This is a list of US places named after non-US places. In the case of this list, place means any named location that's smaller than a county or equivalent: cities, towns, villages, hamlets, neighborhoods, municipalities, boroughs, townships, civil parishes, localities, census-designated places, and some districts. Also included are country homes, castles, palaces, and similar institutions. The list below currently comprises around 1000 of these U.S. places but is not exhaustive yet.
There are many places in the United States that are named after places in another country. By far, the majority of the names are due to immigrants naming their new home after their former home. As such they reflect the pattern of immigration to the United States. Immigrants did not just settle in random locations, but rather congregated with others who spoke the same language and had the same religion. Three examples:
Less concentrated groupings of foreign place names are Norwegian names throughout Minnesota, Czech names in southeast Texas, and Dutch names in the Hudson Valley of New York. The Hudson Valley locations are so named because the area was a Dutch colony before it became an English colony.
But not all the immigrants concentrated so heavily. Germans, for example, are one of the largest immigrant groups and places named after German cities are widespread across the United States. However, there is still a general concentration of them in the Midwestern United States, especially in Missouri.
Other sources of foreign names transferred to the U.S. are the Bible and ancient history. Biblically sourced names are widespread and are sometimes the result of naming a settlement after its church. Names from ancient history can also be found in a number of places, although a concentration of them can be found in upstate New York. Names from these two sources can be found in the Ancient World section below the list of countries.
Places where battles happened are also a source for foreign names. The Mexican–American War is the most common source, but other wars, such as the Napoleonic Wars and World War I, are also represented.
There is a small number of names whose origin does not fall into the above categories. For example, some were given the names by railroads or taken from books the people naming the town had been reading. A few very unusual sources are Madras, Oregon, which was named after a bolt of Madras cloth seen in the general store, and Poland, Maine, which was named after a medieval-era song that the first settler liked.
Note that not all towns whose names are the same as a foreign city or country are named after that city. For example, there is only one US place that is known to be named for the Boston in England. That is Boston, Massachusetts. The Bostons in Indiana, Missouri, New York, and Highland and Summit Counties in Ohio, as well as Boston Corner, New York and South Boston, Virginia are named after Boston, Massachusetts; those in Georgia and Texas are named after people; while most other places with the name do not have a known etymology. Also note that places named after people are not on this list, even if that person's name can be traced back to a city. For this reason, cities such as New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Albuquerque are not on the list. Places named for people can be found at List of places named after people in the United States.
Some places have an indeterminate etymology, where it is known that they are named after a city in a particular country, but there is more than one place with that name and the etymology does not distinguish which one. These entries have "needs disambiguation" in their notes section.
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Kabul | Cabool, Missouri [2] |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Vlorë | Valona, Georgia [3] |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Algiers | Algiers, Louisiana [4] |
Algiers, Indiana | |
Oran | Oran, Missouri [2] |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Angola | Angola, Indiana |
Angola, New York |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
La Plata | La Plata, Missouri [2] |
La Plata, Maryland |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Ballarat, Victoria | Ballarat, California | [5] |
Brisbane, Queensland | Brisbane, California | |
Melbourne, Victoria | Melbourne, Florida | [6] |
Melbourne, Kentucky | [7] | |
Melbourne, Arkansas | ||
Rockhampton, Queensland | Rockham, South Dakota | [8] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Deutsch-Wagram | Wagram, North Carolina | named for the Battle of Wagram [9] |
Freistadt | Freistatt, Missouri | [2] |
Vienna | Vienna, Illinois | |
Vienna, Indiana | ||
Vienna, Missouri | ||
Vienna, New York | [10] | |
Vienna, Virginia | ||
Wels | New Wells, Missouri |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Baku | Baku, California [10] |
City or town or country | Namesake |
---|---|
Bangladesh | Little Bangladesh, Los Angeles |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Antwerp | Antwerp, New York | [10] |
