US Place Names ~ LaPresa, California to Lena, Illinois

LaPresa; town in San Diego County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "the prize."

La Punta; town in San Diego County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "the point."

Lapwai; town in Nez Perces County, Idaho. An Indian word meaning "place of division," or "boundary."

Laramie; village in Shelby County, and river in Ohio, named for Peter Laramie, a French Canadian trader.

Laramie; county, and city and peak in Albany County, in Wyoming, and river in Colorado and Wyoming, named for Jacques Laramie, a French fur trader.

Laredo; city in Webb County, Texas, named from the seaport town in Spain.

Laribee; town in Humboldt County, California, named for an early settler.

Larimer; county in Colorado, named for Gen. William Larimer, an early pioneer in Colorado and Nebraska.

Larimore; township and city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, named for N. G. Larimore, a proprietor.

Lamed; city in Pawnee County, Kansas, named for Gen. B. F. Lamed.

La Rocha; town in San Diego County, California. From the Spanish la roca, meaning "the bluff."

Larrabee; town in Cherokee County, Iowa, named for Governor William Larrabee.

Larue; county in Kentucky, named for John Rue, an early settler.

Las Aguilas; town in San Benito County, California. A Spanish name meaning "the eagles."

Las Aguites; town in San Benito County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "the mists."

Lasalle; county, and city in same county, in Illinois; village in Niagara County, New York, and county in Texas, named for Bene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle.

Las Animas; county, and town in Bent County, in Colorado. A contraction of the name originally given the river by the Spaniards, el rio de las animas perditas, "the river of the lost souls," because, traditionally, a Spanish regiment on its way to Florida was lost in the river.

Las Cruces; town in Santa Barbara County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "the crosses," a term frequently applied to cemeteries.

Las Gallinas; town in Marin County, California. A Spanish name meaning "the hens."

Lassecks; peak in Humboldt County, California, named for an Indian chief.

Lassen; county and peak in California, named for Peter Lassen, an early explorer.

Last Chance; mining town in Placer County, California, so named by miners who had been unfortunate in finding "pay gravel."

Las Vegas; city in San Miguel County, New Mexico. A Spanish name meaning "the plains," or "the meadows," and given this city on account of its situation in the midst of a fertile meadow.

Latah; county in Idaho, said by one authority to be an Indian word meaning "succession."

Latrobe; borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, named for Benjamin H. Latrobe, jr., a distinguished engineer and architect.

Latta; town in Marion County, South Carolina, named for a prominent family.

Lattimore; town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, named for a prominent resident.

Latty; village in Paulding County, Ohio, named for the first settler, Judge A. S. Latty.

Lauderdale; county in Alabama, county, and town in same county, in Mississippi, and county in Tennessee, named for Col. James Lauderdale.

Laughery; river and town in Ohio County, Indiana, so named from the massacre of Captain Laughery's company by the Indians.

Laughing Fish Pond; point in Schoolcraft County, Michigan, so named from the Indian name, stikameg bapid, meaning "laughing white fish."

Laura; village in Knott County, Nebraska, named for the wife of the first settler, whose name was Estep or Estop.

Laurel; county in Kentucky, and town in Jones County, Mississippi, so named on account of the dense laurel thickets growing within their limits.

Laurens; county in Georgia, named for Col. John Laurens, of South Carolina, the Bayard of the American Revolution.

Laurens; county, and town in same county, in South Carolina, named for Col. Henry Laurens and his son, John.

Lausanne; township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, named from the town in Switzerland.

Lava; station in San Bernardino County, California, named from the volcanic deposits that cover the Mohave desert in the vicinity.

Lavaca; river, county, and bay in Texas. A corruption of the name les raches, given the river by the Spanish explorer, La Salle, on account of the number of buffalo found there, les vaches meaning "the cows."

Lavallette; city in Ocean County, New Jersey, named for a resident family.

Lawrence; counties in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi,

Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, and many other places, named for Capt. James Lawrence, of the battle with the British on Lake Erie in the war of 1812.

Lawrence; creek in Humboldt County, California, named for an early settler.

Lawrence; city in Douglas County, Kansas, named for Amos Lawrence, of Boston.

Lawrence; city in Essex County, Massachusetts, named for Hon. Abbott Lawrence, of Boston.

Lawrence: county in South Dakota, named for John Lawrence, a former member of State legislature.

Lawrenceburg; city in Dearborn County, Indiana, named for the wife of Captain Vance, whose maiden name was Lawrence.

Lawrenceburg; town in Lawrence County, Tennessee;

Lawrenceville; town in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and city in Lawrence County, Illinois. Named for Capt. James Lawrence.

Lawson; village in Clear Creek County, Colorado, named for Alexander Lawson, keeper of a wayside inn.

