These are geographic anagrams and anadromes. Anagrams are rearrangements of the letters of another name or word. Anadromes (also called reversals or ananyms) are other names or words spelled backwards. Technically, a reversal is also an anagram, but the two are derived by different methods, so they are listed separately.
Anagrams
Place names created by anagramming fall into three distinct groups:
Single letters swapped Sometimes this is due to a typo that did not get fixed. Others are just to make a different name, but not too different, from the original. Syllables swapped Usually based on someone's surname. Well mixed combinations When a completely different name was desired.
NameAnagram ofNotesReference Aloha, Oregon Aloah Aloah was a small resort in Wisconsin; letters swapped by Post Office during application approval Birson, Saskatchewan Robins George Cornelius Robins, early settler; now known as Fir Ridge Boncar, West Virginia carbon Now known as Alloy, West Virginia Carol City, Florida Coral name changed after Coral Gables threatened to sue Dongola, Wisconsin Gondola name misspelled (during post office approval?) and never corrected El Jobean, Florida Joel Bean developer anagrammed his own name Elroy, Wisconsin Leroy chosen to avoid post office name duplication Garus, California sugar Goliad, Texas Hidalgo (except silent H) indirect naming for Miguel Hidalgo, Mexican national hero Kinhop, Saskatchewan Hopkins (minus the S) William Hopkins Landrose, Saskatchewan Roseland William Roseland Lerado, Kansas Laredo, Texas post office clerical error resulted in a swap of the E and A Linbro Park, Sandton, South Africa Brolin local family name Lipona Plantation, Florida Napoli owned by Prince Achille Murat, former prince of Naples Malesus, Tennessee Samuels Samuels was a prominent local who did not want the town named for him. Malesus was a compromise Medina, North Dakota median name changed from Midway, so named because it's about halfway between the extreme east and west of the continent Nada, Kentucky Dana Dana Lumber Company, which owned the sawmill Natércia, BrazilCaterinaAnagram of the old spelling of Catarina, used by the poet Luís de Camões. Name chosen to not be mistaken by the state of Santa Catarina. Neola, West Virginia Olean, New York Romley, Colorado Morely Colonel B. F. Morely, mine owner; now a ghost town Salitpa, Alabama Satilpa Creek error when someone apparently crossed the wrong letter (thus switching the L and T) when applying for a post office Shallmar, Maryland Marshall "a New Yorker who founded the community" Sury Basin, London, EnglandSainsburystreet in Kingston upon Thames and location of the town's Sainsbury's supermarket; first part is also a mis-spelling of Surrey, the town's traditional county Ticona, Illinois Tonica, Illinois a nearby town Vadis, West Virginia Davis Vinsulla, British Columbia Sullivan Michael Sullivan, early pioneer Windber, Pennsylvania Berwind Charles and Edward Berwind, mine owners
Anagram-like constructions of place names
A few places names were constructed by arranging a preselected set of letters in an order that made a pronounceable name. NameNotesReference Agloe, New York the initials of Otto G. Lindberg, director of the General Drafting Co., and his assistant, Ernest Alpers. Initially a copyright trap, but then made real by a store taking the name from an Esso road map. Delmita, Texas seven sons of founder Nicéforo G. Peña, Sr. each drew a letter Solina, Ontario School teacher John Hughes suggested a name be coined from the letters A I L N O and S. Solina was chosen over several other choices such as Linosa and Sinola
Anadromes NameReversal ofNotesReference Adanac, Nipissing District, Ontario Canada Adanac, Parry Sound District, Ontario Canada community within Carling, Ontario. Adanac, Saskatchewan Canada Adaven, Nevada Nevada ghost town Aksarben Village, Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska mixed-use development. Formerly, the Ak-Sar-Ben (arena), a horse race track and indoor arena Amabala, Oklahoma Alabama Anidem, Oregon Medina named after a previous home/work place of the mine owner, possibly a Medina Mine in Colorado Atokad Park Dakota location of Atokad Downs horse racing track in South Sioux City, Nebraska Cleo, Oregon O(regon) E(xport) L(umber) C(ompany) reversed acronym; railroad stop Egnar, Colorado range Ekal, Florida lake Ekoms, Oregon smoke post office approved but never established; up river from Ragic (q.v.) Enola, South Carolina alone Enola Hill alone hill in Oregon, applied by a homesteader whose house was isolated Etlah, Missouri halte German for "stop" Lebam, Washington Mabel Goodell daughter of early settler Lennut, Kentucky tunnel now known as Combs, Kentucky Maharg, Oklahoma Graham reversed due to postal name conflict; now named Foss, Oklahoma Mahned, Mississippi Denham