US Place Names ~ Gordonsville, Virginia to Gypsum, California

Gordonsville; town in Orange County, Virginia, named for its founder, Nathaniel Gordon.

Gore; pass in Colorado, named for a gunsmith of Denver.

Gorham; town in Cumberland County, Maine. Some authorities say it was named for Col. Shubael Gorham, one of the original proprietors, but Whitmore says that it was named for Capt. John Gorham, an early proprietor.

Gorham; town in Coos County, New Hampshire, named for Captain Gorham, who was in the Narragansett fight.

Gorham; town in Ontario County, New York, named for Nathaniel Gorham.

Gorman; township in Ottertail County, Minnesota, named for Willis A. Gorman; former governor of the State.

Goshen; township in Stark County, Illinois, named from Goshen, Ohio.

Goshen; city in Elkhart County, Indiana, village in Orange County, New York, and township and village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, named from the "Land of Goshen." The name is found in many parts of the country, applied as a synonym of fruitfulness and fertility.

Gosiute; peak and lake in Nevada, named for an Indian tribe.

Gosnold; town in Dukes County, Massachusetts, settled by Bartholomew Gosnold.

Gosper; county in Nebraska, named for John J. Gosper, secretary of state.

Gothic; mountains in the Adirondacks, New York, and Elk Mountains, Colorado, so named because of pinnacles resembling gothic architecture.

Gouldsboro; town in Hancock County, Maine, named for Robert Gould, one of the original proprietors.

Gouverneur; town in St. Lawrence County, New York, named for Gouverneur Morris, an American statesman.

Govan; town in Bamberg County, South Carolina, named for a family prominent in South Carolina history.

Gove; county, and city in same county, in Kansas, named for Grenville L. Gove, captain in the Eleventh Kansas Regiment.

Governors; island in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, named for Governor Winthrop, to whose descendants it still belongs.

Governors; island in New York Harbor, named for Governor Van Twilier, who owned it at an early date.

Gowanda; village in Cattaraugus County, New York. An Indian word meaning "town among the hills by the water side."

Grafton; village in Pope County, Illinois, named from the town in Massachusetts, the native place of the first settler.

Grafton; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named for Charles Fitz-Roy, Duke of Grafton.

Grafton; county, and town in same county, in New Hampshire, named for Augustus Henry Fitz-Roy, Duke of Grafton.

Grafton; city in Taylor County, West Virginia, so named by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, because they grafted a branch from this point to Wheeling.

Graham; county in Kansas, named for John L. Graham, captain of the Eighth Kansas Regiment.

Graham; county, and town in Alamance County, North Carolina, named for Senator William A. Graham, secretary of the navy under President Fillmore.

Graham; city in Young County, Texas, named for one of two brothers, who owned salt works near where the town was built.

Grahamsville; village in Sullivan County, New York, named for Lieutenant Graham, who was killed by Indians near the site of the village.

Grahamton; town in Meade County, Kentucky, named for an early pioneer.

Grahamville; town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, named for the founder.

Grainger; county in Tennessee, named for Mary Grainger.

Granby; town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, said to have been named for John, Marquis of Granby.

Granby; town in Essex County, Vermont, named for Earl Granby, in 1761.

Grand; county in Colorado, named from Grand Lake, the source of Grand River.

Grand Coteau; town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, so named because of its position. A French name meaning "great hill."

Grand Forks; county, and city in same county, in North Dakota, which take their name from the junction of the Red River of the North with Red Lake River.

Grand Haven; city in Ottawa County, Michigan, so named because it is situated on the best harbor on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

Grand Island; city in Hall County, Nebraska, on Platte River, which is divided into two channels at that point by an island nearly 50 miles long.

Grand Isle; town in Aroostook County, Maine, named from an island in the river at that point.

Grand Isle; county, and village in same county, in Vermont, named from an island in Lake Champlain, now called South Hero. The early French called it Grand Isle.

Grand Junction; city in Mesa County, Colorado, so named because of its location at the junction of the Gunnison and Grand rivers.

Grand Junction; town in Greene County, Iowa, so named from its position at the junction of the Keokuk and Des Moines and the Chicago and Northwestern railroads.

Grand Lake Stream; plantation in Washington County, Maine, named from a lake in the northern part of the State.

Grand Ledge; city in Eaton County, Michigan, so named because of the rock ledges along the Grand River in the vicinity.

Grand Rapids; cities in Kent County, Michigan, and Wood County, Wisconsin, named from rapids and falls in the Grand and Wisconsin rivers.

