- In 2020, Egyptologists from the University of Bonn deciphered the oldest known place name sign in the world, dating back to the late fourth millennium B. C. The four hieroglyphs inscribed on a rock in the Wadi el Malik east of Aswan, Egypt, declared the region the Domain of the Horus King Scorpion.
Of course, place names, otherwise known as toponyms, existed far before the Scorpion King, both the 2002 and the 3070 B. C. versions.
But where do place names come from? Well, toponymy reveals a lot about the culture and history of a place, including the people who lived there, the nature of the settlements, and the geographic landscape. So that's your short answer.
For the long answer, including the longest place names in the world, join me as we dig into the exciting world of toponyms. I'm Dr Erica Brozovsky, and this is Otherwords. (mysterious music) - [Narrator] Otherwords.
- I love superlatives more than anyone. So the first thing I wondered was what's the longest toponym? Growing up, I thought it had to be the nearby lake, commonly called Webster Lake, but officially named Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
The name comes from the Algonquin language spoken by the Nipmuc people indigenous to the area and is said to mean lake divided by islands or fishing place at the boundaries. At 45 letters, it's quite a mouthful, but while it's the longest place name in the US, and the longest lake name in the world, there are a few other places that have it completely beat. According to Guinness World Records, Thailand's capital holds the crown for longest name.
You might be thinking, "What, Bangkok? That's shorter than Los Angeles! " Well, Bangkok is actually a colloquial name, most popular with foreign visitors.
The locals usually call it Krung Thep, which means city of angels, and is a shortening of the official ceremonial name, Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. In English, that's "city of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erect by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest. " But that's several words, isn't it?
To find the longest one word place name, let's head further south to New Zealand, where there's a hill the Maori have named Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipu- kakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, which means the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as landeater, played his nose flute to his loved one. Not to be confused with a nearby hill where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as landeater, played his accordion to his loved one. Just kidding, I made that up.
If those are the longest place names, what are the shortest? Three letters? Two?
Believe it or not, there are more than 40 places worldwide named with just one letter. You've got your A, E, I, O, U, and Y, with various diacritics, but also D, G, H, L, and W. Hey, easy to spell.
Then I wondered what's the most common place name? According to the US Geological Survey, Fairview and Midway are competing for the most common place name in the United States, with 288 and 256 locations, respectively. But neither comes close in terms of number to the winner of the title: San Jose, with more than 1,700 locations worldwide.
The name is so common likely because many of the cities and towns were founded by Spanish speaking missionaries, who chose the name St. Joseph for his significance to their faith. In fact, the top nine most common toponyms were named after saints.
History is built into place names. Sometimes, it's as clear as a new name because those who thought they were discovering slash colonizing lands wanted a reminder back home, hence, New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Orleans, and Nova Scotia. There's also been a tradition of naming these questionably acquired lands after colonial monarchs, which is where we get all the Georgetowns and Victorias.
Recently, movements to throw off colonial names and reclaim either indigenous ones or new non-colonial ones have become popular. Limbe, Cameroon, for example, was formerly called Victoria, and there's been a political push to add Aotearoa to New Zealand's official name. Interestingly, despite shifts in power, due to say, invasion, toponyms tend to be conserved, surviving repeated language shifts.
The United States is full of places that kept their Native American names, even as the people who named them were forced out. In all over Western Europe, we see cities with Celtic names, like London, Paris, Vienna, Milan, Ghent, and Zurich, none of which are home to the few surviving Celtic languages. Even more specific history can be baked into toponyms.
In the British Isles, you can deduce a fair amount about a location settlement demographics from its name. For example, Sussex is the land of the South Saxons, Buckingham is the home belonging to Bucca, and Canterbury is the fortified town of the people of Kent. This type of naming tradition based on residents is far from extinct.
Think ethnic enclaves, like Little Mogadishu, Tehrangeles, or Basque Block, that are named after the global locales that the residents immigrated from. Native American place names may describe not only local topographical knowledge, but also information about resources available at certain times of the year. Manhattan is derived from the Munsee word, manahahtaan, meaning place for gathering the wood to make bows.
Massachusetts is derived from the Wopanaak word, muswachasut, meaning near the great hill or at the range of hills, and Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word, misi-ziibi, meaning great river. Occasionally, a place name no longer reflects the current landscape. Back Bay in Boston is a bustling metropolitan neighborhood but has the name of a water feature, curious.
Well, history tells us that it used to be a bay until it was filled in in the mid-1800s, but the name stuck. What about Wall Street? The actual street, not the metonym for big business or financial markets.
Wall Street in New York City has a bull and fancy buildings, but no wall. The street was named for a defensive wall built in 1653 that was removed less than 50 years later, yet somehow that legacy still lasts. Inspiration for toponyms can come from history, myth, climate, geography, and more.
But most important, they're a reflection of our shared experience on this planet called Earth. Before you go, we're looking for your feedback. Each year PBS Digital Studios conducts an audience survey.
It helps us understand what you like and what you wanna see more of. You also get to help PBS pick new shows. It only takes a few minutes, but your feedback is extremely valuable to us.
There's a link in the description. Thanks in advance. Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
Yes! - [Man] That was great. - (laughs) I'm happy with that.
