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North American Place Names of Native Origin by Chris Krawczyk

Here is a list of some well known places whose names derive from Native words. The list is by no means exhaustive. There are two things we would like to point out. First, a lack of consensus exists for so many of these places. As you'll see, in many instances we found two or more possible meanings. This possibly occurs so often as two slight variations on a native word can have different meanings. The same occurs with most languages when you think about it.

Second, one thing that is very consistant across the list is that place names actually describe the place: Either a geographic feature, what goes on there, or the people who live there. We did not find a single place that was named after an individual. This is quite contrary to most modern place names. How many streets in your town are named after individuals? A fascinating cultural difference.

Alabama

Believed to derive from Choctaw meaning "thicket-clearers", "vegetation-gatherers", or "plant-cutters" from albah (medicinal plants) and amo (to clear).

Alaska

A corruption of Aleut word alaxsxaq meaning "that which the sea breaks against" or "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed."

Arizona

From arizonac meaning "little spring" or "young spring".

Canada

From Laurentian Iroquois word meaning "village".

Chicago

From Algonquian for "garlic field."

Connecticut

From quinnehtukqut meaning "beside the long tidal river."

Dakota

From the Sioux word for "allies."

Idaho

Possibly from the Plains Apache meaning "enemy", used to refer to the Comanches.

Illinois

From the Algonquin for "he speaks normally."

Iowa

Possibly from a word meaning "this is the place" or "the Beautiful Land."

Kansas

From a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind."

Kentucky

Possibly from an Iroquoian word ken-tah-ten meaning "land of tomorrow" or another Iroquoian word meaning "at the meadow" or "on the prairie".

Massachusetts

From the Massachusett tribe meaning "at or about the great hill."

Michigan

From the word mishigami meaning "great or large lake."

Minnesota

from a Dakota word meaning "dark water."

Mississippi

Possibly from the Ojibwe word miziziibi meaning "big river."

Malibu

Believed to come from the Chumash Indians or Ventureno. Possibly from the word humaliwu - "it makes a loud noise all the time over there." Likely referring to the sound of the ocean.

Manitoba

Possibly a merger of the Cree words manitou (great spirit) and baw (narrows). The "strait or narrows of the Spirit" referring to the narrows of lake Manitoba.

Manhattan

Believed to mean either "isolated thing in water" or "a good place to gather bows."

Milwaukee

From Algonquian, possibly meaning "a good spot or place."

Missouri

Named after the Missouri tribe. The word mihsoori means dugout canoe. Therefore "Missouri" means "people of the dugout canoes."

Nebraska

From a word meaning "flat water."

Niagara

From the Iroquoian town Ongiaahra.

Ohio

From the Seneca ohi:you' meaning "beautiful river."

Oklahoma

This was actually a word invented by colonists. A combination of two Choctaw Indian words okla (people) and homa (red) therefore "red people." - Oklahoma was used to refer to "Indian Territory".

Ontario

A variation of the word kanadario meaning "sparkling or beautiful water." Likely referring to the body of water that is now known as lake Ontario.

Ottawa

From adàwe an Algonquin word meaning "to trade".

Pensacola

From Choctaw words describing a Muskogean group, it means "hair people".

Quebec

From the Mikmaq meaning strait or narrows, likely referring to the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River.

Roanoke

From the Algonquian for "shell money" (Indian tribes often used wampum, shells that were made into beads, as money).

Saratoga

Possibly from the Mohawk for "springs of water from the hillside."

Saskatchewan

From the Cree for "swift-flowing river".

Tennessee

Tanasi was the name of a Cherokee village.

Texas

Likely from a word meaning "friends."

Topeka

From the Kansa and meaning "a good place to dig wild potatoes".

Toronto

From the Mohawk for "fish trap" or "weir".

Utah

Possibly from Western Apache yadah meaning "high up".

Wisconsin

French corruption of an Indian word. Originally Mescousing, which may itself derive from the Miami word for "it lies red".

Wyoming

From the Delaware Indian word, meaning "mountains and valleys alternating" or alternatively "at the big flat river."

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