Bergen was a part of the 17th-century Dutch colony of New Netherland, in what is now northeastern New Jersey. Placenames in most cases had their roots in Algonquian Lenape and Dutch.

At the time of European settlement, the area was largely the territory of the Acquackanonk Raritan, Tappan, and Hackensack Native American tribes. The Munsee lived in the colony's northwestern reaches, the Highlands, while the Wappinger lived to the northeast in the Hudson Valley. The definition of these groups as they are known today is often from the perception of the colonizing Dutch, who tended to call the existing people by the name of a location within their territory, thus creating an exonym. Both the Lenape and Dutch often named a place based on the geography or geology of the natural environment and described a shape, location, feature, quality, or phenomenon.

The Lenape were without a written language. The Swannekins, or Salt Water People (as the Europeans were called),Ruttenber, E.M., Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, (Hope Farm Press, 3rd ed, 2001) used the Latin alphabet to write down the words they heard from the Wilden (as the Lenape were called). These approximations were no doubt greatly influenced by Dutch, which was the lingua franca of the multilingual province. Some names still exist in their altered form, their current spelling (and presumably pronunciation) having evolved over the last four centuries into American English.

In some cases it cannot be confirmed, or there is contention, as to whether the roots are in the Dutch or the Lenape language, as sources do not always concur. In others, the meaning of the Lenape can have several interpretations. Locative suffixes vary depending on the dialect (usually Munsee or Unami) of the Lenape that prevailed. Jersey Dutch was spoken in the region until the 20th century.

Acquackanonk Name of an Unami group who lived along and between the banks of the Passaic River Neck. Meaning a place in a rapid stream where fishing is done with a net, alternatively, at the lamprey stream, from contemporary axkwaakahnung. Spellings include Achquakanonk, Acquackanonk, Auchaquackanock, Ackquekenon.James, B.B. & James, J.F., ed., Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680, New York, 1913, pages 176-7 Acquackanonk Township was one of the state's first townships, established in 1683. Pieces of it were taken over the years to create the towns of Fairfield, Paterson, Little Falls, Passaic, and Montclair. It ceased to exist with the creation of Clifton in 1917. A bridge in the township was burned as General George Washington's army retreated from Fort Lee in 1776, during the American Revolution.

Achter Kol

Described the area around Newark Bay and the rivers that flowed into it. Called Meghgectecock by the Lenape. Achter, meaning behind, and kol, meaning neck, can be translated as the back (of the) peninsula,Online Nederlands Woordenboek (Online Dutch Dictionary) in this case Bergen Neck. Variations include Achter Col, Achter Kull, Archer Col, Achter Kull. The name Achter Kol is largely extinct, though it is likely to have evolved into Arthur Kill, the name of a different waterway in the area.

Arresick A former tidal island, site of first ferry landing for the patroonship Pavonia.

Arresick can be translated as burial ground.On July 12th, 1630, Mr. Michael Pauw, Burgomaster of Amsterdam and Lord of Achtienhover, near Utrecht, obtained through the Directors and Councillors of New Netherlands, a deed from the Indians to the land called Hopoghan Hackingh, this being the first deed recorded in New Netherlands. On November 22nd, of the same year, the same parties procured from the Indians a deed to Mr. Pauw of Ahasimus and Aresick (burying-ground), the peninsula later called Paulus Hook. It can also be spelled as Arressechhonk.New Jersey Colonial Records, East Jersey Records: Part 1-Volume 21, Calendar of Records 1664-1702

The island has been absorbed by landfill and is now part of the Paulus Hook neighborhood of Jersey City.

Arthur Kill A tidal strait separating Staten Island from mainland New Jersey. From kille, meaning water channel such as riverbed, rivulet, or stream. Likely to have evolved from Achter Col, adapted by English-language speakers that immigrated to the region from the Elizabethtown Tract and Perth Amboy.

Bedloe's Island Under Dutch sovereignty the island became the property of Isaack Bedloo, a merchant and "select burgher" of New Amsterdam, and one of 94 signers of the "Remonstrance of the People of New Netherlands to the Director-General and Council". It has been the home of the Statue of Liberty since 1886, and was renamed to Liberty Island in 1956.

Bergen

There are various opinions as to the naming of Bergen. Some say that it so called for Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands, or for the city of Bergen in Norway.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhudson/genhistory_hudson_bergen_2.html. Others believe it comes from the word bergen, which in the Germanic languages of northern Europe means hills, and could have been used to describe a distinct geological feature of the region, The Palisades."Indigenous Population ". Bergencountyhistory.org. Yet another interpretation is that it comes from the Dutch word bergen, meaning to save or to recover, or place of safety, inspired by the settlers returning after they had fled attacks by the native population in the Peach War.

The name Bergen is widely used in northeastern New Jersey, not only for the Bergen County itself but also in Bergen Point, Bergen Hill, Bergen Arches, Bergenline Avenue, Bergenfield, among many others.

Caven Point The Caven Point settlement at Minkakwa on the west shore of the Upper New York Bay lied between the settlements of Pamrapo and Communipaw, and was part of Pavonia. The name Caven is an anglicisation of the Dutch word Kewan, which in turn was a "Batavianized" derivative of an Algonquian word meaning peninsula. The area is now a part of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, after having served as a large railyard, train station, and ferry terminal for many years.