Lawton; village in Van Buren County, Michigan, named for Nathaniel Lawton, who donated the right of way to the Michigan Central Railroad.

Lead; city in Lawrence County, South Dakota;

Lead Hill; town in Davidson County, North Carolina;

Leadville; city in Lake County, Colorado. So named on account of the species of ore found within their limits,

Leadbetter; point in Shoal water Bay, Washington, named for Lieutenant Leadbetter, United States Army.

Leake; county in Mississippi;

Leakesville; town in Greene County, Mississippi. Named for the Hon. Walter Leake, an early governor of the State.

Leaksville; village in Rockingham County, North Carolina, named for a prominent resident.

Leakton; village in Newton County, Georgia, named for the man who kept the village store in early times.

Leavenworth; town in Crawford County, Indiana, named for the proprietors, S. M. and Z. Leavenworth.

Leavenworth; county, and city in same county, in Kansas, named for Gen. Henry Leavenworth, for whom Fort Leavenworth is named.

Lebanon; city in Marion County, Kentucky, village in Warren County, Ohio, and town in Wilson County, Tennessee, so named because of the abundance of cedar trees. A Semitic word, meaning "whitish."

Lebanon; county, and city in same county, in Pennsylvania. This name, either alone or with suffixes, is borne by many places in the United States, being transferred from the mountain in Palestine.

Lebo; city in Coffey County, Kansas, named for an early settler.

Leboeuf; township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, named from the creek which was so named by the French on account of the number of buffalo found upon its banks.

Le Claire; town in Scott County, Iowa, named for Antoine Le Clair, the French founder of Davenport.

Lecompton; city in Douglas County, Kansas, named for Judge D. S. Lecompte, chief justice of the Territory.

Leconte; mountain in Tennessee, named for Joseph Leconte, a geologist.

Ledyard; town in New London County, Connecticut, named for Col. William Ledyard, of the State militia.

Ledyard; town in Cayuga County, New York, named for Benjamin Ledyard, agent for the disposal of the lands of the military tract.

Lee; counties in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, named for Robert E. Lee, commander of the armies of the Confederacy.

Lee; counties in Georgia and Illinois, named for Gen. Richard Henry Lee, of the Revolution.

Lee; towns in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Oneida County, New York, named for Gen. Charles Lee, of Massachusetts.

Lee; county in Iowa, named for a member of the New York land company, Albany, New York.

Lee; county in Virginia, named for Henry Lee, a former governor of the State.

Leechburg; borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, named for David Leech.

Leech Lake; lake in Minnesota. A translation of the Indian name, which means "place of leeches."

Leeds; town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and 15 other places, bear the name of the manufacturing town in Yorkshire, England.

Leelanau; county in Michigan. An Indian word, meaning "delight of life."

Leesburg; town in Loudoun County, Virginia;

Leesville; town in Lexington County, South Carolina. Named for the Lee family, of Virginia.

Leflore; county in Mississippi, named for Greenwood Leflore.

Left Hand; creek in Boulder County, Colorado, named for a chief of the Arapaho Indians, still living in 1904.

Lehi; city in Utah County, Utah, named for a character in the book of Mormon.

Lehigh; town in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. A coal mining district, named from the county in Pennsylvania.

Lehigh; river and county in Pennsylvania;

Lehighton; borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Named by the Delaware Indians, lechauwekink, "where there are forks," of which the present name is a corruption.

Leicester; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Leicester; town in Livingston County, New York, named for Leicester Phelps, son of Judge Oliver Phelps.

Leidy; mountains in Utah and Wyoming, named for the paleontologist, Joseph Leidy.

Leigh; township in Prince Edward and Amelia counties, Virginia, named for the Leigh family of Virginia.

Leigh; lake in Yellowstone Park, named for Richard Leigh, "Beaver Dick," hunter and guide in the Teton Mountains.

Leipsic; villages in Kent County, Delaware, and Putnam County, Ohio, named from the city in Saxony.

Leitchfield; town in Grayson County, Kentucky, named for Maj. David Leitch.

Leland; village in La Salle County, Illinois, named for Edwin S. Leland.

Le Mars; city in Plymouth County, Iowa. The name is composed of the initials of the ladies who accompanied its founder on his first visit to the spot.

Lemhi; county in Idaho, named from Fort Lemhi, which was erected by the Mormons for protection against the Indians. The name is taken from the Book of Mormon, meaning "land."

Lemon; town in Los Angeles County, California, named from the lemon orchards in the district.

Lemont; township and village in Cook County, Illinois, named from its elevated location.

Lena; town in Stephenson County, Illinois, named from the Plain of Lena in the poem of Fingal by Ossian.

US Place Names

Source: The Origin of Certain Place Names the United States, Second Edition, Henry Gannett, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1906.