Place Names

Fancy name for place names: Toponym

• Some matter more than others

Names after where they are

• Riverside: A city located on the banks of a river
• Mountain View: A town with a view of mountains
• Ocean City: A city on the coast of an ocean
• Lakewood: A town located near a lake
• Forest Hills: A neighborhood with many hills and trees

Named after a person

• Washington, D.C.: The capital of the United States, named after George Washington
• Jefferson City, Missouri: The capital of Missouri, named after Thomas Jefferson
• Lincoln, Nebraska: The capital of Nebraska, named after Abraham Lincoln
• Victoria, British Columbia: The capital of British Columbia, named after Queen Victoria
• Elizabethtown, Kentucky: A city named after Elizabeth Hardwick

Name has cultural meaning

• Cairo, Egypt: The capital of Egypt, named after the Arabic word for “victorious”
• Jerusalem, Israel: A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, named after the Hebrew word for “city of peace”
• Mecca, Saudi Arabia: A holy city for Muslims, named after the Arabic word for “place of gathering”
• Vatican City: The smallest country in the world, named after the Latin word for “prophecy”
• Tokyo, Japan: The capital of Japan, named after the Japanese word for “eastern capital”