US Place Names ~ Metropolis, Illinois to Monona County, Iowa

Metropolis; city in Massac County, Illinois. The name is expressive of the hope of the founders.

Metz; township in Presque Isle County, Michigan, and nine other places bear the name of the town in Germany.

Mexia; town in Limestone County, Texas, named from Mexico.

Mexico; city in Audrain County, Missouri. Named from the country which is said to be derived from the Aztec word, Mexitili, the name of a tutelary divinity, but according to another authority meaning the "habitation of the god of war."

Meyer; county in South Dakota, named for Fred Meyer, civil engineer and land surveyor.

Meyersdale; borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, named for an early settler.

Miami; river and city in Dade County, Florida; county in Indiana; town in Ottawa Reservation, Indian Territory; county in Kansas; city in Saline County, Missouri; and river and county in Ohio. The name of a noted Indian tribe; the meaning of the word is uncertain.

Mianus; village and river in Fairfield County, Connecticut. A corruption of the name of the Indian chief Mayanno, meaning "he who gathers together."

Micanopy; town in Alachua County, Florida, named for a chief of the Seminole Indians, whose name signifies "chief of chiefs."

Michigamme; village in Marquette County, Michigan. An Indian word meaning "large lake."

Michigan; State of the Union and one of the Great Lakes. An Indian word, said by some to mean "big lake;" by others, "place for catching fish."

Middleboro; town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, so named because it was situated between the Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth and the village of the Indian sachem, Massasoit, near Bristol, Rhode Island.

Middleburg"; town in Vance County, North Carolina, so named because it is the middle point between two rivers.

Middleburg; town in Loudoun County, Virginia, so named because of its location midway between Upperville, in Fauquier County, and Aldie, in Loudoun County.

Middlebury; town in Addison County, Vermont, so named because it was the central of three towns surveyed simultaneously.

Middlefield; township in Geauga County, Ohio, named from its central location between Warren and Painesville.

Middlegrove; town in Monroe County, Missouri, so named because it is midway between the Big Muddy and Mississippi rivers.

Middleport; village in Niagara County, New York, so named on account of its situation on the canal halfway between Albion and Lockport.

Middleport; village in Meigs County, Ohio, so named because of its location on the Ohio River, midway between Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Cincinnati.

Middlesex; counties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey; town in Yates County, New York; township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; town in Washington County, Vermont; and county in Virginia; generally named from the county in England.

Middleton; town in Essex County, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1728, from parts of Salem, Topsfield, Boxford, and Andover, and said to have been so named because of its central location between those towns.

Middletown; town in Newcastle County, Delaware, so named because of its location midway between Bunker Hill, Maryland, and Odessa.

Middletown; city in Butler County, Ohio, situated midway between Cincinnati and Dayton; hence the name.

Midland; county in Michigan, so named because of its situation in the east-central portion of the southern peninsula.

Midland; county in Texas, named for its location midway between Fort Worth and El Paso. .

Midlothian; town in Chesterfield County, Virginia, named from the county in Scotland.

Mifflin; county in Pennsylvania;

Mifflinburg; town in Union County, Pennsylvania. Named for General Mifflin, once governor of the State.

Milam; county in Texas, named for Benjamin R. Milam, an early settler and distinguished Indian fighter.

Milan; town in Dutchess County, New York, and sixteen other towns and villages. The name is transferred from Milan in Italy.

Milburn; town in Ballard County, Kentucky, named for William Milburn.

Miles; city in Jackson County, Iowa, named for the man who laid it out.

Milesburg; borough in Center County, Pennsylvania, named for its founder. Col. Samuel Miles.

Miles City; city in Custer County, Montana, named for Gen. Nelson A. Miles.

Milestown; station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named for Col. Samuel Miles, a Revolutionary celebrity.

Milford; towns in New Haven County, Connecticut, and Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, named from the town in England.

Milford; town in Kent County, Delaware, so named because of the numerous mills in and near the town.

Milford; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, so named on account of the many mills erected upon Mill River.

Milk; river in Montana, so named because of its whitish appearance.

Mill; creek in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, so named because the first gristmill in northern Ohio was built upon its bank.

Millard; county in Utah, named for Millard Fillmore.

Millard; village in Douglas County, Nebraska, named for Ezra Millard, its founder.

Millbank; city in Grant county, South Dakota, named for Jeremiah Millbank, a director of the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad.

Millbury; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, so named because the Blackstone River at this point is the site of many mills.

Milledgeville; city in Georgia, named for John Milledge, an early governor of the State.

Millelacs; lake and county in Minnesota. From the French, "mille lacs," meaning "thousand lakes."

Miller; county in Arkansas, named for James Miller, former governor of the State.

Miller; county in Georgia, named for a distinguished citizen of the State, Andrew J. Miller.

Miller; county in Missouri, named for John Miller, a former governor.

Miller; village in Knox County, Nebraska, named for the first settler, Capt. J. M. Miller.

Miller; township and city in Hand County, South Dakota, named for the founder, Henry Miller.

Miller; creek in Yellowstone Park, named for an early pioneer.

