US Place Names ~ Beekmanton, New York to Blaine, Colorado

Beekmanton; town in Clinton County, New York, named for William Beekman, one of the original grantees.

Bekuennesee; rapids in the Menominee River, Wisconsin. An Indian word, meaning "smoky falls."

Belair; poet villages in Richmond County, Georgia, and Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, town in Harford County, Maryland, and village in Lancaster County, South Carolina. A French phrase, meaning "good air."

Belchertown; town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, named for Jonathan Belcher, one of the original grantees and one time governor of Massachusetts.

Belen; town in Quitman County, Mississippi, named from the battle ground upon which Col. John A. Quitman fought during the Mexican war.

Belew; town in Jefferson County, Missouri, named for Silas Belew, who owned property in the vicinity.

Belfast; city in Waldo County, Maine, named by James Miller, an early settler, from his native city in Ireland. Numerous other places in the country bear this name.

Belknap; township and village in Johnson County, Illinois, named for a prominent railroad man.

Belknap; county in New Hampshire. The origin of this name is in doubt, but by some the county is thought to have been named for Jeremy Belknap, who wrote a history of the State.

Belknap; mount in Utah, named for William Worth Belknap, secretary of war under President Grant.

Bell; county in Kentucky, named for Josh Bell.

Bell; county in Texas, named for P. H. Bell, governor of the State in 1849-1857.

Bellaire; city in Belmont County, Ohio, named for the town of Belair in Maryland.

Bellavista; town in Shasta County, California. A Spanish phrase, meaning "beautiful view."

Belle; a French word meaning "beautiful, " of frequent occurrence in the country, there being seventy-eight post-offices which have this name in combination with descriptive suffixes.

Bellefontaine; city in Logan County, Ohio, so named because of the beautiful springs in the neighborhood.

Belleville; township and city in St. Clair County, Illinois. The name was suggested by John Hay, a French Canadian, prominent in the early days of the State.

Belleville; city in Republic County, Kansas, named for Arabelle, wife of A. B. Tutton, president of the town-site company.

Belleville; village in Jefferson County, New York, named from the village in Wisconsin.

Belleville; village in Dane County, Wisconsin, named by the first settler, John Frederick, from his native village in Canada.

Bellevue; village in Sonoma County, California; a French term meaning "beautiful view."

Bellevue; township and city in Jackson County, Iowa, named for John D. Bell, the first settler.

Bellflower; township and village in McLean County, Illinois, so named by the early settlers from the fields of bell-shaped flowers.

Bellingham; town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, named for Governor Richard Bellingham.

Bellingham; bay in Washington, named by Vancouver, the explorer, probably for Sir Henry Bellingham, who was knighted in 1796.

Bellmont; village in Franklin County, New York, named for William Bell, an early proprietor.

Bellows Falls; village in Windham County, Vermont, named for Col. Benjamin Bellows, an early settler and founder of Walpole.

Bell Spring; mountain in Humboldt County, California, so named by an early explorer, who found a cow bell in a spring on the mountain.

Bellwood; village in Butler County, Nebraska, named for D. J. Bell, its proprietor and patron.

Belmont; village in San Mateo County, California, and Allegany County, New York, named for its pleasing situation in the hills; translation from the French, "fine mountain."

Belmont; towns in Mississippi County, Missouri, and Belknap County, New Hampshire, named for August Belmont, of New York.

Belmont; county, and village in same county, in Ohio, named for an early settler.

Howe says it is named in reference to its hilly surface; French, "fine mountain."

Belmont; village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, named for three mounds within its limits, which the early French travelers called "Belles Montes."

Beloit; city in Rock County, Wisconsin. A coined name selected by a committee, to whom it was suggested by the name Detroit.

Beloit; city in Mitchell County, Kansas, named for the city in Wisconsin.

Belpré; town in Washington County, Ohio, named from the French, meaning "beautiful prairie," from its situation on a prairie.

Belton; town in Anderson County, South Carolina, named for a prominent family.

Belton; city in Bell County, Texas, named for Governor P. H. Bell.

