I grew up in New Jersey… exit 4, to be more precise. But it wasn’t until I left home that I actually started to think about the original Jersey, off the coast of France. Technically, the original Jersey is a bailiwick composed of an island and two groups of small islands, which, along with another bailiwick called Guernsey, make up the Channel Islands. Jersey isn’t part of the U.K., nor is it a full-member state of the EU, but is a separate possession of The Crown in Right of the United Kingdom.
So why is New Jersey named after Jersey? Well, When Charles II of England was exiled in Jersey, a man named Sir George Carteret, a royalist statesman in Jersey, often came to the monarch’s assistance. To repay the favor, later Charless II gave Carteret a huge tract of land over in the American colonies where Sir Bruce Springsteen would later grow up, which Carteret promptly named New Jersey. This also answers the question: why is there a borough in Middlesex County, NJ called Carteret? Glad we cleared that one up, aren’t you?
Okay, but what about New Brunswick, NJ?
Well, in 1714, the area originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans was named New Brunswick after the city of Braunschweig, in state of Lower Saxony, in Germany. Bruno II, a Saxon count who lived during the 11th century, settled the original area in Germany and the town is named after him (Bruno + wik).
Leaving New Jersey and traveling into New York, which, of course, was New Amsterdam, we come to the awfully quaint village of New Paltz, NY. Founded in 1678 by French Huguenots, including Louis DuBois, who lived in Mannheim, Germany, for a brief period of time before sailing on to the New Land, New Paltz is probably most famous for being the place Penny got an abortion in the Dirty Dancing.
But what about the name? Well, Mannheim, Germany was a major town of the Rhenish Palatinate or, in German, the Rheinpfalz (try saying that with a saltine in your mouth!). Take away the Rhein and you’re left with pfalz, which the good people of Mannheim pronounced Paltz! When they made their way to New York, it was a no-brainer to call the land New Paltz.
New Rochelle, located in Westchester County, New York, was originally settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were on the run from Catholic-instigated massacres back in France. As history would have it, many of the pioneers hailed from the city of La Rochelle, France, which is in south-western France on the Bay of Biscay.
Moving north to Connecticut, we come to one of the most affluent communities in the US, New Canaan, which takes its name first from the parish established in 1731 called Canaan. When the parish finally became a town in 1801, they called it New Canaan. Of course, the original Canaan was a tract of land defined in the Bible as the “Land of Canaan,” which, according to the Canaanites, extended from Lebanon southward across Gaza to the “Brook of Egypt” and eastward to the Jordan River Valley.
Our last stop on this Old/New tour is New Hampshire.
The original Hampshire is on the southern coast of England Hampshire, sometimes historically referred to as Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, and the County of Southampton, which may answer all sort of questions about those precious Hamptons on Long Island. Since Hampshire was on the coast, it made for easy access back in the 17th century for those leaving England and settling in the region they then called New Hampshire.
New Durham, NH was named after Durham, NH, which got its name from England, as well. New Durham is probably best known as the place where Reverend Benjamin Randall founded the then-new religious denomination in 1780 called the Free Will Baptists, later known as Free Baptists. The original Durahm is located in north east of England and is home to Durham University, England’s third oldest educational institute after Oxford and Cambridge. It’s located not too far from Durham’s city center, er, rather centre.
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Hey! Where’s New Mexico?
posted by Beth on 7-13-2010 at 11:33 am
Beth: Next to Arizona. :)
posted by Steve on 7-13-2010 at 11:39 am
and Texas
posted by MRMAC on 7-13-2010 at 12:13 pm
Hah, thanks to Steve and MRMAC for making smile this morning :-D
posted by Sarah in CA on 7-13-2010 at 12:19 pm
Wait, there’s a NEW Mexico?
posted by C.M. Burns on 7-13-2010 at 12:27 pm
Actually, Carteret was only granted a one-half interest in New Jersey (the northern half). The rest was deeded to Lord Berkeley. The dividing line ran from Pensauken to Barnerget. Later, Carteret, et als. decided on a more appealing division of New Jersey – creating East Jersey and West Jersey – along the Quintipartite/Lawrence line – which runs diagonally through the state.
posted by David on 7-13-2010 at 12:39 pm
According to some……”New” Mexico would BE Arizona. lol
posted by CgH on 7-13-2010 at 12:41 pm
There are more Canaans in Connecticut — Canaan and North Canaan are small, rural towns in the extreme northwest part of the state, some hundred miles north of New Canaan.
