Funny place names around the world

Maciamo

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I love maps and spend an inordinate amount of time staring at maps. Naturally I get to see amusing place names from time to time. Here are a few of them.

United States

Ok, I got a bit of help here as some places are too small to spot by just browsing Google maps. Imagine living in one of these places and having to say you come from that place. Or if some of these places became major cities over time?

Accident, Maryland
Anaconda, Montana
Beaverlick, Kentucky
Belchertown, Massachusetts
B*tch Mountain, New York
Boogertown, North Carolina
Boring, Maryland
Boring, Oregon
Boring, Tennessee (no, I don't know which is the more boring of the three)
Bosstown, Wisconsin
Bugtussle, Kentucky
Burnt Porcupine, Maine
Candy Kitchen, New Mexico
Chattanooga, Tennessee (sounds funny to say)
Chicken, Alaska
Chocolate Bayou, Texas
Choconut, Pennsylvania
Climax, Georgia
Condemned Bar, California
Coupon, Pennsylvania
Corner Ketch, Delaware
Coward, South Carolina
Cranky Corner, Louisiana
Crow Agency, Montana (is that some sort of secret bird organisation?)
Cut And Shoot, Texas
Devil's Lake, North Dakota
Devil Town, Ohio
Dickshooter, Idaho
Dicktown, New Jersey
Ding Dong, Texas
Disco, Tennessee
Dogtown, Alabama
Do Stop, Kentucky
Double Trouble, New Jersey
Dragonville, Virginia
Earth, Texas
Embarrass, Minnesota
Erect, North Carolina
Eureka, California (yep, they found gold)
Experiment, Georgia
Faggot Hill, Massachussetts
Frankenstein, Missouri (it wouldn't be funny in Germany, but this place was obviously named after Dr F.'s monster)
French Lick, Indiana
Gas, Kansas
Gaylordsville, Connecticut
Good Grief, Idaho
Greasy, Oklahoma
Handsome Eddy, New York
Hannibal, Missouri (they also have Carthage; aren't they celebrating the wrong side?)
Happyland, Oklahoma
Hazardville, Connecticut
Hell, Michigan
Hell for Certain, Kentucky (makes you wonder what they did)
Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey
Hooker, Oklahoma (I would have thought Nevada)
Horneytown, North Carolina
Hot Coffee, Mississippi
Idiotville, a ghost town in Oregon
Imalone, Wisconsin (let me guess, it started with a population of one?)
Intercourse, Pennsylvania
Jackpot, Nevada (no kiddin')
Jiggs, Nevada
Kalamazoo, Michigan (always loved the sound of that one)
Ketchuptown, South Carolina
Kickapoo, Kansas (maybe they've got nothing better to do)
Knoblick, Missouri
Knockemstiff, Ohio
Lick Fork, West Virginia
Lick Skillet, Tennessee (all right, what is this Appalachian compulsion about licking kitchen utensils?)
Loafers Glory, North Carolina
Loveladies, New Jersey
Magnet, Nebraska
Manhattan, Kansas (erg, say what?)
Marrowbone, Tennessee
Mesick, Michigan
Mexican Hat, Utah
Mock City, Washington
Money, Mississippi (ironic that that place is located in the poorest US state)
Monkeyrun, Arkansas
Mosquitoville, Vermont (don't know why I expected that one in Florida)
Mud Bite, South Dakota
Nameless, Tennessee
Natchitoches, Louisiana (is that some kind of local nachos?)
Neversink, New York
New Erection, Virginia
Nimrod, Minnesota
No Name, Colorado
Normal, Illinois
North Pole, New York
Nothing, Arizona (looked it up, they are right :) )
Nowhere, Oklahoma
Oatmeal, Texas
Okay, Oklahoma (lacking imagination, are you?)
Paintlick, Kentucky (another Appalachian licker)
Pee Pee, Ohio
Pie Town, New Mexico
Pigeon, Michigan
Point No Point, Washington
Polkadott, Ohio
Pray, Montana (there had to be a place named like that in the USA!)
Rough and Ready, California
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (you need to speak French to understand the double entendre. Sault sounds like saute, which means jump or f*ck, so in other words do unspeakable things to Holy Mary. I wonder how many locals know that.)
Santa Claus, Indiana
Satan’s Kingdom, Massachusetts
Satan's Kingdom, Vermont (I surely didn't expect to find such a place in the Deep South)
Screamer, Alabama
Schenectady, New York (just like the sound of it)
Slickpoo, Idaho
Smackover, Arkansas
Sugartit, Kentucky
Superior Bottom, West Virginia
Surprise, Arizona
Sweet Lips, Tennessee
Tightwad, Missouri
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Two Egg, Florida
Unalaska, Alaska
Uncertain, Texas
Uneedus, Louisiana
Uranus, Missouri
Waco, Texas (now that I can believe)
Walla Walla, Washington
Wankers Corner, Oregon
Warroad, Minnesota (just at the border of Canada; doesn't augur too well for the relations between the two countries)
Waterproof, Louisiana (well it better be with all those hurricanes!)
Weed, California
Wealthy, Texas
What Cheer, Iowa
Who’s Thought It, Texas
Why, Arizona
Whynot, Mississippi
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Zigzag, Oregon
Zzyzx, California

