US Place Names ~ Babruly, Missouri to Beekman, New York

Babruly; creek in Missouri. The word is a corruption of the French bois brulé, "burnt wood."

Babylon; village in Suffolk County, New York, named from the ancient city in Asia.

Baca; county in Colorado, named for a prominent Mexican family of Trinidad, Colorado.

Bache; mount in California, named for A. D. Bache, superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Baconhill; village in Saratoga County, New York, named for Ebenezer Bacon, a tavern keeper in early days.

Bad; river in Michigan, named by the Dakota Indians, wakpashicha, "bad river."

Badaxe; river in Wisconsin, and village in Huron County, Michigan.

Baden; borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and several other places in the United States, named from the German state.

Badger; town in Tulare County, California, named by settlers from Wisconsin, the "Badger State."

Badger; creeks in Iowa, Yellowstone Park, and many other places, so named from the presence of that animal.

Badlands; term applied to a region in South Dakota. It is said that the old French voyageurs described the region as "mauvaises terres pour traverser" meaning that it was a difficult country to travel through; from this the term has been carelessly shortened and translated into the present misnomer.

Baghdad; town in San Bernardino County, California, named from the city in Asiatic Turkey.

Baggers; point on Indian River, Florida, named for the owner, John Baggers.

Bailey; town in Shasta County, California;
Baileys Ferry; village in Stanislaus County, California. Named for Capt. G. Bailey, United States Army.

Bailey; county in Texas, named for one of the men who fell at the Alamo, March 6, 1836. His first name is worn off the stone monument, which is the only record left of his career.

Baileyville; village in Stephenson County, Illinois, named for O. Bailey, an early settler.

Bainbridge; towns in Decatur County, Georgia, and Chenango County, New York, and village in Ross County, Ohio. Named for Commander William Bainbridge, of the war of 1812 and the war with Tripoli.

Baird; town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, named for the man who owned the land upon which the town is built.

Baker; county in Florida, named for James M. Baker, judge of the fourth judicial district of the State.

Baker; county in Georgia, named for Col. John Baker, an officer in the war of the Revolution.

Baker; county in Oregon;

Baker City; city in Baker County, Oregon. Named for Edward Dickinson Baker, officer in the Union Army, and senator from Oregon.

Baker; mount in Washington, named by the explorer, Vancouver, for a lieutenant in his party.

Bakers; river in Grafton County, New Hampshire, named for Captain Baker, a soldier of the Indian wars.

Bakersfield; city, in Kern County, California, named for Col. Thomas Baker.

Bakersfield; town in Franklin County, Vermont, named for Joseph Baker, who owned the land in 1789.

Bakers Mills; village in Warren County, New York, named for the owner.

Bakersville; town in Mitchell County, North Carolina, named for a prominent resident.

Bakersville; town in Coshocton County, Ohio, named for John Baker, who laid it out in 1848.

Baku; village in Sonoma County, California, situated in the petroleum district, and named from the oil fields of Baku, in Russia.

Bald Eagle; village in Nevada County, California, named from the eagles in the sierras in the Vicinity.

Bald Eagle; valley, creek, and village in York County, Pennsylvania, named for the noted Seneca chief. Bald Eagle.

Baldwin; county in Alabama, and county, and town in Habersham County, in Georgia, named for Abraham Baldwin, United States Senator from Georgia.

Baldwin; town in Jackson County, Iowa, named for Judge Baldwin.
Baldwin; city in Douglas County, Kansas, named for John Baldwin, of Berea, Ohio.
Baldwin; town in Cumberland County, Maine, named for Loammi Baldwin, one of the proprietors.

Baldwin; village in Lake County, Michigan, named for Governor Baldwin, of Michigan.

Baldwin; town in Chemung County, New York, named from Baldwin Creek, which was named for Isaac, Walter, and Thomas Baldwin, early settlers at the mouth of the creek.

Baldwin; village in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, named for D. A. Baldwin, an early settler.

Bald wins ville; village in Onondaga County, New York, named for Dr. Jonas C. Baldwin, its founder.

Baldwyn; town in Lee County, Mississippi, named for a land owner.