Grand Ronde; river and valley in Oregon. A French name meaning "great round." It was applied by the early French trappers to the valley because of its circular shape.

Grand Tower; city in Jackson County, Illinois, named from a high rocky island in the Mississippi River, which resembles a tower.

Grand Traverse; county in Michigan, named from Grand Traverse Bay.

Granite; county in Montana, named from a mountain which contains the celebrated Granite Mountain silver mine.

Granite Falls; city in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, located at falls in Minnesota River, so named because of the presence of immense masses of granite rock.

Graniteville; village in Iron County, Missouri, named for a quarry near, considered one of the most remarkable in the world.

Grant; military post in Arizona, county in Arkansas; town in Humboldt County,

California; town in Montgomery County, Iowa; county in Kansas; parish in Louisiana; county in Minnesota; county, and village in Perkins County, Nebraska; counties in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and West Virginia; and many small places throughout the country; named for Gen. U. S. Grant.

Grant; county in Indiana, named for Samuel and Moses Grant, of Kentucky, killed in battle with the Indians.

Grant; county in Kentucky. According to John McGee it was named for Col. John Grant, an early settler, but according to J. Worthing McCann, the county was named for Samuel Grant.

Grant; river and county in Wisconsin, named for a trapper who had a cabin on the river bank.

Grantsdale; town in Ravalli County, Montana, named for H. H. Grant, land owner, who built the first flour mill and kept the first store.

Grantsville; town in Calhoun County, West Virginia, named for Gen. U. S. Grant.

Granville; township and village in Putnam County, Illinois, and township and village in Licking County, Ohio, named from the town in Massachusetts.

Granville; towns in Hampden County, Massachusetts, and Washington County, New York, and county in North Carolina, named for John Carteret, Earl of Granville.

Grass; river in St. Lawrence County, New York, from the name given it by the early French, la grasse riviere, meaning "the fertile river."

Grass Valley; township and city in Nevada County, California, named from a valley covered with grass.

Gratiot; county in Michigan, named for Capt. Charles Gratiot, United States Army, who constructed Fort Gratiot in 1814.

Gratiot; village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, named for Col. Henry Gratiot, an Indian agent.

Grattan; township in Kent County, Michigan, named for the Irish orator.

Gratz; borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, named from the Prussian town.

Graves; county in Kentucky, named for Capt. Benjamin Graves, who fell at the battle of Raisin River.

Gravesend; village in Kings County, New York, now a part of New York City, named by persons from Gravesend, England.

Gravette; town in Benton County, Arkansas, named for E. T. Gravette.

Gray; county in Kansas, named for Alfred Gray, secretary of the Kansas State board of agriculture in 1873-1880.

Gray; town in Cumberland County, Maine, said to have been named for Thomas Gray, one of the proprietors.

Gray; county in Texas, named for Peter W. Gray, a prominent lawyer of Houston.

Grayling; town in Crawford County, Michigan, named from the fish for which the Au Sable River was famous.

Graymount; town in Colorado near the foot of Gray's Peak; hence the name.

Grays; peak in Colorado, named by Doctor Parry for Dr. Asa Gray, botanist.

Grays; harbor in Washington, named for the discoverer, Capt. Robert Gray, of Boston.

Grayson; counties in Kentucky and Virginia, named for Col. William Grayson, United States Senator from Virginia.

Grayson; town in Carter County, Kentucky, named for Col. Robert Grayson.

Grayson; county in Texas, named for Peter W. Grayson, attorney-general of the Texas Republic in 1836.

Graysville; village in Sullivan County, Indiana, named for Joe Gray, its founder.

Graysville; village in Herkimer County, New York, named for Latham Gray, a resident.

Grayville; township and city in White County, Illinois, named for James Gray, who laid out the town in 1828.

Great Barrington; town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, named for Lord Barrington. "Great" was prefixed to distinguish it from Barrington, Rhode Island, which town was formerly considered as possibly being within the limits of Massachusetts.

Great Basin; an area of territory in Utah whose waters do not reach the sea; hence the name.

Great Bend; city in Barton County, Kansas, which takes its name from a bend in the Arkansas River south of the site.

Great Bend; borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, named from a bend in the Susquehanna River at that point.

Great Black; river in Maine, which takes its name from the Indian designation chimkazaootook, meaning "big black stream."

Great Butte des Morts; lake in Wisconsin, so called from neighboring mounds, said to contain the bodies of Indians slain in battle. A French phrase, meaning "hill of the dead."

Great Falls; city in Cascade County, Montana, named from the falls in the Missouri River, near the city.

Great Quabbin; mountain in Massachusetts, named for a celebrated Indian sachem. The word is supposed to mean "many waters."

