US Place Names ~ Algonac, Michigan to Antwerp, Ohio

Algonac; village in St. Clair County, Michigan. An Indian derivative, manufactured by Schoolcraft, compounded from Algonquin and auke, meaning "land of the Algons."

Algonquin; village in McHenry County, Illinois, named by Samuel Edwards, an early settler, from a vessel on which he had served.

Algonquin; post-offices in Franklin County, New York, and Carroll County, Ohio, named from a prominent Indian tribe. The word seems to mean "(people) on the other side," or "eel-spring place."

Alhambra; post-office in Los Angeles County, California, village in Madison County, Illinois, and six other places, named from the palace in Spain.

Aliquippa; borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, named for a Delaware Indian woman. Said to mean "hat," and also spelled Allegrippus in early period.

Aliso; villages in Orange and San Bernardino counties, California. A Spanish word meaning "alder tree."

Alkali; creek in Montana, so named from the alkaline quality of the water.

Allagash; principal branch of St. Johns River, and plantation and post-office in Aroostook County, Maine. An Indian word meaning "bark cabin lake." The Indians had a hunting camp near the headwaters of the river, hence the name.

Allamakee; county in Iowa. The Iowa Historical Society says it was named for Allen Makee, an Indian trader.

Allegan; county, and village in same county in Michigan;

Allegany; county in Maryland, county, and town in Cattaraugus County, New York, and post-office in Coos County, Oregon;

Alleghany; counties in North Carolina and Virginia;

Allegheny; county, city in same county, and river in Pennsylvania, and mountains in the eastern United States. A corruption of the Delaware Indian name for the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, the meaning of the name being lost.

Alleghany; village and mining camp in Sierra County, California, named by early settlers from Alleghany, Pennsylvania.

Allemands; town in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, situated on Bayou des Allemands, "bayou of the Germans."

Allen; county in Indiana, named for Col. William Allen, of Kentucky.

Allen; county in Kansas, named for William Allen, United States Senator from Ohio, 1837-1849.

Allen; counties in Kentucky and Ohio, named for Col. John Allen, who fell at the battle of Raisin River, in the war of 1812.

Allen; township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, named for William Allen, of Pennsylvania, at one time chief justice of the province.

Allendale; village in Wabash County, Illinois, named for a railroad contractor.

Allendale; town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, named for the Allen family, prominent in that district.

Allenhill; post-office in Ontario County, New York, named for Nathaniel Allen, one of the first settlers.

Allenstown; town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, named for Samuel Allen, to whose children the grant was made in 1722.

Allentown; borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, named for William Allen, of Pennsylvania, at one time chief justice of the province.

Allerton; village in Vermilion County, Illinois, named for Samuel Allerton, founder and extensive land owner.

Alliance; city in Stark County, Ohio, so named because of its location midway the towns of Freedom and Mount Union, and also as the union of two railroads.

Alligator; river and swamp in North Carolina, so named because of the numerous alligators.

Allin; town in McLean County, Illinois, named for James Allin, a pioneer.

Alloway; township in Salem County, and creek in New Jersey, named for a resident Indian chief.

Allred; county in North Dakota, named for L. J. Allred, member of the territorial council.

Allum; pond in Connecticut, named for a Quinebaug captain. The word signifies "dog" in the local Indian dialect.

Alma; town in Santa Clara County, California. From the Spanish, meaning "spirit of man."

Alma; town in Park County, Colorado, named by Mr. James, a merchant, for his wife.

Alma; township and village in Marion County, Illinois, city in Wabaunsee County,

Kansas, and village in Gratiot County, Michigan, named from the battlefield in the Crimea, where the allied French, English, and Turkish troops triumphed over Russia, September 20, 1854.

Alma; city in Harlan County, Nebraska, named for the daughter of one of the first settlers.

Almaden; township in Santa Clara County, California, containing mines of mercury. These mines are named from the quicksilver mines in Spain.

Almond; town in San Diego County, California, so named because of the almond orchards in the vicinity.

Almont; village in Lapeer County, Michigan, named for the Mexican general, Almonte.

