Most People Don’t Know The Meaning Behind These 11 Iowa Town Names

Iowa got its name from the Ioway people, a tribe of Native Americans who occupied the area before the European settlers came. According to their language, Iowa means “beautiful” or “beautiful land.” Just like our state name has a meaning behind it, so do many of our town names! You may not even have heard of some of these stumpers, but the history behind them is fascinating. Here are 11 town names in Iowa and the meaning behind them that you probably never knew:

Ashton B Crew/Flickr

Apparently, the name that the townspeople wanted was already taken and they couldn't agree on a different one, so they did the only thing you can do in that situation. The mayor put on blindfold, faced a map and placed his finger on Jamaica, and so the town name was born. That seems like a reasonable fair way to settle the situation to be honest. Perhaps more disputes should be put to the blindfold test. Unfortunately, Jamaica, Iowa doesn't quite have the same weather patterns as the island it's named for. Bundle up!

Dmetz61753/Wikimedia Commons

The name Pella is a reference to Perea (an ancient kingdom ruled by Herod the Great), where the Christians of Jerusalem found refuge during the Roman-Jewish War. The town was named Pella because the townspeople were seeking religious freedom, much like the people of Perea. As you can see from the picture the town looks pretty stately, appropriate for its history having been named for an ancient kingdom.

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Kevin Schuchmann/Wikimedia Commons

Elkader was named after the Algerian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri. In 1846, the founders decided to name it for the young Algerian who was leading his people in resisting the French colonial takeover of Algeria. You may begin to see a trend, wars have a big influence on names in Iowa.

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Dave/Flickr

The story goes that the town got its name because the townspeople, who had relocated from another settlement, were unhappy that the railroad had not laid tracks by their old settlement. So because of that, the people called themselves 'defiers' and the town Defiance. That may seem like a small issue now, but at the time Iowans lived and died by the railroad. You would have to move if you weren't railroad accessible, unless you were operating on the most rural of bases.

Beebeetown Iowa / Facebook

Originally the town was called Officialredrydercarbineactiontwohundredshotrangemodelairrifle, but the town was asked by the Post Office to come up with something a little shorter, hence the name "Beebeetown." Honestly, we can't tell which one is more outlandish. It turns out though that Beebeetown was named for a prominent family in the area, the Beebee family. It's not a reference to a type of gun like the original name might have indicated.

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Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr

After their first choice of town names was rejected, the townspeople successfully got the town named "What Cheer," which is an old slang term similar to today's "What's up." It's truly a wildcard once those first names get shot down.

Andy Perkins/Flickr

Council Bluffs was named for a meeting of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the Otoe tribe, which took place at Council Bluff, near present day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, which is 20 miles to the north. With this name you can never forget the rich history of the state.

Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr

Take a guess. It's a pretty tough one! It was named Fertile because of...you guessed it! The fertile soil in the area. We respect a straight forward naming process.

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Channone Arif/Flickr

There are a few different local legends about the origin of the town name. One version says a man was looking for some relatives living in the area, and when he was asked where he was going, he said that he was looking for the lost nation. Seems like an odd response when they might have been able to help him find his family, but here we are.

Magicpiano/Wikimedia Commons

Correctionville is one that isn't as obvious to most people. The city actually gets its name from a surveying practice of making correction lines. It is not in fact a town of prisons.

Jason Mrachina/Flickr

Our state capital was named after the Des Moines River, which is adapted from the French Rivière des Moines, which means "River of the Monks." The French phrase "des Moines" translates to either "from the monks" or "of the monks". Some think Des Moines refers to French Trappist monks, who lived in huts on top of what is now known as Monks Mound near St. Louis. Either way, monks were involved in this naming process.

If you’re from Iowa, we’d love to hear what town you’re from and how it got its name. From what we’ve uncovered most names are either deeply symbolic and thought out or completely random. Have any more fun town name stories? Share them with us in the comments section below!