US Place Names ~ Sempronius, New York to Skippack, Pennsylvania

Sempronius; town in Cayuga County, New York, named for the celebrated Roman tribune, father of the Gracchi.

Senath; village in Dunklin County, Missouri, named for the wife of A. W. Douglass, an early settler.

Senatobia; creek and town in Tate County, Mississippi. A Choctaw Indian word meaning "white sycamore."

Seneca; city in Nehama County, Kansas, named from Seneca County in Ohio, by the first settlers who emigrated from that county.

Seneca; nation in Indian Territory, city in Newton County, Missouri, counties in New York and Ohio, town in Oconee County, South Carolina, and creek in Pendleton County, West Virginia;

Seneca Falls; village in Seneca County, New York, named from an Indian tribe. The word is a corruption of Sinnekaas, a name given them by the Dutch.

Senegar; creek in Maryland, named from the Seneca tribe of Indians.

Sequoia; town in Tuolumne County, California, named from the trees.

Severance; city in Doniphan County, Kansas, named for one of the three proprietors.

Severy; city in Greenwood County, Kansas, named for L. Severy, of Emporia, a director of the Santa Fe Railroad.

Sevier; county in Arkansas, named for Ambrose H. Sevier, a Congressional delegate.

Sevier; county in Tennessee, named for John Sevier, first governor of the State.

Sevier; county in Utah, probably named for John Sevier, a pioneer.

Seward; county in Kansas, county, and city in same county, in Nebraska, and mountain and town in Schoharie County, New York, named for William H. Seward, the American statesman.

Sewickley; borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "sweet water."

Seymour; city in Jackson County, Indiana, named for a civil engineer.

Shabbona; township and village in Dekalb County, Illinois. Named for an Indian chief who befriended the white settlers at the time of the Black Hawk war.

Shackelford; county in Texas, named for a surgeon, captain of a band called the "Red Rovers," who helped the Texans in their revolution.

Shakopee; city in Scott County, Minnesota, named for a Sioux Indian chief who formerly lived there; the name meaning "six.".

Shalersville; township in Portage County, Ohio, named for an early settler.

Shamokin; borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Derived from the Delaware Indian word schahamoki, meaning "place of eels."

Shamong; town in Burlington County, New Jersey. An Indian word meaning "place of the big horn."

Shandaken; town in Ulster County, New York. An Indian word meaning "rapid waters."

Shannock; river in Connecticut. An Indian word meaning "place where two streams meet."

Shannon; township and village in Carroll County, Illinois. Named for William Shannon, its founder.

Shannon; county in Missouri. Named for George F. Shannon, of Marion County.

Shannon; county in South Dakota. Named for Peter C. Shannon, former chief justice.

Shapleigh; town in York County, Maine. Named for Nicholas Shapleigh, one of the earliest proprietors.

Sharkey; county in Mississippi, named for William L. Sharkey, provisional governor during Governor Clark's absence at Fort Pulaski in 1865-66.

Sharon; city in Barber County, Kansas, town in Schoharie County, New York, and twenty other places. The name is of biblical derivation, from the Hebrew, meaning "a plain."

Sharon; town in Madison County, Mississippi, so named because the Sharon seminary for girls was situated there at an early day.

Sharon Springs; city in Wallace County, Kansas, and village in Schoharie County, New York. The name is of biblical derivation.

Sharp; county in Arkansas. Named for Ephraim Sharp, representative from Lawrence County.

Sharpsburg; town in Bath County, Kentucky. Named for Moses Sharp.

Sharpsburg; borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Named for James Sharp, the original proprietor.

Shasta; county in California. Named from the Indian tribe Saste, or Shastika.

Shaume; river in Massachusetts. An Indian word meaning "fountain" or "spring."

Shavano; peak of the Sawatch Range in Colorado, named for a Ute Indian.

Shaw; town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, named for the owner of the lands through which the railroad passes.

Shawan; town in Baltimore County, Maryland. An Indian word meaning "south."

Shawangunk; river, town in Ulster County, and mountain in New York. Said to be an Indian word meaning "white stone" or "white salt rocks."

Shawano; county, and city in same county, in Wisconsin. Derived from the Ojibwa Indian word shawanong, meaning "on the south."

Shawnee; nation in Indian Territory and county in Kansas.

Shawneetown; city in Gallatin County, Illinois. Named for the Indian tribe, the word probably meaning "southerners," and given them because they emigrated northward from the Savannah River.

Sheboygan; county, and city in same county, in Wisconsin. Two derivations are given, one from the Ojibwa Indian word jibaigan, meaning a perforated object, as a pipe stem, and the other from shawb-wa-way, expressing a tradition "that a great noise coming underground from the region of Lake Superior was heard at this place."

Sheepeater; cliffs in the Yellowstone Park, named for a band of Indians, a sub-tribe of the Shoshoni.