Alpena; county, and city in same county, in Michigan, and village in Jerauld County, South Dakota. An Indian form manufactured by Schoolcraft from Algonquin, and jenaisee, bird, in the Ojibwa language.

Alpha; village in Nevada County, California, and township and village in Henry County, Illinois, named from the first letter of the Greek alphabet, signifying "the beginning."

Alpine; county in California, so named because of its mountainous surface, being traversed by the Sierra Nevada. Many places in the United States bear this name in reference to their elevation.

Alia; village in Placer County, California; town in Buena Vista County, Iowa, and post-office and mining camp in Salt Lake County, Utah. A Latin word meaning "high." Many other places bear this name with reference to their elevation.

Alta; village in Peoria County, Illinois, situated on the highest point between Peoria and Bock Island.

Altadena; town in Los Angeles County, California, named with reference to its elevation.

Altamont; post village in Alameda County, California, town in Effingham County, Illinois, situated on the highest point between St. Louis and Terre Haute, and post-office in Garrett County, Maryland. A Spanish phrase meaning "high mountain."

Altaville; villages in Calaveras and Del Norte counties, California, named from their elevation.

Alta Vista; village in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, so named by Rock Island Railroad officials because that road crosses the watershed between the Kansas and Neosho rivers at this point.

Alton; village in Humboldt County, California, named from the city in Illinois. Many other places are named from the same.

Alton; city in Madison County, Illinois, named by Rufus Easton, the founder, for his son.

Alton; town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, named from the town in England.

Altoona; town in Polk County, Iowa, situated at the highest elevation between the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers; and city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, so named because of its high situation in the Allegheny Mountains. A derivative of the Latin word altus meaning "high."

Altoona; city in Wilson County, Kansas, named from the city in Pennsylvania.

Alto Pass; village in Union County, Illinois, situated at a notch or pass in the main ridge of the Ozark uplift; hence the name, "high pass."

Alturas; town in Modoc County, California, so named from its mountains. A Spanish word meaning "summits of mountains."

Alum; creek in Yellowstone Park. A characteristic name, as the water is a strong solution of alum.

Alvarado; town in Alameda County, California, named for Juan V. Alvarado, Mexican governor of California.

Alvarado; city in Johnson County, Texas, named from the town in Mexico.

Alviso; township in Santa Clara County, California, named for an old Spanish family.

Alvord; lake in Oregon, named for Gen. Benjamin Franklin Alvord, who was stationed there at one time.

Amador; county and valley in California;

Amador City; city in Amador County, California. Named for Joseph M. Amador, formerly manager of the property of the mission of San Jose.

Amakalli; tributary of Flint River, Mississippi. A Cherokee word meaning "tum-bling water."

Amalthea; village in Franklin County, Ohio, named for the nurse of Jupiter.

Amargosa; river in Inyo County, California, running through deposits of soda, borax, and salt. From the Spanish meaning "bitter water."

Ambajeejus; lake, and falls in the Penobscot River, in Maine. An Indian word, referring to the two large, round rocks in the lake, one on top of the other.

Ambajemackomas; fall in the Penobscot River, Maine. An Indian word, meaning "little cross pond."

Ambler; borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, named for the Ambler family, of which Joseph Ambler, who settled there in 1723, was a member.

Amboy; towns in Lee County, Illinois, and Miami County, Indiana, and many other places. An Indian word, meaning "hollow inside," "like a bowl."

Ambrose; creek in Ravalli County, Montana, named for an early settler.

Amelia; county, and town in same county, in Virginia, named for the Princess Amelia, youngest daughter of George II of England.

Amenia; town in Dutchess County, New York, named by an early scholar of the State, who also named the State of Vermont. A Latin word, meaning "pleasant," "delightful," "lovely." Prof. Jules Marcow attributes the name to the Amerriques tribe of Indians in eastern Nicaragua.

America; the Western Hemisphere, named for Amerigo Vespucci, sometimes spelled Americus Vespucius, who touched the South American coast somewhere near Surinam in 1499. The name was first used in 1509, and first appeared on a map made in Frankfort, Germany, in 1520.

American; river in California, so called by the Spanish, Rio de los Americanos, because most of the Americans entering California at the time the Spaniards ruled there, came down that river.

