From 'pretty prairie' to 'dead man's creek,' find out origin of Florida city names

Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·6 min read

Florida is a state rich with history and that history starts with the state's name.

Juan Ponce de Leon arrived near Florida's shore in April 1513, close to Easter, and called the new land La Pascua de la Florida.

Pascua Florida Day is Florida’s state day, celebrated on April 2. Pascua Florida is a Spanish term that means "flowery festival" or "feast of flowers."

The names of many Florida cities and landmarks also reflect the Sunshine State's history, although many of them don't roll quite as easily — without practice — off the tongue. Many of the names derive from native cultures, people or places of interest here at that time.

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Step back into history to find out the origin of these Florida names

Information was provided by the Florida Department of State.

  • Altamonte Springs,Seminole County: Before there was a giant mall, there was Altamonte, which is Spanish for high hill.

  • Apalachicola, Franklin County: The word probably comes from the Hitchiti Indian words "apalahchi" (on the other side) and "okli" (people). Together, the word may mean "those people residing on the other side or shore."

  • Arcadia, De Soto County: The Rev. James Hendry named the town in honor of Arcadia Albritton, a daughter of pioneer settlers who baked him a cake for his birthday. He appreciated it so much he named the city after her.

  • Belle Glade, Palm Beach County: Belle Glade was originally known as the Hillsborough Canal Settlement. When the inhabitants requested their own post office, they were required to give the city a new name. A tourist traveling to the area said the town was the "belle of the glades." That sounded good to the locals. So with a minor change, it became the town's new name.

  • Boca Raton, Palm Beach County: The Spanish "Boca de Ratones" means rat's mouth, a term used by seamen to describe a hidden rock which a ship's cable might rub against.

  • Cape Canaveral, Brevard County: Canaveral is the Spanish word for "a place of reeds or cane." A far cry from what Cape Canaveral is known for today.

  • Crystal River, Citrus County: The correct translation of the name is "weewahiiaca" which is derived from the Seminole-Creek Indians word "wiwa" (water), "haiyayaki" (clear, shining).

  • Dade City, Pasco County: The city is named for Maj. Francis Langhorne Dade, a U.S. Army officer killed by Seminoles at the start of the Second Seminole War.

  • Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County: Named for Lt. Col. Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, the brother of former U.S. President Franklin Pierce.

  • Frostproof, Polk County: It was named by cowboys who brought cattle to the region during the winter months to get away from frost.

  • Groveland, Lake County: Originally called Taylorville, the town was renamed Groveland due to the large number of citrus groves in the region.

  • Haines City, Polk County: First known as Clay Cut, Haines City is named in honor of railroad official Col. Henry Haines.

  • Hialeah, Dade County: Of Muskogee origin "haiyakpo" (prairie) and "hili" (pretty), Hialeah means pretty prairie.

  • Homosassa, Citrus County: The name comes form the Muskogee "homo" (pepper) and "sasi" (is there), the place where the wild pepper grows.

  • Inverness, Citrus County: The city is named by a Scotch settler for the ancient capital of the Scottish Highlands.

  • Islamorada, Monroe County: It is Spanish for "purple island."

  • Key West, Monroe County: It is the westernmost island extending from the Florida peninsula. Key West was originally called Bone Island by the early Spanish explorers because they found large quantities of human bones there.

  • Lake City, Columbia County: The town was renamed by the state Legislature from Alligator to Lake City because of the myriad of lakes that surround the area.

  • Lakeland, Polk County: Lakeland is named so because of the 19 lakes within city limits.

  • Madison, Madison County: Madison was first called Hickstown, after Seminole Chief John Hicks. Then it became known as Newton. But the mail kept coming addressed to Madison C.H. (meaning the courthouse of Madison County), so the locals just dropped the C.H. and used Madison as the town's name.

  • Masaryktown, Hernando County: Named after the first president of Czechoslovakia, Masarytown was founded by the editor of a Czech newspaper in New York.

  • Mayo, Lafayette County: No, not the condiment. This town is named after James Mayo, a colonel who had been in charge of the Confederate Army. He delivered a speech in the area one Fourth of July and the settlers were so impressed by Mayo that they named their community after him.

  • Miami, Dade County: The name comes from Mayaimi (a lake which is now Lake Okeechobee) which means "very large."

  • Micanopy, Alachua County: Head chief of the Seminoles in the Seminole War. Micanopy means "head chief."

  • Miccosukee, Leon County: From Hitchiti "miki" (chief) and "suki" (hogs), Miccosukee means "chiefs of the hog clan."

  • Palatka, Putnam County: Its name is derived from the Muskogee word "pilotaikita" which means "ferry," "ford" or "crossing." Palatka was a major trading post on the St. Johns River.

  • Panama City, Bay County: George West, the original developer of the town, named it Panama City because it is in a direct line between Chicago and Panama City, Panama.

  • Pensacola, Escambia County: Most likely, the name is a derivation of Pansfalaya, an Indian tribe. The Choctaw called them the "long-haired people."

  • St. Augustine, St. Johns County: The oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, St. Augustine was named by its founder, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, for St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo.

  • St. Petersburg, Pinellas County: Called the Sunshine City, ironically, it was named after one of the coldest cities of the world: Russia's St. Petersburg.

  • Steinhatchee, Taylor County: The name is derived from the Muskogee "ak" (down), "isti" (man) and "hatchee" (creek). It means "dead man's creek."

  • Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County: The name is said to have come from a remark from Mrs. Ormond Boyer, who exclaimed "See that tarpon spring" while watching fish leap out the water. However, that the fish were not tarpon, but mullet. That's probably better than Mullet Springs.

  • Weeki Wachee Springs, Hernando County: From the Muskogee words "wekiwa" (spring) and "chee" (little), the town's name means "little spring."

  • Winter Haven, Polk County: The area was considered a haven from the severe winters of the north. Winter Haven also is nicknamed "The City of a Hundred Lakes."

  • Yeehaw, Indian River County: A corruption of Muskogee "yaha" which means wolf.

  • Zephyrhills, Pasco County: The name calls attention to the cooling breezes that blow over the hills.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida history: Origin of city names and translations