List of California placenames of Native American origin facts for kids
Many places throughout the U.S. state of California take their names from the languages of the indigenous Native American/American Indian tribes. The following list includes settlements, geographic features, and political subdivisions whose names are derived from these indigenous languages.
Listings
Counties
- Inyo County – named after the eponymous Mono chief.
- Inyo Mountains
- Inyo Volcanic Chain
- Inyo National Forest
- Marin County – named after the eponymous Coast Miwok chief.
- Modoc County – named after the Modoc people.
- Mono County – from the Yokuts phrase monachi, meaning "those from the Sierra Nevada".
- Napa County – from the Patwin phrase napo, meaning "home".
- City of Napa
- Napa River
- Napa Valley
- Shasta County – named after the Shasta people.
- Region of Shasta Cascade
- City of Shasta Lake
- City of Mount Shasta
- Village of Shasta
- Village of Little Shasta
- Mount Shasta
- Shasta Dam
- Shasta Lake
- Shasta River
- Siskiyou County – disputed origin; likely from a Chinook Jargon phrase meaning "bob-tailed horse".
- Siskiyou Mountains
- Siskiyou National Forest
- Solano County – named after the eponymous Suisun chief.
- Sonoma County – disputed origin; likely from a Pomoan phrase meaning "valley of the moon".
- City of Sonoma
- Sonoma Valley
- Sonoma Mountains
- Tehama County – from a Wintuan phrase meaning "high water".
- City of Tehama
- Mount Tehama
- Tuolumne County – disputed origin; likely from the phrase talmalamne of unknown origin, meaning "cluster of stone wigwams".
- Yolo County – from the Patwin phrase yo-loy, meaning "a place abounding in rushes".
- Village of Yolo
Settlements
- Acalanes Ridge
- Aguanga
- Ahwahnee
- Alleghany
- Aptos
- Azusa – from Tongva village "Azucsagna".
- Cabazon
- Cahuenga
- Calistoga
- Camanche Village
- Cherokee – named after the Cherokee people.
- Cohasset
- Colma
- Concow
- Cotati
- Honcut
- Jurupa Valley
- Klamath River
- Named after the Klamath River
- Laguna Niguel
- Lake Shastina
- Lompoc
- Malibu – from Ventureño "Umalibu, perhaps reflecting IPA: [(hu)maliwu], "it (the surf) makes a loud noise all the time over there".
- Merrimac
- Milpitas
- Mi-Wuk Village
- Napa
- New Chicago
- Nimshew
- Nipinnawasee
- Nipomo
- Ojai
- Petaluma
- Piru
- Pismo Beach – from Chumash "Pismu" for "tar".
- Point Mugu
- Port Hueneme
- Poway – from Kumeyaay language.
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Saratoga
- Saticoy
- Simi Valley – from Ventureño "Simiyi".
- Sisquoc
- Sonoma
- Soquel
- Suisun City
- Tehachapi
- Temecula – from Luiseño "Temeekunga".
- Tionesta
- Toluca Lake
- Topanga
- Tujunga
- Wyandotte
- Yucaipa
- Yeomet
- Yreka
- Zayante
Bodies of water
- Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park – named after the Achowami people.
- Lake Cachuma
- Tahquitz Canyon and Creek, Falls, Peak, and Rock, named for Cahuilla legend Tahquitz
- Temescal Canyon, Creek, Mountains, and Valley
Islands
Other
- Mojave Desert – named after the Mohave people.
- Yosemite National Park
See also
- List of place names in the United States of Native American origin
- List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas
- Native Americans in the United States
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of California placenames of Native American origin Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.