List of place names in Nebraska of Native American origin facts for kids

Nebraska is a state in the central United States. Many of its places, like towns, rivers, and even the state itself, have names that come from the languages of Native American tribes. These names often tell stories about the land, animals, or important people from these tribes. Learning about them helps us understand the rich history of the area.

State Name

• Nebraska - The name of the state comes from the Omaha language. It means "flat water." In the Omaha language, it is Nibthaska, where ni means water and bthaska means flat. This describes the Platte River that flows through the state.

County Names

Many counties in Nebraska are named after Native American tribes or words.

• Red Willow - This name comes from the Dakota language. It means "Red Osier Dogwood Creek." This type of shrub, with its red branches, grew a lot along the creek.
• Cheyenne - Named after the Cheyenne people, a well-known Native American tribe.
• Dakota - Named after the Dakota people, also known as the Sioux.
• Keya Paha - This name means "turtle hill" in the Dakota language. It describes the small, rounded hills found in the area.
• Loup - Named for the Skidi band of the Pawnee people. Their name meant "wolf," which is loup in French.
• Nemaha - Named after the Nemaha River, from an Otoe word meaning "swampy water."
• Otoe - Named after the Otoe tribe, who lived in the region.
• Pawnee - Named after the Pawnee people, a large Native American tribe of the Great Plains.
• Sioux - Named after the Sioux people, a large group of Native American tribes.

Villages, Towns, and Cities

Many towns and cities in Nebraska also have names with Native American roots.

• Anoka - A Dakota word meaning "on both sides."
• Arapahoe - Named after the Arapaho people, a Native American tribe.
• Birdwood - This is an English translation of the Dakota name Ziŋtka-c̣aŋ Wakpala. It means "False Indigo Creek." The False Indigo plant, called "birdwood" in Dakota, grows along the stream.
• Blackbird - Named after Chief Blackbird, an important leader of the Omaha tribe. He lived and died near this area.
• Brule - Named after the Brule tribe, a group within the Teton Sioux.
• Fontenelle - Named after Logan Fontenelle, an important chief of the Omaha tribe.
• Hyannis - Named after Hyannis, Massachusetts. That town was named after Iyannough, a leader of the Cummaquid tribe.
• Leshara - Named after Petalesharo, a famous chief of the Pawnee tribe.
• Lodgepole - Named after a nearby creek. The creek's name is a translation of the Dakota name, Tushu Wakpala, which means "lodgepole."
• Mankota - This name comes from the Dakota word Maḳaṭo, meaning "blue earth." It was named after Mankato, Minnesota.
• Minatare - From the Hidatsa word mirita'ri, meaning "crosses the water."
• Monowi - This town was named "flower" because many wild flowers grew in the area.
• Nehawka - This name is similar to the Omaha and Otoe Indian name for a nearby creek, meaning "rustling water."
• Nemaha - Named after the Nemaha River, from an Otoe word meaning "swampy water."
• Niobrara - This Omaha and Ponca word means "spreading water" or "spreading river."
• Oconee - Named for Oconee, Illinois, which was the name of a Creek town.
• Oconto - A Menominee word meaning "the place of the pickerel" (a type of fish). Named for Oconto, Wisconsin.
• Ogallala - Named for the Oglala Lakota people, a band of the Lakota Sioux.
• Omaha - Named for the Omaha people, a Native American tribe who lived nearby.
• Osceola - Named after Osceola, a famous Seminole warrior.
• Pohocco - This name comes from Pahuk, a Pawnee name meaning "headland" or "promontory." It refers to a tall hill in the area.
• Ponca - Named after the Ponca people, a Native American tribe.
• Red Cloud - Named after Red Cloud, a famous chief of the Oglala Lakota.
• Rosalie - Named for Rosalie La Flesche, the daughter of Omaha chief Joseph La Flesche.
• Santee - Named after the Santee Sioux, a group of the Dakota people.
• Sioux - Named after the Sioux people.
• Tecumseh - Named after Tecumseh, a famous Shawnee chief.
• Tekamah - This town is on the site of an old Pawnee village. The hills nearby were used for burials and as signal stations. The exact meaning of the name is not fully known.
• Unadilla - An Iroquois word meaning "place of meeting." Named after Unadilla, New York.
• Venango - An eastern Native American name referring to a figure carved on a tree by the Erie people.
• Waco - Named after Waco, Texas. That city was named after a division of the Tawokoni tribe.
• Weeping Water - This is a translation of the French "L'Eau qui Pleure." There is an interesting Native American legend connected to its name.
• Winnebago - Named after the Ho-Chunk people, also known as the Winnebago.
• Wyoming - This name comes from a Delaware word meaning "large plains" or "extensive meadows."
• Yutan - Named for an Otoe chief.

Natural Features

Many natural places in Nebraska, like rivers and hills, also have names from Native American languages.

• Arikaree River - Named after the Arikara people, a Native American tribe.
• Big Blue River - A translation of a Native American name.
• Elkhorn River - A translation of a Native American name, likely referring to elk antlers.
• Fontenelle Forest - Named after Logan Fontenelle, the Omaha chief.
• Guide Rock - A translation of a Native American name, likely a landmark.
• Keya Paha River - Means "turtle hill" in Dakota, like the county.
• Lake Wanahoo - A Native American word, possibly meaning "good place" or "place of peace."
• Little Blue River - Similar to the Big Blue River, a translation of a Native American name.
• Lodgepole Creek - Named for the trees used to make tipis, a translation of a Dakota name.
• Medicine Creek - A translation of a Native American name, often referring to spiritual power or healing.
• Missouri River - Named after the Missouri people, a Native American tribe.
• Niobrara National Scenic River - "Spreading water" or "spreading river" in Omaha and Ponca.
• Niobrara River - Same meaning as the scenic river.
• Nishnabotna River - A Native American name, possibly from the Potawatomi language, meaning "the place where the canoes were made."
• North Platte River - Named after the Platte River, which means "flat water."
• Ogallala Aquifer - Named after the Oglala Lakota people. An aquifer is an underground layer of water.
• Oglala National Grassland - Named after the Oglala Lakota people.
• Pahuk - A Pawnee name meaning "headland" or "promontory," referring to a prominent hill.
• Platte River - From the French word for "flat," a translation of the Omaha name "flat water."
• Red Willow Creek - Named for the red osier dogwood shrubs, like the county.
• South Platte River - Part of the "flat water" river system.
• Standing Bear Lake - Named after Chief Standing Bear, a famous Ponca chief.

Other Places

Some other places in Nebraska also have names with Native American connections.

• Fontenelle Boulevard - A street named after Logan Fontenelle.
• Fontenelle's Post - A historic trading post linked to Logan Fontenelle.
• Hotel Fontenelle - A building named after Logan Fontenelle.

See also

• Native American tribes in Nebraska
• History of Nebraska
• French people in Nebraska