US Place Names ~ Martins, California to Metuchen, New Jersey

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

Martins; location in Coos County, New Hampshire, granted to Thomas Martin, 1773.

Martinsburg; village in Dixon County, Nebraska, named for Jonathan Martin, its first settler.

Martinsburg; borough in Blair County Pennsylvania, named for its founder.

Martinsburg; town in Berkeley County, West Virginia, named for Col. Tom Martin, a nephew of Lord Fairfax, a wealthy landowner.

Martins Ferry; city in Belmont County, Ohio, named for the family who established the ferry.

Martinsville; city in Morgan County, Indiana, named for the oldest of the locating commissioners, John Martin.

Martinsville; village in Harrison County, Missouri, named for Zadoc Martin, a miller.

Martinsville; town in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, named for the founder.

Martinsville; town in Henry County, Virginia, named for Col. Joe Martin, original owner of the town site.

Marvine; mountains in Colorado and Utah, named for the geologist, A. R. Marvine.

Mary; bay in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone Park, named for Miss Mary Force.

Mary; lake in Yellowstone Park, named for Miss Mary Clark.

Maryland; one of the thirteen original States, named for Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, of England.

Marysville; township and city in Yuba County, California, named for Mrs. Mary Covilland, one of the founders.

Marysville; city in Marshall County, Kansas, named for the wife of Francis J Marshall, for whom the county was named.

Marysville; town in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, named by Thomas Cruse for his mother.

Marysville; village in Union County, Ohio, named for the daughter of the original proprietor.

Mascoutah; city in St. Clair County, Illinois. An Indian word meaning "prairie," or "grassy plain."

Masgeek-Hanna; stream in Pennsylvania; a Delaware Indian word meaning "stream flowing through swampy ground."

Mashamoquet; stream in Connecticut. An Indian word meaning "near the great mountain," or, according to another authority, "at the great fishing place."

Mashapaug'; village in Tolland County, Connecticut.

Mashpee; town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. From an Indian word, mashapaug, meaning either "standing water," or "great pond."

Maskegon; river in Michigan. An Indian word meaning "swamp," or "bog."

Mason; village in Effingham County, Illinois, named for Roswell B. Mason, chief engineer Illinois Central Railroad.

Mason; county in Illinois, named from Mason County, Kentucky, the birthplace of many of the early settlers.

Mason; river in northern Illinois, tributary to the Illinois River, named for William Mason, an early settler.

Mason; bayou in Chicot County, Kansas, named for the early proprietor, the Marquis of Maison Rouge.

Mason; county in Kentucky, named for George Mason, an intimate friend of George Washington.

Mason; county in Michigan, named for Stevens T. Mason, the last Territorial governor and first State governor.

Mason; town in Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, named for John Mason, the founder of the colony.

Mason; county in Texas, named for Captain Mason, United States Array.

Mason; county in Washington, named for Charles H. Mason, the first State secretary.

Mason; county in West Virginia, named for George Mason, governor of the State.

Mason; creek in Yellowstone Park, named for Maj. Julius W. Mason, United States Army.

Mason City; township and city in Mason County, Illinois, named from the county.

Masonville; town in Delaware County, New York, named for Rev. John M. Mason, of New York.

Massabesic; village in Hillsboro County, New Hampshire. An Indian word meaning "place at a great river."

Massac; county in Illinois and fort on the Ohio River, named for Monsieur Massiac, the French minister of marine during the French and Indian war.

Mayfield; city in Graves County, Kentucky, named for John May field, who lost his life by drowning in the creek near the city.

Maynard; town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named for the founder of the woolen mills in the town.

Massachaug; pond in Rhode Island. An Indian word meaning "place where rushes grow."

Massachusetts; one of the thirteen original States. An Indian word meaning "near the great hills."

Massapeag; village in New London County, Connecticut. An Indian word meaning "great water land."

Massena; village in St. Lawrence County, New York, named for Andre Massena, a marshal of France.

Massillon; city in Stark County, Ohio, named for Jean Baptiste Massillon, a celebrated French divine.

Masten; village in Kent County, Delaware, named for William Masten, an early settler.

Masthope; town in Pike County, Pennsylvania. A corruption of the Delaware Indian mashapi meaning "beads of glass."

Matagoodus; tributary of the Penobscot River in Maine. An Indian word meaning "meadow ground."

Matagorda; county, and village in same county, in Texas. A Spanish word meaning "thick brush."

Matamoras; village in Pike County, Pennsylvania. A Spanish word meaning "Moor slayer."

Matanaucook; branch of the Penobscot River, in Maine. An Indian word meaning "place of bad lands."

Matawan; town in Monmouth County, New Jersey. An Indian word to which various meanings are ascribed, among them "magician," "charmed skin," "it arrives in a lake."

Mathews; county in Virginia, named for Gen. Thomas Mathews, an officer of the Revolution.

Matoaca; village in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The original name of the Indian princess, Pocahontas, for whom it is named.

Mattahumkeag; lake in Maine. An Indian word meaning "sand creek pond."

Mattapan; station in Boston, Massachusetts. An Indian word meaning "sitting-down place."

