Other (World) Towns and places named after people.

Started by Lauri Kreen on Monday, May 2, 2011
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5/2/2011 at 11:08 PM

Look also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_places_named_after_p...

Russia has (had) lot of them:

St. Petersburg / Petrograd - Peter the Great (1st) Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia

formerly Leningrad - Lenin Vladimir Lenin
Uljanovsk - Vladimir Uljanov (Lenin) Vladimir Lenin
Other places after Lenin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_after_Vladimir_Lenin

Stalingrad (former (1925-1961) name of Volgograd) - Stalin Joseph Stalin
Dushanbe (was 1929-61 Stalinabad) - Stalin Joseph Stalin
Donetsk (was 1924-29 Stalin and 1929-1961 Stalino) - Stalin Joseph Stalin
other ones after Stalin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_after_Joseph_Stalin

Kirov (until 1934 Vyatka) - Sergey Kirov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Kirov)
Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz name 1931-44 & 1954-90) - Sergo Ordzhonikidze (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Ordzhonikidze)
Engels (Pokrovsk until 1931) - Friedrich Engels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engels)

etc
etc

5/3/2011 at 2:08 AM

We're also tracking placenames linked to people in our Travel SA project:
http://www.geni.com/projects/CUZZIN-COUNTRY-Travel-SA-with-Geni-con...

Here are a few examples from South Africa:
CAPE TOWN
*[Charles Bower Adderley, 1st Baron Norton Sir Charles Adderley], a British parliamentarian, who, in 1850, led the successful opposition against a British plan to turn the Cape into a convict settlement. [http://www.southafrica-travel.net/westcape/capetown_adderley.htm Adderley St] is named after him.

BEAUFORT WEST
*[Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort The Fifth Duke of Beaufort], father of the Cape Governor, [Lord Charles Henry Somerset, Governor of the Cape Lord Charles Somerset], gave his name to the first municipality in SA in 1837. The Karoo’s largest town, [http://www.beaufortwestsa.co.za/ Beaufort West] is also known as ‘the capital of the Karoo’ and became prosperous with the introduction of Merino sheep.

PIETERMARITZBURG
*[Pieter Mauritz Retief Piet Retief] & Gerrit Maritz - Voortrekker leaders - give their names to the town [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg]

HARDING (KWA-ZULU NATAL)
*[Captain William Walter Harding, SV/PROG Capt William Walter Harding] for whom the town of [http://www.countryroads.co.za/content/harding.html Harding] was named.

Private User
5/3/2011 at 9:45 AM

To continue with Lauri's list, the two that come to mind for me:

Skovorodino, located on the Trans-Siberian around 1,000 km south of Yakutsk - according to English Wikipedia: In 1938, Rukhlovo was renamed Skovorodino in honor of A. N. Skovorodin (1890–1920), chairman of a local Soviet, who had been killed here during the Russian civil war. There is a myth that it was named after a frying pan factory ordered by Stalin (frying pan=Сковорода/Skovoroda), which is not correct. (This was the place where I could say for the first time that I had done one circumnavigation in January 2007.)

And of course, Ulyanovsk, formerly Simbirsk, named for Vladimir Ulyanov, son of a local school teacher, brother of an executed revolutionary... and himself the much more successful revolutionary who renamed himself Vladimir Lenin.

Private User
5/20/2011 at 8:07 AM

If Roger I 'd'Espagne' de Tosny is ever unlocked, he's the namesake of Saham Toney, England.

I just added http://www.geni.com/people/Royal-Governor-John-Murray-4th-Earl-of-D... (Dunmore Town, Harbour Island, the Bahamas). I also added George Town, Exuma, the Bahamas for George III, already in the project.

5/20/2011 at 8:17 PM

Ashley, if you ever want a profile unlocked, please just contact the curator who manages it and we will be glad to work with you. We're trying to get Geni to change the system so that data fields can be locked but Geni users can still add information to the About Me.

Please contact me and I'll be glad to coordinate with you on Roger I.

Private User
5/23/2011 at 6:00 AM

Good to know, Pam! My understanding was that locked profiles weren't available for collaboration, so I'm glad you cleared that up.

Thank you for the offer -- I've sent you a message.

5/31/2011 at 12:12 PM

I've added:

Jakobstad, Finland named after Count Jakob De la Gardie

Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. USN who has a moon crater named after him

Private User
5/31/2011 at 12:59 PM

Ooh, we've expanded to the Moon! I like this. :)

5/31/2011 at 1:05 PM

Yep, I could make comments about how this project is "out of this world" but I think I'll restrain myself. :)

6/2/2011 at 7:00 AM

I started a section for Argentina and added 3 entries to get it going:

1 Plaza, Argentina -- Victorino de la Plaza y Silva (1840-1919) President of Argentina from August 1914 to October 1916.

2 Sáenz Peña, Argentina -- Roque Sáenz Peña Lahitte (1851-1914) President of Argentina

3: Vicente López, Argentina -- Vicente López y Planes (1785-1856) Argentine writer and politician who acted as interim President of Argentina in 1827. He also wrote the lyrics of the Argentine National Anthem.

6/2/2011 at 7:22 AM

Thanks Randy. You can look at the Gobernacion de la Rio de la Plate project for the early governors, many of whom have places (multiple) named after them. I'll try to send you more or add more this weekend.

6/2/2011 at 7:23 AM

That would be "... del Rio de la Plata" Never type fast.

12/28/2011 at 4:38 AM

The situation in Great Britain is that sometimes it is unclear whether a person has taken their name from the place or vice versa as both were common.

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