Great Salt; lake in Utah, named from the salinity of its waters.

Great Sinabar; creek in Missouri. A corruption of the old French name chenal au barre, meaning "channel to the bar."

Greeley; city in Weld County, Colorado; county, and city, in Anderson County, Kansas, and county in Nebraska, named for Horace Greeley.

Greeley; village in Holt County, Nebraska, named for Peter Greeley.

Green; descriptive word found frequently with and without various suffixes. The river in Wyoming and Utah was so called from the green shale through which it flows.

Green; river rising in the Wind River range of the Rocky Mountains, formerly known as popo agie words of the Crow dialect, meaning "head of river."

Green; mountains in Vermont, so named from their forests of evergreen trees.

Green; counties in Kentucky and Wisconsin, named for Gen. Nathaniel. Greene.

Green Bay; city in Brown County, Wisconsin, named from the bay which was called by the early French la grande baie "the large bay," which was corrupted into the present name. Other authorities claim that the name was occasioned from the deep greenish hue of the water of the bay.

Greenbrier; county in West Virginia, named from the river, which was so called by Col. John Lewis.

Greenbush; town in Rensselaer County, New York; a translation of the original Dutch name groen bosch, from the pine woods which originally covered the flats.

Greencastle; city in Putnam County, Indiana, named from the town in Ireland.

Green Cove Springs; town in Clay County, Florida, named from a large sulphur spring, supposed by some to be the "fountain of youth" of Spanish and Indian legends.

Greene; counties in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa; town in Androscoggin County, Maine; counties in Mississippi, Missouri, and New York, and village in Chenango County, New York; counties in North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia; named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene, Revolutionary soldier.

Geene; town in Butler County, Iowa, named for Judge George Green of Linn County.

Greenesville; county in Virginia;

Greeneville; town in Greene County, Tennessee. Named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene.

Greenfield; town in Adair County, Iowa, named from the town in Massachusetts.

Greenfield; town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, which derives its name from the river which intersects it. Before its incorporation as a town the settlement was known as "Green River District."

Greenfield; village in Highland County, Ohio, so named from its general appearance.

Green Island; town in Albany County, New York, so named because situated on an island of that name in Hudson River.

Green Lake; county in Wisconsin, named from a lake which was called so from the color of its waters.

Greenleaf; city in Washington County, Kansas, named for the treasurer of the Union Pacific Railroad, A. W. Greenleaf.

Greenport; village in Suffolk County, New York, so named for the green hill sloping to the bay.

Greensboro; town in Hale County, Alabama, named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene, a Revolutionary celebrity.

Greensburg; city in Kiowa County, Kansas, named for Col. D. R. Green.

Greensburg; town in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene.

Greenup; village in Cumberland County, Illinois, named for William Greenup, first clerk of the Illinois Territorial legislature.

Greenup; county, and town in same county, in Kentucky, named for Christopher Greenup, governor of the State in 1804-1808.

Greenville; city in Butler County, Alabama, so named by early settlers from the town in South Carolina.

Greenville; city in Bond County, Illinois, named from the town in North Carolina.

Greenville; city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, town in Pitt County, North Carolina, and city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene.

Greenville; city in Montcalm County, Michigan, named for John Green, one of the first settlers.

Greenville; town in Washington County, Mississippi, named for the first settler.

Greenville; county, and city in same county, in South Carolina, named from the physical appearance. The name was first given to the city and from that applied to the county.

Greenwich; towns in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and village in Washington County, New York, named from Greenwich in England.

Greenwood; town in Sebastian County, Arkansas, named for Moses Greenwood, a prominent merchant of early days.

Greenwood; county in Kansas, named for Alfred B. Greenwood, Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1859-60.

Greenwood; city in Leflore County, Mississippi, named for Greenwood Leflore, a noted Choctaw Indian chief.

Greenwood; village in Cass County, Nebraska, named for an early settler, J. S. Green.

Greenwood; county in South Carolina, descriptively named.

Greer; county in Oklahoma, named for John A. Greer, governor of Texas in 1849- 1853.

Greer; town in Greenville County, South Carolina, named for a resident family.

Gregg; county in Texas, named for a prominent citizen. John Gregg, killed in the civil war.

Gregory; county in South Dakota, named for J. Shaw Gregory, legislator.

Greig; town in Lewis County, New York, named for the late John Greig, of Canandaigua.

Grelder Hollow; a deep cleft in the east side of the Taghkanic Mountains, in the town of Egremont, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, named for John van Grelder, a Dutchman, who lived in the hollow.