Ames; city in Story County, Iowa, named for Oakes Ames.

Ames; post-office in Montgomery County, New York, named for Fisher Ames.

Amesbury; town in Essex County, Massachusetts, named from the English town.

Amethyst; mountain in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, so named by the United States Geological Survey, from the crystalline amethysts formerly abundant on its broad summit.

Amethyst; creek in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, so named by the United States Geological Survey because it flows from Amethyst Mountain.

Amherst; town in Hancock County, Maine, named from the town in New Hampshire.

Amherst; towns in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and Hillsboro County, New

Hampshire, and county in Virginia, named for Lord Amherst.
Amicalola; town in Dawson County, Georgia. A Cherokee Indian word, meaning "tumbling water" or "rolling water."

Amite; town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, and county in Mississippi, named from the river.

Amite; river in Mississippi and Louisiana. Corrupted from the French amitú meaning "friendship," so called by the early settlers from the friendly reception given them by the Indians.

Amity; town in Yamhill County, Oregon, so named as a result of the settlement of a neighborhood contention regarding the location of a schoolhouse in 1849. The schoolhouse was named first and later the town.

Ammonoosuc; river in New Hampshire. An Indian word, interpreted by some to mean "stony fish place;" by others, "fish story river."

Amo; towns in El Paso County, Colorado, Hendricks County, Indiana, and Cottonwood County, Minnesota. An Indian word, meaning "bee."

Amphitheater; creek in Yellowstone Park, named by the United States Geological Survey, from the form of a valley near its mouth.

Amsterdam; city in Montgomery County, New York, named by Emanuel E. De Graff, an early settler, from Amsterdam, Holland. Several places in the United States are named from the city in New York.

Anaconda; township and city in Deerlodge County, Montana, named for the Anaconda Company.

Anacostia; village in the District of Columbia, named from an Indian tribe, from Anacostan, Latinized form of Nacochtank, a former Indian settlement of the vicinity.

Anada; town in Trinity County, California. From the Spanish, meaning "to nothing," signifying "down to bed-rock."

Anaheim; township and town in Orange County California. Named for Anna Fischer, the first child born in the settlement, and heim, the German word for "home."

Anamosa; city in Jones County, Iowa. A corruption of the name of a Sauk Indian woman distinguished in the Black Hawk war, and refers to a litter of puppies or young foxes with eyes not yet open.

Anastasia; island off the coast of Florida, named by the early Spanish explorers St. Anastasia, for a saint of the Catholic Church.

Ancona; town in Livingston County, Illinois, named from the city in Italy.

Andalusia; town in Covington County, Alabama, and villages in Randolph County, Georgia, Rock Island County, Illinois, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, named from the ancient division of Spain.

Anderson; village in Mendocino County, California, named by settlers from Anderson County in Kentucky.

Anderson; city in Madison County, Indiana. The name is the English translation of a Delaware Indian chief.

Anderson; county in Kansas, named for Joseph C. Anderson, member of the first Territorial legislature of Kansas.

Anderson; county in Kentucky, named for Richard C. Anderson, a former member of Congress.

Anderson; county, and city in same county, in South Carolina, named for Col. Robert Anderson, Revolutionary soldier.

Anderson; county in Tennessee, named for Joseph Anderson, Comptroller of the United States Treasury under President James Madison.

Anderson; county in Texas, named for Kenneth L. Anderson, vice-president of the Republic of Texas.

Anderson; island in Paget Sound, Washington, named for the surgeon of the ship Resolution, who died just before its discovery.

Andersonburg; village in Perry County, Pennsylvania, named for the original owner.

Andersonville; village in Sumter County, Georgia, named for the original proprietor.

Andes; town in Delaware County, New York, named from the mountains of South America, because of its mountainous character.

Andover; towns in Essex County, Massachusetts, and Windsor County, Vermont, named from the town in England.

Andrew; county in Missouri, named for Andrew S. Hughes, of Clay County, who first publicly proposed the "Platte purchase."

Andrews; county in Texas, named for the only man killed in a two days' skirmish with the Mexicans near San Antonia, in 1835.

