List of place names of Native American origin in New England explained

The region of New England in the United States has numerous place names derived from the indigenous peoples of the area. New England is in the Northeastern United States, and comprises six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Listed are well-known names of towns, significant bodies of water, and mountains. This list can virtually never be sufficiently completed as there are hundreds of thousands of place names in New England.

Formation and transmission of names

All the names in this section come to us only through persons whose first language was English and only rarely knew any other. From the few sources who were bilingual, we are fortunate to have some concept of how some of the names were segmented in the languages from which they came. Those names often tend to predominate in lists such as these, just because they are more easily understood.

Most names were received by English settlers who had little idea what they meant. Being naturally curious, they asked the natives what the names meant or conjectured among themselves or both. The natives were faced with having to explain the name in a language they knew but rudimentarily. They interpreted freely, often giving the use or features of interest about the place rather than trying to explain the elements of their language to the English. They never had a linguist's understanding of the structure of their language. Their descendants, speaking primarily English, no longer knew how to produce meaningful utterances in the language of their native forefathers.

Consequently, the names can be divided into roughly two categories: those for which the original morphology is known to some degree and those for which it is not. The meanings of the latter category are traditional only, but the tradition may not necessarily descend from a native speaker. It may have been a settler's conjecture, passed on through the social mechanism of the sacred words of the forefathers or simply because no other interpretation was available.

The mechanism can be seen most clearly in names for which both categories of meaning exist. You might read that a name is supposed to mean "the place of portage" or "the pines" when in fact those meanings are not even implied by the morphology of the name. It is entirely possible, however, that those places were used for those purposes. On the other hand, some settler may have guessed that they were used for those purposes. In cases where there is no morphology, there is little point in argument over the "correct meaning" of the name, an activity enjoyed by New Englanders since settlement times, and which also you will undoubtedly see much of in Wikipedia.

New England in the early 17th century when English colonists first landed was tenanted by variously named tribes for the most part speaking languages of the Algonquian family. Our aboriginals spoke an eastern branch of the group. It often happened that whole regions were named after the tribe inhabiting it, such as Massachusetts, nor does this appear to have been an English naming convention only. In this the aboriginals were non-different from the tribes of classical Europe, whose names still dot the map of Europe.

Like the tribal names of Europe, the native names descended from an antiquity long lost. The natives themselves may not have known what they meant. For these names we have mainly tradition, but even that should be regarded as more speculative than not.

Places named after tribes

Place names on this list represent a number of tribes speaking aboriginal languages within the Algonquian family, for the most part, if in warped or anglicized form:

Connecticut

Common dialects of the Algonquian languages: Hammonasset, Mahican, Montauk, Niantic, Paugussett, Pequot-Mohegan, Podunk, Poquonock, Quinnipiac, Tunxi, Wangunk

(Montauk) from the name of a 17th-century native interpreter

(Wangunk) "place where fish are dried/cured"

(Mohegan from Cassacubque) "high rocks"

(Hammonassett) "place of sand bars"

(Mahican) "beyond the mountain"

(Nipmuck) "large pond"

(Mohegan) "place at the large cove"

eastern Iroquois tribe; Algonquian term for their western enemies – "wolves," "hungry animals," or "cannibals"

tribe; "hungry animal" or "wolf"

(Narragansett) a chief named "Mausup"

(Nipmuck) "between rivers"

(Wangunk) "fresh pond"

(Quinnipiac) "curved place" or "land at the bend"

(Niantic) "at the round, shallow place"

(Wangunk) "clear, open pond"

(Quinnipiac) "muddy pond"

(Wangunk) "divided pond" or "two ponds"

(Mohegan) "land broken up" (like dried mud cracking)

(Nipmuck) "bend in river" or (Narragansett) "boggy place"

(Quinnipiac) "big pond" or "big rock"

(Quinnipiac) "where we change our route"

(Quinnipiac) "long pond"

(Algonquian/general) "chief"

(Paugussett) "outlet of the tidal river"

(Nipmuck) "land at the river branch"

(Mohegan) "at the great pool"

(Tunxis) "great pond"

(Mohegan) "land between rivers"

(Mohegan) "stony place" or possibly "place between streams"

(Nipmuck) "eel-fishing place"

(Mahican) "steep ascent"

(Mohegan) 17th-century chief's name (wonkus – "fox")

(Paugussett) "bend/crooked"

(Nipmuck) "crooked pond"

"crooked pond"