Noticed how many place names are related to food in the southern states? Two Egg, Pie Town, Hot Coffee, Oatmeal, Candy Kitchen...


Canada

Asbestos, Quebec
Blow Me Down, Newfoundland
Chicoutimi, Quebec (love the sound of it)
Dildo, Newfoundland
Ha! Ha! River, Quebec
Kilbride, Newfoundland
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Moose Factory, Ontario (so that's where they come from)
Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik (the longest place name in Canada)
Punkeydoodles Corners, Ontario
Uranium City, Saskatchewan (in case you are wondering, it was really named for its uranium mines)
Slave Lake, Alberta
Stupid Lake, Manitoba

United Kingdom

There are plenty of weird, absurd or rude place names in Blighty. Just to name the best of them:

Barking
Beer
Bitchfield
Blackdikes
Blubberhouses
Boggy Bottom
Brown Willy
Bullyhole
Bunny
Butt of Lewis
Catbrain
Chemistry
Cockbush
Crackpot
Crapstone
Donkey Town
Fattiehead
Devil's Lapful
Golden Balls
Great Cockup
Great Snoring
Happy Bottom
Horrid Hill
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (in Wales ; it is the longest place name in Europe)
Lord Hereford’s Knob
Matching Tye
Mumbles
Nasty
Nether Wallop
New Invention
Once Brewed and Twice Brewed
Pity Me
Rest and Be Thankful
Shitterton
Shittington
Slackbottom
Snatchup
Sodom
Stop-and-Call
Ugley
Upper Bleeding
Upperthong
Wet Rain
Wideopen
Wig Wig

France

Anus, Burgundy
Bitche, Grand Est
Condom, Occitanie
La Force, Occitanie (inhabited by a community of Jedi)
Le Saix, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (sounds just like "Le Sex")
Montcuq, Occitanie (Montcuq sounds like 'my ass' in French; I am seeing a trend in the names here)
Noisy (several places around Paris, including one appropriately located near the airport)
Pussy, Savoy

Other European countries

Assholmen, Sweden (not known for its friendly locals)
Bastardo, Umbria, Italy
Bastardstown, Ireland
Bra, Piedmont, Italy (where else but in Italy?)
De Hulk, Netherlands
Föckinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
F*ckersberg, Austria
F*cking, Austria
Horni Police, Czechia (well, let's hope they are female and pretty then)
Kilmacow, Ireland
Kissing, Bavaria, Germany
Middelfart, Denmark
Narnia, Umbria, Italy (the gateway to the magic kingdom)
Monster, Netherlands
Ogre, Latvia
Petting, Bavaria, Germany
Rectum, Netherlands
Rottenegg, Austria
Silly, Belgium
Slut, Sweden
Trollhättan, Sweden (maybe the Trolls' financial capital?)
Wank, Bavaria, Germany


Australia

Banana, Queensland
Boing Boing, Northern Territory
Break-Me-Neck Hill, Tasmania
Broke, New South Wales
Burrumbuttock, New South Wales
Chinaman's Knob, Victoria
Chinkapook, Victoria
Coffin Bay, South Australia
Come by Chance, New South Wales
Devils Kitchen, Tasmania
Dismal Swamp, Tasmania
Eggs and Bacon Bay, Tasmania
Goonoo Goonoo, New South Wales
Grong Grong, New South Wales
Humpty Doo, Northern Territory
Humpybong, Queensland
Lovely Bottom, Tasmania
Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya (the longest place name in Australia)
Mount Buggery, Victoria
Mount Cannibal, Victoria
Mount Misery, Victoria
Mount Terrible, Victoria (I am getting a feeling that the state of Victoria isn't the ideal destination for mountain hiking)
Nar Nar Goon, Victoria
Nevertire, New South Wales
Ozenkadnook, Victoria
Paradise, Tasmania
Pimpinbudgie, Queensland
Tittybong, Victoria
Tom Ugly, New South Wales
Town of 1770 (named in honour of Captain Cook's landing in Australia)
Upotipotpon, Victoria
Useless Loop, Western Australia
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wee Waa, New South Wales
Woolloomooloo, New South Wales
Yackandandah, Victoria


South Africa

Douse the Glim
Los-my-cherry
Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein (can't beat that. It translates as "Two Buffalos Shot ‘Totally’ Dead with One Shot Fountain")
Welkom (founded by Dutch colonists, though I wonder why they would choose to name a city 'Welcome'. Imagine the signs when you enter the city. "Welcome to Welkom!")