Beltrami; county, and village in same county, in Minnesota, named for Count C. C. Beltrami, an Italian, with Major Long's exploring expedition into the Northwest country.

Belvedere; town in Marin County, California. From the Italian, meaning "beautiful sight."

Belvidere; township and city in Boone County, Illinois, named by one of the founders for his native place in Canada.

Belzoni; town in Washington County, Mississippi, named for an Italian, Giambattuta Belzoni, a celebrated archaeologist.

Bement; township and village in Piatt County, Illinois, named for a United States surveyor.

Bemis Heights; village in Saratoga County, New York, named for Jonathan Bemis, innkeeper there during the Revolution.

Benedicta; town in Aroostook County, Maine, named for Bishop Benedicta Fen-wick, who was an early proprietor.

Benhur; village in Mariposa County, California, named for the character in Gen. Wallace's novel.

Benicia; city in Solano County, California, named by General Vallejo for his wife.

Benita; village in Kern County, California. A Spanish word meaning ''nun."

Ben Lomond; post-offices in Sevier County, Arkansas, Santa Cruz County, California, Issaquena County, Mississippi, and Mason County, West Virginia; named from the lake in Scotland.

Bennett; town in Cedar County, Iowa, named for Chet Bennett, a railroad man.

Bennett; point in Maryland, named for Richard Bennett.

Bennett; town in Lancaster County, Nebraska, named for a resident.

Bennett Creek; village in Nansemond County, Virginia, named for Richard Bennett, governor in 1652-1656.

Bennetts; wells on the westerly border of Death Valley, Inyo County, California, named for the Bennett party of immigrants, most of whom perished in the neighborhood in 1852.

Bennettsville; town in Marlboro County, South Carolina, named for a family prominent in the State.

Bennington; town in Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, and county, and town-ship, and town in same county in Vermont, named for Governor Benning Wentworth, of New Hampshire.

Benson; town in Johnston County, North Carolina, named for a prominent citizen.

Benson; county in North Dakota, named for Hon. B. W. Benson, member of the State legislature and banker, of Valley City, North Dakota.

Benson; town in Rutland County, Vermont, said by some to have been named for Judge Egbert Benson, one of the original proprietors. The Vermont Historical Society says that it was named by James Meacham, a proprietor, for a Revolutionary officer.

Bent; county in Colorado, named for William Bent, first United States governor of New Mexico.

Benton; counties in Arkansas, Indiana, and Iowa; village in Marshall County, Kentucky; town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana; county, and township and village in Carver County, in Minnesota; counties in Mississippi and Missouri; town in Grafton County, New Hampshire; and counties in Oregon and Tennessee; named for Senator Thomas H. Benton, of Missouri. Thirty other cities, towns, and villages bear this name, most of them in honor of the same man.

Benton; town in Yates County, New York, named for Caleb Benton, the first settler.

Bentonia; town in Yazoo County, Mississippi, named for the maiden name of Mrs. Hal Green, a resident.

Benwood; city in Marshall County, West Virginia, named for Benjamin Latrobe, an engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

Benzie; county in Michigan. Probably named from the town of Benzonia, which was founded and named before the county. There are some, however, who think the name a corruption from Betsie River and Pointy which were originally called Aux Bees Scies, a French form meaning "at the snouts of the sawfish."

Benzonia; village in Benzie County, Michigan, named from the Hebrew, meaning "sons of light, " by the Rev. J. B. Walker, member of a company formed to found a college where poor students could be educated; the college was built upon the spot where the village now stands.

Beowawe; post-office in Eureka County, Nevada, said to be from an Indian word meaning "gate," so named from the peculiar shape of the hills at this point, which gives the effect of an open gateway up the valley to the canyon beyond.

Berea; towns in Adair County, Iowa, Madison County, Kentucky, and Cuyahoga County, Ohio, named from the ancient city in Macedonia.

Berenda; town in Madera County, California. A Spanish word meaning "antelope," so applied because the country was overrun with antelope.

Beresford; lake in Florida, named for an early English proprietor.

Berg; village in Sutter County, California, so named from its location in the mountains. From the German, meaning "mountain."