Millerplace; village in Suffolk County, New York, named for Andrew Miller, the son of an early pioneer of Easthampton.

Millersburg'; town in Callaway County, Missouri, named for Thomas Miller, an early settler.

Millersburg; village in Holmes County, Ohio, named for Charles Miller, its founder.

Millersburg; borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, named for Daniel Miller, its founder.

Millerstown; borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, named for its founder, David Miller.

Millorton; town in Dutchess County, New York, named from Samuel G. Miller, one of the contractors and builders of the extension of the New York and Harlem Railroad from Dover Plains to Chatham.

Millinocket; lake on the Penobscot River, Maine. An Indian word meaning "place full of islands."

Mill River; village in the town of New Marlboro, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, so named from a mill on the Konkapot River, Mill-on-the-River.

Mills; county in Iowa, named for Major Mills, of the State.

Mills; county in Texas, named for John S. Mills, prominent in law and politics of the State.

Millsfield; town in Coos County, New Hampshire, named for Sir Thomas Mills.

Millstone; borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, probably so named for the stone found there which is suitable for milling purposes.

Milltown; borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, so named because of the number of mills located there.

Milo; township in Bureau County, Illinois, named from Milo, New York.

Milo; towns in Piscataquis County, Maine, and Yates County, New York, named from the island of Milo, in the Grecian Archipelago.

Milpitas; town in Santa Clara County, California. A Spanish word meaning "meadow."

Milton; county in Georgia, named for Homer V. Milton.

Milton; town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, so named because of the number of mills operating on the Neponset River at that point.

Milton; town in Ulster County, New York; village in Caswell County, North Carolina; towns in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chittenden County, Vermont, and Cabell County, West Virginia; named for John Milton, the poet.

Miltonvale; city in Cloud County, Kansas, named for Milton Tootle, of St. Joseph, the former owner of the town site.

Milwaukee; county, and city in same county, in Wisconsin; the name is said to have been derived from the Indian word milioke, which means "good earth" or "good country."

Mimbres; river and mountains in New Mexico. A Spanish word meaning "willows."

Minden; city in Kearney County, Nebraska, named from the city in Germany.

Mine; river in Missouri. A contraction of the original French name, riviere a la mine.

Miner; county in South Dakota, named for Capt. Nelson Miner and Mr. Ephriam

Miner, who were members of the legislature which created the county.

Mineral; counties in Colorado and West Virginia.

Mineral Point; village in Washington County, Missouri, and city in Iowa County, Wisconsin. So named because of the abundance of ore in those regions,

Mineral; township and village in Bureau County, Illinois, named from its location in the coal-producing region.

Minersville; borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, so named because it is the center of the coal fields.

Minerva; towns in Essex County, New York, and Stark County, Ohio, named for the goddess of wisdom.

Mingo; village in Jefferson County, Ohio, and county in West Virginia, named for an Indian tribe; the name is said to signify "spring people."

Mingo Run; creek in Randolph County, West Virginia, named for an encampment of Mingo Indians on its banks.

Minier; village in Tazewell County, Illinois, named for G. W. Minier, its founder.

Minisink; town in Orange County, New York. An Indian name meaning "at the little island."

Minneapolis; cities in Ottawa County, Kansas, and Hennepin County, Minnesota. A combination of the Indian word minni, "water," and the Greek, polis, meaning "city."

Minnehaha; falls in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and county in South Dakota. A Sioux Indian word meaning "laughing water."

Minneiska; stream and village in Wabasha County, Minnesota. An Indian word meaning "clear water."

Minnequa; village in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "to drink."

Minnesota; State of the Union, and a river tributary to the Mississippi. A Sioux Indian word meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water."

Minnetonka; lake in Minnesota. A Sioux Indian name signifying "big water."

Minnewaukan; post village in Benson County, North Dakota. Sioux Indian word meaning "spirit water."

Minnicotta; lake in Minnesota. An Indian word meaning "warm water."

Minniwakan; lake in North Dakota. An Indian word meaning "spirit water."

Minooka; village in Grundy County, Illinois. An Indian word meaning "maple forest" or "good earth."

Minor; creek in Humboldt County, California, named for Isaac Minor.

Minot; town in Androscoggin County, Maine, named for Judge Minot, a member of the general court.

Minto; village in Marion County, Oregon, named for John Minto, an early pioneer.

Minturn; village in Madera County, California, named for Jonas Minturn, an old settler.

Mirabile; town in Caldwell County, Missouri. A Latin word meaning "wonderful."

Miraflores; town in Orange County, California. A Spanish name, translated as "behold the flowers."

Miramar; town in San Diego County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "behold the sea."

Mishawaka; town in St. Joseph County, Indiana, probably named for the Indian chief, Mishiniwaka. The name means "swift water," or "red earth."

Mispan; branch of the Delaware River. An Indian word meaning "raccoon."

Missaukee; county in Michigan, probably named from the Indian tribe, Mississauga, which means "people of the wide-mouth river."

Missionary; ridge extending along the northeast border of Georgia, so called because a Presbyterian Church mission was established there at an early date.