Balize; pilot town at the northeast pass at the mouth of the Mississippi in Plaque-mines Parish, Louisiana, the name of which comes from the French word balize "stake," "beacon," the most of the houses being built on piles.

Ballard; county in Kentucky, named for Capt. Bland Ballard, an officer in the war of 1812.

Ballena; village in San Diego County, California. A Spanish word meaning "whale," and given the settlement because of a whale being stranded on the beach.

Ballentine; post-office in Lexington County, South Carolina, named for a resident family.

Ballston; town in Saratoga County, New York.

Ballston Spa; village in Saratoga County, New York, named for Rev. Eliphalet

Ball, an early settler. "Spa" was added in reference to the medicinal springs, from the celebrated watering place in Belgium.

Baltimore; county and city in Maryland, and town in Windsor County, Vermont; named for Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who settled the Maryland province in 1635. A Celtic word, meaning "large town."

Bamberg; county, and town in same county, in South Carolina, named for a family prominent in the recent history of the State.

Bandera; county, and town in same county, in Texas, named from a pass in the State. The word is Spanish, meaning "flag."

Bangor; village in Butte County, California, named from the city in Maine.

Bangor; city in Penobscot County, Maine, named by the Rev. Seth Noble, its representative in legislature, from an old psalm tune.

Bangor; borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and village in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, named from the town in Wales because of the Welsh settlers in these places.

Bangs; mount in Arizona, named for James E. Bangs, clerk upon the King Survey.

Banks; county in Georgia;
Banksville; village in Banks County, Georgia. Named for Br. Richard Banks.

Banner; village in Wells County, Indiana, named for a newspaper, the Bluffton Banner.

Banner; county in Nebraska, so named because it was considered the banner county of the State when named.

Bannock; county and peak in Idaho, town in Beaverhead County, Montana, and peak in Yellowstone Park, named from a tribe of Indians. This tribe inhabited the country southwest of Yellowstone Park, finally settling on a reservation in southern Idaho. Some authorities give the derivation from bannai' hti "southern people."

Bantam; river, and village in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The name is derived from the Indian word peantum, "he prays," or "he is praying."

Baptist Hill; village in Ontario County, New York, named from a Baptist church erected there at an early date.

Baraboo; city in Sauk County, Wisconsin, named for Jean Baribault, a French settler. An article written by Julia A. Lapham claims that the Bariboo River was named for Captain Barabeary, who was with Morgan's expedition against the Indians and wintered at the mouth of the stream. The statement is credited to John De la Bond, who settled near Fort Winnebago in 1828. Rond was living on the banks of the Baraboo River, with his Winnebago wife, in 1873.

Baraga; county, and village in same county, in Michigan, named for Bishop Friedrich Baraga, a missionary among the Indians of the Lake Superior region.

Baranof; one of the Alexander Islands, Alaska, named for the man who for a long time managed the affairs of the Russian- American Company.

Barataria; bay, and post-office in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The name is derived from an old French word, meaning "deceit."

Barber; creek in Humboldt County, California, named for a settler.

Barber; county in Kansas, named for Thomas W. Barber, Free State martyr.

Barbour; county in Alabama, named for James Barbour, governor of Virginia, and

Secretary of War under John Quincy Adams. Barbour; county in West Virginia;

Barboursville; town in Cabell County, West Virginia, and several other towns in the Southern States. Named for Phili p P. Barbour, an early governor of Virginia.

Barcelona; village in Tulare County, California, named from the seaport town in Spain.

Bardolph; village in McDonough County, Illinois, named for William H. Bardolph, one of the founders.

Bardstown; city in Nelson County, Kentucky, named for David Baird, one of the original proprietors.

Bardwell; village in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, named for the Bardwell family, early and prominent residents.

Bargersville; village in Johnson County, Indiana, named for Jefferson Barger.

Bar Harbor; village in Hancock County, Mount Desert Island, Maine, so named from a sandy bar, visible only at low tide.

Baring; town in Washington County, Maine, said to be named for the Baring family, celebrated bankers of London, England.

Barker; town in Broome County, New York, named for John Barker, the first settler.

Barlow; town in Clackamas County, Oregon, named for John L. Barlow, an early settler.