Communipaw Site of the summer encampment and council fire of the Hackensack tribe, its complete meaning has been lost. Spellings include Gamoenapa, Gemonepan,Joan F. Doherty, Hudson County The Left Bank, (Windsor Publications, Inc., 1986) Gemoenepaen, Gamenepaw, Comounepaw, Comounepan, Communipau, Goneuipan.

Some suggest it is derived from the Lenape words , meaning on the other side of the river, and , meaning water-land or big landing-place. Others have suggested that it might come from the "Community of Pauw", which likely is more a coincidence than a fact.Gannett, Ganett, Henry, The Origin of Certain Place Names in The United StatesWriters' Program (U.S.) New Jersey. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names Trenton, NJ, New Jersey Public Library Commission, 1945. ... www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Digidox7.php

The Communipaw neighborhood of Jersey City takes its name from the settlement. The Communipaw Terminal is a former railroad station in Liberty State Park, through which countless immigrants entered the United States after traveling through Ellis Island.

Constable Hook A land grant to Jacob Jacobsen Roy who was a chief gunner or constable in Fort Amsterdam in New Amsterdam in 1646, by the Dutch West India Company, under the leadership of Director-General William Kieft. Konstapel's Hoeck in Dutch, takes its name from Roy's title.Joan F. Doherty, Hudson County The Left Bank, (Windsor Publications, Inc., 1986) A hoek or hoeck in Dutch meaning a spit of land or small peninsula. Though not used, could be translated to English as Gunner's Point.

Cromakill Cromakill Creek, likely from kromme kille meaning crooked creek, border between Secaucus and North Bergen. Similar to evolution of Gramercy, which is a corruption of the krom mesje, or little crooked knife, the name of a small brook that flowed along what is now 21st Street in Manhattan.Gramercy Park profile , New York (magazine). Accessed September 30, 2007.

Cresskill From the watercress that grew in its streams, or kills in the historical Dutch. If You're Thinking of Living In/Cresskill; High-Cost Housing, Quality Services, The New York Times by Jerry Cheslow, October 16, 1994

The borough of Cresskill exists today in modern Bergen County.

Deep Voll Diepte Voll, which literally translates to Deep Fall, to describe the brook's numerous waterfalls and steep slopes. Known as Muksukemuk to the Lenape. Brief history of Deep Voll Brook and a historical account of The Ravine

The Deep Voll Brook is a tributary of the Goffle Brook in the Passaic River watershed.

Dwars Kill Alternatively Dwarskill or Dwarskill Creek, a tributary of the Oradell Reservoir meaning cross creek.http://translate.google.nl/#nl|en|dwars%0A Translate Google: dwars> cross, traverse

Dunkerhook Small section of suburban Paramus reputed to be the former site of a "slave community." According to local histories and an historic marker at the site, Dunkerhook was once home to a population of African Americans, many or all of whom were slaves, as well as a "slave school" and "slave church." However, primary historic documentation establishes that Dunkerhook was populated not by slaves, but rather primarily by free African Americans.

English Neighborhood The former Ridgefield Township in southeastern Bergen County was likely so called the English Township because of the settlers who came to reside there who were not New Netherlander, namely many English language speakers from the West Indies and New England.

Hackensack The meadowlands, river and city, the Lenape group and their territory, take their name from site of semi-permanent encampment on the neck between the river and Overpeck Creek, near the Teaneck Ridge. Variously translated as place of stony ground or place of sharp ground. Spellings include Ahkingeesahkuy, Achsinnigeu-haki, Achinigeu-hach, Ack-kinkas-hacky, Achkinhenhcky, Ackingsah-sack, Ackinckeshacky, Hackinsack.

Alternatively, suggested as the place where two rivers come together on low ground or stream which discharges itself into another on the level ground, which would speak to the confluence of the Hackensack and Overpeck Creek or Passaic River.

Harsimus Meaning is not clear, possibly Crow's Marsh. Site of a seasonal Hackensack encampment and one of the first "bouweries" built by Dutch settlers at Pavonia. Spellings include: Aharsimus, Ahasimus,Hasymes, Haassemus, Hahassemes, Hasimus, Horseemes, Hasseme, Horsimus Contemporary: ahas meaning crow

Haverstraw One of the first locales to appear on maps of North America, listed as Haverstroo, which means oat straw.

Hoboken Tobacco pipe, from or Most likely to refer to the soapstone collected there to carve tobacco pipes, in a phrase that became Hopoghan Hackingh or place of stone for the tobacco pipe. Contemporary: Hopoakan meaning pipe for smoking.

Alternatively from Hoebuck, old Dutch for high bluff and likely referring to Castle PointHoboken Reporter Jan 16, 2005 Variations used during the colonial era included Hobock, Hobocan, Hoboocken, and Hobuck,. Although the spelling Hoboken was used by the English as early as 1668, it doesn't appear that until Col. John Steven purchased the land on which the city is situated that it became common.

Some would believe the city to be named after European town of the same name. The Flemish Hoboken, annexed in 1983 to Antwerp, Belgium, is derived from Middle Dutch Hooghe Buechen or Hoge Beuken, meaning High Beeches or Tall Beeches.U.S. Towns and Cities with Dutch Names, Embassy of the Netherlands Established in 1135, the New Netherlanders were likely aware of its existence (and may have pronounced the Lenape to conform a more familiar sound), but it is doubtful that the city on the Hudson is named for it.Van Rensselaer, Mariana Schulyer, The History of the city of New York, Volume 1, 1909 (New York: Macmillan)

Houvenkopf