The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-01
oR1a1N oF PRoPaR NAMRs.
Most Of Them Were Once Purely De.
5criptive.
from The Boston GLOBE

5crlpttVe.
From the Boston Globe.
In the earliest days of the human family.
all known persons, places and groups of
human beings must have had names by
which they were recognized.
The study of these names and of their
survival in civilization enables Us often TO
ascertain what races inhabited districts
now peopled by those OF entirely different
speech.
The names of mountains and rivers in
many parts Of England, for instance, are
Celtic.
ancient local names are, as a rule, purely
descriptive. A river is called BY some
word which merely signifies 1.-THE water"
q mountain may have a name which means
"the eeak, " "the castle, 1.-THE point
English place names generally staUe some
simple fact, and often denote no more than
property; the name Of a town or hamlet
being formed by adding "ton" or ham to
the name of some early landbOlder
Quite often bit of even half humorous
description will survive in such name, as
when a stony. starved and weedy district is
called Starvacre.
The English race carries with it the an
oient names OF an older people into every
continent. and titles given to places in the
British Isles may now be found in America,
Australia, Africa and the islands Of the
farthest seas.
Touching personal names, we find that
amongst most uncivilized races a name,
commonly derived from some incident or
natural object, is given at the time of birth
BY the parents of each child
In some cases names of the earliest races
denote some phenomenon of nature. No
names are more common among North
American Indians than those derived from
sun, moon, stars, clouds and wind.
rli1h HoI TO- -
names compound words, as "Noble Wolf, Z"
"Wolf of War;" and so forth, the names
testifYing 60 somewhat primitive and
fierce
STAGE OF SOCIETY.
Later came vulgar nicknames, as Long. y
"Blaok, white Brown" and SO forth
Other names were derived from the occu-
patton of the person to whom they were
given Smith, Fowler, Saddler).
Yet other names are derived from pla ces.
The noble and landowner was called ''of"
such and such a place equivalent to the
German "vonD and French den.
The humber man was called not ''Of" but
''at' such place. as in tine name "Aste-
we'll" lat we'll, or merely by the local name
without the 'at," as Wells.
Below are given the origin Of the names
of some countries, and states in the United
States:
Europe signifies a country OF white peo-
pie, given because the inhabitants were of
lighter color than those of Africa and
Asia.
Asia means between" given because ge-
ographers placed it between Europe and
Africa.
Africa, which was celebrated for its
abundance of grain, was given this name,
meaning "the land of corn
Siberia signifies thirsty or dry.
Italy signifies q country of pitch, because
e Welded great quantities Of black pitch.
itain means the country of tin.
oily denotes the country OF grapes.
Hibernia means utmost" or last habi-
tation," for beyond this westward the
Ph9nicians never extended their voyage.
Corsica means a woody place.
Rhodes implies serpents or dragons.
Gaul, modern France, signifies yellow
haired, " from the light hair of the Gauls.
Maine was so called from the province of
Maine in France.
New Hampshire was named by Mason, in
1889. from Hampshire, in England.
Vermont comes from the French vert
mont, or green mountain.
Massachusetts, is an Indian name, signify
ing the country about the great hills.
THE BLUE HILLS.
Rhode Island was named after the island
of Rhodes, in the Mediterranean, because of
its fancied resemblance to that island.
Connecticut is derived from the Indian
word Qunni-tuket, which signifies upon
the long river"
New YORK was named by the Duke of
York, a title given him by the English
crown IN 1864.
New Jersey was 80 called in honor of Sir
George Carteret, who was governor Of the
island of Jersey, in the British channel
Pennsylvania comes from Admiral Penn,
the father of the founder of the colony,
meaning "Penns Woods"
Maryland was named after Henrietta
Maria, queen OF Charles |. of England.
Virginia was named IN honor of the "vir-
gin queen" Elizabeth.
North and South Carolina we're named
after Charles TX. of France, Charles being
Carolus In Latin.
Georgia was so called in honor of George
II. Of England, who established a colony
there in 1888.
Florida was named by Ponce de Leon.
who discovered it, il commemoration Of
the day of his landing-the Feast of Flow
ers," or Easter Sunday.
Alabama is OF Indian origin, signifying
there we rest"
Mississippi was SO called from the great
river on its western margin, meaning long
river"
Louisiana, from Louis XIV. Of France.
who for some time owned the territory.
Arkansas from Kansas" Indian for
smoky water"
Tennessee is the Indian name for "river
of the big bend;" /. g., the Mississippi,
which is the western boundary.
Kentucky is the Indian word for cat the
head Of the river
Ohio is also from the Indian, meaning
beautiful
Michigan is the Indian name for fish
weir.
Indiana was 30 named in 1901, from the
American Indians.
Illinois from the Indian "illini, men, and
the French suffix "ois, )" together signifying
tribe OF men,
Wisconsin Is the Indian name for a wild,
rushing channel.
Missouri is an Indian name, meaning
muddy
Iowa is from the Indian, signifYing the
drowsy Ones"
Minnesota is the Indian term for cloudy
waUern
California was named by Carter, the dis
coverer. He probably obtained il from an
Old Spanish romance in which an imaginary
island Of that name is spoken Of as aoound-
ing in gold
Oregon is from the Indian origon, river
Of the west"
PRESIDENT ADAMS of the University Of Wis
consln reports that the department growing
most rapidly in that institution is that of me
CQaDiCg and an onaprfuor