Antwerp, Ohio | ||
Bastogne | Bastogne Gables, North Carolina [11] | [12] |
Brussels | Brussels, Wisconsin | [1] |
Brussels, Illinois | ||
Charleroi | Charleroi, Pennsylvania | [1] |
Ghent | Ghent, Minnesota | [1] |
Ghent, Kentucky | ||
Ghent, New York | ||
Hoboken | Hoboken, New Jersey | [1] The original name Hoebuck was changed to Hoboken. |
Liège | Liege, Missouri [13] | [1] Liege, Missouri was annexed by Bellflower, Missouri in 1960 [14] |
Namur | Namur, Wisconsin | [1] |
Rosières | Rosiere, Wisconsin | [1] |
Walhain | Walhain, Wisconsin | [1] |
Waterloo | Waterloo, New York | [1] named for the Battle of Waterloo |
Waterloo, Indiana | ||
Waterloo, Illinois | named for the Battle of Waterloo | |
Watervliet | Watervliet, New York | [1] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Bolivia | Bolivia, North Carolina | |
La Paz | La Paz, Indiana | [15] |
Potosí | Potosi, Missouri | [2] |
Potosi, Wisconsin |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Brazil | Brazil, Indiana |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Pleven | Plevna, Montana | [16] |
Shumen (formerly: Shumla) | Shumla, Texas [17] | [18] |
Sofia | Sofia, New Mexico | |
Varna | Varna, Illinois | [19] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Valparaíso | Valparaiso, Indiana | [15] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Beijing | Pekin, Illinois | [19] |
New Pekin, Indiana | ||
China | China, New York | |
Guangzhou | Canton, Georgia | [3] |
Canton, New York | [10] | |
Canton, Ohio | [10] | |
Canton, Massachusetts | [10] | |
Canton, Michigan | ||
Jilin City | Kiron, Iowa | Jilin was formerly romanized as Kirin [49] |
Nanjing | Nankin Township, Michigan | |
Shanghai | Shanghai, West Virginia | |
Shanghai City, Illinois | ||
Wusong | Woosung, Illinois | [19] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Bogotá | Bogota, Illinois | [19] |
Bogata, Texas | [50] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Cuba | Cuba, Missouri | [15] |
Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois | ||
Havana | Havana, Illinois | [19] |
Matanzas | Matanzas, Kentucky | [7] |
Matanzas Beach, Illinois | [19] | |
Miramar, Havana | Miramar, Florida | [6] |
Yara | Yara, Minnesota | [8] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Quito | Quito, Tennessee [62] | [9] |
For more cities in Egypt, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Finland | Finland, Minnesota | |
Liminka | Liminga, Michigan [66] | [67] |
Oulu | Oulu, Wisconsin | [68] |
Paavola | Paavola, Michigan | |
Pori | Pori, Michigan [69] | [67] |
Salo | Salo Township, Minnesota | [20] |
Tapiola | Tapiola, Michigan | [70] |
Toijala | Toivola, Michigan | |
Toivola Township, Minnesota | [20] | |
Vaasa | Wasas, Michigan [71] | [67] |
Waasa Township |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Tbilisi | Tiflis, Washington | [35] |
For more cities in Greece, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Athens | Athens, Alabama | Was first Called Athenson when it incorporated in 1818 |
Athens, Georgia | [10] | |
Athens, Ohio | ||
Athens, New York | ||
Athens, Texas | ||
New Athens, Illinois | ||
Larissa | Larissa, Texas | [50] |
Larissa, Arizona | ||
Nafpaktos (Venetian: Lepanto) | Lepanto, Arkansas | named for the Battle of Lepanto [9] |
Tempe | Tempe, Arizona | [89] |
Thessaloniki | Salona, Pennsylvania | [55] : 318 |
Volos | Volo, Illinois | [19] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Copán | Copan, Oklahoma | Maya city, now an archaeological site [84] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Buda | Buda, Illinois | [19] named before the merger with Pest |
Budapest | Budapest, Georgia | [90] |
Budapest, Missouri | ||
Szombathely (Latin: Savaria or Sabaria) | Siberia, Indiana | originally meant to be Sabaria, the post office changed the name, apparently thinking it was an error [15] |
Tokaj | Tokaj, Georgia | [90] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Akranes | Akra Township, North Dakota | [22] |
Þingvellir | Thingvalla Township, North Dakota |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Almora, Uttarakhand | Almora, Illinois | [19] |
Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu | Madras, Oregon | [54] named for a bolt of Madras cloth |
Delhi, National Capital Territory | Delhi Township, Michigan | |
Delhi, New York | [10] | |
Delhi, California | ||
Golkonda, Telangana | Golconda, Illinois | [19] |
Kolkata, West Bengal | Calcutta, Ohio | [10] |
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow, Pennsylvania | |
Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra | Bombay, New York | [10] |
Salem, Tamil Nadu | Salem, Virginia | |
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh | Simla, Colorado | [39] |
Vadodara, Gujarat | Baroda, Michigan | [26] |
Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh | New Vrindaban, West Virginia |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Jakarta (Batavia) | Batavia, Illinois | |
Batavia, New York |
For cities in Iran, see the Ancient world section below.