Bergen; county in New Jersey, name from Bergen Point.

Bergen Point; post village of Hudson County, New Jersey, named by colonists from Bergen, Norway.

Bergholtz; village in Niagara County, New York, named for the town in Prussia.

Bering; sea and strait lying between Alaska and Asia, named for the Dutch navigator, Ivan Ivanovitch Bering.

Berkeley; city in Alameda County, California, named for Dean Berkley, Bishop of Cloyne.

Berkeley; county in South Carolina, named for John Lord Berkeley, one of the original proprietors. Berkeley; county in West Virginia;

Berkeley Springs; town in Morgan County, West Virginia. Named for William Berkeley, governor of Virginia in 1642.

Berkley; town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, probably named for Dean Berkley, Bishop of Cloyne, though some authorities say for James and William Berkley, members of the Privy Council.

Berkley; town in Norfolk County, Virginia, named for a prominent family of land holders.

Berks; county in Pennsylvania, named from the county of Berks in England.

Berkshire; county in Massachusetts, named from Berkshire, England. Several towns in the country are named from the same.

Berlin; thirty-seven post-offices in the United States bear the name of the city in Germany.

Bermuda; villages in Conecuh County, Alabama, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, Marion County, South Carolina, and Knox County, Tennessee; named from the group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean which were named for the Spanish discoverer, Juan Bermudez.

Bern; towns in Adams County, Indiana, and Albany County, New York;

Bernville; borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Named from the town of Bern in Switzerland.

Bernal; suburb of San Francisco, California. A Spanish word meaning "vernal," "green."

Bernalillo; county in New Mexico, named from the town on the Rio Grande. A Spanish-Christian name, meaning "little Bernal."

Bernalillo; town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, settled by descendants of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who was associated with Cortez in the conquest of Mexico.

Bernardo; township and village in San Diego County, California. From the Spanish, relating to the Bernardine religious order.

Bernardstown; town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, named for the British governor, Sir Francis Bernard.

Berrien; county in Georgia, and county, and township in same county, in Michigan, named for John McPherson Berrien, attorney-general of the United States in 1829.

Berry; creek in Idaho, so named by Captain Clark, the explorer, because he subsisted entirely on berries at that place.

Berry; village in Harrison County, Kentucky, named for a man who had a station there called Berry's station.

Berryville; town in Carroll County, Arkansas, named for James H. Berry, governor-of the State.

Berthoud; village in Larimer County, Colorado, named for E. L. Berthoud, chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Bertie; county in North Carolina, named for James and Henry Bertie, in whom the proprietary rights of the Earl of Clarendon rested.

Berwick; town in York County, Maine, named from the town in England, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Berwick; borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, named from the county in Scotland.

Bessemer; town in Jefferson County, Alabama, city in Gogebic County, Michigan, town in Gaston County, North Carolina, and several other places; named for Sir Henry Bessemer, who invented the process of reducing iron ore.

Bethaldo; village in Madison County, Illinois. Changed from Bethel to distinguish it from another post-office of that name.

Bethany; village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, borough in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, and many other places bear the name of the village in Palestine.

Bethel; town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and many other places, named directly or indirectly from Bethel in Palestine.

Bethesda; post-office in Montgomery County, Maryland, and several other places, named from the pool in Jerusalem.

Bethlehem; borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, originally a Moravian settlement, named on Christmas Day, 1741, from the birthplace of Christ in Judea. Twelve other places in the Union bear the same name.

Betsie; river, point, and town, in Michigan, a corruption of the French name given to the river in early days, aux bees scies, meaning "at the snouts of the sawfish."

Beulah; post-office in Crawford County, Kansas, and many towns and villages bear this Scriptural name.

Beverly; city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and many towns and villages bear this name, probably derived from Beverly, in Yorkshire, England.

Beverly; township and city in Burlington County, New Jersey, so named by the first settlers, who found the country overrun with beavers.

Beverly; town in Randolph County, West Virginia, doubtless named for William Beverly, the original grantee of Beverly manor.

Bevier; village in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, and city in Macon County, Missouri, named for Col. Robert Bevier, of Kentucky.

