Place Names: Their Origin and Meanings: Their Origin and Meanings: Their Origin and Meanings: Their Origin and Meanings: Their Origin and Meanings

Contents

Acknowledgement...............................iii

Introduction........................................iv

Chapter 1. Place Names Within New York City:

The Five Boroughs................................1

Chapter 2. Geographical Names Within

the United States.................................46

Chapter 3. European Place Names.............95

Chapter 4. Place-Names of the World........151

Bibliography......................................196

Travel Guide Bibliography.....................204

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Acknowledgement

I would like to thank the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library (Main and Park Slope branches), and the Brooklyn Historical Society for the use o their materials, without which the completion of this book would not have been possible. Thanks are due to Fred Heller, Erna Heller, and Peter Adams for their helpful suggestions. My appreciation also goes out to Joseph Wolf, who put my manuscript into print.

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Introduction

My purpose is not the publication of an encyclopedic volume on geographical nomenclature, but simply a book for the reader of light non-fiction. Anyone who has an interest in far places, near places, or language should find this work both interesting and informative.

Those who travel frequently may want to carry a copy along, so as to get just a little more understanding of the city, state, or country that they are visiting.

The entries that I have selected are well-known and may be located on any standard map. I have avoided names that are so obscure that they will mean nothing to most readers as well as names that are so obvious that no explanation would be required. The names of continents, countries, states, major cities, large bodies of water, and great mountain ranges have been included.

Chapter 1 deals with the city of New York, the five boroughs. I decided to devote one of the four chapters to New York for two reasons. First, it is a feature that makes this book different from others of its kind. Works on American or foreign geographical names do not include the streets and neighborhoods of any particular city, and materials on New York do not divert their focus beyond the city limits. Second, I have chosen New York because it is a major American metropolis of many diverse neighborhoods each with its own unique history and culture. The many millions of people who live in the New York Metropolitan area and the many more who have lived or will live in it should find this chapter an added attraction.

My concentration on the United States and Europe in the second and third chapters, respectively, may appear out of balance considering the fact that only one chapter (Chapter 4) covers the remainder of the globe. The American reader has, no doubt, a greater familiarity with the United States and Europe than with other parts of the world, and American tourists are more

likely to travel within the United States or Europe than to the other continents. As a way of introducing geographical names, I shall say a few words on some of the criteria that lie behind them and what they can tell us about the history of any particular locality.

Names on the map may be described as linguistic fossils, since so often they were left by the earliest inhabitants of a region. Native American names abound on the landscape of the United States as names of states,

rivers, lakes, and mountains. The same phenomenon may be found in

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Europe, where the names of topographical features are those given by the pre-Indo- European speakers thousands of years ago. New settlers may have modified the name and adapted it to their own language, but without having altered its basic structure.

The name of a political division, such as a nation, a state, or a city often tells us something about its past. Peoples, tribes, individuals, ways of life, and even mythology have been immortalized on the map. Bodies of water, mountains, deserts, and other natural landmarks bear names that describe a notable characteristic such as slow, muddy, flat, blue, swampy, etc. The presence of certain kinds of plants or animals can also be a determining factor in the choice of a name. The political, economic, cultural, or natural history of a locality is recorded in its name.

The entries that I have chosen are illustrative of the ways in which geographical nomenclature gives us clues about the past, and they will provide us with a glimpse of languages that have been out of use for many centuries. Hopefully, this book will further our knowledge and understanding with respect to our cultural heritage.

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Chapter 1. Place Names Within New York City:

The Five Boroughs 

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The Bronx The Bronx is the only one of the five boroughs that is part of the North American mainland. The borough takes its name from Jonas Bronck, the Dutch settler who owned much of the land back in the seventeenth century. When his family had the land settlers who were living in the area would refer to it as the Bronck’s. Even after the Bronck family had gone, the name was still used. The designation the Broncks, retaining the article (the), remained through habit or custom, but the spelling changed to Bronx probably in order to simplify it.

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Arthur Avenue This street in west-central Bronx, in the vicinity of Fordham University, was named for President Chester A. Arthur. Most of it was originally known as Broad Street, while a smaller section of it was called Central Avenue. In the late nineteenth century a woman by the name of Catherine Lorillard Wolfe owned some land adjacent to Broad Street. When her land was divided into lots she requested that Broad Street be named after President Arthur. Arthur Avenue, today, may be described as the Little Italy of the Bronx with its many Italian stores and restaurants.

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Big Tom Island Located in Eastchester Bay, off the coast of the eastern Bronx, this rock was named possibly for Thomas Pell. He was the first Lord of Pelham Manor in the 1650’s.