For more cities in Iraq, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Baghdad | Bagdad, Arizona | [10] |
Bagdad, Florida | ||
Bagdad, Kentucky |
For cities in Israel, see the Ancient world section below.
For more cities in Italy, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Tokyo | Jeddo, Pennsylvania | Jeddo is an anglicization of Edo, the former name of Tokyo [9] |
For cities in Jordan, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Riga | Riga, Michigan | [10] |
Livonia | Livonia, Indiana | |
Livonia, Michigan |
For more cities in Lebanon, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Tripoli | New Tripoli, Pennsylvania | [55] : 315 |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Vilnius (Polish: Wilno) | Wilno, Minnesota |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Luxemburg (German: Luxemburg) | Luxemburg, Wisconsin |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Malta | Malta, Montana |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Timbuktu | Timbuctoo, California | [5] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Essaouira | Mogadore, Ohio | [47] |
Casablanca | Casablanca, North Carolina [107] | [12] |
Morocco | Morocco, Indiana | |
Tangier | Tangier, Virginia | [92] : 24 |
City or town | Namesake |
---|---|
Inwa | Ava, New York [57] |
Mandalay | Mandalay, Louisiana [108] [9] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Kalat | Kelat, Kentucky | T. J. Smith, local school teacher, suggested the name of the capital of Balochistan when asked for a unique name [7] |
Lahore | Lahore, Virginia |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Palestine | Palestine, Ohio | |
East Palestine, Ohio | Named "East Palestine" because another Palestine in Ohio was already incorporated. |
For cities in Palestinian territory, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Colón | Colon, Michigan | [8] |
Panama City | Panama City, Florida | [6] |
Portobelo, Colón | Portobello, Maryland [122] | [38] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Manila | Manila, Arkansas | |
Manila, Utah | [60] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Częstochowa | Cestohowa, Texas | |
Elbląg (German: Elbing) | Elbing, Kansas | [31] |
Gdańsk (German: Danzig) | Danzig, North Dakota | |
Gniezno | Gnesen Township, Minnesota | [20] |
Kłodzko (German: Glatz) | New Glatz, Maryland [124] | [38] |
Kraków | Krakow, Wisconsin | [23] |
Lublin | Lublin, Wisconsin | [23] |
Miasteczko Krajeńskie (German: Friedheim) | Friedheim, Missouri | [2] |
Opole | Opole, Minnesota | [125] |
Poznań (German: Posen) | Posen, Illinois | [19] |
Posen, Michigan | [126] | |
Radom | Radom, Illinois | [19] |
Szczecin (German: Stettin) | Stettin, Wisconsin | [68] |
Tarnów | Tarnov, Nebraska | [34] |
Toruń | Torun, Wisconsin | |
Warsaw | Warsaw, Illinois | |
Warsaw, Indiana | [15] | |
Warsaw, Missouri | ||
Warsaw, Minnesota | ||
Warsaw, New York | ||
Wrocław (German: Breslau) | Breslau, Texas | |
Poland | Poland, Herkimer County, New York | There are several U.S. places named Poland, but this is the only one named after the country. The rest are named after people, Poland, Ohio (named after a person), or in Poland, Maine's very unusual case, a song. |
Region | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Transylvania | Transylvania County, North Carolina |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Arkhangelsk | Sitka, Alaska | [10] original name of Sitka was New Arkhangelsk |
Borodino | Borodino, New York | [10] named for the Battle of Borodino |
Moscow Kremlin | Kremlin, Oklahoma | [84] |
Liebental (Lubonironvka) | Liebenthal, Kansas | Volga German settlement [31] |
Marks (Katharinenstadt) | Catharine, Kansas | Volga German settlement [31] |
Moscow | Moscow, Idaho | |
Moscow Mills, Missouri | ||
Moscow, Texas | [10] | |
Moscow, Tennessee | ||
Moscow, Ohio | ||
Obermunjor (Kriwowskoje) | Munjor, Kansas | Volga German settlement |
Pfeifer (Gnilushka) | Pfeifer, Kansas | Volga German settlement [31] |
Saint Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | [6] |
Schoenchen (Paninskaja) | Schoenchen, Kansas | Volga German settlement [31] |
Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast | Tilsit, Missouri | [2] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mecca | Mecca, California | |
Medina | Medina, Ohio | [47] |
Medina, Minnesota |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Belgrade | Belgrade, Maine | |
Belgrade, Montana | [16] | |
Belgrade, Missouri | [127] | |
Belgrade, Nebraska | [128] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Singapore | Singapore, Michigan | [129] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Nitra | Nitra, Georgia | [90] |
Slovak | Slovak, Arkansas | Named after the country. |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Idrija | New Idria, California | [5] |
Travnik, Loški Potok | Traunik, Michigan | [26] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Dongola | Dongola, Illinois | [63] |
Khartoum | Khartoum, California [132] | [9] |
Wadi Halfa | Halfa, Iowa | [8] |
For cities in Syria, see the Ancient world section below.