Missisquoi; river in Vermont. An Indian word meaning "big woman."

Mississinewa; river in Indiana. An Indian word meaning "river of great stones."

Mississippi; State of the Union, counties in Arkansas and Missouri, and the largest river in the United States. An Indian word meaning "great river," or "gathering in of all the waters," and "an almost endless river spread out."

Missoula; county, city in same county, and river in Montana. The name is said to have the same meaning as Missouri, "muddy water."

Missouri; State of the Union, and one of the largest rivers. An Indian tribal name said to mean "muddy water."

Mitchell; town in Los Angeles County, California, named from the county in Texas.

Mitchell; town in Eagle County, Colorado, named for George R. Mitchell, a noted resident of Gilpin County.

Mitchell; county in Georgia, named for David Bradie Mitchell, governor of the State in early days.

Mitchell; town in Lawrence County, Indiana, named for Gen. O. W. Mitchell, who located the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad.

Mitchell; county, and town in same county, in Iowa, named for John Mitchell, the Irish patriot.

Mitchell; county in Kansas, named for Gen. William D. Mitchell.

Mitchell; county in North Carolina, named for Elisha Mitchell.

Mitchell; town in Wheeler County, Oregon, named for Senator John H. Mitchell.

Mitchell; county in Texas, named for the brothers A. and E. Mitchell, prominent Texans of early days.

Mitchells; peak in North Carolina, named for Elisha Mitchell, who lost his life while making a survey of it.

Mitchellville; town in Polk County, Iowa, named for Thomas Mitchell.

Mitchigami; lake in northern Wisconsin. An Indian word meaning "large lake."

Mobeetie; town in Wheeler County, Texas. From a Comanche Indian word meaning "walnut."

Moberly; city in Randolph County, Missouri, named for Col. William E. Moberly, of Brunswick.

Mobile; county, city in same county, river, and bay in Alabama, named from Maubila, an ancient Indian town upon the river.

Mobjack; bay in Maryland. The name is supposed to be a corruption of an Indian word.

Moccasin; village in Effingham County, Illinois. The Indian name for a shoe or covering for the foot.

Mocksville; town in Davie County, North Carolina, named for the former owner of the land.

Modena; villages in Stark County, Illinois, and Ulster County, New York, named from the city in Italy.

Modesto; city in Stanislaus County, California. A Spanish word meaning "modest"

Modoc; county in California, and towns in Randolph County, Indiana, and Edgefield County, South Carolina, and nine other places, so called from the Modoc Indians of California. Their name in its original form signifies "southerners."

Moffat; town in Saguache County, Colorado, named for D. H. Moffat, late president of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.

Mogollon; plateau in Arizona and range of mountains in New Mexico. A Spanish word meaning "hanger-on," "parasite."

Mohave; county in Arizona, desert below sea level in southeastern California, and town in Kern County, California, named from a tribe of Indians named Hamunkh-habi, meaning "three hills."

Mohawk; river, township, and village in Herkimer County, New York, named from the Mohawk tribe, the name signifying "eater of live meat," referring to a bear.

Mohican; town and river in Ashland County, Ohio, named for the Indian tribe, the word meaning "wolf."

Moira; town in Franklin County, New York, named for the Earl of Moira.

Mokane; village in Callaway County, Missouri, on the Missouri, Kansas, and Eastern Railroad, the name being a combination of portions of these names.

Mokelumne; river in California. A corruption of the Indian Wakalumni, the name of a river.

Mokena; village in Will County, Illinois. An Indian word meaning "turtle."

Moline; township, and city in Rock Island County, Illinois, and many other places. A Spanish word, sometimes written molino meaning "mill."

Molunkus, river and plantation in Aroostock County, Maine. An Indian word meaning "short stretch of high land on a small stream."

Monadnock; mountain in New Hampshire. From the Indian m'an, meaning "surpassing," adn "mountain," and ock, "place" place of the surpassing (unexcelled) mountain.

Monaghan; township in York County, Pennsylvania, named from the county in Ireland.

Mondamin; town in Harrison County, Iowa. An Indian word meaning "corn."

Monee; village in Will County, Illinois, named for the wife of an Indian trader, Joseph Bailes, the name being the Indian corruption of the English baptismal name of Mary.

Monett; township and city in Barry County, Missouri, named for the general passenger agent of the New York Central Railroad.

Monhegan; island in Lincoln County, Maine. An Indian word meaning "grand island."

Moniteau; county and creek in Missouri, so named by the Indians because of the painted figure of a man upon a rock in the vicinity, the word in their language meaning "spirit."

Monks Comer; town in Berkeley County, South Carolina, named for Thomas Monk, a prominent colonial settler.

Monmouth; township and city in Warren County, Illinois, and town in Kennebec County, Maine, named from the Revolutionary battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778.

Monmouth; county in New Jersey, named from Monmouthshire, England.

Mono; county and lake in California. A Spanish word meaning "monkey."

Monocacy; river in Maryland, and creek in Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "stream containing many large bends."

Monona; county in Iowa. The name is of Indian origin, meaning unknown.

US Place Names

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