(Mahican) "good fishing-place"

(Mahican) "beautiful pond"

(Mahican) "land at the bend in the pond"

(Mahican) "rocks at the bend in the lake"

(Wangunk) "crossing-place"

(Wangunk) "crossing-place"

(Mohegan) "flags" or "rushes"

(Paugussett) "where we come together to fish" Bridgeport (harbor)

general name for Connecticut

Maine

Common languages:

(Abnaki) "place where fish are dried/cured"

(Mi'kmaq) "beautiful river"

(Abnaki) "small pine trees"

(Abnaki) kalibu "shoveler" (gets food by pawing or shoveling)

(Mi'kmaq) muddy

(Abnaki) "separated place"

(Abnaki) "where there is a large lake and roocks"

(Abnaki) "at the principal outlet"

(Abnaki) "at the place of the big hill stream"

(Maliseet) "rocks under water"

(Abnaki) "many sturgeon"

(Abnaki) "the principal mountain"

(Abnaki) "long/large pond/lake"

(Abnaki) "long quiet water"

(Mi'kmaq) "where one river joins another"

(Abnaki) "far on the other side"

(Abnaki) "far-out island"

(Abnaki) "many ale-wives"

(Abnaki) "far-out island"

(Mi'kmaq or Maliseet) "out-to-sea island"

(Abnaki) "moose feeding place" (portage to or big trees at)

(Abnaki) "many/large rock ledges"

(Abnaki) "muskrat"

(Abnaki) "many fish"

(Mi'kmaq) "lagoons within dunes"

(Abnaki) purportedly from a Chief Joseph Orono, no translation

(Abnaki) "beyond the water"

(Abnaki) "place of trout" (a certain trout-type)

(Abnaki) "rapids over gravel beds"

tribal name; "place of abundance of pollack"

(Maliseet) "extended sand bar place"

(Mi'kmaq) "extended land" (peninsula)

(Abnaki?) tribal name; "place of descending rocks/ledges"

(Abnaki) "at the river branch"

(Passamaquoddy) abbreviation to "pollack"

(Penobscot-Abnaki) "almost-through place"

(Abnaki) "whistling duck"

(Abnaki) "wet head" or possibly "three heads"

sp.

(Abnaki) "at the clear stream"

(Abnaki) "place where clams are baked/dried" Bar Harbor

(Abnaki) "place at the falls where fish are dried/cured" Lewiston Falls

(mi'kmaq) "shaped like a large knee" Portland

Massachusetts

Common languages:

(Pocumtuck) "Land of rivers and mountains"

(Narragansett) "at the fishing promontory" or "place of small pines"

(Nipmuck or Pennacook) "low land" (with water) or "place to unload canoes" (possible portage spot)

(Nipmuck) "at the boggy place"

Narragansett "trading place"; (Wampanoag) "place of large upright rock"

(Wampanoag) "rocks in water"

(Wampanoag) "at the ocean" or "landing place"

(Nipmuck-Mohegan) "boundary fishing place"

(Wampanoag) "separated island"

(Natick) "place of swift water"

(Natick) "long rocky place"

(Wampanoag) "long planting field"

(Wampanoag) "harbor"

(Wampanoag) "thing that lies out in the sea"

named for a Missisquoi chief

(Podunk) "hook"

(Natick-Abnaki) "evil spirit" or "hellish place"; (Narragansett) "hook-shaped place"

(Mahican) "rock place"

(Wampanoag) "shell place" or "rock carving"

(Wampanoag) name of a 17th-century chief, "Iyanogh's"

(Nipmuck) "island"

(Wampamoag) "place near great cove"

(Natick) "resting place" or "end of portage"

(Wampanoag) "resting place" or "edge of cove"

(Pennacook) "deep place"

(Abnaki) "at the deep place"

(Narragansett) "great neck" or "canoe-landing place"

(Natick) "great tidal stream"

(Nipmuck)

Concord water supply located in Acton

(Natick) "the point" or "almost an island"

(Natick/Wampanoag) "at the strait" or "low-tide place"

(Wampanoag) "in the midst of waters"; (Naragansett) far off, among the waves

(Wampanoag) "between"

tribe; "the place I seek" or "home," "place," "clearing"

(Wampanoag) "middle" (no clear translation)

(Wampanoag) "place where the fish are"

(Natick) possibly "a good fall" (easy for canoe travel)

(Wampanoag)

(Nipmuc) "two brooks" or "between two brooks"[1]