Other African countries

Bimbo, Republic of Central Africa
Chicualacuala, Monzambique
Gogogogo, Madagascar (come on, hurry up!)
Mafia Island, Tanzania. Let not the name intimidate you. It's actually a very nice place.
Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso (always make me smile :) )
Ziguinchor, Senegal


Other places in the world

Bang Sue, Thailand
Batman, Turkey
Granma, Cuba
Moron, Cuba
My Son, Vietnam
Obama, Japan (it means 'small beach' in Japanese)
Sakashita, Japan (sack of what?)
Sexmoan, Philippines (gotta love that one)
Swat, Pakistan
Uberlândia, Brazil (that's where Uber should relocate its HQ ;) )
 
Last edited:
Gosh, Maciamo, what a treat! :)

I haven't laughed so hard in I can't remember when...

The only thing funnier than the place names was your commentary: excellent, dry wit. :)

I have a lot of favorites, but at the very top:

Why? Arizona
Why not? Mississippi

Good Grief...maybe I like that one because I still use that old expression:)

Idiotville...probably because it was named by disappointed miners, but I love it: it fits so many places.

Crow Agency Montana is probably because there's a Crow Indian Reservation there, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Agencies dealt with them.

All the "lick" names may have something to do with them being near "salt licks", where settlers found salt because animals went there to "lick" it. :)

The names you find funny "sounding" sound funny to American ears too, so they feature in fun songs.


Chattanooga Choo Choo:


Kalamazoo:the vocals start at 1:13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFv_PoZ2iP0
 
Gosh, Maciamo, what a treat! :)

I haven't laughed so hard in I can't remember when...

The only thing funnier than the place names was your commentary: excellent, dry wit. :)

I am glad that you enjoyed it. :)
 
You missed Coxsackie, New York. It is said to mean 'hoot of an owl' in a Native language. Also the history of Chicken, Alaska's name is interesting; the settlers wanted to name it after the state bird, the ptarmigan, but no one knew how to spell ptarmigan so they named it Chicken.
 
Boody, Illinois

Looneyville, Texas

Humptulips, Washington It doesn't mean what you think it means; it's based on an Indian word. :)

Chugwater, Wyoming

There's a lot of fun names and funny sounding names in upstate New York


Fishkill; It's not a place to kill fish necessarily. A lot of place names there end in "kill", like Catskill. I've been told "kill" is Dutch for stream? Lots of towns that are Dutch in origin. It's why there's both an Amsterdam and a Rotterdam.

However, why is there a Cairo, New York, and a Stone Arabia, New York?

Some Indian ones where I love the sound: Shenendehoah, Sacandaga, Canajoharie, Mahopac, Chappaqua (the latter where the Clintons have a home).
 
Conquest of Lecce

(a touch of snow) ... and they want to host the Winter Olympics :)

 
Here are a few more American place names that I am familiar with. I have actually been to most of these, or at least close enough to see signs for them on the side of the road:

Beehunter, Indiana
Big Bone Lick, Kentucky (this is actually a salt lick that got its name from the mastadon & woolly mammoth bones found there)
Bucksnort, Tennessee
Gnaw Bone, Indiana
Hardscrabble, Indiana
Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky
Needmore, Indiana
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
Rising Sun, Indiana
Stinking Creek, Kentucky
Toad Hop, Indiana
 
Here are a few more American place names that I am familiar with. I have actually been to most of these, or at least close enough to see signs for them on the side of the road:

Beehunter, Indiana
Big Bone Lick, Kentucky (this is actually a salt lick that got its name from the mastadon & woolly mammoth bones found there)
Bucksnort, Tennessee
Gnaw Bone, Indiana
Hardscrabble, Indiana
Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky
Needmore, Indiana
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
Rising Sun, Indiana
Stinking Creek, Kentucky
Toad Hop, Indiana

I would never willingly go to some place called "Stinking Creek". :petrified: Maybe they named it that to keep people away.:LOL:

I might go to Needmore, however. :grin:
 

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