Mattapoisett; town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. An Indian word given various meanings, "at the great rivulet," "place of rest," "unfavorable for the passage or shelter of canoes."

Mattaponi; river in Virginia. A corruption of the Indian form Mattapament, of unknown meaning.

Mattawamkeag; river, and town in Penobscot County, Maine. An Indian word meaning "down a stream which empties into the main river."

Matteawan; stream and village in Dutchess County, New York, which in early days was noted for its peltrie, hence the Indian name meaning "good fur," or "enchanted skin."

Matthews; town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, named for a prominent resident.

Hattison; village in Cook County, Illinois, named for George Joel Aldrich Mattison, governor of the State, 1853-1857.

Mattituck; village in Suffolk County, New York. An Indian word meaning "place without wood," or "land not wooded."

Mattoon; city in Coles County, Illinois, named for William Mattoon, a landowner.

Mauch Chunk; borough and river in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. From the Indian, machk, meaning "bear," and tschunk, "mountain."

Maumee; village in Lucas County, Ohio. Another form of the tribal name Miami.

Maurepas; lake in Louisiana, named for Frederic Phillipeaux, Count of Maurepas.

Maurice; stream in New Jersey, named for the stadtholder of the United Dutch provinces, Maurice, Count of Nassau and Prince of Orange.

Maury; county in Tennessee, named for Abram Maury.

Maury; island in Washington, named for a naval officer.

Mauston; city in Juneau County, Wisconsin, named for Gen. M. M. Maughs, former proprietor of the original village.

Mauvaises Terres; tract on the White River, in North Dakota. A French name meaning "bad lands."

Maverick; county in Texas named for Samuel A. Maverick, a prominent early settler.

Maxatawny; stream in Berks County, Pennsylvania. From a Delaware Indian word, machsit-hanna, meaning "bear's path stream."

Maxwell; town in Colusa County, California, named for its founder.

May; cape on the southern extremity of New Jersey, named for Cornelius Jacobson May, a Dutch navigator of the West Indian Company.

Mayaimi; lake in Florida. An Indian word meaning "very large water."

Mayersville; town in Issaquena County, Mississippi, named for David Meyers, a large landowner.

Mayesville; town in Sumter County, South Carolina, named for the Mayes family, prominent in the county.

Mayodan; village in Rockingham County, North Carolina. A combination of the name of a prominent resident of Richmond, Virginia, and of the river Dan.

Mays; creek in Michigan, named for Judge May.

Mays Landing; town in Atlantic County, New Jersey, named for Cornelius Jacobson May, a Dutch navigator of the West Indian Company.

Maysville; city in Mason County, Kentucky, named for the original proprietor, John May.

Maysville; village in Jones County, North Carolina, named for a prominent citizen.

Mayville; villages in Tuscola County, Michigan, and Chautauqua County, New York, named for the month of May.

Mayville; city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, named for "Uncle" May, an early settler.

Mazon; town in Grundy County, Illinois. An Indian name meaning "weed," referring to a species which grew along a stream near the town.

Meade; peak in Idaho, county, and city in same county in Kansas, and county in South Dakota, named for Gen. George C. Meade.

Meade; county in Kentucky, named for Capt. James Meade.

Meadville; town in Franklin County, Mississippi, named for Cowles Meade, second secretary of the Territory.

Meadville; city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, named for Gen. David Mead, its founder.

Meagher; county in Montana, named for Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, a State official.

Meander Creek; stream in the Mahoning Valley, Ohio, so named by the surveyor because of its wandering course.

Meares; cape in Washington, named for the explorer, John Meares.

Mebane; town in Alamance County, North Carolina, named for Gen. Alexander Mebane.

Mecca; town in Trumbull County, Ohio, named for the capital of Arabia.

Mechanicsburg; village in Champaign County, Ohio, so named because of the large percentage of mechanics in the population.

Mecklenburg; counties in North Carolina and Virginia, named for the Queen of George III, Charlotte of Mecklenburg.

Medary; town in Brookings County, South Dakota, named for Samuel Medary, governor of Kansas Territory.

Medfield; town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A contraction of its original name of Meadowfield, given it on account of the beautiful meadows.

Media; borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, so named because of its location in the center of the county.

Mediapolis; town in Des Moines County, Iowa, so named because it is half way between Burlington and Washington.

Medina; county, and township and village in same county, in Ohio, named from the city in Arabia.

Medina; county and river in Texas, named for a Mexican-Spaniard, P. Medina, an early settler.

Medo; village in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The Indian name for a root which in appearance and taste resembles the sweet potato.

Medora; town in Billings County, North Dakota, named for the wife of the Marquis de Mores.

Meeker; town in Clear Creek County, Colorado, named for N. C. Meeker, of the New York Tribune.

Meeker; county in Minnesota, named for Bradley B. Meeker, associate justice of the Supreme Court, 1849-1853.

Meherrin; river in Virginia. An Indian word meaning "island," the name of a tribe of that region.

Meigs; peak in Colorado, named for Gen. M. C. Meigs.

Meigs; counties in Ohio and Tennessee, named for Col. Return J. Meigs.