Sheepscot; river and bay in Maine. Derived from the Indian word sipsa-corda, meaning "bird-flocking river" or "little bird place," because the Indians resorted there for young ducks.

Sheffield; cities in Colbert County, Alabama, and Warren County, Pennsylvania, and town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, named from the city in England.

Sheffield; village in Bureau County, Illinois, named for Joseph Sheffield, of New Haven, one of its founders.

Sheffield; town in Franklin County, Iowa, named for James Sheffield, a railroad contractor.

Shelbina; city in Shelby County, Missouri, named by early settlers from Shelby County in Kentucky.

Shelburne; towns in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and Chittenden County, Vermont, named for William Fitz Maurice, second Earl of Shelburne.

Shelby; counties in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri; town in Orleans County, New York, and counties in Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas;

Shelbyville; cities in Shelby counties, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. Named for Gen. Isaac Shelby, former governor of Kentucky.

Sheldon; city in O'Brien County, Iowa, named for Israel Sheldon, a stockholder in the first railroad passing through the town.

Sheldon; town in Franklin County, Vermont, named for a resident family.

Shell Sock; town in Butler County, Iowa, so named on account of the rocks near the river.

Shelter; island off Long Island, New York. Probably the translation of the original Indian word of manhanset-aha-cusha-wommuckf meaning 'island sheltered by islands."

Shelton; town in Mason County, Washington, named for an early settler.

Shenandoah; city in Page County, Iowa, borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, county, town in Page County, and river in Virginia. An Indian word said to mean "sprucy stream."

Shepaug; river in Connecticut. Derived from the Indian word mashapaug, meaning "large pond."

Shepherd; village in Isabella County, Michigan, named for I. N. Shepherd, its founder.

Shepherdstown; town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, named for Capt. Thomas Shepherd.

Sherbom; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named from the town of Sherborne, England.

Sherburne; county in Minnesota, named for Moses Sherburne, associate justice of the Supreme Court, 1863-1857.

Sherburne; town in Chenango County, New York, named from the city in England.

Sheridan; village in Lasalle County, Illinois, county in Kansas, town in Madison

County, Montana, county in Nebraska, and county and mountain in Yellowstone

Park, Wyoming, named for Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. Sherlock; township in Finney County, Kansas, named for a capitalist connected with the Santa Fe Railroad.

Sherman; mountain in Idaho, county in Kansas, village in Wexford County, Michigan, and counties in Nebraska and Oregon, named for Gen. W. T. Sherman.

Sherman; county, and city in Grayson County, Texas, named for Sidney Sherman, general of the Texas army, who raised the cry of "Remember the Alamo" at the battle of San Jacinto.

Sherman; village in Chautauqua County, New York, named for Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Sherwood; village in Branch County, Michigan, named from the forest in England.

Sheshequin; village in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "mysterious rattle."

Shetucket; river in Connecticut. An Indian word meaning ''land between the rivers," or, according to another authority, "confluence of rivers."

Shiawassee; county and river in Michigan. An Indian word meaning "straight running river."

Shickshinny; borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, protected by a cordon of hills of five summits. An Indian word meaning ''five mountains."

Shields; river in Montana, named for a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Shinnecock; village in Suffolk County, New York, named for an Indian tribe.

Shinnston; town in Harrison County, West Virginia, named for the owners of the land upon which it was built.

Shintaka; several marshes in Minnesota. An Indian word meaning "tamarack."

Shippensburg; borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, named for an early proprietor, Edward Shippen.

Shippenville; borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, named for judge Shippen, of Meadville.

Shirley; town in Piscataquis County, Maine, named from the town in England.

Shirley; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts;

Shirleysburg; borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Named for Gen. William Shirley, an early governor of Massachusetts.

Shivwits; plateau in Arizona. An Indian word meaning "people of the springs."

Shobonier; town in Fayette County, Illinois, named for an Indian chief.

Shocco; creek in North Carolina, named for the Indian tribe Shoccoree.

Shohokin; stream in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "where there is glue."

Shohola; stream in Pike County, Pennsylvania;

Shohola Falls; village in Pike County, Pennsylvania. An Indian word meaning "weak," "faint," or "distressed."

Shope; lake in Wisconsin. An Indian word meaning "shoulder." Shoreham; town in Addison County, Vermont. So named because located on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Shoup; village in Lemhi County, Idaho, named for G. L. Shoup, United States Senator.

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

Shreveport; city in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, named for Henry M. Shreve.

Shrewsbury; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named for George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury; town in Rutland County, Vermont, and several other towns and villages, named from the city in England.

Shubrick; peak in Humboldt County, California, so named because the steamer Shubrick went aground in the vicinity.

Shullsburg; city in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, named for Jesse W. Shull, the first settler.

Shurz; mountain in Wyoming, named for Carl Shun, Secretary of the Interior under President Hayes.

Shushan; village in Washington County, New York, named for the ruined city in Persia.

