The history behind all the names of our cities, towns and villages in Palm Beach County

After over a century of being called Lake Worth, in 2019 the city changed its name to Lake Worth Beach.

City Commissioners agreed to let voters decide on changing the city's name to Lake Worth Beach, mostly to capitalize on the prized coastline and to distance itself from unincorporated Lake Worth crime stats.

The name change was believed to be Palm Beach County's first since 1990, when Greenacres City dropped the “city.”

People rarely know the history of the names of the cities, towns, villages, even the counties where they live. So we decided to do the work and give you the real story behind the names.

Atlantis

Developers picked an exotic name, that of the lost continent, to attract buyers, and get the town at the top of alphabetical lists.

Belle Glade

Residents submitted names; the winner was a play off “Belle of the Glades,” or from “Glade Bell,” the name of a local ferry boat.

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Boca Raton

In Spanish, it literally means “mouth of the mouse.” Some say it was named for where sharp rocks gnawed at ships’ docking ropes. But historians believe those rocks were in present-day Miami Beach, and mapmakers goofed.

Boynton Beach

The town of Boynton was named for settler Nathan Smith Boynton. In 1931, the adjacent barrier island split off into Boynton Beach. In 1939, it renamed itself Ocean Ridge, for its high ground. Two years later, Boynton became Boynton Beach.

Briny Breezes

The mobile-home park wanted to play off the adjacent ocean.

Cloud Lake

The tiny town near Palm Beach International Airport played off a description local indigenous people used for the area. There are about 135 people living in Cloud Lake.

Delray Beach

It originally was named Linton (which is a major boulevard in Delray) but was renamed for a Detroit neighborhood believed settled by a Mexican, thus the name in Spanish, Delray, or “of the king.”

Glen Ridge

A resident of the tiny town near PBIA noted a canal bank formed a ridge and the main street was surrounded by trees that gave the appearance of a wooded glen. There are about 210 people living in Glen Ridge.

Golf

The village near Boynton Beach was settled by former residents of Golf, Illinois, then home of the Western Golf Association.

Greenacres

When it was founded in 1926, the name was drawn from a hat. In 1987, residents suggested a change because of the television comedy “Green Acres,” but the town council declined. Residents voted in 1990 to remove “City.”

Gulf Stream

(Yes, two words): It’s considered the closest land area to the famed offshore current.

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Haverhill

It is named for Haverhill, Mass., near Boston, the original home of some early settlers.

Highland Beach

The small town north of Boca Raton features a coastal ridge.

Hypoluxo

Once the name of Lake Worth, the body of water that’s now the Intracoastal Waterway in central Palm Beach County, it’s from a Seminole word for “water all around, can’t get out.” Before the Palm Beach Inlet was dug, the lake was closed in.

Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony and Juno Beach

Mapmakers noted the native settlement of Hobe (HO-bay) and thought it was the Spanish pronunciation of Jove, the Latin counterpart of the Greek god Zeus, who also went by Jupiter. When a sister settlement sprang up, it was named Juno for Jupiter’s wife. It burned in 1894, and the town of Juno Beach was formed in 1953. Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area in Martin County, just north of Jupiter.

Lake Clarke Shores

In the late 19th century, a fishing lodge owned by the C.J. Clarke family of Pittsburgh overlooked the site.

Lake Worth Beach

William Jenkins Worth, leader of American troops in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), ended the conflict by summarily declaring it over. As noted above, the city was called Lake Worth for over a century before being changed to Lake Worth Beach in 2019.

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Lantana

It was named for a type of flower. According to The Spruce website, a Lantana is aflowering shrub that produces rounded clusters of small, brightly colored flowers in yellow, orange, white, red, pink, blue, or purple. They are used in hanging baskets or ground covers. Lantana (the plant) is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Lake Park

Originally named Kelsey City, for developer Harry Kelsey. When he went bust and left, residents opted for a name that reflected adjacent Lake Worth and a nearby park.

Loxahatchee Groves

For the nearby waterway. In Seminole and related languages, Loxa is “turtle” and Hatchee “river.”

Manalapan

Named by settlers from the New Jersey town of the same name.

Mangonia Park

The original settlement was near West Palm Beach’s Northwood neighborhood. It later was swallowed by the city. The present town, about 2 miles to the northwest, was founded in 1953. People wanted it named “Magnolia Park,” but the state said the name was taken and unilaterally assigned Mangonia Park, for the nearby lake.

Pahokee

The town on Lake Okeechobee comes from the Seminole word for “grassy waters.”

Palm Beach

It was named in 1886 for the many palm trees that sprang up after the Spanish ship Providencia wrecked in 1878 and some 20,000 coconuts were sold as salvage. West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach, and South Palm Beach are variations.

Palm Beach Gardens

John D. MacArthur played off his “garden city” vision.

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Palm Beach Shores

British hotelier A.O. Edwards wanted a tie to Palm Beach and had a summer home at the Detroit, Michigan, suburb of St. Clair Shores.

Palm Springs

Probably for the resort town of Palm Springs, California.

Riviera Beach

Developers wanted to conjure up images of Europe’s coastal resort area.

Royal Palm Beach

Developers planted dozens of royal palms along what they named Royal Palm Beach Boulevard.

South Bay

Believed named for its position at the south end of Lake Okeechobee.

Tequesta

In the 1950s, when the developer created the neighborhood, historians explained the Native American tribe called the Tequesta never came that far north, but he said he’d already printed promotional material and wouldn’t budge.

Wellington

It’s named not for the duke who defeated Napoleon, but for the area’s settler, New England accountant C. Oliver Wellington.

​Westlake

This is the county’s newest municipality (2016); developers Minto Communities successfully petitioned for incorporation, and picked the name, even before the first shovel was turned.

West Palm Beach

Its name is a variation of Palm Beach, which was named in 1886 for the many palm trees that sprang up after the Spanish ship Providencia wrecked in 1878 and some 20,000 coconuts were sold as salvage. North Palm Beach and South Palm Beach are variations.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: History of city names in Palm Beach County: Boca Raton; West Palm