Melones; town in Calaveras County, California, a Spanish name meaning "elm-ons," descriptively applied.

Melrose; city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, named by William Bogle, a resident, from the borough in Scotland.

Melvern; city in Osage County, Kansas, named from the Malvern Hills in England.

Memaloose; island in the Columbia River, near The Dalles, Oregon, from a Chinook Indian word meaning "dead," so named because it was an Indian burial place.

Memphis; city in Scotland County, Missouri, named from the city in Egypt.

Memphis; city in Shelby County, Tennessee, so named because situated upon the river in a manner very similar to the city in Egypt.

Memphremagog; lake in Vermont. An Indian word said to mean "beautiful water," "lake of abundance."

Menard; county in Illinois, named for Pierre Menard, first lieutenant-governor of the State.

Menard; county in Texas, named for M. B. Menard, a prominent early settler.

Menasha; city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. An Indian word meaning "thorn," or "island."

Mendham; town in Mason County, New Jersey, named from the town in England.

Mendocino; county, and cape in Humboldt County, in California, named for Don Antonia de Mendoza, the viceroy of Mexico.

Mendon; township and village in Adams County, Illinois, named from Mendon, Massachusetts.

Mendon; town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, named from the town of Mendham, England.

Mendota; township and city in Lasalle County, Illinois. From an Indian word meaning the junction of two trails, and applied to the settlement on account of the crossing of two railroads.

Mendota; village in Dakota County, Minnesota. An Indian word meaning "the mouth of a river."

Mendoza; village in Caldwell County, Texas, named for Don Antonio de Mendoza, the viceroy of Mexico.

Menifee; county in Kentucky, named for Richard H. Menifee.

Menoken; town in Shawnee County, Kansas. An Indian word meaning "it grows well," "good growing place," "fortunate."

Menominee; town in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, river, county, and city in same county in Michigan, and city in Dunn County, Wisconsin. The name of an Indian tribe, the word referring to the wild rice which grew abundantly in those regions.

Mentor; township and village in Lake County, Ohio, named for Mentor, the counselor of Telemachus.

Mentz; town in Cayuga County, New York, named from the city in Germany.

Mequon; river and township in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. An Indian name meaning "ladle," and given to the river because of a bend in the river resembling a paddle.

Meramec; river in Missouri. A corruption of the Indian name which signifies "catfish river."

Merced; county, and city in same county in California. A Spanish word meaning "mercy."

Mercer; counties in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, named for Gen. Hugh Mercer, of the Revolution.

Mercer; county in North Dakota, named for William Henry Harrison Mercer, an early pioneer and ranchman.

Mercersburg; borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, named for Gen. Hugh Mercer.

Merchantville; borough in Camden County, New Jersey, named for the Merchant family.

Meredith; town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, named for a British nobleman.

Meredith; town in Delaware County, New York, named for Samuel Meredith, of Pennsylvania.

Meredosia; town in Morgan County, Illinois. A French name, corrupted from marais d'osier, meaning "willow marsh." Another authority gives mere, "lake," and d'Osea, the name of a French priest living in the vicinity.

Meriwether; county in Georgia, named for David Meriwether, former member of Congress from Georgia

Merom; town in Sullivan County, Indiana, named for the waters of Merom in Palestine.

Merrill; city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, named for S. S. Merrill of the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company.

Merrimac; town in Essex County, Massachusetts, river in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and village in Sauk County, Wisconsin.

Merrimack; county, and town in Hillsboro County, in New Hampshire. From the Indian, meaning "sturgeon," or "swift water."

Mesa; county in Colorado, from the Spanish "mesa," table, hence a tableland or plateau.

Mesa Grande; township in San Diego County, California. A Spanish phrase meaning "great tableland."

Mesa Inclinado; plateau in western Colorado. The name is Spanish and significant of the slope of the mesa.

Meshoppen; stream in Pennsylvania. A Delaware Indian name meaning "glass beads," and given this stream because of the barter of trinkets made upon its banks.

Mesick; town in Wexford County, Michigan, named for its first settler.

Mesilla; towns in Butte County, California, and Dona Ana County, New Mexico. A Spanish word meaning "little tableland."

Meskaskeeseehunk; branch of the Mattwamkeag River, Maine. An Indian word meaning "little spruce brook."

Mesong; stream in Maryland. An Indian word meaning "where we killed deer."

Mesopotamia; township in Trumbull County, Ohio, situated between two rivers, and named from Mesopotamia in Asia, which lies between the Tigris and Euphrates; from the Greek, signifying literally "between the rivers."

Mesquite; village in Dallas County, Texas. The Spanish name for a tree of the locust family.

Metamora; village in Woodford County, Illinois, named for the Indian chief who was the hero of Edwin Forrest's play.

Metcalfe; county in Kentucky, named for Thomas Metcalfe, an early governor of the State.

Metea; village in Cass County, Indiana, named for Pottawattomie, an Indian chief, or possibly from meda or meta, which means "prophet" or "priest."

Methuen; town in Essex County, Massachusetts, probably named for Lord Paul Methuen by Governor Dummer.

Metuchen; borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, named for the chief of the Raritans.

US Place Names

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