Barlow; peak in Yellowstone Park, named by the United States Geological Survey for Capt. J. W. Barlow, Engineer Corps, United States Army.

Barnard; village in Siskiyou County, California, named from Barnard, Vermont.

Barnard; town in Windsor County, Vermont, named for Francis Barnard, a grantee.

Barnegat; inlet, and village in Ocean County, in New Jersey. A Dutch name, given by Henry Hudson, meaning "breaker's inlet."

Barnes; city in Washington County, Kansas, named for A. S. Barnes, a publisher of United States history.

Barnes; county in North Dakota, named for Hon. A. H. Barnes, early Territorial judge.

Barnesville; town in Pike County, Georgia, named for Gideon Barnes, the first settler.

Barnesville; village in Belmont County Ohio, named for a family of early settlers.

Barnet; town in Caledonia County, Vermont, said to be named from the town in England from which the ancestors of Enos Stevens, an early settler, emigrated.

Barnstable; county, and town in same county, in Massachusetts, named from the seaport in England.

Barnum; town in Arapahoe County, Colorado, named for P. T. Barnum, who owned a large tract of land there.

Barnum; town in Carlton County, Minnesota, named for a paymaster of the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad.

Barnwell; county, and town in same county, in South Carolina, named for a distinguished family of the State.

Baronette; peak in Yellowstone Park, named for "Yellowstone Jack," C. D. Baronette, a famous scout.

Barraque; township in Jefferson County, Arkansas, named for a Frenchman, Monsieur Barraque, who lived near the Arkansas River.

Barre; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named for Col. Isaac Barre, the friend of America in the British Parliament.

Barre; towns in Orleans County, New York, and Washington County, Vermont, named from the town in Massachusetts.

Barren; island in the Hudson River. The name is derived from the Dutch word beeren "bears," which was applied to the island by the early Dutch settlers.

Barren; county in Kentucky, in the Carboniferous limestone region. The name is supposed to have been given in reference to this formation, though the soil is in reality fertile.

Barrington; town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, probably named for Sir John Barrington, dissenter, who died in 1734, though by some it is thought to have received its name from some of the early settlers who came from the parish of Barrington in Somersetshire, England.

Barron; county, and city in same county, in Wisconsin, named for Judge Henry D. Barron, of that State.

Barry; township and city in Pike County, Illinois. First named Barre, from the town in Vermont, and changed to Barry by the Post-Office Department.

Barry; county in Michigan, named for William T. Barry, postmaster-general under President Jackson.

Barry; county in Missouri, named for Commodore John Barry.

Bartholomew; county in Indiana, named for Gen. Joseph Bartholomew, United States Senator from that States.

Bartlett; town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, named for Governor Josiah Bartlett, 1792-1794.

Barton; county in Kansas, named for Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross Society in America.

Barton; county in Missouri, named for David Barton, member of Congress from Missouri.

Barton; town in Orleans County, Vermont, named for William Barton, a Revolutionary general and principal proprietor.

Bartow; county, and town in Jefferson County, in Georgia, named for Gen. F. S. Bartow, killed at the battle of Manassas.

Basalt; peak which gives name to a town in Eagle County, Colorado, named from the summit rock.

Base Line; village in San Bernardino County, California, situated on the base line of the United States land surveys.

Bashbish; stream and deep gorge in the Taghkanic Mountains, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, named for an Indian squaw, Bess, who lived near the source of the stream.

Bashes Kil; creek in Orange County, New York, named for Bashe, an Indian woman.

Basin; village in Kern County, California, so named because of the shape of the plain in which it is located.

Baskahegan; river and lake in Maine. An Indian word meaning "branch stream which turns down."

Baskingridge; village in Somerset County, New Jersey, where it is said animals resorted in chilly weather to bask in the milder air.

Basswood; island in Lake Superior, one of the Apostles, a translation of wigobiminiss, the Indian name for the island.

Bastrop; town in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, and county, and town in same county, in Texas, named for Baron de Bastrop, a Mexican, who was a commissioner of Texas to extend land titles, in 1823.

Batata; village in Merced County, California. A Spanish word meaning "sweet potato."

