St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-15
AS TO PROPER NAMES.
English Place Names Generally
State Some Simple and OBJ
vious Fact.
Specification of the More Common
American Geographical
Terms.

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 dis
tricts now peopled by those of entirely
different speech, says the Boston Globe.
The names of mountains ana rivers in
many parts OF England, for instance,
are Celtic.
Ancient local names are, as rule,
purely descriptive. A river is called by
some word which merely signifies ''the
water" mountain may have name
which means 1.-THE peak, ;" 1.-THE CASTLE"
1.-THE point"
English place names generally state
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
landhoIder.
Quite often a bit of even half-humOr-
Gus description will survive in such
name, as when a stony, starved and
weedy district is called Starvacre.
The English race carries with it the
ancient names of an older people into
every continent, and titles given to
places III the British isles may now be
found in America, Australia, Africa
and the islands OF the furthest seas.
Touching personal names, we find
that among most uncivilized races a
name, commonly derived from some in
cident or natural OBJECT, is given at the
time of birth by the parents to each
child.
In some cases names of the earliest
races denote some phenomenon of nat
ure. No names were more common
among North American Indians than
those derived from sun, moon, stars,
clouds and wind.
Our English ancestors had for per-
sOnal nrmeS compound words, Noble
Wolf" "WoIs of War" and sofOrth,
the names testifying to somewhat
primitive and fierce
Stage OfSOciety.
Later came vulgar nicknames. as
"I4ong," BLACK" white" Brown"
and so-forth.
Other names were derived from the
occupation of the person to whom they
were given Smith, Fowler, Saddler).
Yet other names are derived from
places. The noble and landowner was
equivalent to the German won" and
French den
The humber man was called not
''Of," but lat" such a place, as in the
name of "Attewell" lat welD, or merely
by the local name without the sat" as
Wells.
Below are given the origins of the
names of some countries and states in
the United States.
Europe signifies a country Of white
people, given because the inhabitants
were of lighter color than those of AT
RIGA and Asia.
Asia means between" given because
biographies placed it between Europe
and Africa.
Africa, which was celebrated for its
abundance of grain, was given this
name, meaning 1.-The land of corn"
Siberia signifies thirsty or dry.
Italy signifies country of pitch, be-
cause it yielded great quantities of black
pitch.
Britain means the country Of tin.
Sicily denotes the country OF grapes.
Hibernia means utmost - or "lasl
habitation," for beyond this westward
the Phenicians never extended their
voyages.
Corsica means woody place.
Rhodes implies serpents or dragons.
Gaul, modern France, signifies "yel-
low-haired," from the light hair of the
Gauls.
Maine was so called from the prov
ince of Maine in France.
New Hampshire was named by Mason,
in 1879. from Hampshire, in England.
Vermont comes from the French vert
mont, or green mountain.
Massachusetts is an Indian name,
signifying the country about the great
hills.
Rhode Island was named after the
island of Rhodes, in the Mediterranean.
because of its faneied resem blance to
that island.
Connecticut is derived from the In
dian word Qunni-tukat, which signifies
upon the long river.
New York was named by the Duke of
York, title given him by the English
crown in 1864.
New jersey was so called iD 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 ''Penn's Woods"
Maryland was named after Henrietta
Mary. queen of Charles |. of England.
Virginia was named in honor of the
''virglqn ueen" Elizabeth.