List of Maryland placenames of Native American origin facts for kids
Did you know that many places in Maryland have names that come from Native American languages? These names tell us about the history of the land and the people who lived there long ago. This list explores some of these interesting names, from counties and towns to rivers and bays.
Places with Native American Names
Counties
- Allegany County - This name comes from the Lenape language.
- Wicomico County - Named after the Wicomico River. The name comes from Algonquian words meaning "a place where houses are built." This likely referred to a Native American town by the river.
Towns and Settlements
- Accokeek - Named for the Accokeek tribe.
- Aquasco - The name comes from the Native American name Aquascake.
- Algonquin - Named after the Algonquian peoples.
- Assateague, Algonquin - This refers to Assateague Island.
- Catoctin Furnace - The name Catoctin likely comes from the Kittoctons. They were a Native American group who once lived near the Catoctin Mountain and the Potomac River. Some people also say Catoctin means "place of many deer."
- Chaptico - This name might be Algonquian for "big-broad-river-it-is." It is linked to the Chaptico tribe.
- Chesapeake Beach - Named for the Chesapeake people. This was an Algonquian-speaking tribe in Virginia.
- Choptank - Local stories say choptank is an English version of an Algonquian name. It was probably from the Nanticoke language. There was also an Algonquian group called the Choptank tribe.
- Conowingo - This is a Susquehannock word. It means "at the rapids."
- Matapeake - Named for the historic Matapeake tribe. They lived here when English settlers arrived in 1631. Their main village was on Kent Island. They were an Algonquian-speaking tribe.
- Nanjemoy - Named for the Algonquian-speaking Nanjemoy tribe. They were part of the Piscataway tribe.
- Nanticoke - Named for the Nanticoke people. This was an Algonquian tribe.
- Nassawango Hills - Older names like Nassanongo mean "ground between the streams." Early English records called it Askimenokonson Creek. This was after a Native American village nearby. Askimenokonson means "stony place where they pick early strawberries."
- North Potomac
- Patapsco - The name Patapsco comes from pota-psk-ut. This means "backwater" or "tide covered with froth" in an Algonquian language.
- Patuxent - Named for the Patuxent people.
- Piscataway - Named for the Piscataway tribe.
- Pocomoke City - The name "Pocomoke" is thought to come from Algonquian words. It means "broken ground" or "pierced ground." This likely referred to how the local people farmed.
- Pomonkey - Named for the Pamunkey tribe. They lived in this area. The Pamunkey tribe was part of the Powhatan paramountcy. These were Algonquian-speaking tribes.
- Potomac - Potomac is an English spelling of an Algonquian name. It was for a tribe linked to the Powhatan group. They lived near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Some say the name means "place where people trade." Others say it means "the place to which tribute is brought." Native people called the river above the falls Cohongarooton. This meant "river of geese." That area was known for many geese and swans. The spelling has changed from "Patawomeke" to "Potomac."
- Potomac Heights
- Potomac Park
- Quantico - Quantico is a Native American name. It means "place of dancing."
- Romancoke - The name Romancoke comes from an Algonquian word. It means "circling of the water."
- Seneca - Named for the Seneca people. This was an Iroquoian tribe.
- Takoma Park - This name was originally for Mount Rainier. It comes from the Lushootseed word for 'snow-covered mountain'. The town was named Takoma in 1883. The person who named it thought it meant 'high up' or 'near heaven'.
- Tuxedo - Tuxedo might come from the Lenape word Tùkwsit. This means 'the Wolf Clans'. Or it could be from Munsee Delaware p'tuck-sepo, meaning 'crooked river'.
- Tuscarora - Named for the Tuscarora people. This was an Iroquoian tribe.
- Wilson-Conococheague - The word Conococheague comes from the Lenape language. It means "Water of many turns."
- West Pocomoke - This name comes from Algonquian words. It means "broken ground" or "pierced ground."
Bodies of Water
- Chesapeake Bay - Named after the Chesapeake tribe in Virginia. "Chesapeake" comes from the Algonquian word Chesepiooc. This referred to a village "at a big river." It is one of the oldest English place-names in the U.S. Some people thought it meant "Great Shellfish Bay." But linguists now say it might mean "Great Water."
- Nassawango Creek - Older names like Nassanongo mean "ground between the streams." Early English records called it Askimenokonson Creek. This was after a Native village nearby. Askimenokonson means "stony place where they pick early strawberries."
- Patapsco River - The name "Patapsco" comes from pota-psk-ut. This means "backwater" or "tide covered with froth" in an Algonquian language.
- Monocacy River - The name "Monocacy" comes from the Shawnee name for the river, Monnockkesey. This means "river with many bends." Another local story says "Monocacy" means "well-fenced garden."
See also
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List of Maryland placenames of Native American origin Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.