Batavia; village in Solano County, California, named from Batavia in Illinois.

Batavia; township and city in Kane County, Illinois, named from the town in New York.

Batavia; town in Genesee County, New York, named for the Batavian Republic, which name was applied to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795.

Seven other places in the United States bear this name.

Batchelders; grant in Oxford County, Maine, named for the original grantee, Josiah Batchelder.

Bates; county in Missouri, named for Gov. Frederick Bates, who died in 1825 while in office.

Batesburg; town in Lexington County, South Carolina, named for a family of that State.

Batesville; city in Independence County, Arkansas, named for James Woodson Bates.

Batesville; village in Noble County, Ohio, named for Rev. Timothy Bates, a Methodist preacher.

Bath; county in Kentucky, village in Rensselaer County, New York, and county in Virginia, so named because of the medical springs.

Bath; city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, and borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, named from the city in England.

Bath; town in Steuben County, New York, named for Lady Henrietta, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pultney.

Bath. Alum Spring; village in Bath County, Virginia, so called from the medicinal springs situated there.

Bath Springs; town in Decatur County, Tennessee, so named because of the medicinal springs within its limits.

Baton Rouge; city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. It is a French name, meaning: "red staff" or "red stick," given because of a tall cypress tree which stood upon the spot where it was first settled. Some authorities say that the name is derived from the name of an Indian chief, whose name translated into French was Baton Rouge. Still another theory ascribes the name to the fact that a massacre by the Indians took place upon the spot upon the arrival of the first settlers.

Battenkill; creek, tributary to the Hudson River, called originally Bartholomew's Kill, for an early settler, Bartholomew Van Hogeboom, who was usually called Bart or Bat.

Battleboro; town in Nash County, North Carolina, named for James S. and Joseph Battle, railroad contractors.

Battle Creek; city and creek in Calhoun County, Michigan, so called because a battle was fought upon the banks of the creek.

Battle Ground; creek in Illinois, so called from a battle fought on its banks between the Cahokia and Kaskaskia Indians in 1782.

Battle Ground; town in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, named in commemoration of the battle of Tippecanoe.

Battlement; mesa in western Colorado, so named by Hayden because of its shape.

Bavaria; village in Saline County, Kansas, named from one of the divisions of Germany.

Baxter; county in Arkansas, named for Elisha Baxter, twice governor of the State.

Baxter Springs; city in Cherokee County, Kansas, named for A. Baxter, the first settler. There are also springs in the vicinity.

Bay; town in Sonoma County, California, situated on the edge of San Francisco Bay.

Bay; county in Michigan, named from its situation on Saginaw Bay.

Bayard; town in Grant County, West Virginia, named for Senator Bayard.

Bayboro; town in Pamlico County, North Carolina, so named from its situation on Pamlico Sound.

Bay City; city in Bay County, Michigan, so named from its situation on Saginaw Bay.

Bayfield; county, and village in same county, in Wisconsin, named for Rear-Admiral H. D. Bayfield, who surveyed the Great Lakes.

Bayhead; borough in Ocean County, New Jersey. The name is descriptive of its geographical position at the head of Barnegat Bay.

Baylis; village in Pike County, Illinois, named for a railroad official.

Baylor; county in Texas, named for Henry W. Baylor, who fell at Dawson's massacre in 1842.

Bay of Noquet; bay in Michigan, named from an Indian tribe. The word seems to refer to "otters."

Bayou; village in Livingston County, Kentucky. The word is used frequently in the Southern States, being a Choctaw term to denote a small sluggish stream.

Bayou Boeuf; creek in Louisiana. A French name meaning "buffalo creek."

Bayou Chetimaches; creek in Louisiana, named for an Indian of the vicinity. The name is Choctaw and means "those who possess cooking vessels."

Bayou des Buttes; creek of Louisiana, named by the French "bayou of the mounds," from the mounds found along its course.

Bayou Huffpower; creek in Louisiana, named for an old settler.

Bayou Salé; creek emptying into Cote Blanche Bay, Louisiana. A French name meaning "Halt bayou" or "Salt creek."

Bay St. Louis; city in Hancock County, Mississippi, named for Louis XI of France, and situated on a bay, hence the prefix.

