Why Auburn?

[Ronald_C.Semone]

I noticed the other day that there are an awful lot of schools, towns, cemeteries, mountains, streets, etc. in the United States named “Auburn.” I did a brief search on the internet to see if I could find the source of this name and I couldn’t. In such cases I usually assume the word has a biblical origin, but “Auburn” doesn’t sound biblical to me. Can anyone enlighten me about its origin?

[Simplicio]

According to wikipedia, it’s sort of like Chevy Chase (Maryland, not the actor):

The original Auburn was either a real or a fictitious village in Ireland, described by the Irish poet Oliver Goldsmith in his poem “The Deserted Village” (1770). In this poem, Goldsmith revisits “Auburn”, a village of which he had fond memories: “Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain”. Thus, the name “Auburn” was taken by Irish and British settlers to the New World of the United States, Canada, and Australia.

[TickledToDeath]

If you have not ventured to this :

Auburn Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

perhaps it will shed some light in your inquiry. Or maybe it will thrust you further into the abyss!:rolleyes:

TTD

[racer72]

I lived in Auburn, Washington for a short period. I still live nearby in unincorporated King County.

[Polycarp]

Doing some random checking on American cities and towns named “Auburn,” I found that all but one of my sample were named after Goldsmith’s Deserted Village. The exception was Auburn, California, which was named after the Auburn River that flows through it.