For cities in Tunisia, see the Ancient world section below.
For more cities in Turkey, see the Ancient world section below.
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Ankara | Angora, Minnesota | [20] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Balta | Balta, North Dakota | [22] |
Kyiv | Kief, North Dakota | [22] |
Odesa | Odessa, Texas | [10] |
Odessa, Washington | ||
Selz (now Lymanske) | Selz, North Dakota (Emmons County) | [22] |
Sevastopol | Sebastopol, California | |
Sebastopol, Michigan | ||
Sevastopol, Wisconsin | The town clerk incorrectly registered a "v" instead of a "b" and it was never changed [136] | |
Straßburg (now Kuchurhan, Rozdilna Raion) | Strasburg, North Dakota [137] | Straßburg was named after the city in Alsace [22] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Longwood, Saint Helena | Longwood, Missouri | Place where Napoleon lived during his second exile. [2] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Saint Clement, Jersey | Clements, Maryland | [38] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Montevideo | Montevideo, Minnesota | [20] |
City or town | Namesake | Notes |
---|---|---|
Samarkand | Samarcand, North Carolina [149] | [9] |
Cities that have namesakes because they are biblical or prominent in ancient history are in this section.
The Missouri River is a river in the Central and Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana, then flows east and south for 2,341 miles (3,767 km) before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. The river drains semi-arid watershed of more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 km2), which includes parts of ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Although a tributary of the Mississippi, the Missouri River is slightly longer and carries a comparable volume of water. When combined with the lower Mississippi River, it forms the world's fourth-longest river system.
Bangor Charter Township is a charter township in Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township's population was 14,045 as of the 2020 Census and is included in the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Stanton Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,590 at the 2020 census. Stanton Township has the distinction of having the highest concentration of people with Finnish ancestry of any place in the United States, at 47%.
Chesterfield Charter Township is a charter township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census the population was 45,376.
Skandia Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census recorded a population of 810 people. The township contains the Dukes Research Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark.
The Red Cedar River is a 51.1-mile-long (82.2 km) river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river, which is a tributary of the Grand River in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, drains a watershed of approximately 461 square miles (1,190 km2) in the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area and suburban and rural areas to the east. The river flows through the campus of Michigan State University, and is considered a cultural symbol of the school, including being mentioned in the school's fight song.
There are 459 properties and historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota. There are listings in 52 of North Dakota's 53 counties.
The Black River is a 41.1-mile-long (66.1 km) river on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, flowing mostly in Gogebic County into Lake Superior at 46°40′03″N90°02′57″W. Its source at 46°18′54″N90°01′15″W is a boreal wetland on the border with Iron County, Wisconsin. The northern section of the river, 14 miles (23 km) within the boundaries of the Ottawa National Forest, was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1992.
Edna Township is a civil township in Barnes County in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2000 Census, its population was 74. It is the 20th largest township in the county in terms of both total population and population density.
Galloway is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located at 43°19′54″N84°22′10″W on the boundary between Lakefield Township in Saginaw County and Lafayette Township in Gratiot County.
Pumpkin Center is an unincorporated community in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is approximately 10 miles northeast of the city of Okmulgee, taking N 330 Rd. north off US Highway 62.
The National Register Information System (NRIS) is a database of properties that have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The database includes more than 84,000 entries of historic sites that are currently listed on the National Register, that were previously listed and later removed, or that are pending listing. The database includes approximately 45 pieces of data for each listed property. Accuracy of the NRIS database may be imperfect. For example, a 2004 paper addressed accuracy of spatial location data for part of the NRIS content.
Sheridan, originally called Golden City, was an early mining camp in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It was the first county seat of Pennington County, from 1877 to 1878. It is now submerged under Sheridan Lake.
Pumpkin Center is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is approximately 7.5 miles northeast of Braggs.