Bay Spring; town in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, named for the home of Robert Lowery in the same county.

Beacon; town in Mahaska County, Iowa, name for Lord Beaconsfield.

Beadle; county in South Dakota, named for W. H. H. Beadle, superintendent of public instruction in 1884.

Bear; creek in Missouri, sometimes called Loose Creek, probably from a careless corruption of the French, l'ourse, "the bear."

Bear; creek in Yellowstone Park named from a hairless cub found there by a party of explorers. This name is applied to numerous places in the United States, from the presence of the animal at the time of naming.

Beardstown; city in Cass County, Illinois, named for Thomas Beard, the founder.

Bear Lake; County in Idaho, named from Bear Lake.

Bear Lake; village in Manistee County, Michigan, so named because of a fancied resemblance between the outline of the village limits and a sleeping bear.

Beatrice; village in Humboldt County, California, named for the wife of an early settler.

Beatrice; city in Gage County, Nebraska, named for the daughter of Judge Kinney, one of the earliest settlers in the State, and who assisted in locating the town site.

Beattie; city in Marshall County, Kansas, named for A. Beattie, mayor of St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1870.

Beattyville; town in Lee County, Kentucky, named for Samuel Beatty, one of the first settlers.

Beaufort; county, and town in Carteret County, in North Carolina, named for the Duke of Beaufort, a lord proprietor.

Beaufort; county, and town in same county, in South Carolina, said by some authorities to be named for the Duke of Beaufort, but other authorities claim that the name was given by the French Protestants, who took refuge there from Lord Berkeley, giving the name of the town in Anjou, France.

Beauregard; town in Copiah County, Mississippi, named for Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, Confederate Army.

Beaver; county in Oklahoma, county, and borough in same county, in Pennsylvania, county in Utah, and twenty post-offices, and numerous creeks, lakes, and other natural features in the United States. It was adopted by the Indians as a personal as well as tribal name, because of the widespread presence of the animal.

Beaver; lake in Indiana, called by the Indians, sagayiganuhnickyug, "lake of beavers."

Beaverdam; city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, creek in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, and numerous post-offices, so called from an obstacle placed in streams by beavers.

Beaverhead; county in Montana, named from a rock in the county shaped like a beaver's head.

Bechler; creek in Yellowstone Park, named by the United States Geological Survey for Gustavus R. Bechler, topographer, with the Hayden Survey.

Bechtelsville; borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, named for the family of which Judge O. P. Bechtel is a prominent member.

Becker; county, and town in Sherburne County, in Minnesota, named for Gen. George L. Becker, who was one of the leading men of the State at the time.

Beckley; village in Raleigh County, West Virginia, named for Gen. Alfred Beckley, an early settler.

Beckwith; butte and town in Plumas County, California, and mountain in Colorado, named for Lieutenant Beckwith, of the Pacific Railroad Exploring Expedition.

Bedford; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named for Wriothesley Russell, Duke of Bedford.

Bedford; town in Westchester County, New York, named for Bedfordshire, England.

Bedford; county, and borough in same county, in Pennsylvania, said by some to be named from the county in England; by others it is thought that the name was given in honor of the Dukes of Bedford.

Bedford; county, and village in same county, in Tennessee, named for Thomas Bedford.

Bedford; county in Virginia;
Bedford City; town in Bedford County, Virginia. Named for John, Duke of Bedford.

Bedloe; island in New York Harbor, named for Isaac Bedlow, its first proprietor.

Bee; county in Texas, named for Bernard E. Bee, minister to Mexico in 1830.

Beebe; town in White County, Arkansas, said to have been named for Roswell Beebe, an early settler.

Beech; there are six post-offices named Beech in the country and thirty-six with various suffixes, the name being applied because of the widespread occurrence of this tree.

Beech Creek; creek and borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. A translation of the Indian name schauweminsch-hanna.

Beecher City; village in Effingham County, Illinois, named for Charles A. Beecher, a railway solicitor.

Beechy; cape in Alaska, named for Capt. F. W. Beechy, the navigator.

Beekman; village in Dutchess County, New York, named for Henry Beekman, who owned a grant there in 1703.

US Place Names

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