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Bruckner Boulevard This street in the south Bronx, formerly called Eastern Boulevard, was renamed in July, 1942 in honor of Henry Bruckner, a Bronx Borough President, Congressman, and State Senator.

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Castle Hill During the eighteenth century this section of the south Bronx was an important fort and settlement of the Siwanoy Indians. It was located on a hill overlooking Westchester Creek. Surrounded by a strong stockade with palisades, it was called Castle Hill by the European settlers.

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Clason’s Point This section of the eastern Bronx was partially owned by Isaac Clason at the end of the eighteenth century. Clason was one of the early settlers of the Bronx. Part of Clason’s mansion later became a part of the Clason Point Inn.

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Crotona Park Originally Crotona Park was going to be named Bathgate Park after the Bathgate family, the former owner of the land. There was a disagreement, however, between the Bathgate family and the engineer of the Parks Commission which resulted in a change to Crotona after Croton. Crotona Park, in the southwestern Bronx, was named in 1883.

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Cuban Ledge This sandy island with rocks at one end is located in Eastchester Bay. It is visible at low tide, but at high tide it is submerged. There are four possible explanations for its name. One possibility is that it was named for a ship called the Cuban Lady which carried lumber. On one trip, however, the ship was carrying rum. The crew drank some of the rum, became intoxicated, and ran the ship onto this island. According to another theory, the island was named in 1898 when the Hutchinson River in the Bronx was being widened. A barge carrying a cargo of rocks was floating under Pelham Bridge when a man standing on the bridge announced that the Maine had been blown up in Havana, Cuba. The men on the barge tossed the rocks into the water and went to join the navy. The rocks formed part of what would be called Cuban Ledge. The third possible explanation also relates to the Spanish-American War. One possibility is that it was named for a ship called the Cuban Lady which carried lumber. On one trip, however, the ship was carrying rum. The crew drank some of the rum, became intoxicated, and ran the ship onto this island. According to another theory, the island was named in 1898 when the Hutchinson River in the Bronx was being widened. A barge carrying a cargo of rocks was floating under Pelham Bridge when a man standing on the bridge announced that the Maine had been blown up in Havana, Cuba. The men on the barge tossed the rocks into the water and went to join the navy. The rocks formed part of what would be called Cuban Ledge. Throgs Neck, a part of the southeastern Bronx near Eastchester Bay, was being divided into streets at the time of the war (1898). The island was named to commemorate some of the fighting that was taking place in Cuba. One other explanation for the name. One possibility is that it was named for a ship called the Cuban Lady which carried lumber. On one trip, however, the ship was carrying rum. The crew drank some of the rum, became intoxicated, and ran the ship onto this island. According to another theory, the island was named in 1898 when the Hutchinson River in the Bronx was being widened. A barge carrying a cargo of rocks was floating under Pelham Bridge when a man standing on the bridge announced that the Maine had been blown up in Havana, Cuba. The men on the barge tossed the rocks into the water and went to join the navy. The rocks formed part of what would be called Cuban Ledge. The third possible explanation also relates to the Spanish-American War. Throgs Neck, a part of the southeastern Bronx near Eastchester Bay, was being divided into streets at the time of the war (1898). The island was named to commemorate some of the fighting that was taking place in Cuba. One other explanation for the name is the fact that the island has the shape of Cuba when depicted on a map.

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Fordham Road Fordham Road in the western Bronx was named after Fordham Manor, one of the original manors of Westchester County. The manor which was granted by the English king in 1671 included part of what is presently the Bronx. Fordham Road is in a very busy commercial area with many shops and small restaurants.

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Hunt’s Point This neck of land extends into the East River from the south Bronx. Edward Jessup, one of the proprietors of West Farms, had a daughter, Elizabeth, who married Thomas Hunt. Eventually Hunt became owner of the neck of land which was later to bear his name. (see West Farms) Hunt’s Point is presently an economically depressed industrial neighborhood within some residential sections. It is the site of the New York City Terminal Market, the main market for wholesale fruits and vegetables.

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Hutchinson River The Hutchinson River was named for Anne Hutchinson who came from England and settled in Boston in 1634. She had to leave Boston because of her religious views. In 1643 she arrived in the Dutch New Netherlands and settled at Pelham Neck in what is now the Bronx. The Hutchinson River flowed very close to her house. She and her settlement perished in an Indian conflict. The Hutchinson River flowed very close to her house

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Jerome Avenue This street is located in the Jerome Park area of the western Bronx, and the Jerome Park Reservoir is in the immediate vicinity. The name commemorates Leonard W. Jerome, one of the founders of the Jerome Park race track. The race track was opened in 1876, but was terminated in 1890. The Jerome Park Reservoir is where the track used to be.