posted by Mark on 7-13-2010 at 1:41 pm
I question that Pfalz was ever pronounced Paltz by the Germans. PF is pronounced with both sounds, but more of the F, not the P. They do not pronounce the old coin, the Pfennig as Pennig. It’s closer to Fennig.
posted by Paul on 7-13-2010 at 1:53 pm
The state name “New York” wasn’t covered either…but I can probably guess it gets it’s name from the Great Britain city, York.
posted by Katie Rose on 7-13-2010 at 2:38 pm
Hm, how about New Haven, CT? Is that named for another location or just the noun?
posted by Lynnie on 7-13-2010 at 2:53 pm
@ Mark: Ever notice the obscene number of Lymes in CT as well? Lyme, Old Lyme, Hadlyme…
Whomever was charged with naming cities around here was not terribly original…
posted by sammylee on 7-13-2010 at 3:04 pm
Exit 4? That’s where I live! Interesting list.
posted by Erin on 7-13-2010 at 3:10 pm
sammylee — let’s not forget:
New Haven/North Haven/East Haven/West Haven
Milford/New Milford
Hartford/New Hartford/West Hartford/East Hartford
Fairfield/New Fairfield
Windsor/East Windsor/South Windsor/Windsor Locks
Middletown/Middlebury/Middlefield
Old Saybrook/ummm… wait, something’s not right there.
For such a small state, you would think they could find enough town names.
posted by Mark on 7-13-2010 at 3:40 pm
To make it all a little more confusing for Canaan, CT. Canaan is technically Falls Village, and what most people call Canaan is North Canaan, then there is always East Canaan….
posted by Darlene on 7-13-2010 at 4:05 pm
There are “New”s outside of the Eastern Time Zone, you know. Our country doesn’t just stop at the Appalachian Mountains.
posted by Rachel on 7-13-2010 at 5:03 pm
Rachel,
Sure it does. Nothing much exists east of there.
Here in Minnesota we have boring, easy to figure out ‘New’s, like New Prague, New Germany, New Ulm, New Berlin, New Munich, New Trier (think we were settled by Germans, maybe?), New London. We even have New Hope. If you’ve ever been there you understand why it’s commonly called No Hope.
posted by eric! on 7-13-2010 at 7:08 pm
Yay New Jersey!
posted by Victoria on 7-13-2010 at 11:33 pm
Maybe this is common knowledge, but I’d love to know where the name “New Caledonia” comes from.
posted by BlueAloe on 7-14-2010 at 9:49 am
Exit 4 represent!
posted by mike on 7-14-2010 at 9:55 am
Hey now, eric! I grew up in NEW HOPE – stop hating! ;)
But I agree with you and Rachel in that this list was extremely East-coast centric!
posted by Mel on 7-14-2010 at 11:22 am
BlueAloe, Caledonia is the Latin name for the area that is now known as Scotland. It was probably named after the indigenous people from there and was not properly defined until the Romans erected Hadrians wall. My family emigrated to Canada from Northumberland which borders Scotland and is separated from Scotland by that very wall. Oddly enough they settled in the city of Sarnia, Ontario that takes its origin from the Latin name for the channel island of Guernsey.
posted by Brad on 7-14-2010 at 12:21 pm
As much as I enjoyed reading this, I have to curse you slightly! I now have the They Might Be Giants song, Istanbul (Not Constantinople) stuck in my head!
“Even old New York, was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it, I can’t say.. people just like it better that way!”
posted by nancy pants on 7-14-2010 at 1:40 pm
Hello? You left off 2/3 of the country.
posted by Elena on 7-15-2010 at 11:28 am
There are more “New ____’s” on the east coast. That’s why it was East Coat centric and no I’m not biased I live in Colorado. I don’t know of any New’s here.
@Nancy Pants I thought of that song too. I didn’t know They Might Be Giants did a cover of it.
posted by Brit on 7-15-2010 at 1:56 pm
New Orleans?
posted by Lisa on 7-15-2010 at 3:25 pm
You should have also mentioned that Durham, NH is home to the University of New Hampshire.
Although, really, I’m just surprised that you mentioned New Hampshire at all. Thank you :)
posted by Vanessa on 7-16-2010 at 1:07 am
Just FYI, Hadrian’s Wall is now firmly within England, not on the English/Scottish border…
posted by Gwan on 7-18-2010 at 10:23 am
NEW PALTZ!Everything around here is named after the Dubois’s, but it’s pronounced doo-boys, not the “French” way. The tourists like to correct us on the “proper” saying.
posted by Dani on 7-18-2010 at 10:40 pm
you should do one explaining how each state got it’s name!
posted by Amanda on 8-10-2010 at 12:28 pm