Grenada; county, and town in same county, in Mississippi, named from the Spanish province:

Grenola; city in Elk County, Kansas, named by compounding the first part of the name of two rival towns in the neighborhood, Greenfield and Kanola.

Greylock; mountain in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, named from its hoary aspect in winter. Greylock is the highest elevation in the State.

Gridley; township and town in McLean County, Illinois, named for Asabel Gridley, State senator, 1850-1854.

Griffin; city in Spalding County, Georgia, named for Gen. L. L. Griffin.

Grifton; town in Pitt County, North Carolina;

Grifton Comers; village in Delaware County, New York. Named for the Grifton family.

Griggs; county in North Dakota, named for Hon. Alexander Griggs, a pioneer of Grand Forks, member of the constitutional convention of North Dakota.

Griggsville; township and city in Pike County, Illinois, named for its founder, Richard Griggs.

Grimes; town in Colusa County, California, named for the man who founded it.

Grimes; town in Polk County, Iowa, named for Senator Grimes.

Grimes; county in Texas, named for Jesse Grimes, member of the council of provisional government.

Grimesland; town in Pitt County, North Carolina, named for Gen. Bryan Grimes.

Grinnell; city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, named for Hon. VV. H. Grinnell, a citizen.

Griswold; town in New London County, Connecticut, named for Roger Griswold, governor of the State in 1811.

Griswold; town in Cass County, Iowa, named for J. N. A. Griswold, a prominent railroad official.

Grizzly; peak in Colorado, named by a party of scientists from an adventure with a grizzly bear.

Gross; point in Maine on the Penobscot River, named for the first settler, Zachariah Gross.

Grossdale; village in Cook County, Illinois, named for E. A. Gross, one of its founders.

Grosse Isle; village in Wayne County, Michigan, which takes its name from an island in Detroit River, which was called by the early French grosse isle "great isle."

Grossepoint; town in Wayne County, Michigan, so named from a large point which projects into Lake St. Clair, named by the French grosse pointe, "great point."

Grosvenor; mount in Arizona, named for H. C. Grosvenor, who was killed there in 1861.

Groton; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named from the place in England owned by the family of Deane Winthrop, whose name headed the petition for the grant.

Groton; village in Tompkins County, New York, named from the town in Massachusetts.

Groveland; town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The origin of the name is obscure, but the name is believed to have been suggested by attractive groves in the neighborhood.

Grover; village in Cleveland County, North Carolina, and town in Dorchester County, South Carolina, named for President Grover Cleveland.

Grubbs; village in Newcastle County, Delaware, named for the early owner, John Grubbs.

Grundy; counties in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Tennessee;

Grundy Center; town in Grundy County, Iowa. Named for Felix Grundy, United States Senator from Tennessee.

Guadalupe; county in New Mexico, and river, county, and town in Victoria County, Texas, named for Don Felix Victoria, first President of Mexico, known as "Guadalupe Victoria." The name is of Arabic origin.

Guernsey; county in Ohio, named by emigrants from the island of Guernsey in the English Channel.

Guero; mount in Colorado, named for a Ute Indian.

Guilford; borough in New Haven County, Connecticut, named from the town in England.

Guilford; county in North Carolina, named for the Earl of Guilford, father of Lord North.

Guinda; town in Yolo County, California. A Spanish word meaning "cherry."

Gulfport; town in Harrison County, Mississippi, so named by W. H. Hardy because of its situation.

Gulpha; creek in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The name is a corruption of Calfat, a proper name, probably belonging to an early settler.

Gunnison; county, town in same county, mountain, and river in Colorado, and island in Great Salt Lake, Utah, named for Capt. J. W. Gunnison, an early explorer.

Gurnet; point at the entrance to Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, named from the gurnet, a sea fish.

Guthrie; creek in Humboldt County, California, named for an early settler.

Guthrie; county in Iowa, named for Capt. Edwin B. Guthrie.

Guthrie; town in Callaway County, Missouri, named for Guthrie brothers, early settlers.

Guthrie Center; town in Guthrie County, Iowa, named for Capt. Edwin B. Guthrie.

Guttenburg; city in Clayton County, Iowa, and town in Hudson County, New Jersey, named for the inventor of printing.

Guyandot; town in Cabell County and river in West Virginia; the French form of Wyandotte, the name of the tribe of Indians.

Guyot; mounts in Colorado, New Hampshire, and Tennessee, named for Arnold Guyot, the geographer.

Gwinnett; county in Georgia, named for Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Gypsum; town in San Bernardino County, California, named from the gypsum deposits.

US Place Names

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