List of California placenames of Native American origin explained

Many places throughout the U.S. state of California take their names from the languages of the indigenous Native American/American Indian tribes. The following list includes settlements, geographic features, and political subdivisions whose names are derived from these indigenous languages.

Listings

Counties

• Inyo County – named after the eponymous Mono chief.
  • Inyo Mountains
  • Inyo Volcanic Chain
  • Inyo National Forest
• Marin County – named after the eponymous Coast Miwok chief.
  • Marin City
  • Marin Creek
  • Marin Headlands
  • Marin Hills
  • Marin Islands
• Modoc County – named after the Modoc people.
  • Modoc National Forest
  • Modoc Plateau
  • Modoc Crater
• Mono County – from the Yokuts phrase monachi, meaning "those from the Sierra Nevada".
  • Mono Village
  • Mono Mills
  • Mono Lake
• Napa County – from the Patwin phrase napo, meaning "home".
  • City of Napa
  • Napa River
  • Napa Valley
• Shasta County – named after the Shasta people.
  • Region of Shasta Cascade
  • City of Shasta Lake
  • City of Mount Shasta
  • Village of Shasta
  • Village of Little Shasta
  • Mount Shasta
  • Shasta Dam
  • Shasta Lake
  • Shasta River
• Siskiyou County – disputed origin; likely from a Chinook Jargon phrase meaning "bob-tailed horse".
  • Siskiyou Mountains
  • Siskiyou National Forest
• Solano County – named after the eponymous Suisun chief.
• Sonoma County – disputed origin; likely from a Pomoan phrase meaning "valley of the moon".
  • City of Sonoma
  • Sonoma Valley
  • Sonoma Mountains
• Tehama County – from a Wintuan phrase meaning "high water".
  • City of Tehama
  • Mount Tehama
• Tuolumne County – disputed origin; likely from the phrase talmalamne of unknown origin, meaning "cluster of stone wigwams".
  • Tuolumne City
  • Tuolumne River
  • Tuolumne Grove
  • Tuolumne Meadows
  • Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
• Yolo County – from the Patwin phrase yo-loy, meaning "a place abounding in rushes".
  • Village of Yolo

Settlements

• Acalanes Ridge
• Aguanga
• Ahwahnee
• Alleghany
• Aptos
• Azusa – from Tongva village "Azucsagna".
• Cabazon
• Cahuenga
• Calistoga
• Camanche Village
  • Camanche North Shore
• Cherokee – named after the Cherokee people.
• Cohasset
• Colma
• Concow
• Cotati
• Honcut
• Jurupa Valley
• Klamath River
  • Named after the Klamath River
• Laguna Niguel
• Lake Shastina
• Lompoc
• Malibu – from Ventureño "Umalibu, perhaps reflecting pronounced as /(hu)maliwu/, "it (the surf) makes a loud noise all the time over there".
• Merrimac
• Milpitas^[1]
• Mi-Wuk Village
• Napa
• New Chicago
• Nimshew
• Nipinnawasee^[2]
• Nipomo
• Ojai^[3]
• Petaluma
• Piru
• Pismo Beach – from Chumash "Pismu" for "tar".^[4]
• Point Mugu
• Port Hueneme
• Poway – from Kumeyaay language.
• Rancho Cucamonga
• Saratoga
• Saticoy
• Simi Valley – from Ventureño "Simiyi".
• Sisquoc
• Sonoma
• Soquel
• Suisun City
• Tehachapi^[5]
• Temecula – from Luiseño "Temeekunga".^[6]
• Tionesta
• Toluca Lake
• Topanga^[7]
• Tujunga^[8]
• Wyandotte
• Yucaipa^[9]
• Yeomet
• Yreka
• Zayante

Bodies of water

• Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park – named after the Achowami people.
• Lake Cachuma
• Tahquitz Canyon and Creek, Falls, Peak, and Rock, named for Cahuilla legend Tahquitz
• Temescal Canyon, Creek, Mountains, and Valley^[10]

Islands

• Anacapa Island

Other

• Mojave Desert – named after the Mohave people.
• Yosemite National Park

See also

• List of place names in the United States of Native American origin
• List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas
• Native Americans in the United States

References

Sources

• Book: Bright, William . William Bright . 2004 . Native American Placenames of the United States . Norman . University of Oklahoma Press . 080613576X.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Zeise. Ann. How Milpitas Got Its Name. Go Milpitas!. 15 May 2015.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Nipinnawasee, California
3. Book: Harrington. John. The Papers of John Peabody Harrington in the Smithsonian Institution. 1981. Kraus International Publications. 66–73.
4. Book: McCall. Lynn. Perry. Rosalind. California's Chumash Indians: a project of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Education Center. 2002. EZ Nature Books. San Luis Obispo, CA. 0936784156. 36. Revised. registration.
5. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610 Tomo-Kahni Resource Center
6. Web site: Old Town Temecula, History, Event Information, Antique Shops and Temecula Homes for Sale.
7. Book: Bright. William. 1500 California Place Names. 1998. UC Press. 155. 3rd.
8. Book: Hitt. Marlene. Sunland and Tujunga: From Village to City. 2002. Arcadia Publishing. 978-0-7385-2377-4. 10.
9. Web site: California Historical Landmark: San Bernardino County. Office of Historic Preservation. California State Parks. 15 May 2015.
10. Book: Van De Grift Sanchez . Nellie . Spanish and Indian Place Names of California; Their Meaning and Their Romance . 1922 . A. M. Robertson . San Francisco, California . 71 . Second.