List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas
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Many places throughout North, Central, and South America take their names from the languages of the indigenous inhabitants of the area. The following list, organized by country, includes settlements, geographic features, and political subdivisions whose names are derived from indigenous languages.
Contents
Brazil
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Canada
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Canada itself is a name derived from a Laurentian Iroquois word meaning "village"[1][2] (c.f. Mohawk kaná:ta’).[3][4] See Canada's name for more details. Aboriginal names are widespread in Canada - for a full listing see List of place names in Canada of aboriginal origin. Those listed here are only well-known, important or otherwise notable places.
Province and territory names
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British Columbia
NB Too many settlements, lakes, rivers, mountains and other items in British Columbia have indiegenous names for all of them to be included here. Only major or relatively notable items are listed.
Regions
- Chilcotin
- Cariboo
- Okanagan
- Kootenay
- Lillooet Country
- Nicola Country
- Stikine Country
- Nechako Country
- Cowichan Valley
- Shuswap Country
- Omineca Country
- Atlin Country
- Slocan Valley
- Haida Gwaii
Cities and towns
- Nanaimo
- Chilliwack
- Coquitlam
- Squamish
- Qualicum Beach
- Saanich
- Sooke
- Ucluelet
- Kitimat
- Keremeos
- Spuzzum
- Bella Coola
- Bella Bella
- Kamloops
- Sicamous
- Osoyoos
- Skookumchuck
- Lillooet
- Penticton
- Kelowna and West Kelowna
- Spallumcheen
- Malakwa
- Slocan City
Rivers and lakes
- Chilcotin River
- Omineca River
- Kechika River
- Lillooet River
- Okanagan Lake & Okanagan River
- Similkameen River
- Skeena River
- Nass River
- Homathko River
- Nechako River
- Squamish River
- Klinaklini River
- Stikine River
- Alsek River
- Tatshenshini River
- Tagish Lake
- Atlin Lake
- Taku River
- Cheakamus River
- Elaho River
- Nimpkish River
Mountain ranges
- Shulaps Range
- Cayoosh Range
- Lillooet Ranges
- Chilcotin Ranges
- Stikine Ranges
- Cassiar Mountains
- Cariboo Mountains
- Kitimat Ranges
- Omineca Mountains
- Muskwa Ranges
Alberta
- Kananaskis
- Athabasca
- Wetaskiwin - from the Cree word wītaskīwin-ispatinaw (ᐑᑕᐢᑮᐏᐣ ᐃᐢᐸᑎᓇᐤ), meaning "the hills where peace was made".
Saskatchewan
- Saskatoon - from Cree misāskwatōmin, "saskatoon berry."[6]
Manitoba
- Winnipeg—a transcription of a western Cree word meaning "muddy waters"
- Manitoba -- "where the spirit (manitou) speaks"
Ontario
- Toronto
- Ottawa - from Ojibwe "Odaawaa", refers to the dialect Odawa which comes from "daawaa" or to trade
- Mississauga - dialect group of Ojibwe whose name "Mishi-zaagii" means Great River mouth
- Oshawa
Quebec
Regions
Towns and villages
- Cascapédia
- Chibougamau
- Chicoutimi
- Chisasibi
- Hochelaga
- Inukjuak
- Ivujivik
- Kahnawake
- Kanesatake
- Kenogami
- Kuujjuaq
- Matagami
- Matapedia
- Métabetchouan
- Mistissini
- Nemaska
- Paspebiac
- Puvirnituq
- Salluit
- Shawinigan
- Shigawake
- Stadacona
- Tadoussac
- Wemindji
Northwest Territories/Denendeh
- Aklavik
- Tuktoyaktuk
- Inuvik
- Somba K'e - alternate official name, in the Dogrib language, of Yellowknife
Yukon
Caribbean
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Chile
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Guatemala
The country name comes from Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, "place of many trees", a translation of K'iche' K’ii’chee’, "many trees" (="forest").[7]
Mexico
The name of Mexico is the Nahuatl name for the island in the middle of Lake Texcoco where the Aztecs had their capital, its etymology is opaque.
- Chiapas- Believed to derive from the ancient city of Chiapan, which means "the place where the chia sage grows" in Náhuatl.
- Chihuahua- May come from "dry place" in an unknown Indian language.[8]
- Coahuila- possibly from the Nahuatl word Cuauhillan - "Place of trees"
- Guanajuato- Means "hill of frogs" in the Purépecha language[citation needed]
- Michoacán- Translates to "the place of the fishermen" from the Nahuatl word michhuahcan.
- Nayarit- derived from the endonym of the Cora people "naayarite"
- Oaxaca-Comes from the Nahuatl word huaxyácac or "place of the guaje trees".
- Querétaro- Could come from the Otomi meaning "the great ball game"[citation needed] or the Purépecha language meaning "place of stones".[citation needed]
- Tamaulipas- derives from tamaholipa a Huastec term that could mean "place where high hills".
- Tlaxcala- Means "Place of Maize tortilla". in Nahuatl
- Zacatecas- Named after the Zacatec; an indigenous nation in the area. It means "inhabitants of the grassland" in Nahuatl.
United States
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See also
References
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- ↑ Bright (2004:78)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Afable, Patricia O. and Madison S. Beeler (1996). "Place Names". In "Languages", ed. Ives Goddard. Vol. 17 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 191
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Campbell (1997:378 n. 10)
- ↑ Bright (2004:99)
Bibliography
- Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
- Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- O'Brien, Frank Waabu (2010). "Understanding Indian Place Names in Southern New England". Colorado: Bauu Press. [1]