Bexar; villages in Marion County, Alabama; Fulton County, Arkansas, and Lauder-dale County, Tennessee, and county, and village in same county, in Texas, named for the Duke of Bexar, a Spanish nobleman.

Bibb; counties in Alabama and Georgia, named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb, member of Congress from Georgia.

Bicknell; village in Knox County, Indiana, named for John Bicknell.

Biddeford; city in York County, Maine, named from the place in England whence some of the early settlers emigrated.

Bienville; parish, and town in same parish, in Louisiana, named for Governor Jean Baptiste Lemoine Bienville, son of the French explorer who accompanied La Salle on his expedition.

Big Bar; post-office and mining settlement in Trinity County, California, named for the rich and extensive bars of placer gravel.

Big Blackfoot; river in the Rocky Mountains, Montana, the name of which is derived from the Blackfeet Indian tribe.

Big Blue; creek in Missouri, which was formerly called Bluewater Creek, the name being derived from its French name, riviere de l'eau bleue.

Bigbone; village in Boone County, Kentucky, so named from the numbers of bones of mastodons discovered in the vicinity.

Big Dry; creek in Montana, bo name by Lewis and Clark, because it was dry when they reached it.

Big Gravois; creek in Missouri. A French name meaning "rubbish."

Biggsville; village in Henderson County, Illinois, named for Thomas Biggs, who built the first mill.

Bighorn; river in Montana, tributary to the Yellowstone River, so named from the Rocky Mountain sheep, frequently called "big horn." It's Indian (Dakota) name was papatunkau, meaning "big head."

Bighorn; county in Wyoming, named from the range of mountains, which took their name from the sheep which were found in them. The Indian (Absaroka) name of the mountains was ahsahta, meaning "big head."

Bigler; lake in California, named for John Bigler, governor of the State.

Big Muddy; creek in Missouri; the name is translated from that given it by the early French, grande riviere raseuse, "great muddy river."

Big Palm Springs; village in San Diego County, California, named for the desert palms or giant yuccas in the vicinity.

Big Rapids; city in Mecosta County, Michigan, so named from rapids in the Muskegon River.

Big Sioux; river in Minnesota and South Dakota, named from the Indian tribe.

Big Spring; town in Meade County, Kentucky, so named from a spring which rises near the middle of the town. There are fifteen other places in the country that bear this name because of the presence of springs.

Bigstone; county in Minnesota, which takes its name from a river, which was doubtless named descriptively.

Big Timber; town in Sweet Grass County, Montana, so named from a stream which rises in the Crazy Mountains and flows into the Yellowstone River at a point opposite the town. This stream was called the Big Timber for years before the town was settled.

Bigtooth; creek in Center County, Pennsylvania, a translation of the Indian name of the creek, mangipisink, "place where big teeth are found."

Big Tree; village in Erie County, New York, so called from the Indian village which formerly occupied the site, deonundaga, "big tree."

Big Trees; village in Calaveras County, California, so named from a grove of about ninety enormous trees of the genus Sequoia.

Bigwood; river in Idaho, the name of which is derived from the name given by the early French traders, boisé or boisée "woody;" so called because of its wooded banks.

Bijou; town in Eldorado County, California. A French word meaning a "jewel."

Bijou; hills in South Dakota, named for an early French hunter.

Bijou Hills; village in Brule County, South Dakota, named from the hills.

Billerica; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named from the town in Essex, England.

Billing's; city in Yellowstone County, Montana, named for Parmley Billings, son of the first president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Billing's; county in North Dakota, named for Frederick Billings, at one time president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Billingsport; town in Gloucester County, New Jersey, named for an English merchant, Edward Bylling.

Billington Sea; pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts, named for the discoverer. Billington, one of the Mayflower passengers, who reported it as an inland sea.

Bill Williams; mountain in Arizona, named for a guide and trapper.

Biloxi; bay, and city in Harrison County, in Mississippi. An Indian tribe of this name inhabited this part of the country. The name is of Choctaw origin, variously rendered as referring to "worthless" or "terrapin."