Androscoggin; county in Maine, and river in Maine and New Hampshire. An Indian word first given to the river, from the tribe Amasagunticook, who formerly lived on its banks. The authorities give the meaning "fishing place for ale-wives," or "fish spearing."

Angelica; town in Allegany County, New York, named for Mrs. Angelica Church, daughter of Gen. Philip Scuyler.

Angelina; river and county in Texas. The name is a diminutive of "angel." One authority suggests that the county may have been named for Jos Angel Cabaso, the Spanish priest in charge of the district early in the nineteenth century.

Angel Island; in San Francisco Bay, Marin County, and post-office on the island. Named for a miner who settled there in 1849.

Angels; town in Calaveras County, California, named for Henry Angel, who discovered gold in that vicinity in 1848.

Anglesea; borough in Cape May County, New Jersey, named from the town in Wales.

Anita; village in Butte County, California, and town in Cass County, Iowa. The Spanish form of "little Ann."

Aniwa; village in Shawano County, Wisconsin. Corruption of an Indian word, aniwi, meaning "those," a Chippewa prefix signifying superiority.

Ann; cape, eastern extremity of Essex County, Massachusetts, named for Queen Anne, wife of James I of England.

Anna; city in Union County, Illinois, named for Mrs. Anna Davis, wife of the owner of the land.

Annapolis; city in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, named in honor of Queen Anne, of England, 1702-1714.

Ann Arbor; city in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The first part of the name was given in honor of the wives of the two early settlers, Allen and Rumsey; the latter part refers to the grove like appearance of the site.

Annawan; township and village in Henry County, Illinois, named by its founder for a Massachusetts Indian chief.

Anne Arundel; county in Maryland, named in honor of Lady Anne Arundel, wife of Cecilius Calvert, second Lord Baltimore.

Annisquam; village in Essex County, Massachusetts, and lake, bay, and river in New Hampshire. An Indian word meaning "rock summit" or "point of rocks."

Anniston; city in Calhoun County, Alabama, named for Annie, wife of Col. Alfred L. Tyler.

Annsville; town in Oneida County, New York, named for the wife of J. W. Bloomfield, first settler.

Anoka; village in Case County, Indiana, county, and city in same county, in Minnesota, and village in Broome County, New York. An Indian word meaning "on both sides."

Anson; county in North Carolina, named for Admiral Anson, British navy, who purchased land in the State.

Anson; town in Jones County, Texas, named for Anson Jones, first president of the Texas Republic.

Ansonia; city in New Haven County, Connecticut, named for Anson G. Phelps, senior partner of the firm of Phelps, Dodge & Co., which established the place.

Ansonville; town in Anson County, North Carolina, named for Admiral Anson of the British navy, who built the town.

Ansted; town in Fayette County, West Virginia, named for Professor Ansted, the English geologist, who reported on a tract of coal land there and had an interest in it.

Antelope; township in Mono County and town in Sacramento County, California, and many other places; generally named from the antelope of the plains.

Antelope; county in Nebraska, named at the suggestion of Mr. Leander Gerrard, in commemoration of the killing and eating of an antelope during the pursuit of some Indians.

Antero; mount in the Sawatch Range, Colorado, named for a prominent Ute Indian.

Anthony; city in Harper County, Kansas, named for Governor George T. Anthony.

Anthony's Nose; promontory on the Hudson River, New York, said by Irving to have been named so in reference to Anthony Van Corlear's nose; Lossing says, "Anthony de Hooges, secretary of Rensselaerwick, had an enormous nose, and the promontory was named in honor of that feature."

Antigo; city in Langlade County, Wisconsin. The name is taken from the Indian word neequee-antigo-sebi, antigo meaning "evergreen."

Antioch; town in Contra Costa County, California, village in Lake County, Illinois, and many other places, named from the city in Syria.

Antrim; county in Michigan, and town in Guernsey County, Ohio, named by early Irish settlers from the town in Ireland. Many other places are named from the same.

Antwerp; town in Jefferson County, New York, built by a company which was formed in Holland, who named the new place from the city in Belgium.

Antwerp; village in Paulding County, Ohio, named from the town in New York.

US Place Names

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