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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