Biltmore; town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, named by George Vanderbilt from the last part of his name, with the Gaelic mór, "great."

Bingham; county in Idaho, named by Governor Bunn for his friend. Congressman Bingham, of Pennsylvania.

Bingham; town in Somerset County, Maine, named for William Bingham, a large landowner in early days.

Binghamton; city in Broome County, New York, named for William Bingham, of Philadelphia, a benefactor of the town.

Birch; nineteen post-offices, besides many natural features, bear this name, either alone or with suffixes, generally indicating the presence of the tree.

Bird; city in. Cheyenne County, Kansas, named for its founder, Benjamin Bird.

Birdsall; town in Allegany County, New York, named for Judge John Birdsall.

Birdsboro; borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, named for William Bird, who in 1740 bought the tract on which the town now stands.

Birmingham; twelve places in the country, named from the manufacturing town in England.

Bismarck; cities in St. Francois County, Missouri, and Burleigh County, North Dakota, and many other places, named for Prince Otto von Bismarck of Germany.

Bison; peaks in Colorado and Yellowstone Park, named for their shape.

Bitterwater; town in San Benito County, California, named from the bitter mineral springs in the vicinity.

Bitterwater; branch of Grand River, Utah, so named from the character of the water.

Bituma; village in Ventura County, California, named from the asphalt beds in the neighborhood.

Blackbird; town in Holt County, Nebraska, named for the great warrior and chief of the Omaha Indians, Washingasahba, meaning "blackbird."

Black Butte; village in Siskiyou County, California, named from an extinct volcanic cone.

Black Creek; town in Wilson County, North Carolina, named from a creek of dark water.

Black Diamond; town in Contra Costa County, California, so named from its coal mines.

Blackfoot; peak, and village in Bingham County, in Idaho, named from the Black-feet Indian tribe.

Blackford; county, and village in Jaspar County, Indiana, named for Isaac Black-ford, judge of the supreme court of Indiana.

Blackhawk; town in Gilpin County, Colorado, named from one of the earliest min-ing companies.

Blackhawk; county, and village in Davis County, in Iowa, named for a noted chief of the Sac and Fox Indians.

Blackhawk; town in Carroll County, Mississippi, named for a Choctaw Indian chief.

Black Hills; mountain range in South Dakota, called by the early French traders cóte noire, "black hills," from the character of the timber which grows on them, giving a dark appearance.

Blackiston; village in Kent County, Delaware, named for one of the original proprietors of large tracts of land in the county,

Blacklick; creek in Pennsylvania, called by the Indians naeskahoni, ''lick of blackish color."

Blackmore; mount in Montana, named for the English ethnologist, William Blackmore, of London.

Black Mountain; town in San Diego County, California, named from the black volcanic rocks.

Black Mountain; range in North Carolina, so named from the dark-green foliage of the balsam fir which covers the top and sides.

Black Mountain; town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, named from the mountain towering above it.

Black River; village in Jefferson County, New York, named from a river the waters of which are the color of sherry.

Black River Falls; city in Jackson County, Wisconsin, named from the falls of Black River, near which it is situated.

Blacksburg; town in Cherokee County, South Carolina, named for a prominent family in the neighborhood.

Blackstone; village in Livingston County, Illinois, named for Timothy B. Black-stone, a prominent railroad official.

Blackstone; river, and town in Worcester County, in Massachusetts, named for William Blackstone, the first settler in Boston.

Black Warrior; river in Alabama, a translation of the Choctaw Indian word tuscaloosa.

Blackwells; island in East River, New York, named for the Black well family, who owned it for one hundred years. Bladen; county in North Carolina;

Bladenboro; town in Bladen County. Named for Martin Bladen, one of the lord commissioners of trades and plantations.

Bladensburg; town in Prince George County, Maryland, named for Gov. Thomas Bladen.

Blain; borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, named for James Blain, the warrantee of the land upon which it was built.

Blaine; mountain in Colorado, county in Idaho, town in Aroostook County, Maine, counties in Nebraska and Oklahoma, and many other places, named for James G. Blaine.

US Place Names

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

 

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