Destinations with funny names
There are hundreds of countries, cities, and towns all over the world, so when it comes to naming somewhere new, you've got to be creative. From the USA, to the UK, Turkey to Wales and beyond, there are some rare and funny place names that will make you double-take or even laugh out loud. Let's have a look at some destinations with funny names that steal the show!
- Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec, Canada
- Bugscuffle, Texas, USA
- Idiotville, Oregon, USA
- Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales
- Knockemstiff, Ohio, USA
- 1770, Queensland, Australia
- Christmas Pie, Surrey, UK
- Batman, Batman Province, Turkey
- See it to believe it
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec, Canada
The name of this municipality in Quebec makes perfect sense in French. "Ha!Ha!" when translated from archaic French means a cul-de-sac or dead end and refers to the sudden view of Lake Témiscouata, as early adventurers came upon the water body for the first time. The citizens of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! are proud of this ancient heritage and that they possess the one and only city name in the world that features two exclamation points! Ha! Ha!
Bugscuffle, Texas, USA
Bugscuffle is located in Wilbarger County, Texas and history tells us that in 1860 a man named Phillips built a cotton gin and sawmill, quickly giving rise to the town of "Whistleville" named after the mill's work whistle. Nearby, Davie Owen opened a second gin and mill. Townsfolk called the area "Bugscuffle" and it was granted a post office in 1878. This meant it needed a more dignified name. The name Valley Spring was accepted but many still refer to the area as "Bugscuffle".
Idiotville, Oregon, USA
Idiotville is essentially a ghost town located in Tillamook County Oregon, near the mouth of Idiot Creek in the Tillamook State Forest. About 800 m up Idiot Creek was Ryan's Camp, a logging camp which was part of the salvage operations for the Tillamook Burn, a serious wildfire that almost destroyed the forest. It was said that only an idiot would work in the remote location so the name Idiotville was adopted. The name was eventually applied to the stream for the purposes of maps.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales
When translated from Welsh into English, this almost impossible name means "St. Mary's Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near to the Rapid Whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave". A name history tells us was deliberately created to ensure the town had the longest name on any railroad stop in the U.K. Why? We don't know!
Knockemstiff, Ohio, USA
There are two possible ways that this small, rural town in south-central Ohio got its name. One version of the story is that in the 1800s, a preacher came upon the town during his travels. He arrived in the middle of two ladies fighting over a gentleman. According to the story, the preacher tried to tell the ladies he wasn't worth it, and coined the phrase that named the town: saying "knock him stiff" instead. The second tale relates to a woman who approached the preacher to complain that her husband was being unfaithful. The advice given became an amusing town motto and eventually the town adopted it as an official name. "Knockemstiff" is also slang for homemade moonshine liquor made in stills by the local townspeople.
1770, Queensland, Australia
The town of 1770 is unique in having a name that doesn't even use letters. Well, technically it is named "Seventeen Seventy" but everybody uses the numeric version. Originally named Round Hill, the town was the second place Captain James Cook landed when he discovered the region in 1770. To honour this event the Australian town was re-named 1770.
Christmas Pie, Surrey, UK
Located in southeast England the village of Christmas Pie wasn't named after festive food! Instead, it was named for an important local family with the surname Christmas. Records mentioning the family go back more than 500 years. The word "pie" refers to the ancient Saxon word "pightel," which means "land". So the town's name honours the small field owned by the family where the town now stands.
Batman, Batman Province, Turkey
The river in Turkey has borne the name since at least the 1800s, but the city was only renamed in 1957. Despite this, back in 2008, the mayor at the time threatened to sue Warner Brothers for using their name in the hit film starring Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, "The Dark Knight". It was decided that as the superhero had been around since 1939, with the city changing the name in 1957, they didn't have much of a leg to stand on.
See it to believe it
If you don't believe us, why not check them out for yourself? Or why not head off and see if you can discover some more? For the best price and comparison information for flights to these and other destinations visit BudgetAir Australia.