Place names considered unusual

There are many unusual place names throughout the world. The study of placenames is known as toponymy.

Types of placenames often seen as unusual include:
* Names with unorthodox spelling or sound.
* Names which are extremely short (e.g., one-letter names) or extremely long.
* Names that describe something that is commonly not a geographical location.
** calendar-related names
** Interrogative pronoun names

Many place names that appear odd to English-speakers are from other languages. Often they are innocuous in their own tongue. Well known examples of this are the French town of Condom, and the Austrian village of Fucking and the town Hell in Norway.

Some parts of the world have been seen as places which are famous for a large number of unusual names such as Dorset [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articles/2005/07/21/placenames_quiz_feature.shtml BBC placenames] ] in England; Ireland; [ [http://www.dochara.com/stuff/oddities.php Odd or Interesting Irish Place Names] ] Antarctica; [ [http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/oldissues99-2000/99_1031/coldhardfacts.html Partial list of Antarctic place names] ] Alberta [ [http://www.ucalgary.ca/ucpress/0-919813/0-919813-73-9.html University of calgary press] "Alberta has its share of striking and unusual place names"] and Newfoundland [ [http://www.wordplay.com/tourism/folklore/placenames.html Newfoundland Placenames] "Newfoundland has the most unusual collection of place names of any country in the world."] in Canada, and also Canada itself; [ [http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/places.html Canadian Place Names] "There are a fair share of weird & unusual Canadian place names"] and Arkansas, [ [http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/history-heritage/colorful_names.asp Arkansas's Colorful Names Amuse Some, Intrigue Others] ] Texas, [ [http://www.texasescapes.com/FEATURES/Texas_town_names/naming_of_names.htm Texas town names] ] Kentucky, [ [http://www.kentuckypress.com/viewbook.cfm?Category_ID=1&Group=48&ID=124 From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow. Unusual Kentucky Place Names (1997)] ] Minnesota [ [http://shop.mnhs.org/moreinfomhspress.cfm?Product_ID=139 The Pocket Guide to Minnesota Place Names "how did these places get such unusual names"] ] and Pennsylvania [ [http://www.amishnews.com/Towns/townnames.htm Unusual Town Names of Lancaster County] ] in the United States. Many of these are the result of local dialect or family names, so may more accurately be considered picturesque rather than unusual.

ee also

* Toponymy

References

External links

* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/087779619X/ A Place Called Peculiar: Stories About Unusual American Place-Names by Frank K. Gallant]
* [http://www.philbrodieband.com/jokes-jokes_town_names.htm Cheeky town and place names]
* [http://www.cnn.com/books/news/9803/02/town.names/index.html CNN news, Odd town names strike author's fancy (1998)]
* [http://www.dribbleglass.com/Jokes/town-names.htm Funny, Real, Sexy Town Names]
* [http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/placenames.htm Odd and Unusual Place Names]
* [http://www.americanprofile.com/article/1851.html Odd Name Places]
* [http://www.rudebritain.co.uk Photographs of rude place names from around the world]
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/Cities.html Unusual city names]
* [http://www.thatsweird.net/facts9.shtml Weird and funny place names]
* [http://www.postcardsforyou.com/whatsname.html What's in a name? You'd Be Surprised, By Arnie Greenberg]