Katonah the name of the Katonah section of the northern Bronx may have been derived from the Native American name Ketatonah which means great mountain. It had a variety of forms such as Catonan, Catoonah, Katoonah, and Kotonah during the latter part of the seventeenth century. There was also a chief of the Delaware Indians by the name of Katonah who sold much of his land in Westchester and Connecticut to the English at the end of the seventeenth century. There is also a town of Katonah in Westchester County where this chief was buried.

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Kingsbridge This part of the western Bronx was named after a bridge known as King’s Bride which was built in the vicinity in 1693, and named in honor of English royalty.

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Major Deegan Expressway Running along the Harlem River in the western Bronx, this important road was named for Major William F. Deegan, a Tenement House Commissioner. In April 1937 the road received the name Major William F. Deegan Boulevard and in 1956 the name was shortened to Major Deegan Expressway.

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Melrose In the late 1850’s this part of the Bronx was surveyed by Andrew Findlay who was of Scottish descent. He called the area Melrose after Melrose Abbey, a work by Sir Walter Scott. Also, the name was popular at this time. Alexander’s Department Store had its start in Melrose where it opened for the first time at 2952 Third Avenue.

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Morrisania The name of this community in the southwestern Bronx commemorates the Morris family, a prominent family in colonial New York. The estate of Gouverneur Morris was located there.

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Mosholu Parkway Mosholu, a Native American word signifying smooth stones or possibly clear water, was originally the name of Tibbett’s Brook which flowed through southwestern Westchester County down into the western Bronx. Mosholu Parkway is not far from the New York Botanical Garden, one of the nation’s earliest and largest Botanical Gardens with its two hundred and fifty acres of unspoiled terrain.

Mott Haven This neighborhood extends from East 137th Street to East 141st Street along Alexander Avenue in the southwestern Bronx. It was named for Jordan Mott, the inventor of the coal-burning stove and the owner of the Mott Iron Works which was located at 134th Street. Mott also owned some property in this area during the 1820’s and 1830’s. Mott Haven has always been industrial, but in recent years it has suffered economically. The neighborhood, however, has begun to improve since 1990.

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Pelham Pelham is a section of the northeastern Bronx to the north of the Long Island Sound The land, originally part of Pelham Manor, was purchased by Thomas Pell from the Indians in the 1650’s. (see Big Tom Island) Pelham is known for Pelham Bay Park, with its facilities for golf and horseback-riding. Orchard Beach is a part of this park.

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Pugsley’s Creek Pugsley’s Creek is situated in the eastern part of the Bronx not far from Westchester Avenue. Known also as Wilkin’s Creek, it was named Pugsley’s after a local farmer. Westchester Avenue formed a causeway which spanned some wet meadows over Barrett’s Creek. Barrett’s Creek as well was known as Pugsley’s.

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Roberto Clemente State Park This park in the south Bronx was originally called Harlem River State Park. In 1974 it was renamed to honor a baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberto Clemente died while flying to Nicaragua to help the victims of an earthquake. His plane crashed into the sea.

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Schuylerville Settled in the 1840’s, this part of the southwestern Bronx was home to Irish stone masons who worked on the local estates. Some worked at Fort Schuyler. The neighborhood most likely took its name from the fort.

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Throggs Neck Throggs Neck is a peninsula leading from the southeastern   corner of the Bronx into the Long Island Sound. In 1642 John Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) along with thirty-five English families petitioned the Dutch authorities of New Netherlands to allow them to settle in what is now the southeastern tip of the Bronx. The Dutch called this locality Vriedlandt (land of peace). The Dutch granted the English permission to settle on the neck of land to the south of Eastchester Bay. The English called it Throckmorton’s Neck or Throgmorton’s Neck after their leader. Eventually it was shortened to Throggs Neck. Sometimes the name was mistaken for Frog’s Neck.  Throggs Neck, today, is a community of about thirty thousand people and has the atmosphere of a small fishing village with its small bungalow-like homes. Fort Schuyler, Maritime College of the State University of New York, is at Throggs Neck.

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Tremont Avenue This Bronx street is divided into East and West Tremont Avenues. East Tremont in Morrisania was planned in the 1850’s. Postmaster Hiram Tarbox named the street Tremont because of the three hills in the vicinity. West Tremont Avenue traverses the lower end of Archer Manor, the lands of the earliest proprietors of Fordham.