Shutesburg; town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, named for Gov. Samuel Shute, a relative of Governor Bernard.

Sibley; county in Minnesota, named for Gen. Henry H. Sibley, an early pioneer of the Territory, the first governor of the State, and its military defender in the Sioux war of 1862.

Sibley; town in Jackson County, Missouri, named for George C. Sibley, who was one of the commissioners to lay out a road in 1825 from Fort Osage to Santa Fe.

Sidney; township and village in Champaign County, Illinois, named for Sydney Davis, a daughter of the founder.

Sidney; Kennebec County, Maine, and cities in Shelby County, Ohio, named for Sir Philip Sidney.

Sidney; town in Delaware County, New York, named for Admiral Sir Sidney Smith. Sidon; town in Leflore County, Mississippi, named for the ancient city of Syria.

Siegfried; post-office in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, named for Col. Jno. Siegfried, a Revolutionary soldier.

Sierra; counties in California and New Mexico. Derived from the Spanish, Sierra Madre, "Mother Range," Rocky Mountains.

Sierra La Sal; mountains in eastern Utah, so named from salt springs near their base.

Sigel; village in Shelby County, Illinois, named for Gen. Franz Sigel, an officer of the rebellion.

Sigourney; city in Keokuk County, Iowa, named for the poetess, Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney.

Sikeston; city in Scott County, Missouri, named for John Sikes.

Siler City; town in Chatham County, North Carolina, named for a prominent family of the neighborhood.

Sillman; mountains in California and Nevada, named for Benjamin Silliman, the chemist.

Silverbow; county in Montana, so named because of its shape, and on account of the presence of this precious metal.

Silver Cliff; town in Custer County, Colorado, so named because silver was found in a cliff near the present town site.

Silver Lake; city in Shawnee County, Kansas, so named because the Kansas River forms a lake at this point.

Simpson; county in Kentucky, named for Capt. John Simpson, member of Congress.

Simpson; county in Mississippi, named for Judge Josiah Simpson.

Simpsonville; village in Shelby County, Kentucky, named for Capt. John Simpson, member of Congress from that State.

Simpsonville; town in Greenville County, South Carolina, named for a prominent family of the State.

Sincarte; town in Mason County, Illinois, a corrupted name of the passage which was originally named by the French, chenal ecarte, "remote channel."

Sinclairville; village in Chautauqua County, New York, named for Maj. Samuel Sinclair, the first settler, who located there in 1810.

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

Sing Sing; creek in Chemung County, New York. Indian words meaning "place of a stone." Another authority states that it was named for John Sing Sing, a friendly Indian.

Sinking; creek in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, so named because it sinks beneath the surface of the ground for a distance of 6 miles.

Sinnemahoning; stream in Pennsylvania. A Delaware Indian word meaning "stony lick."

Sinsinawa Mound; village in Grand County, Wisconsin. A combination of the Indian word sinsiawe, meaning "rattlesnake,'' and mounds because situated near a truncated cone several hundred feet high.

Sioux; counties in Iowa and Nebraska, and eight other places, so named from the

Dakota or Sioux Indians of Dakota and Minnesota, the largest tribe in the United States. The word is an abbreviation of their Ojibwa name, signifying "little snakes," i. e., "enemies."

Sir Johns; small run in Morgan County, West Virginia, named for an officer of Braddock's army.

Siskiyou; county in California and mountains in Oregon. By some authorities it is said to be a corruption of the original name given the district in California by the French, six cailloux, meaning "six bowlders;" others state that it is an Indian word meaning "bob-tailed horse," the mountains between California and Oregon having been so named because a famous bob-tailed race horse was lost on the trail.

Siskowit; lake in Wisconsin. An Indian word meaning a "kind of fish resembling trout."

Sisladobsis; lake in eastern Maine. An Indian word meaning "rock lake."

Sisseton; town in Roberts County, South Dakota. An Indian word meaning "swamp village," a subtribe of the Sioux.

Sisson; village in Siskiyou County, California, named for a former hotel keeper.

Sissowkissink; creek on the west side of Delaware River, Pennsylvania. Derived from the Indian word shihuwen, "place of black ducks."

Sitgreaves; pass in Arizona, named for Captain Sitgraaves, United States Army.

Sitkum; village in Coos County, Oregon. A Chinook Indian word meaning "half," or "part."

Skagit; county in Washington, named for an Indian tribe.

Skamania; county in Washington. An Indian word meaning; "swift waters," and probably applied to the troubled waters of the Columbia River.

Skanawono-Weshance; tributary of Wisconsin River. An Indian word meaning "creek that runs through bluffs."

Skaneateles; lake, town, and village in Onondaga County, in New York. An Indian word meaning "long lake."

Skilesville; town in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, named for James R. Skiles.

Skinner; island in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont, named for Uniak Skinner, the first settler.

Skippack; stream and village in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Derived from the Indian word schki-peek, "pool of stagnant water."

US Place Names

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