community founder name Muroc, California Ralph and Clifford Corum now the location of Edwards Air Force Base, formerly Muroc Field Nagrom, Washington Elmer G. Morgan owner of Morgan Lumber Company Namorf, Oregon George Froman local resident Narod, California Doran railroad section foreman's name; RR stop south of Montclair, California Nedra, Florida Arden, Pennsylvania home town of developers Nedrow, New York Worden town founder Nikep, Maryland Pekin former name arbitrarily reversed to avoid postal confusion Nillup, Western Australia Harold Maughan Pullin popular local who did not want the place named after him Nilrem, Alberta Merlin Nivloc, Nevada Colvin mine owner Nolem, Florida melon Niton, Alberta not in Notla, Texas Alton Grocery Company landowner also owned Alton grocery store in Enid, Oklahoma Ocapos, Arizona SO(uthern) PA(acific) CO(mpany) reversed acronym; also known as Southern Pacific Railroad Orestod, Colorado Dotsero, Colorado opposite ends of a short railroad line; Dotsero is derived from dot-zero, origin point of rail line Radec, California cedar Ragic, Oregon cigar post office on the Rogue River(1898–1900); see also Ekoms Redart, Virginia Trader early settler's name Rednaxela Terrace, Hong Kong Alexander believed to have been the last name of a former part-owner of the street; name is believed to have been reversed due to a clerical error Reklaw, Texas Margaret Walker land donor; reversed due to post office name conflict Remlap, Alabama James W. Palmer First postmaster. A relative of Palmer's was the postmaster of a neighboring town, which he had already named Palmerdale, and the name Remlap was chosen to avoid the confusion of having two similarly named towns in close proximity. Remlap, Florida Palmer Town developers from Chicago Remlig, Texas Alexander Gilmer owner of the Gilmer Lumber Company Remlik, Virginia Willis Sharpe Kilmer estate owned by Kilmer, a patent medicine entrepreneur Retlaw, Alberta Walter R. Baker Canadian Pacific Railway official Retlaw, Oregon H. L. Walter Southern Pacific Railroad employee Retrop, Oklahoma Ira J. Porter first postmaster Retsil, Washington Ernest Lister Washington Governor (1913–1919) Retsof, New York Foster town founder Revilo, Tennessee Oliver brand name of a plow Revloc, Pennsylvania Colver, Pennsylvania two company towns, owned by Monroe Coal Company Robat, South Carolina Mount Tabor locality in Union County Rolyat, Oregon Taylor probably the name of a Post Office official in Washington Rotavele, California elevator Sacul, Texas Lucas land owner's name; reversed due to post office name conflict Saxet, Texas Texas locality in Shelby County Saxet Lake Park Texas park in Victoria County, Texas Seloc, South Carolina Coles Senoj Lake (Oregon) Jones person unknown Senyah, Florida Haynes developer's last name Setag, Texas James T. Gates company owner Silaxo, California Oxalis, California Silaxo is a few miles south of Oxalis Sniktaw, California W. F. Watkins journalist who used Sniktaw as a pseudonym Tenoroc Public Use Area, Florida Coronet The Coronet Phosphate Company mined this area in the mid-20th century Tesnus, Texas sunset sunset appearing on a logo of Southern Pacific Railroad Ti, Oklahoma I(ndian) T(erritory) reversed abbreviation; named before territory was renamed to Oklahoma Tinrag, Texas Garnit local family name Trebloc, Mississippi Colbert local family name Trevlac, Indiana Colonel Calvert resort developer; reversed to avoid duplication Wabasso, Florida Ossabaw Island in Georgia Yellek, Ontario R J. Kelley trainmaster for Canadian Pacific Railway Yewed, Oklahoma Admiral George Dewey reversed due to post office name conflict
Imperfect ananyms NameReversal ofNotesReference Enola, Nebraska T. J. Malone founder; omitted the M when reversed. Lionilli, Kentucky Illinois intended to be Sionilli, but name misrecorded by post office clerk Nonnell, Kentucky John Lennon L&N RR maintenance supervisor; extra L Revelo, Kentucky Oliver railroad construction engineer; formerly spelled Revilo; name changed for unknown reasons Revillo, South Dakota J. S. Oliver railroad man; extra L added. Samoth, Illinois John R. Thomas Congressman from Illinois; TH kept intact for pronunciation Sarben, Nebraska Nebraska omitting the KA Mount Sniktau, Colorado Watkins "Sniktau" was a pen name of journalist E. H. N. Patterson, who borrowed and modified W. F. Watkins's nom de plume; see Sniktaw above Tensed, Idaho Pierre-Jean De Smet Belgian missionary; reversed due to post office name conflict, and then misspelled during name approval process Yelrome, Illinois Isaac Morley Mormon elder; E added for pronunciation; town burned down by anti-Mormon mob in 1845 Yesmar, Alabama Ramsay local family name, but with an E replacing an A.
See also Anagram Ananym List of geographic acronyms and initialisms List of geographic portmanteaus
References