that many AMRICANS pronounce the name of the city in Russia “Mos-cow.” ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/92 "2016-12-08T03:45:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The city in Russia is pronounced Musk-VAH You’re probably right, but when I hear a Russian speaker say it, it sounds an awful lot like “mos-co” to my untrained ear. I did say that it is “closer” to the native pronunciation, not that it is the correct native pronunciation. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/93 "2016-12-08T04:09:35Z")
I guess Dopers could eventually list all the US placenames, and speculate about their derivations, but it might be worth mentioning that virtually every state has at least one book devoted to scholarly research of its placenames—a field usually called _toponymy_. I have about 30 of them. The most prominent national compilation is George Stewart’s _American Place-Names_, though I have another half-dozen nationwide volumes that focus on the most unusual. One danger in this field is “folk etymology.” For instance, nearly anyone you ask about Half Day, Illinois, will relate what they heard from grampa, that it was a half day by some old mode of travel from Chicago. Or Milwaukee, or someplace. It was, in fact, named for the Native American Half-Day, also known as Aptakisic. The journal of onomastics, _Names,_ often runs scholarly articles focused on placenames. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/94 "2016-12-08T04:33:58Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > I guess Dopers could eventually list all the US placenames, and speculate about their derivations, but it might be worth mentioning that virtually every state has at least one book devoted to scholarly research of its placenames—a field usually called _toponymy_. I have about 30 of them. The most prominent national compilation is George Stewart’s _American Place-Names_, though I have another half-dozen nationwide volumes that focus on the most unusual. > > One danger in this field is “folk etymology.” For instance, nearly anyone you ask about Half Day, Illinois, will relate what they heard from grampa, that it was a half day by some old mode of travel from Chicago. Or Milwaukee, or someplace. It was, in fact, named for the Native American Half-Day, also known as Aptakisic. > > The journal of onomastics, _Names,_ often runs scholarly articles focused on placenames. I can testify to the truthfulness of this. Almost did it myself just a few posts upthread, the historical folklore thing that is. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/95 "2016-12-08T11:48:59Z")
Moscow. Enter the hymen store. Two men are scorched and burned. Kite me a sign. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/96 "2016-12-08T12:30:08Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Considering Peoria’s metaphorical genericness, perhaps it was a marching song from the Bore war? Yup. The march ends in Normal, Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/97 "2016-12-08T12:33:04Z")
[Potosi, Wisconsin](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potosi,_Wisconsin) was probably named to evoke the great mine of Bolivia (there were some lead mines in this corner of Wisconsin). ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/98 "2016-12-08T19:50:08Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > There’s quite few places named for Biblical persons or places. Jerusalem was mentioned above as were some others. Amman Jordan was called Philadelphia in the Bible, and that may have influenced Penn’s naming decision. > > More obscure places: **Mount Pisgah** and **Mount Tabor** are Biblical names. There’s several places named after each, including an extinct volcano within the city of Portland. The name **Ai** is also Biblical, being the name of some Canaanite city. There’s a few obscure places in the US with that name. > > I’m sure there are many more. Our city cemetery is the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/99 "2016-12-08T19:51:30Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Panama City, Florida is named after Panama, which is an indigenous word meaning “abundance of fish” (or maybe butterflies). > > Quito, Mississippi, is named after Quito, Ecuador, which takes its name from an indigenous group. > > Lima, Ohio, is named after Lima, Peru, which takes its name from a local oracle in an indigenous language. Don’t forget Montevideo, MN. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270/100 "2016-12-08T19:55:31Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I do feel embarrassed by the fact that my nation can’t be bothered to actually think of a new name, so borrows names of foreign cities, and then makes up _the_ most awkward pronunciations. I mean, besides Cairo = KAY-roe, we have Moscow, Idaho = MOHS’-ko? Rio, Wisconsin = RYE’-oh? And Des Moines (outside Seattle) = Dezz-MOYNZZ’… > > Really? I have never met anybody that pronounced Des Moines as anything other than _Deh Moyn_, unless they were doing it with humorous intent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-city-names-origins/773270.md?page=6)