Origin of Alaskan Place Names
Mishap Creek, aka Big Loss Creek, is Unimak Island stream named for a lighthouse keeper who stripped naked to cross the water, then tried to throw his clothes to the other side, only to watch helplessly as they landed downstream and disappeared.
There's Chicken, an old mining town established during the Klondike Gold Rush. A detailed history of the name is not in Orth's dictionary, but according to oft-told lore, miners wanted to call the community Ptarmigan after a bird common to the area, but no one knew how to spell it. So they settled on Chicken, since miners also called ptarmigans "tundra chickens."
Atlasta Creek was inspired by a remark uttered by the wife of the owner of a nearby roadhouse after the first building was completed: "At last a house."
THE ORIGINS OF SOME ENGLISH PLACE NAMES
BURY, BOROUGH
Is usually a corruption of burh, which meant a fort of fortified place. Aylesbury was Aegel's burh or burgh. Boarhunt was burh funta the spring by the fort.
BY
Was the Danish word for village. Derby was Deor By the deer village.
CASTER, CESTER AND CHESTER
Are derived from the Saxon word ceaster, which meant a Roman fort or town. Lancaster was Lune ceaster. Chichester was Cissa's ceaster.
CLOPP
Clopp meant a short hill. Clapham in London was clopp ham the village by the short hill.
COOMB OR COMBE
Is usually derived from the Saxon word 'cumb', which meant valley. Compton a common village name was cumb tun or valley farm.
COTT OR COTE
Place names ending in cott or cote are usually derived from the Saxon word for house 'cott'.
DEAN OR DENE
Is usually a corruption of denu, which meant a little valley.
DEN
At the end of the place name is usually derived from denn, which meant pasture, usually for pigs.
Origin of Place Names in Central Asia
There are several ancient place-names in Central Asia such as Āmū, Chāch, Xīwa, Samarqand, Chaghāniyān and some others, the origin of which till now remains unknown. Name of Buxārā, which is one of largest cities of the region, also belongs to this number. This name was mentioned for the first time on the earliest copper coins of Buxārā