(Narragansett) "dry or landing place"

(Mahican) "blue/deep"

(Natick) "where the stream widens"

(Mahican or Nipmuck) "falls on the brook"

(Nipmuck) "crooked streams"

(Nipmuck) "before the pond" or abbreviation of "red pond" (m'squ'boag)

(Nipmuck) "long pond"

(Nipmuck) "pickerel-fishing place

(Wampanoag) "falling river"

(Nipmuck) "at the place of small pines"

(Wampanoag) "chief"

(Wampanoag) "cool water place"

(Natick) "outlet"

(Wampanoag) "at the cold spring or brook"

(Narragansett) "wild black goose" or (Wampanoag) "mouth of stream" or "wild goose"

(Narragansett) "place of hard rocks"

(Algonquian) "ferry" or "place to draw up canoes"

(Narragansett) "at the place of many/great bones" (whales?)

(Wampanoag) "at the rocky river"

(Nipmuc) "place for taking salmon"[2]

(Natick) "place of red rocks"

(Natick) "steep ascent"

(Nipmuck) "black stuff between the hills"

(Wampanoag) "round loaf of bread"

(Wampanoag) "at the end"

(Nipmuck)

(Wampanoag) "roots"

(Wampanoag) "crooked" or "wandering stream"

(Algonquian) "Land of Berries"

(Nipmuck) "winding about"

(Wampanoag) "bay with coves" Buzzards Bay

New Hampshire

Common Languages: Abnaki, Nipmuc, Pennacook

(Pennacook) "fishing place" Manchester

(Abnaki) "abundant water"

(Pennacook) "pine tree"

(Pennacook) possible abbreviation of Annahooksett "place of beautiful trees"

(Abnaki) "near the great brook"

(Natick) "at the most prominent island" (-like mountain)

(Abnaki) "good moose place" or "at the smooth place"

(Abnaki) "small pond"

(Abnaki) "extensive rapids"

(Abnaki) "place where the river divides"

(Pennacook or Nipmuck) "watching place"

(Abnaki) "clear lake"

(Abnaki) "salmon-fishing place"

(Abnaki) "summit of the highest mountain" Mount Washington

Rhode Island

Common languages:

(Narragansett) "where oysters/shellfish are roasted" or "waiting place"

(Narragansett) "at the island"

a 17th-century Narragansett chief

(Narragansett) "boundary/separation place"

(Narragansett) named for a 17th-century chief Canonicus

(Narragansett) thought to be named for granddaughter of Canonicus (see above)

(from Narragansett Montop or Montaup) "look-out place" or "well-fortified island"

tribe; "the place I seek" or "home"

(Narragansett) "at the falls in the river (tidal stream)"

famous mid-18th century Ottawa chief

(Narragansett) "home of the blackfish"

(Wampanoag) "at the cold spring/brook"

(Narragansett) "at the peninsula/neck" (canoe-landing place)

(Narragansett) "at the end of the pond"

(Narragansett) "at the end of the pond"

(Nipmuck) "place of steep descent"

(Delaware) "large prairie"

(Narragansett) "the island" Rhode Island

(Narragansett) "place of two brooks" Woonsocket

(Narragansett) "little god"; (Niantic) "little island" Block Island

(Niantic) "place at look-out hill" Point Judith

(Narragansett) "land at the great cove" Cranston

Vermont

Common languages: Abnaki, Mahican

(Mahican) "stone place"

(Abnaki-French) "real adders" (describing western enemies of Abnaki)

(Natick) "beaver"

(Abnaki) "where there is great expanse of water"

tribal name

(Abnaki) "at the mountain which sticks up like an island" (see New Hampshire)

(Abnaki) "moose trail"

(Natick) "my friend"

(Abnaki) "at the fork" or "home of squirrels"

(Abnaki) "log trap" or "deadfall"

(Abnaki) "mushy/quaky land"

(uncertain – Natick?) "swift mountain stream"

(possibly Abnaki) "the pass/opening"

abbreviation of Ompompanoosuc

abbreviation of Ottauquechee

(Abnaki) "elbow" or "long joint"

(Abnaki) "moose-head mountain" Mount Mansfield

(Abnaki) "resting place/sit-down mountain" Camel's Hump

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nissitissit River Land Trust. 2021-11-27. nissitissitriver.org.
  2. Web site: Nashua River Wild & Scenic Study Committee. November 29, 2017. DRAFT STEWARDSHIP PLAN.

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