5.5: Toponyms –Place Name Geography

Toponyms are the words we use to name places. Toponyms are applied to huge places, like “Russia”, and to small places like “Main Street”. Often, toponyms, if they are interpreted carefully, offer clues into the history of a location and the priorities of the people (or person) who named the place.

Many place names, including those applied to states, cities and towns, are compound words. These toponyms often combine a generic word and a specific word. For example, Charleston, Boston and Newton are all city names that have the “– ton” suffix, which is a short-hand way of writing “town”. So you could read “Charleston” as “Charles’ Town”, especially if in South Carolina. As you might guess the city was named after King Charles II of England. A more thoughtful analysis of Charleston would also suggest that: 1) The founders were English because they used the word “town” or “ton” 2) They liked this king, and 3) this city was founded well before the unrest that led to the American Revolution. Charleston, West Virginia, founded around the time American Revolution, was not named after any English King, but because its founders were English speaking, it makes use of the English generic suffix “ton”.

Figure 5-13: Chambersburg, PA. - Highway Sign. The use of "burg" in the toponyms on this road sign reminds passers-by of the strong Germanic heritage of the region.

The English were not the only folks who settled in the United States, so numerous other generic terms for “town” are scattered across the landscape. In those areas where German speakers settled in large numbers, town names have a tendency to use “-burg” as a generic suffix. Pennsylvania has many “burgs”, including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Gettysburg. Sometimes, as in the case of Pittsburgh, “burgh” appears to be a corruption of the word “borough”, an Anglo term for an administrative district in a town or rural township. The corruption may have come courtesy of the many Germans who settled in these areas. Because German and English are quite closely related, the evolution of town names was both easy and common. Other common markers of German settlement in the U.S. can be found in the numerous cities named in honor of German cities; including multiple places in the US named Hanover, Berlin or Hamburg.

Where the French settled in large numbers in North America, towns with the suffix “-ville”, as in Louisville, are common. Many of these are in Louisiana, where French speakers were once very dominant in the southern reaches of the state. Still, there are many dozens of other cities with French names as well, including Detroit, St. Louis and Des Moines.

Other immigrant groups, especially those that settled rural areas have left their mark on the landscape, even though many other cultural elements have disappeared. Russians, Poles, Italians, and others came later, so there are fewer toponyms associated with these groups. Africans were largely powerless upon their arrival, so almost no African toponyms are found in the United States. Far more common are cities that have names supplied by the American Indians, who were similarly powerless; but were already on the continent. Chicago, Milwaukee and Seattle are perhaps the best known Indian toponyms in the US, but thousands of physical features, like rivers, mountains and valleys bear the mark of Native American languages.

Sometimes, multiple ethnic groups share in the toponymy of a place. It’s generally a sign of cultural hybridization. Consider Anaheim, California, home of Disneyland. This city’s name combines a reference to Saint Anne (or St. Hannah who is revered particularly in Greek Orthodox and Islam). Spanish missionary Juniperro Serra named the area “Santa Ana”. Later “Ana” part was adopted by German settlers who added “-heim” (home) to the name in order to indicate “home by the Santa Ana River”. Today Anaheim has a diverse population and cultural background, much as the name suggests it should.

Toponymy and Place Marketing

Figure 5-14: Agoura, California - Mall Sign. This sign made of materials, and engaging terminology that evokes exclusivity in attempt to generate 'snob appeal' for businesses here.

Toponyms are also used to great effect by real estate developers and business interests, who seek to convince potential customers of the value of many goods and services. One of the most common ways real estate people market land or even buildings is by making an “appeal to snobbery”. It’s a simple ploy that frequently uses a place reference associated with rich or powerful people. For example, an apartment complex on Maple Street, might be named “Chateau Des Maples”, to make it sound French, and therefore more exotic. A gated community trying to appeal to upscale homebuyers might be dubbed “The Oaks at Hunter Crossing” in order to evoke imagery of large landed estates, where wealthy folks who engage in sports like fox hunting might live. The more comical efforts at leveraging snob appeal appear on the signs of liquor stores, or nightclubs in rundown neighborhoods. Casinos have employed this strategy for years, cashing in on the ability of the landscape to make people feel like “high rollers”. It’s really quite silly once you think about it; but clearly it is effective or it wouldn’t be so very common place.