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Van Cortlandt Park Located in the northwestern Bronx, the park was named for a prominent Dutch family. The family arrived in New Netherlands in 1638 and acquired large tracts of land. Some family members became traders and shipbuilders.

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Van Nest Pieter Pietersen van Neste came from Holland and settled in the Bronx in 1647. One of his descendants, Reynier van Nest, owned a saddlery shop during the early nineteenth century. Reynier’s son, Abraham, served as director of the suburban line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. There is a Van Nest Memorial Park which was dedicated in honor

of the family members who had died in World War I. The park is located on

the road which connects Bronxdale with the Westchester Turnpike.

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Webster Avenue During the 1860’s this Bronx street was surveyed between East 162nd Street and East 165th Street. In 1879 it was opened up as far as

East 184th Street, and it extended to Fordham Road by 1882. The street may have been named for Albert L. Webster, an engineer in the Department of Public Works at the time that the street was lengthened. The only other possibility is that the street was named for Joseph Webster who was a

surveyor. Most likely, both of these individuals were considered when the

street was named.

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Weir Creek This stream flowed from the Long Island Sound, north of

Throggs Neck, to Middletown Road (northern branch of the stream) and to Lawton Avenue (southern branch). The English settlers called it Weir Creek because of the weirs of plaited reds from which they were able to weave fish traps. The traps were placed across the mouth of the creek in order to catch

the fish. This method of fishing was introduced to the Europeans by local

Native Americans.

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West Farms Originally the patent of West Farms was the territory to the west of the Bronx River and north of the Long Island Sound. In 1663 Edward Jessup and John Richardson of Westchester bought the land from the Indians. Jessup and Richardson divided their land into twelve parcels and called it Twelve Farms. Because they were located to the west of Westchester, the name West Farms eventually caught on. The patent was confirmed by Governor Nicholls in 1666.

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Williamsbridge This Bronx neighborhood was at one time the village of Williamsbridge in the northwestern part of Fordham Manor, not far from the Bronx River. There was a bridge at that spot spanning the Bronx River as early as 1670. During the eighteenth century there was a farm near this bridge which was owned by John Williams. The bridge was known locally as William’s Bridge.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn The name was originally Breuckelen, named by Dutch settlers

after a town in the province of Utrecht, not far from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Breuckelen means broken land, that is, land cleared for farming. With approximately 2,231,000 people, Brooklyn is the most

populous of the five boroughs. Among some of the famous people who have lived there are Mickey Rooney, Mae West, Jackie Gleason, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, Floyd Patterson, and Isaac B. Singer.

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Albermarle Road At the turn of the century parts of the country were experiencing an interest in England and in English tradition. Developers

caught on and began giving streets British sounding names. Originally

Avenue A, the name was changed to Aussable Avenue, and then shortly afterwards to Albemarle Road (December 1897). Albemarle Road is a residential street in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

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Bay Ridge Bay Ridge is a section in southwestern Brooklyn. In 1853 James Weir proposed the name because of certain geographical features that characterized this neighborhood. It borders on Gravesend Bay and a ridge of land exists between Colonial Road and Ridge Boulevard.Originally the area

was known as Yellow Hook because of the color of the soil. The Ovingtons, a local family, formed the Ovington Village Association and the Ovington Syndicated company for the purpose of developing the neighborhood. They agreed with Weir on the name Bay Ridge because they believed that it would attract new residents. Bay Ridge is basically a residential neighborhood with many small businesses along both 86th Street and 5th Avenue. This ethnically diverse area has people of Italian, Norwegian, Greek, Irish, and Asian descent.

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Bedford-Stuyvesant Bedford was a small Dutch community in the seventeenth century and was known as Bedford Corners. It was within the Dutch town of Breuckelen. Later on a network of roads that crossed Brooklyn, Queens and the rest of Long Island reached Bedford Corners. The name Stuyvesant comes from Peter Stuyvesant, one of the Dutch director-generals

or governors of New Netherlands. Stuyvesant was governor from 1646 until 1664, when he had to surrender the Dutch colony to the British. Bedford Avenue and Stuyvesant Avenue are the two major streets in this part of Brooklyn.

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Bensonhurst This Brooklyn neighborhood was named for Egbert Benson who owned a large tract of land there in the nineteenth century. For many years Bensonhurst has been a residential Italian neighborhood with numerous restaurants and bakeries. The comedians, Dom De Luise and Phil Silvers, are both natives of Bensonhurst.

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Bergen Beach Bergen Beach, located on Jamaica Bay, is named for one of the first Dutch families of Brooklyn.

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Boerum Place This street